Occasionally there may be a need for an after-market generic brand or universal replacement part should the manufacturer discontinue supplying originals. Ones that are likely to be available are replacements for parts referred to as 'functional' and/or 'fast moving'.

Functional parts are those parts that do the work on the appliance. Switches, controls, elements, motors, belts and even hinges may be referred to as functional. Fast moving parts are those that are often the most common to fail like belts or electrical parts such as switches, controls, elements and motors.

Aftermarket or generic replacement parts may be made by the same company that supplies the originals to appliance manufacturer or they may be produced by a company not affiliated with the appliance manufacturer in any way. In most cases these will be the exact (or very close) fit as the original but their specifications may vary slightly from the original's.

Universal or adaptable replacement parts often contain several bits and pieces that have to be assembled to get a workable replacement. The most common are range thermostats and element switches which come with an extra long knob shaft which needs to be trimmed to the appropriate length. They may include several different mounting brackets that have to be installed to mount them.

Universal motors may have extra long shafts that must be cut to achieve the proper length and may require an additional mounting bracket. These are common for older air conditioners and furnaces but very rare for washers, dryers or dishwashers.

There are also OEM replacement kits which may work for other brands as well. One such item in particular are universal electric range and cooktop surface element infinite heat switch controls. In this case the actual part manufacturer (Robertshaw) supplies the same part to the various appliance manufacturers whom each then just label it with their own part number.

Common parts which may be able to be used universally

Range/Oven/Cooktop
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