Help! Which Frigidaire DW?

[decodriveboy]

Hey everyone. Recently I discovered a nasty leak coming from my circa-2004 Frigidaire BOL stainless steel DW. It's not coming from any of the tubes, but rather from some metal part on the bottom which is attached to some wiring (and is now badly rusted through.) Sorry in advance for the mechanical ignorance btw!

Rather than getting an expensive and poorly-done job from a careless technician (risking potential damage to my floor), I'm leaning toward just buying a new model. However, it must also be stainless steel Frigidaire because I have a matching kitchen ensemble.

Any recommendations for particular models based on features and performance....or fix-it help even?

 

[johnb300m]

Talk about caught with your knickers down.

Sorry man, I would NEVER recommend a Frigidaire Dishwasher. You'd be much better off gettind a different stainless steel brand. I hope the "matching brands" doesn't matter too much.
In my opinion, Frigidaire makes the WORST dishwashers on the market today.

 

[frigilux]

I had a TOL Frigidaire dishwasher until last year and it wasn't a bad machine. Cleaned everything quite well and stood up to very heavy use. It didn't do a stellar job on pots/pans, though. I strongly recommend getting only their TOL if you're still looking at Frigidaire. Most of the other dishwashers in their line are wretched. My sister suddenly needed a dishwasher so I gave her mine, having decided I wanted a dw with a SS interior.

I bought a TOL 2-rack Maytag (model 8951) and it's a much better machine all-around than the Frigidaire. Feels much more solid and well-built. Does a fantastic job on the cruddiest pots/pans.

The rest of my kitchen appliances are SS Frigidaire (gas range, electric range and fridge) and the Maytag matches them very well. Most people don't even notice they are different brands. My DW doesn't say 'Maytag' anywhere on the front.

 

[aamassther]

As my Christmas gift, we replaced our 6 year old 2nd from TOL Frigidaire with a Bosch SHE58. I liked the Frigidaire, though I agree with Frigilux about it's pots and pans cleaning. It's a good basic DW, though. I also agree, after looking at new ones, if it has to be a Frigidaire, get a TOL model(I understand, ours was an all Frigidaire kitchen and I like everything to match too, justified cuz we have a Bosch washer and dryer). I like that the interior is grey instead of white. Mine ended up with a slight orange tint from the water. Also, looking at the brochure the other night, it looks like they have a stainless interior model.

 

[appnut]

I'd rather wash dishes by hand than recommend a Frigidaire dishwasher. If it can't do a "BobLoad", then I don't wanna deal with it. My suggestiopns would be Bosch, Maytag, or GE. I hope I don't offend, but I just gotta say this. I am tired of people solely focusing ont he aesthetic appearance of everything. Same color (stainless) is nice, bu3t I would rather have the asme color of appliances (albeit stainless) in the kitchen with picking the best one for each function (cooking, fridge, dishwasher). And that's usually more than one brand.

 

[llmaytag]

Frigidaire Dishwashers

A few years ago my Mom moved into a house that had a new BOL Frigidaire dishwasher and we had to replace it. It did a MISERABLE job on even light loads. It was very quiet, but performed miserably. Also, the racks weren't very good. In my home I have a BOL to MOL Whirlpool unit. Basic racks, spray arm with center tower and it actually works very well if you use Cascade. Funny, I cannot stand Whirlpool clothes washers, but the dishwasher is pretty good but loud.

 

[agiflow]

What about the Kenmore ultra wash series of machines-do these machines still perform well?

 

[gansky1]

How's About A Haier?

Just kidding.

One of my clients recently installed a TOL LG dishwasher in her kitchen and moved her late 80's Whirlpool to the basement wet bar, "just in case." It's been 5 months now with the LG and she hasn't thought about using the WP once. The LG has a huge capacity and has done a fantastic job on everything she's thrown at it - daily use, lots of cooking, holidays, etc.

I had heard that the LG was like Frigidaire in that it the pump only operates one wash arm/level at a time and switches constantly back and forth. I've seen it running several times and this doesn't seem to be the case. It's very, very quiet but seems to have good spray pressure (which is selectable) and for someone who pre-rinses nothing - even things that would give me pause before loading - it does a spotless job everytime.

