# ISO a new dishwasher



## GotGarlic (Sep 25, 2017)

Our dishwasher has bitten the dust. Called a repair place today and they want minimum $190 just to visit and take a look. We'd much rather go with new.

So I'm interested in your experiences and opinions on what to look for and what to avoid. The brand doesn't matter to us; our fridge, stove and microwave are all different brands [emoji38] We just want something reliable. Thanks [emoji2]


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## jennyema (Sep 25, 2017)

I've had a kitchenaid for 10 years and love it.  It was one of their higher end models but it's lasted and works great.

Before that I had bad experiences with two Bosches


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## PrincessFiona60 (Sep 25, 2017)

Dishrag, dish soap, sink, water...


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## caseydog (Sep 25, 2017)

My Bosch is 16 years old, and still works like new. I've heard good things about KitchenAide DWs, too, from several people. 

CD


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## Andy M. (Sep 25, 2017)

Five years ago I bought a Samsung to replace a Kenmore Elite.  Liked the Kenmore much better.


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## GotGarlic (Sep 25, 2017)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Dishrag, dish soap, sink, water...


Hee hee! I've had to simplify meals lately because DH, the backup dishwasher, is not happy about the manual method  When he wants a new machine, I don't argue [emoji38]


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## PrincessFiona60 (Sep 25, 2017)

GotGarlic said:


> Hee hee! I've had to simplify meals lately because DH, the backup dishwasher, is not happy about the manual method  When he wants a new machine, I don't argue [emoji38]



I got a new vacuum cleaner that way once...just waited till the Ogre decided to use it.  I had a new one that afternoon.


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## Katie H (Sep 25, 2017)

At the end of January we replaced our old limping dishwasher with a Maytag model MDB4949SDH3.  We couldn't be more pleased.

The first load of dishes looked brand new and we thought the old one was doing a great job.  Guess we really did need to replace it.

Installation was a breeze.  No hiccups, no confusing directions.  Perfect.

The inside is stainless steel, there are multiple spray stations/arms, the utensil basket is large and allows an option for separating individual pieces via the use of a sectioned lid, and the racks are not coated metal tines so no problem with the coating wearing off leaving dishes at the risk of getting rust damage.

It's amazingly quiet.  I've been used to having dishwashers that drown out the TV in the next room.  I can stand next to this one and barely hear it.

I said cleaning was exceptional but the dishwasher was really put to the test last week when our hot water heater went out.  I'd had the dishwasher fully loaded and decided to "let 'er rip" and go ahead and run it.  This appliance stood up to the challenge and did a stellar job, just as if it had had hot water.

We've had it now for nearly 10 months and it has performed in a stellar manner regardless of what we throw at it.  Gooey, sticky, stuck-on stuff...you name it, it's cleaned everything to spotless perfection.

I did a lot of research before choosing this dishwasher.  My last bit of information that would help me make the right choice was to run all my choices by a friend who has sold and repaired appliances for over 40 years and owns an appliance store that is over 100-years-old.

I trusted Robert and had known him from the time he was 6 weeks old.

I had whittled it down to a Bosch or Maytag.  He told me immediately that the best of the two was Maytag.  That, in recent years, Bosch has had a poor performance record and repair problems.

The Maytag, he said, was absolutely the best of the best on today's market and praised me for my sleuthing.

In the end, we spent less than $500, including tax, on this purchase.

We were originally going to buy it at Lowe's because they were having a sale _and_ Glenn could use his military discount to further reduce the price.

I decided to call my friend back and see if he could do any better or match Lowe's price.

Yep, Robert came through with less than a $50 profit.  He's who we call when we need appliance repairs we can't handle ourselves.  Even though his business is about an hour away, he always comes when we call and never charges an extra fee for the distance.  Guess that's why his family has had the business for over a century.


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## Caslon (Sep 25, 2017)

It's amazing the difference in sound between a basic low cost dishwasher like Home Depot sells (GE seems to be the fave) and higher priced dishwashers (Bosch) where you literally can't tell they're running. My current cheapo GE basic dishwasher sounds like Niagra Falls when it's running and the water inlet solenoid makes a sudden sound so loud that it startles me.

