RV Repair: Refrigerator, service reliability, lp gas

Question
My RV has a Norcold Model 462 fridge that has stopped cooling.  Unit is approx. 14 yrs. old.  Been a good one.  According to the dealer, the cooling unit has a leak.  They told me a new cooling unit would run $815 installed.  It seems I would be better off to just have a new replacement fridge installed.  However, they only handle Dometic.  Would you recommend replacing with another Norcold unit or the Dometic unit.  How would you compare the two manufacturers from a quality, service, reliability and functionality perspective.  Also, my old unit was a 3-way unit but the Dometic they want to replace it with is a two way unit.  Any thoughts here.  Thanks!

Answer
Don,
   With the age of your fridge in mind I would recommend replacing it with a N-641 Norcold.  It comes with a three year warranty and you can purchase an additional 3 year warranty from Norcold.  A replacement cooling unit will have just a 1 year warranty.  The installation hole is the same size but you will probably have to reroute the LP gas line.  3-way units are just about obsolete any more and we always replace them with 2-way as well.  I prefer Norcold to Dometic but they really are about equal in every way except appearance and price (Dometic costs a little more).  The only time I get people considering just a cooling unit repair is if they are just trying to get it fixed so they can sell it and this saves them a little money, but a brand new fridge is a good selling point to a potential buyer.  I hope this helps and if you have any more questions let me know.

Darren