PCB, not PCP. It's a lot less fun

June 1, 2017 4:38 PM

Asking for my boyfriend, who is in the UK. His refrigerator - about 2.5 years old - has suddenly croaked, and it's apparently the PCB (i.e. the fridge's "brain") that's got the problem. He'd love to replace the part (with the help of his father, who is an appliance repairman) rather than chuck the whole, really-very-new fridge/freezer, but we're having a hell of a time finding the correct part. My Google skills, normally strong, seem to be failing me. Can y'all help us?

The fridge is a Bosch KGE39BL40G, under 3 years old (but past the 2 year warranty, sadly). Every spare parts site/Ebay.co.uk that I've managed to find so far shows either a part that's not compatible with this particular model or is out of stock with no foreseeable restock date.

Help us, MeFi, you're our only hope...?

(Yes, he'll be calling the retailer who sold him the fridge and also Bosch, but in the morning - it's well past business hours where he is, and with me being in the US, we're hoping I can find him some options that he'll be able to weigh/act on in the morning, GMT.)

posted by AthenaPolias to Home & Garden (11 answers total)

Can your boyfriend in the UK call Argos support? They have a 24 hour telephone number for support. He could describe the problem and maybe they could narrow down your search. Problem with a printed circuit board is a little bit to generic for me to suggest more of a fix.
posted by Rob Rockets at 5:17 PM on June 1, 2017

Response by poster: I'm a bit out of my depth here, but does it make a difference if it's maybe a portion of the PCB that's not working or if it just needs to be completely replaced? I am (and I think he is, too) working on the premise that we need a wholly new part, but I could absolutely be wrong.

As for Argos support, I'll suggest it for when he wakes up - thanks!
posted by AthenaPolias at 5:36 PM on June 1, 2017

This site shows 116 different Bosch boards; are really none of them the right one? I agree that this should be a job you can do yourself, if you have the part. I have a Sub Zero that had a bad board and the actual repair took minutes, but the device charge was extortionate.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 5:36 PM on June 1, 2017

Response by poster: None of them seem to be, Admiral; he's got a KGE39BL40G model, which isn't listed. I thought it was promising there for a minute, but this seems to be the same problem I'm hitting on all sites - that model just isn't listed anywhere. It's really very strange...

(I do have a picture of the label and the sales receipt, so I'm sure it's the right model #)
posted by AthenaPolias at 5:44 PM on June 1, 2017

Best answer: I think you want Bosch OEM Part #00488194 - it's the control board and the price is right for the main control board ($150). That's the US part number, but it should cross reference if its different in the UK.
posted by COD at 5:54 PM on June 1, 2017

Best answer: Models numbers are changed so you can't direct comparison shop. Can you get the number off the board itself?
posted by notsnot at 6:06 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: COD, can I ask how you figured out the part #?

notsnot, I can't right now but will be sure to ask him if he can get it in the morning.
posted by AthenaPolias at 6:12 PM on June 1, 2017

Best answer: Looking at that model on the Bosch UK spares site, it seems you want part # 00752524, "Control Module Programmed" (which appears to be the same for both /01 & /02 variants). £71.03, in stock.
posted by Pinback at 6:14 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

does it make a difference if it's maybe a portion of the PCB that's not working or if it just needs to be completely replaced?

For this sort of thing, board replacement is generally the only option on offer.

It is possible that component-level repair is doable, but for that you'd require an electronics-savvy person who is prepared to give it a go, and that the the problem is diagnosable without circuit diagrams etc [these are unlikely to be available], and any required replacement parts are available [e.g. you'd be hosed if you required a vendor-specific chip unless you could locate another board to cannabilise].

So, worth trying if no replacement can be found, but no guarantee of success.
posted by HiroProtagonist at 6:14 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Even though it's out of warranty, you could try to call Bosch. I just had a part replaced by Maytag for a machine that was 6 months past warranty. It was a part that wouldn't normally wear out in such a short period of time, so they assumed it was faulty from the beginning. The repair person I called suggested I contact the company because replacing parts for recently out of warranty appliances is common.
posted by defreckled at 7:25 PM on June 1, 2017

AthenaPolias: I searched two sites, repairclinic.com and searspartsdirect.com, for the main board for the model number you provided. Both came up with that part number, although that is for the US and may not apply in the UK.
posted by COD at 7:58 PM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]