New Dishwasher Suggestions

[xraytech]

It’s about time for mom to get a new dishwasher.
She has the cheapest, most BOL model they sell at Lowe’s, it intermittently leakes and doesn’t perform the best.
Also a the dishes come out with a coarse film on them. Not sure if it’s her hard water or the dishwasher.

What are your suggestions on brands and models?
We prefer the front control models,
Also, does anyone else other than Miele have a water softener? I have a Miele Futura Crystal that I love, but mom isn’t looking to spend that much

 

[revvinkevin]

Bosch!

Consider looking at Bosch. I just bought a new Bosch a week ago and love it! Cleans better than my 19 year old KA and doesn't leave any "yibbles" because it has a filter, it's also SUPER quiet!

Bosch does have models with a built in water softener.

This is the thread I posted about the one I bought.
https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?77966_28~1

Kevin

 

[combo52]

New Dishwasher

I would only look at Maytag, they work great are easier to service and install and are moderately priced.

 

The Maytag's are Whirlpool built machines with a much larger motor with no nasty filter and no troublesome diverter system so both wash arms function  all the time.

 

Maytags are Union built nearby in Ohio, ask your  local repair guy what he would prefer to work on, Bosch DWs are basically throw away machines. We threw away at least 8 Bosch DWs in the last month because they aren't worth having to pull out the whole machine to remove the bottom tray to replace motors and heaters etc. All of these were replaced with MT DWs and the customers all say they can't believe how much more they can get in the new MT.

 

Your Mom will have to use really good detergent if water is hard in any DW to get great results, it also really helps in hard water ares to let lots of sugars, oils, and food acids on the dishes to help overall cleaning.

 

John L.

 

[henene4]

The cheapest Bosch DW with softener appears to be about 760$:

https://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/SGE53X55UC.html

 

[48bencix]

Good reviews

I have seen really good reviews on AW of Kitchen Aid, Bosch and now Maytag. The only negative I have seen of Maytag Dishwashers on Home Depot reviews is the racks. Some have said they are flimsy. I sure like the disposer aspect of the Maytags, the idea of a filter that needs cleaning just seems primitive and unsanitary. Some owner manuals say you only need to clean the filter every few weeks, gross in my mind.

Kitchen Aid makes units without a filter but at great added expense. Kitchen Aid has really nice upper racks that have bearings. Since I want White to match my other kitchen appliances, it would cost about $1300 for a Kitchen Aid without a filter. Maytag (same manufacturer Whirlpool) has units for abut $500. Others are saying to get the Bosch for around $800, does have a filter but most say it needs little cleaning.

 

[jamiel]

For all that is holy, take some of your dishes to the store and try to fit your favorites in to see how things fit. We bought a Bosch; reasonably happy with it but there are some cereal bowls which don't nest at all; and there isn't a side pocket to hold them vertical. That said, it fits Corelle beautifully, really has a lot of capacity for that. A more "dished" Pfaltzgraff type might not fit so well.

 

[xraytech]

Jamie,
Thanks for the input on the dishes/bowls fitting.
Mom has a set of square Corelle, and there are some older Corelle and Tupperware cereal bowls that get mixed in.

 

[nmassman44]

I have an LG dishwasher that I have had now for over a year now with no issues. Holds a ton of dishes and washes and dries well too. It’s not the quietest dishwasher compared to the Mieleit replaced, but it won’t break the bank either with price. Often goes on sale for $499. It’s Turbo cycle washes and dries a load in an hour.

 

[moon1234]

I would vote for Miele if you can afford it. Bosch after that. We have had a few Bosch and an LG over the last 15 years. Next will be Miele. Bosch fit Corelle very well. That’s what we have for discuss. No stonewear or whatnot.

Like others said, take dishes with you to the store and try it out. Get what fits your dishes well. If there is little space for water to get in to clean then that model probably would not be a good choice even it is reliable.

Extended warranties are worth the money on dishwashers. Even the top end can have issues and they all seem to cost a small fortune to repair. If you buy on the lower end then you have to decide if rolling the dice after year one is ok with you. Meaning if it dies at 1.5 years are you going to be able to afford to replace it at that point. If the answer is no then an extended warranty makes sense.

I personally like Miele since they sell the extended warranty directly. No arguing with the store repair guys that sell warranties. Just ring the manufacturer and say “Appliance doesn’t work, come fix it.” Miele might be a little slow, but I personally like being able to deal directly with them when/if there is an issue.

 

[combo52]

Extended Appliance Warranties

Over a lifetime of owning appliances you will LOSE more than 1/2 the money you spend on extended warranties.

 

You also lose control of who comes to your home to fix an appliance, When they come, how the appliance will be fixed, used, rebuilt, new or Jerry-rigged parts and service, you often don't know and you never have a choice. If Miele tells you two weeks tough  luck getting you DW fixed sooner.

 

If you buy a poplar appliance and live in a large city you can often chose from more than a dozen service options.

 

Bottom line if you can't afford repairs on the appliance you want YOU CAN"T AFFORD THE APPLIANCE.

 

John L.

 

[moon1234]

Hi Combo. Most people will lose ALL the money they spend on life insurance. Most people will lose more than half the money they spend on home and auto insurance. I don’t think it’s fair to tell people that buy extended warranties that they are wasting money.

There is a value in extended warranties. Our family has come out ahead on almost all extended warranties that we have purchased. We also tend to put a lot of hours on our appliances. Our dishwasher does three loads a day. Far more than most. So we figure the appliance WILL need service at some point. The cost of the extended warranty is almost always cheaper than the cost of a single service call.

Miele service in our area is handled directly by Miele employed techs. Whenever we have needed service it has been professional and repaired properly. In almost every case it was due to parts that were worn out. Miele covered it no questions asked. I can call them on the phone and a real person who speaks proper English answers. The tech who comes is wearing a uniform and doesn’t smell like cigarettes or pot. He has a laptop and has been trained how to fix Miele appliances. He is not guessing how to take an appliance apart or put it back together.

It’s like the Toyota tax. You pay a little more for the equipment in exchange for the hope it will be reliable. When things fail the dealer is there to fix it with techs who usually know how to fix the vehicles they sell. I don’t know any other consumer appliance company other than Miele that maintains their own network of factory trained techs. Whirlpool doesn’t. Speed Queen doesn’t. Most professional appliance companies also rely on dealers to service their products. Miele does not. They use their own techs in most places.

Paying for an extended warranty is not for everyone, but to claim we all need to self insure or we can’t afford it is not only arrogant it doesn’t match how most people deal with expensive purchases.

 

[rp2813]

Leaning on the check-rate button here, Matt.

 

[iowabear]

Insurance is always a losing proposition...at least you hope it will be.  That's why it only makes sense to use it to protect against catastrophic losses that would ruin you otherwise.  Personal finance 101.