Oven and stove repair: gas vs electric, common failures, costs
Ovens and stoves have a longer useful life than almost any other appliance — 15–20 years isn't unusual for a quality range. That changes the repair math significantly: it's almost always worth fixing one, with a few specific exceptions.
Electric oven: bake and broil elements
Bake element ($110–$220) and broil element ($120–$230) are the most common electric oven failures and the easiest to fix — most can be done in 20 minutes once parts arrive. Heating elements are visible when on; if you see broken segments or burn marks, that's your problem. Almost always worth fixing.
Gas oven: igniter and gas valve
Oven igniter ($150–$280) is the most common gas oven failure — when the igniter weakens, the safety valve won't open and gas won't flow to the burner. Gas safety valve ($280–$450) is the next most common. Both are worth doing on any gas range. Surface igniters on cooktop burners ($90–$170 each) are also straightforward fixes.
Control boards and touchscreens
Electronic control board ($320–$600) is the only common oven repair where age matters significantly. On a 12+ year old range, the discontinued-parts risk is real — verify the board is available before agreeing to the repair. Touchscreen replacement on smart ovens can run $400–$800 and is often the breaking point for replacement.
What's not worth fixing
Self-cleaning mechanism failures on older models (the parts cost approaches replacement cost and the feature itself is overrated). Door hinge failures on older ranges (parts often discontinued). Anything cosmetic on a 15+ year unit. If multiple things are failing simultaneously, that's an end-of-life signal — replace.
Heating elements, igniters, and gas valves are almost always worth fixing — they're cheap, fast, and ovens last decades. Control boards are the one variable. Multiple simultaneous failures are the end-of-life signal.