Curious about when its time for masonry repair or TUCKPOINTING? 

Whats wrong with the brick in the images above? 

Trick question, since there are a few things that are wrong. First thing to note is that these pictures are the result of water damage that occurred in a basement foundation wall. Other than the cosmetic paint deteriorating, one of the most apparent issues is the decay of the brick. Brick is typically a strong durable material, however if the brick becomes exposed to water, the brick quality deteriorates overtime. If the brick and mortar is left untreated, it can allow water to seep in between the bricks and mortar joints.

Why should it be fixed? 

If brick is a strong material, why not just take out the old mortar and replace it?  Isn't that what is causing the problem? Yes, but if you simply insert new mortar in between cracked or spalling bricks it would be like covering up the damage with a band aid - its not the right way to remediate the problem. You wouldn't want something like this to be supporting parts of your home. What happens if you don't repair anything at all? - well let's just say that "brick" wall becomes more easier for the big bad wolf to blow down. 

How should it be fixed? 

In this case, the best thing to do is to tuck point all the mortar joints that need attention along with replacing the old bricks with new bricks. Masonry restoration is only done by very few contractors, from choosing the correct mortar color to finding the correct brick to match in order to preserve the historic building codes of each town.