Sound should be a consideration if your kitchen is in close proximity to your living area. I have to turn up my TV a little when my noisy inexpensive GE is running. Reliability wise, most dishwashers don't go bad very often.


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## Cooking Goddess (Sep 26, 2017)

jennyema said:


> ...Before that I had bad experiences with two Bosches


I hate my Bosch. Despise my Bosch. I really, REALLY do not like it at all.

We have a lot of stoneware dishes, so they are thick. It's very difficult to load them properly. If I'm using more than three or four bowls, I have to take up vast amounts of real estate to get them in and still make sure the water can reach them. I fit far fewer items in the Bosch than I could successfully wash in my builder model Frigidaire - which was as quiet as a jumbo jet.  Hence, the Bosch.

In the beginning it was whisper-quiet. Close to the end of the factory warranty, the volume began to increase. First, they had a hard time finding someone to service it out here in the wilderness. Then, the repairman messed something up (it's been a while - I don't remember details) and I needed to have them come back out. Once again, close to the end of the extended warranty (maybe three year extension? So it was a 4-year-old machine), I thought I heard the noise starting up again, but wasn't sure if it was real or my imagination. Then I didn't hear noise...until a few months after the extended warranty went belly-up. Heck with it, I'll wait until the Bosch goes belly-up and replace it with one like *Katie's*! That is, unless we get out of Dodge before things break.


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## Caslon (Sep 26, 2017)

You got a high end Bosch made on a Monday or a Friday.  Where there is a one in a ten chance   that someone on the assembly line is looking forward to the weekend or not as sharp on a Monday (kidding).  Or... a one in 10 chance a production error happened.

Doesn't load dishes easy or clean them right?  Which dishwasher does?


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## Cooking Goddess (Sep 26, 2017)

My previous KitchenAid did. Easy to load, washed dishes fine...until the control panel died. Got the Bosch because it was quiet. Until it wasn't. 

I know about Monday/Friday items. We needed a car fast. Himself's sister had a Plymouth Arrow. Loved it, no issues. We bought one...and ended up with a "build on Friday afternoon, after the guys went out drinking for lunch" car.


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## Caslon (Sep 26, 2017)

You can read negative review on any model dishwasher out there.  Bosch has like...12 models of dishwashers. Some  buyers may even have had the bad the luck to have bought two Bosch dishwashers and they both disappointed. Plain bad luck. 

One in so many appliance products will be defective.  If it happens often...then...freaky you.  J/K


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## Just Cooking (Sep 26, 2017)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> *Dishrag, dish soap, sink, water*...



Jeannie (like many of we older folks) grew up hand washing dishes, had no dishwasher in her long, previous marriage.. When we got together, in our 50's, she wouldn't use the dishwasher in any of the homes we had.. Our current apartment has no dishwasher and she is happily content with being our dishwasher.. 

Ross


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## Andy M. (Sep 26, 2017)

Katie H said:


> ...I said cleaning was exceptional but the dishwasher was really put to the test last week when our hot water heater went out.  I'd had the dishwasher fully loaded and decided to "let 'er rip" and go ahead and run it.  This appliance stood up to the challenge and did a stellar job, just as if it had had hot water...




It most probably was washing with hot water.  Hot tap water isn't hot enough for a dishwasher.  It takes in water at whatever temperature and heats it in the DW to the temperature it needs. then it starts to wash.  If your DW has a sanitize cycle/feature, the water has to be at >160ºF to do the job.  That's a lot hotter than hot tap water.


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## Katie H (Sep 26, 2017)

Andy M. said:


> It most probably was washing with hot water.  Hot tap water isn't hot enough for a dishwasher.  It takes in water at whatever temperature and heats it in the DW to the temperature it needs. then it starts to wash.  If your DW has a sanitize cycle/feature, the water has to be at >160ºF to do the job.  That's a lot hotter than hot tap water.



