Fridge repair might seem an easy task with the various media platforms like Wikipedia and YouTube offering advice, with even step by step demonstrations on how it can be done. But not unlike replacing a punctured tyre on your car or even solving the colourful Rubik’s cube, refrigerator repair is not as easy as people make it out to be. If done incorrectly, many issues can arise, on top of hurting yourself, dropping the fridge heavily against the floor or even banging it against the wall tiles, which will more than put dents in your wallet.

While fridge repair is not rocket science, you do need to know that like most appliances, internal components are not always similar. The coils, the compressor, and especially the valves might look the same, but that is akin to saying a Japanese hatchback is similar to a European one, since their parts look alike, with only what’s on the outside being the major difference.

If the dimensions differ by a few millimeters, would you abandon the part you purchased and find another one, or would you force it on regardless? Buying and installing the wrong part for your refrigerator by yourself could lead to even more parts failing, or even cause the refrigerator to seize up.

Of course, assuming you do get the fridge repairs done right without injuring yourself, damaging the floor or the walls of the kitchen, can you give youself a warranty for the job done? This means that if something does go wrong, you will have to dismantle everything all over again, find the root cause of the problem and repair it, and then pray to whichever deity you believe in that it does not malfunction again. So unless you have a childhood dream to be MacGyver who can repair his fridge with a paperclip, it is not advisable to replicate his particular set of skills.