Dishwasher experience? - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

cmbdiesel · #16 08-07-2010, 01:22 PM

Three years in and I still like my Bosch with the push buttons

Time will tell if it can stand the test of time....

Mark DiSilvestro · #17 08-08-2010, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerry

Got a 70's or 80's bronze model free 'at the curb'. Came from an office building where it wasn't used much. One can of white epoxy spray paint and ten years later it is still working fine.

I often shop at 'Curbside Appliances'. I enjoy the super-capacity GE clothes-washer a neighbor threw out!
And I got 16 years out of the curbside Admiral dishwasher I installed in my Alexandria home.

FWIW, Kitchen-Aid was bought by Whirlpool in 1986.
5 years ago, the motor failed in my parent's 1979 Kitchen-Aid.
I replaced it with a curbside 1987 Insinkerator - actually a cheaper Kitchen-Aid sold under the Insinkerator brand by Whirlpool. It needed a simple hose repair. Same tub & controls as the original Kitchen-Aid, and I was able to fit it with the original Kitchen-Aid stainless front panel. Different motor and the top rack doesn't roll as easy, but it's been workng OK since I installed it.

Happy Motoring, Mark

raymr · #18 08-08-2010, 10:23 AM

Eh, my experience with the old stuff is that the plastic gets brittle, seals start to leak, and they are noisy. For a few hundred bucks you can get a nice quiet machine that cleans well and has energy saving features. But I still respect curbside reclamation - its the ultimate form of recycling!

t walgamuth · #19 08-08-2010, 11:07 AM

We are going to buy my lovely #3 daughter's old dw for $50.

Skippy · #20 08-08-2010, 05:34 PM

What do you do when the dishwasher in a house in Mississippi stops working?

Slap her

I know, it's terrible, but it did get a laugh out of me once.

For the record, I'm the dishwasher at my place.

t walgamuth · #21 08-08-2010, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

We are going to buy my lovely #3 daughter's old dw for $50.

We just installed it. It was a low priced kenmore and ours was a high priced one with a stainless tub, so I swapped the door cover and the extra piece of insulation across the bottom. If I were really ambitious I could probably swap the stainless tub but will not even consider that for a minute!

Mark DiSilvestro · #22 08-09-2010, 12:11 AM

My other favorite place to appliance-shop is the Habitat-For-Humanity ReStore. I needed to find a dishwasher to replace my "18 Admiral, which is the only size that will fit my vintage Alexandria kitchen, without doing a complete 'gut-job'.
Unfortunately, "18 dishwashers are extremely rare at curbside, or have to be special ordered at a premium-price - typically around $400 for a basic, no-frills unit. So I was happy to find a four-year-old, $75 "18 GE Spacemaker dishwasher at the South-Alexandria Habitat store, to replace my ancient Admiral.
Same deal with my laundry upgrade. A $75 GE Spacemaker dryer from Habitat, with the controls on the bottom, designed to mount in a closet, on a stand or shelf above a conventional top-load washer. It's a bit smaller than a full-size unit, but still 240 volts, so it dries much better than those wimpy 110-volt mini-dryers, like one my Mom had many years ago.
Habitat also has bathroom fixtures, kitchen sinks & cabinets, doors, windows, lighting etc...
Most is used. Some is new. All donated.
I recently needed to find a replacement "19-round blue sink for my parent's master-bath. Best new one I found was a plain, white porcelan American-Standard for $90. But for me, the best deal was the blue porcelan over cast-iron American-Standard sink, in beautiful condition, that I got at the Virginia Beach Habitat Store - for $23!

Happy Motoring, Mark

pawoSD · #23 08-09-2010, 12:31 AM

The stainless tub is not really worth it, the modern plastic ones are just as durable, and the machines don't even last long enough for a plastic tub to ever fail.

Mark DiSilvestro · #24 08-09-2010, 12:44 AM

At my local Alexandria Habitat Store, basic, plastic-tub GE, Kenmore or Whirlpool dishwashers start at $35. Higher-end ones, like a stainless-tub Kenmore are $75, while the occasional Bosch is over $100 now!

Happy Motoring, Mark

JamesDean · #25 08-09-2010, 03:50 AM

We have an Asko D1796, its about 6-7 years old. Only thing that needed replaced on it so far was the pump, it had a leak or something. It was covered under warranty. Asko's are a bit pricey it seems though. $1k+

t walgamuth · #26 08-09-2010, 05:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

The stainless tub is not really worth it, the modern plastic ones are just as durable, and the machines don't even last long enough for a plastic tub to ever fail.

When the alternative was enamel over steel it was worth something. Now it appears to be just cosmetic. I am unlikely to pay extra for it in the future!

LUVMBDiesels · #27 08-09-2010, 06:23 AM

My mother's vintage 1975 Kitchen Aid is still working fine! I have had to find new racks for it on ebay as both the upper and lower racks rusted out, but the enamel tub and the mechanical bits are like brand new!

I bought an expensive LG stainless steel DW for the house in New Paltz. It never cleaned the dishes properly and it quit right after the warranty was over! The part I needed was over $400! A quick run to Sears and the cheap $269 Kenmore that replaced it has been doing a fine job ever since.

Here in Va I have a Frigidaire that handles anything I stick in it. I throw the dirtiest plates in there and it just cleans them. It like the cheap Kenmore never just throw food particles around like the LG did...

I am going to be gutting my mother's kitchen before we sell her house. I am thinking of taking her old DW and storing it away and replacing it with a cheapie Kenmore...

t walgamuth · #28 08-09-2010, 08:51 AM

dibs on the old one!

aklim · #29 08-09-2010, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt L

I'd be worried that the "actual push buttons" still control a computer.

You can probably buy a new panel for your current unit, if the rest of it is still working. That's a lot cheaper and easier than replacing the whole thing.

While that MIGHT be true, depending on the availability and price if the part, do you think it is worth it to throw good money on a 10 yo machine? My Kitchenaid unit is still going strong after 14 years but if anything breaks on it, you bet I will be sending it to the curb and getting a new unit. The next thing to replace is the dish rack since it gets hit with hot water and the plastic is cracking and a little rust is showing up. After that, you can keep going and going. These things are throwaway units so why bother?

aklim · #30 08-09-2010, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rscurtis

It seems that appliance are beginning to mimic cars- loaded down with useless accessories and features that the average user does not need, understand, or want to pay to have repaired.

In our new house, we have a unit with some bells and whistles but we do use it. Not sure what features you are talking about.