Good to know, Andy.  Yes, it does have a sanitize feature and it was set on it for that run of dishes.  So, I guess the dishwasher is smarter than I am.


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## CubsGal (Sep 26, 2017)

Cooking Goddess said:


> We have a lot of stoneware dishes, so they are thick. It's very difficult to load them properly. If I'm using more than three or four bowls, I have to take up vast amounts of real estate to get them in and still make sure the water can reach them. I fit far fewer items in the Bosch than I could successfully wash in my builder model Frigidaire - which was as quiet as a jumbo jet.  Hence, the Bosch.



When we had to buy a new dishwasher, I took a set of my dishes to the store with me to try them out inside the dishwasher to see if they fit. (I got some really weird looks from customers and employees alike, but I take appliance buying very seriously!) I found the same issue with the Bosch; it was not made to hold thick stoneware dishes. Not much use to me if I can't put more than one meal's worth of dishes in it. I have a Whirlpool. It was one of the few that fit my dishes well, and it runs great. I've had it for 7 years with no issues.


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## Steve Kroll (Sep 26, 2017)

I have no idea what your budget is or what features you're looking for. Over the years, I've had the best luck with the simplest, least expensive dishwashers. We once bought a higher-end GE dishwasher at the last house, and ended up replacing it in just over two years because it couldn't even perform simple tasks like cleaning the residue out of a coffee cup.

In March, I bought a relatively inexpensive (~$450) Kenmore that I couldn't be more pleased with. I believe it's manufactured by Frigidaire. It's the quietest dishwasher I've ever owned. When I first bought it, I even found myself walking to the kitchen a few times just to confirm it was actually running, because I couldn't hear it in the next room.

The down side is that it has very few options. The one I sort of miss is the delayed start option, because in the past I liked to set the dishwasher to run after I left for work. But that was mostly because that particular dishwasher was noisy. This one is not.


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## GotGarlic (Sep 26, 2017)

Thanks for your comments and advice. It looks like maybe our dishwasher is only half dead  We have a Fisher & Paykel dish drawer. First the top drawer stopped working - it won't even turn on. Then somehow water got into it, which caused the bottom drawer to malfunction - the electronic panel beeped and blinked hysterically and it wouldn't run, so we turned it off at the electrical panel outside. 

Yesterday we drained and cleaned out the top drawer and left them both open to air out. Just now, we turned the power to that part of the kitchen on; the bottom drawer seems okay but the top one still doesn't work.

So we're going to go ahead and shop for a new one but we're not under as much pressure as before [emoji2] Thanks again.


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## bakechef (Sep 27, 2017)

I bought a Bosch to replace a Kenmore (whirlpool) the gave up the ghost.  I'll definitely say that the Kenmore had better designed racks, but I don't really have any issues loading it up with my Fiesta dishes.  I think that just before I bought mine, they redesigned the racks, because every complaint that read about the racks, I haven't experienced.  I've been using it for 9 months.

One thing that I'll say, dang, this thing cleans dishes exceptionally well.  We never pre rinse and stuff sits in there for a couple days and still comes out clean, even pans with stuck on rice or browned food.  So far I've been really happy.


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## Caslon (Sep 28, 2017)

My sister-n-law and others put knives facing up in her dishwasher utensil rack. Supposedly, they clean better that way.  I don't like pointy sharp things pointing up when I load my dishwasher's utensil tray.


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## Janet H (Sep 28, 2017)

I have a Thermador dishwasher - just installed and the second one in a few years (I moved and am remodeling - again).  These are really Bosch - same company and factory.

Mine is dead quiet running and does a great job cleaning.  My complaint about it is similar to earlier comments - the configuration of the bottom rack is odd... my dishes don;t fit in it well - or at least not cereal bowls.  The tines are too close together.  Plates fit well but mine are thin and fairly flat.

I disliked this about the last one as well but since it came as an add-in with a range purchase, I'm learning to cope.