We've seen a few service/parts availability cases searching online and even from one of our own members, but overall I think LG does build some decent products. It's worth looking into, I think...

 

[toggleswitch]

To me the LG DW looks like it has "borrowed" some of the nice features of a few different brands, and made it their own.

 

[peteski50]

Dishwasher!

I would stay away from LG. The quality may be their. But getting service is a nightmare. I personally like my GE tall tub.
Peter

 

[whirlcool]

If we could get another Maytag like we had back in the early 90's we would. That thing cleaned everything very well. It was so sturdy that I felt I probably could have stood on the door when it was openend and not caused any damage. It was very quiet and when we left that house 6 years later is still looked and ran as good as it did the day we installed it.

 

[decodriveboy]

KitchenAid?

Wow, I had no idea Frigidaire was so despised in the dishwasher field! These comments have made me re-evaluate what I am looking for. My first thought anyway was not to buy the Frigidaire because this new one just broke, but I really wanted everything to look uniform in the kitchen.

No one has mentioned KitchenAid dishwashers, what does everyone think about those?

 

[norgeman]

Re: Frigidiare Dishwashers

If you do go with a Frigidaire dishwasher go for a more top of the line, don't go with Mol or bol as they won't wash as well. I have a Mol Frigidaire and it doesn't do very well our Maytag jet clean dishwasher did a better job by far and also our KitchenAid (Hobart built) Supreba was a better dishwasher.
All I can say is shop around for the features that you want or need. Thanks for listening. Danf.

 

[steved]

Pimped up dishwasher

hey Norgeman, my MOL Frigidaire DW was mediocre in cleaning, so I replaced the wash arm with the tri-shaped arm, and added the spray arm at the top. I can't believe how much better the cleaning is. I do have the Precision Direct model
SteveD

 

[volvoguy87]

Maytag!

Kitchen Aid used to be almost the very best. They are now owned by Whirlpool and I am uncertain of the quality of KA dishwashers. The best I have ever used is a Maytag Jetclean. My folks have a late 1990s lower-end version without a SS tub, but it has seen some heavy use and it always lives up to its name (dish washer). It is louder than a new Bosch, but it is easy to load, holds a lot, is easy to use, and cleans like nothing else. It is quieter than BOL models. I believe you could fill it with concrete, run the cycle, and it would come out clean! Since Maytag was recently bought by Whirlpool, I am curious to know if their dishwashers are still genuine Maytag, or if they have already been Whirlpoolized.

Good luck,
Dave

 

[toggleswitch]

I can't recommend tall-tub Kitchen Aid DW-ers, nor their related Kenmore and Whirlpool cousins. Mine is from 2003/2004. When they went from the tried-and-true pump and filter systen to a new style to fit in the tall-tub, there are problems with grit, grime amd sedimemt in the drinking glasses.

Have they fixed ths issue yet with newer models? I have heard nothing but raves about the GE tall-tubs, however.

The older WP technology (not in the tall tub) is still available. I am seriously thinking of getting this again when I move. I liked it in the 90's when I had the portable version.

If I were to get a Frigidaire I'd build it in my (in the near future) rental apt for two to three years, then abandon it there. It may be way cheaper than a portable in the long-run.

 

[appnut]

Dave, from what I understand, Maytag had invested a lot in thneir dishwasher production facilities and Whirlpool is oging to continue the Maytag design under the Maytag brand.

 

[johnb300m]

Excellent! Because Maytag's TT design is supurb. I've never washed with one, only inspected them at stores, and their parts and build quality seem excellent. I've looked their parts up on websites and the parts look like good quality. The only thing lacking in the Maytag design is the control panel quality and latch handle durability. Fix those and they Maytag TTs are perfect machines.
I HOPE Whirlpool desides to spread the Maytag design to the WP and KA lines. Wouldn't that be a hoot!? And good for customers too.

View attachment 2-3-2007-20-04-57--johnb300m.jpg

 

[appnut]

John, I think it would be a wonderful hoot!!!