# Repairable and Reliable Dishwasher Recommendations



## brownSys (Jan 13, 2016)

Hey Friends,

My dishwasher no longer seems to be cleaning, it's falling apart, and must be at least 30 years old. I've been attempting to find documentation and replacement parts online but they don't seem to exist. It's a Kenmore Ultra Wash II M#: 1675592.

I'd like to get recommendations on the most reliable, but more importantly *repairable* dish washers on the market today. I don't need anything fancy but I need to be able to repair it myself when it goes down. Low budget is my middle name. 

Thank you!


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

For upfront longevity but at a cost you can't go wrong with Bosch.


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## Old Thomas (Nov 28, 2019)

I buy a Whirlpool for about $350. Used one or more times every day they last 5 years or so, then I buy another. If it breaks at lunch time, another one is ready to use for dinner dishes. Friends and relatives with dishwashers that cost 2 to 3 times as much get about the same or a couple of years more from them. Why Pay 2 or 3 times as much, then have to take it apart, wait for parts, and fix it just to get your money’s worth. After 5 or 6 years the door gasket is wearing, the racks show wear, time for a new one.


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## RAL238 (May 20, 2018)

Consumer Reports does a good job of collecting reliability data from their subscribers. They rate these brands as follows (1 = worst, 10 = best)

Bosch: 10/10
Whirlpool: 8/10
GE: 6/10
Kenmore: 6/10
Amana: 5/10
Kitchenaid: 5/10
LG: 5/10
Maytag: 5/10
Samsung: 2/10
Electrolux: 1/10


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## dj3 (Apr 27, 2020)

Old Thomas,
That's what I do too.
I buy them for my rentals, so I never buy top of the line. But still, I want to have the flexibility to replace them the same day they break down and when a repair would be more than the cost of a new one.
I get them at Lowe's.


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## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

One problem with most of the new ones is they are all touch pads and electronic timers, which can often be difficult or impossible to service and source parts. I'm not sure there are any that still have clock-work timers.


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## brownSys (Jan 13, 2016)

RAL238 said:


> Consumer Reports does a good job of collecting reliability data from their subscribers. They rate these brands as follows (1 = worst, 10 = best)
> 
> Bosch: 10/10
> Whirlpool: 8/10
> ...


Thanks for the input. 

I've seen all the generic sources for "what is best". First hand experience will always be superior. Unfortunately Consumer Reports can't tell me what is most DIY repairable because that's not a metric Consumer Reports can cover.


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## brownSys (Jan 13, 2016)

dj3 said:


> Old Thomas,
> That's what I do too.
> I buy them for my rentals, so I never buy top of the line. But still, I want to have the flexibility to replace them the same day they break down and when a repair would be more than the cost of a new one.
> I get them at Lowe's.





> I buy a Whirlpool for about $350. Used one or more times every day they last 5 years or so, then I buy another. If it breaks at lunch time, another one is ready to use for dinner dishes. Friends and relatives with dishwashers that cost 2 to 3 times as much get about the same or a couple of years more from them. Why Pay 2 or 3 times as much, then have to take it apart, wait for parts, and fix it just to get your money’s worth. After 5 or 6 years the door gasket is wearing, the racks show wear, time for a new one.


I hate to go this route because it seems so wasteful. I prefer to repair than dispose, even if it is a bit of effort. I figure you are probably right and this is the way to go. I know my wife will be happier with this approach :biggrin2:


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## brownSys (Jan 13, 2016)

lenaitch said:


> One problem with most of the new ones is they are all touch pads and electronic timers, which can often be difficult or impossible to service and source parts.


Sad to hear. This is exactly what I'm trying to avoid. I have an older whirlpool washer and dryer (ultimate care II) that I got for free. I have had it for 12 years, easily repaired 3 times, and it still works great today. Parts are readily available and the machine is very simple and easy to repair. 

This is what I am looking for in a dishwasher but it would seem they don't exist.


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

As mentioned, most of the newer models are electronic with touch pads, etc. making them almost impossible to fix in the field without expensive parts. There's basically 3 parts to a dishwasher other than the keypads. The pump and motor, water switch, and the moving parts inside. But they are all controlled by the keypad.


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## HotRodx10 (Aug 24, 2017)

If you anticipate replacing any parts yourself, especially the heating element, I recommend one with a stainless steel tub. I had a plastic tub model where I had to replace the heating element, and it didn't fit quite like the old one. The tub melted a little and developed a small leak, which went unnoticed for a couple months. After replacing quite a bit of the subfloor, I got onto Searoutlet.com and picked up a scratch-n-dent model (in my house they're scratched and dented in no time, anyway) with a stainless steel tub, for less than $350 ($850 retail).


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## Glassit (Jan 30, 2016)

My Asko I bought used for $100 is at least 10-15 years old. Lady I bought it from wanted to change colors :wacko: but was having second thoughts because this one cleaned better than her new one. As far as repair procedures, they're all pretty much the same.