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## kleenex (Sep 28, 2017)

LG LDF5545ST Dishwasher Review - Reviewed.com Dishwashers

or maybe this one:

Whirlpool WDT710PAHZ 24-inch dishwasher review - Reviewed.com Dishwashers


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## Roll_Bones (Sep 29, 2017)

Are you certain you need to replace it?
We thought we needed to replace ours until I got off my rear end and took a good look at the machine.
Removed the racks and the pump assembly.  Found a clogged screen and a worn out impeller/chopper.  This part is what grinds up food particles against a screen and allows them to drain/pump away.
Ordered the two parts (under $20) replace the bad and installed the new.  That was 5 years ago and it is still running great.
Best part is now I know how to take it apart and how to put it back together.

I used YouTube.  You can Google your model and brand and get repair instructions.

Oh.....I have the Sept Consumer Reports magazine and they have the Kitchenaid KDTE254ESS as the best buy. $798 They also say the best time to buy is in November. 
So, it looks like now is the time to start looking.  With mid November being the very best time to save money.
Whirpool WDT720PADM is rated very good at $395 and buying during the same time period.
Good luck.  I hope you can fix yours.


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## GotGarlic (Sep 29, 2017)

Thanks, RB. My husband has looked on YouTube for ideas and we were able to pull out the bottom drawer. One of the reasons the electronic display does that is supposedly because there's water in the pan, but it's dry underneath. It has a few parts inside that I remove and clean about every three months. 

When I was calling repair places, the first two said they don't work on this brand because it's difficult to get parts. If it's tough for them, it's probably not much easier for us. And to be honest, I'm not crazy about this dish drawer thing anyway. Neither drawer is tall enough for platters, some of our dishes don't fit well, etc. And it's 10 years old. We don't want to put more money into a machine that isn't all that great to begin with.

I appreciate you mentioning the Consumer Reports article.


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## Uncle Bob (Sep 29, 2017)

Bosch ~ S/S In and out.


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## GotGarlic (Sep 29, 2017)

Thanks, Uncle Bob! Good to see you [emoji2]


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## Roll_Bones (Sep 30, 2017)

GotGarlic said:


> Thanks, RB. My husband has looked on YouTube for ideas and we were able to pull out the bottom drawer. One of the reasons the electronic display does that is supposedly because there's water in the pan, but it's dry underneath. It has a few parts inside that I remove and clean about every three months.
> 
> When I was calling repair places, the first two said they don't work on this brand because it's difficult to get parts. If it's tough for them, it's probably not much easier for us. And to be honest, I'm not crazy about this dish drawer thing anyway. Neither drawer is tall enough for platters, some of our dishes don't fit well, etc. And it's 10 years old. We don't want to put more money into a machine that isn't all that great to begin with.
> 
> I appreciate you mentioning the Consumer Reports article.



I understand.  Sometimes its just not worth the time and effort.  I would think 10 years is about right for a new one.


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## Vinylhanger (Oct 1, 2017)

Caslon said:


> My sister-n-law and others put knives facing up in her dishwasher utensil rack. Supposedly, they clean better that way.  I don't like pointy sharp things pointing up when I load my dishwasher's utensil tray.


My wife does that.  Then the dogs run through the kitchen with all the knives at eye hieght.  I turn them all around with points down.


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## GA Home Cook (Oct 2, 2017)

last year I bought a Whirlpool, middle of the line, to replace the original Whirlpool that lasted 16 years before the control board died.  One thing I don't like is how the glasses sit in the rack.  they fall over so easy.  I would suggest lugging some of your common glasses to the store and see how they fit and stay upright.


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## GotGarlic (Oct 11, 2017)

We ended up getting a mid-range KitchenAid with a stainless interior. We've had it for almost a week now and it works great. Our dishes are not flat and they fit perfectly. The cutlery holder is just like the one Katie mentioned, with a lid that allows you to separate each item. The top rack is designed to prevent the glasses from tipping over and it's so quiet that I've leaned down to make sure it's running [emoji38]

Thanks again for all the help [emoji2]


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## johnperkins899 (Oct 12, 2017)

I'm using Kenmore 13543 dishwasher. Dishes are clean, it washes fast. I'm happy with it


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