One place to try is Arrow Appliance in Arlington. Number is 817-860-1336. They used to have a show room of vintage appliances next to Campo Verde resturant. There are a couple of places in Dallas that repair porcelain and change colors but I know none that restore vintage appliances. If Arrow no longer restores appliances, perhaps they can reccomend some one.

We have all Monogram appliances in a high end tract home we purchased 5 years ago. I would say based on our experiences, RUN THE OTHER WAY from Monogram. We have had our fridge serviced over 12 times in 5 years. No joke. And we are not hard on it by any means. About 5 of those were various ice maker/water dispenser calls. 2x we just outright lost our food because it didn't maintain the temps, a couple were major noise issues (we are talking rattling you can hear on the opposite end of the hosue), etc. Our gas cooktop has been serviced 6 times through the years. The parts are VERY pricy so each time the guy comes out, we are looking at $200-$500. Most recently the igniter would not turn off even after the burner was lit. It would just click for as long as we were cooking. They had to replace some sensors and valves and we were out $700 from GE. We now have the name and cel phone of the local GE Cares repair guy and don't even bother calling the 800# to schedule service -- we just call Ken and he helps us out. Our whole neighborhood has the GE Monogram line because of the builder's contract with GE and everyone has been complaining nonstop. Our double oven is the one thing we only had problem with once, early on (with the mother board going out) and thankfully that was still under warranty so it didn't cost us anything. It would have been over $500 to repair! We have an Advantium microwave and a warming drawer. The microwave is quite fancy but is less powerful than our $150 Target microwave that we keep on the counter and use more often. We have called out GE to evaluate the microwave and they say boiling water between 3-6 minutes is "acceptable." Well, the $150 microwaves boils a cup of water in under 2 min and the fancy GE does it in almost 6 minutes!! It's just silly. You know those Lean Cuisine meals? The box says cook for 3-4 minutes. I have to almost DOUBLE the cooking time to get it to defrost. But GE claims it's working fine. We are now about to embark on a custom home build and the one thing DH and I completely agree on is that we will NEVER get another GE appliance in our home. We are looking at Wolf appliances but I know they are much more pricy. 2 of our neighbors redid their kitchens in the past year and both switched out their Monogram stuff for Thermador. Both are thrilled with the results. Kath

Marley, It takes a little more time to research but you will be better off reading up on the recommended brands for each appliance category and mixing your appliance brands in order to get optimal performance in each category. Two years ago, when we were building our home, I studied the archived posts on this forum and went out to look at the various brands in person. I wanted optimal performance but, like you, wanted to stick to budget. It is doable! I was hesitant to mix the appliance brands but ended up with great appliances in every category. I didn't like the handle on my KA DW (didn't match the pro style of my other appliances) so I ordered a pro-style handle from KA and DH replaced it for me so everything would blend well. Also, someone on this forum (I think it was Cpovey) suggested splurging on the range/cooktop/oven as there are major differences in performance while not so much with refrigerators, microwaves, dishwashers. Brand suggestions (mid to high mid price range) for each category that seem to be well-received on this forum: Ovens: GE Profile, Bosch, Electrolux, Fisher-Paykel, GE Monogram Ranges/cooktops: Frigidaire, Kenmore, GE Profile, Bosch, Electrolux Bertazzoni, GE Monogram, Bluestar RCS/RPB Dishwashers: Kenmore, Whirlpool, Kitchenaid, Bosch Refrigerators: GE, Kitchenaid, Samsung This isn't an exhaustive list; I'm sure I've left some good ones off but it will get you started. I'm in the process of buying new appliances for our beach place. Like you, I want good performance but don't want to break the bank for a vacation home that we don't use on a daily basis. I bought a Samsung french-door model on clearance at Lowe's (it has a door ding but that's okay for the beach) which we love. I'm replacing the DW with Kitchenaid's entry-level model (it has stainless interior but less bells and whistles - I figure it will clean dishes as well as my more expensive model at home), a cheap countertop microwave, a range hood bought on Ebay, and a DCS range bought at an overstock price online. I know the pro-style range will really make for an enjoyable cooking experience so that's our splurge. As you read these posts, it's easy to start thinking you won't be happy unless you buy the most expensive, top-of-the-line brands and models but that can be a costly trap, especially with current economic uncertainty. There are plenty of people who did their homework and are very happy with their mid and low price range appliance choices.

From Wikipedia 2006 Acquired the Maytag, including the Maytag, Jenn-Air, Amana, Jade, Magic Chef, Admiral, Hoover, and Dixie-Narco brands, after Justice Department approved the merger. Surpassed $18 billion in annual revenues. 2007 Sold Hoover to Techtronic Industries, TTI Floorcare.[4] and Jade Appliances to Middleby Corporation. Also closed plants in Newton, Iowa; Searcy, Arkansas; and Herrin, Illinois. This resulted in the sudden loss of 4500 jobs in the affected communities. Surpassed $19 billion in annual revenues. 2008 Location closings in La Vergne, Tenn; Reynosa, Mexico; and Oxford, Miss. Later the announcement of Dishwasher plant in Jackson, TN to close in August 2009 2009 Whirlpool acquired WC Woods from Bankruptcy [5] and to keep Ottawa, OH plant open; Whirlpool to close Evansville plant;[6] Whirlpool has received $19.3 million in U.S. Department of Energy funding as part of its Smart Grid Investment Grant program [7] 2012 Whirlpool closes Fort Smith, Arkansas plant in June 2012 after moving production out of the plant to Mexico for several years prior to the closing. In 2006 the plant employed 4,600. 15,000 lost jobs since the merger, but the billions in revenue keep going up, while the customer service goes steadily downward.