Even many of the modern electronic components are repairable. One of the relays I bought once for a breadboard had a bunch of reviews from people who were replacing it on their dishwasher (soldering). Many people replace capacitors on TV's and old receivers wen they go bad. Often times a fix is as simple as cleaning a ribbon cable connector. I recently repaired a calculator that the heat-applied ribbon cable was losing connection and the screen was failing, ran a soldering iron over it and works good as new. Switches are a common issue, minutes to fix. Solid-state isn't as bad as it's sometimes cracked up to be.


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## Old Thomas (Nov 28, 2019)

brownSys said:


> I hate to go this route because it seems so wasteful. I prefer to repair than dispose, even if it is a bit of effort. I figure you are probably right and this is the way to go. I know my wife will be happier with this approach :biggrin2:


Yea, it is more wasteful. The thing I don’t waste is my time taking it apart, diagnosing it, finding parts and washing dishes by hand. My wife enforces her rules:
If the washer breaks, either we get a new one today or I go to the laundromat.
If the dishwasher breaks, either we get a new one today or I wash the dishes. I can swap out my dishwasher in less time than I can wash a sink full of dishes.
Nuff said.


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## Glassit (Jan 30, 2016)

A perfectly good dishwasher going to the landfill because of a single arced out relay contact is wasteful (hopefully those who don't repair are giving away or selling cheap and not tossing it at least). Time spent repairing anything isn't wasted, and there's nothing like the satisfaction of seeing something come to life again through the work of your own hands. It's a dying art in a throwaway culture, but the short-term pain is worth the long-term gain. And the chicks dig it.


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## HotRodx10 (Aug 24, 2017)

> Many people replace capacitors on TV's and old receivers wen they go bad.



The tricky part, and the time-consuming part, is figuring out what component needs to be replaced. I fixed my flat-screen TV when it just wouldn't come on. I had no idea what component went bad, and had neither the time nor the expertise to figure it out. I just got the number off of the main board, went online and found a salvaged one. $42 and 20 minutes of labor (no soldering), and the TV has been working like a champ for the last 10 years. 



Fixed another TV by baking the circuit board. I was skeptical when I first read it was a thing, but it does work sometimes. The right amount of heat for the right amount of time (380 degrees for 10 minutes), melts the solder on the connections and restores broken electrical connections.


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## Old Thomas (Nov 28, 2019)

I never found anyone who wanted my broken dishwasher or any used broken appliance, even for free. Glassit, if you want them I will save them for you. My son has dozens of properties, so be prepared for truckloads. It breaks, half an hour later I pick up a new one, and before the next meal makes dirty dishes it is installed and ready. That is what my chick digs.


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## Glassit (Jan 30, 2016)

I've flipped a few. Put it on FB marketplace and/or CL and it'd be gone by end of the day. Out of a landfill and someone who needs a cheap appliance can get one


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## Old Thomas (Nov 28, 2019)

Glassit said:


> I've flipped a few. Put it on FB marketplace and/or CL and it'd be gone by end of the day. Out of a landfill and someone who needs a cheap appliance can get one


I don’t do Facebook. Craigslist brings weirdos to my house for what-a free broken appliance? Bring a truck, I will give you plenty. I have at least a dozen broken appliances in my scrap pile at my farm. Scrap price is down, you can have them for free. Flip ‘em, get rich!


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## Glassit (Jan 30, 2016)

L
I'll leave right after coffee, be there Wednesday


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## pwcopy (Aug 27, 2017)

18 months ago, my 18-year old Whirlpool gave up the ghost. It was an Ultra-Wash ll I'd had since I built the house. It had 5 cycles, but for 18 years, I'd pushed the same button. So why did I need 5 cycles? No wife, no fine china. So I bought an entry-level Whirlpool. $400 from Lowes. Three cycles (Heavy, 2-hour, 1-hour, plus 4-hour delay, no-heat dry, water heat). Free Delivery. Installed it myself. It has worked great since day one. The only thing I miss is the built in food disposer, but cleaning out the filter is no big deal. Visited a friend this Christmas, and except for his $800 Kitchen Aid having a stainless tub, it was equipped just like mine (filter, no disposer) and had a couple more cycles than my three. I'm 100% satisfied.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Whirlpool-...24-in-Actual-23-875-in-ENERGY-STAR/1000228563


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## HotRodx10 (Aug 24, 2017)

I've had my whirlpool for about 8 years, and replaced the recirculation pump twice (it's likely about ready for another) and the high temp limit switch once. You may be thinking that's horrible, but it's really not. You see, we're a family of 8, and we have friends over fairly often, so our dishwasher does 10 to 12 loads a week, week in and week out. The pump is only about $60 and takes less than an hour to replace, so not bad. Maybe I'll spring for some detergent-resistant grease to put on the pump shaft bushings, since that has been the failure point of the last 2.


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