Midea mini fridge not cooling, what usually causes it?

[Thomas Martinez]

Saw some posts about the mini fridge losing their cool so figured I'd open one up for discussion. There is a few usual suspects out there.
First one is the setting on the fridge. This will seem pretty dumb but you need to set these to 6 in order for either the fridge or freezer compartment to get cold enough for ice to form. Any lower and the fridge will come in at a lukewarm.
Second and third are the compressor issues or refrigerant leak / low refrigerant gas charge. Compressor issues are typically felt (or not felt) while low refrigerant will typically make the compressor run nonstop but the fridge dont get cold enough.
My question is, how often is it refrigerant vs compressor issues on these Midea mini fridges? Most people probably just bin them when it happen. How did you diagnose which was the problem? Or is it just a case of setting to 6 and praying it'll work?

 

[Enchanting Elk]

9 times out of 10 on these cheapie minis its the compressor or the start relay, not a leak. Leaks happen but the tubing is all sealed copper, there's not many places for it to go bad.

 

[Forbidden Plunger Babi]

the dial to 6 thing is real lol. My buddy called me over to look at his last summer convinced it was dead, dial was on 2. Felt like an idiot for him.

 

[Distinct Dugon]

quick question for anyone whos opened one up, is the compressor in these midea units even servicable or is it all sealed units? like can you swap just the relay or do you have to rip the whole back apart?