# dishwashers **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 16, 2011, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/582079 "2011-05-16T12:19:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/582079/21 "2011-05-19T18:39:18Z")
> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > Down here in the antipodes the brand that last forever is Meile. Very solid German engineering. At very solid German prices. All my siblings and I have them. The longevity and service backup is remarkable. They actually do a significantly better job of washing dished too. All IMHO. My Miele is 16 years old and will soon need its first service call to replace the door gasket. Also it is stone silent. I have opened the door more than once while it was in mid-cycle because I could not hear it run while standing right next to it. I am happy as can be with it. It cost almost a kilo buck new but worth every penny. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/582079/22 "2011-05-20T13:22:08Z")
> [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > Whelp, the dishwasher failed the…uh…ability to wash dishes test. A new motor is $115, a seal is $115, but the assembly that includes that plus ALL of the other water handling parts of the dishwasher is $20 more. I think I’ll splurge. 🙂 Now hold on there. The test that it failed, was that the “right side up bowls” to see if they fill with water? If one was full, and the other not, check for obstructions in the washer spray arms. If neither was full… do the same to both arms. If no obstructions are found, splurge on that fancy part. 🙂 Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/582079/23 "2011-05-20T13:24:20Z")
It was the “pot on the top shelf with mashed potato residue not getting any of it removed in two cycles” test. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/582079/24 "2011-05-20T13:33:15Z")
Ah, the empirical method. 🙂 I’d run the tests I mentioned. The parts I described much earlier on are much less expensive than the whole assembly. I’m hoping it’s the cheap parts for you, and not the whole works. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/582079/25 "2011-05-20T13:41:36Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > I’m also really surprised your Kitchen-Aid dishwasher failed that quickly. I have one, stainless like yours, and its 15 years old. I had to replace a fuse for the circuit board once. Not all models are rated the same, and of course there are exceptions to every rule. In general, newer kitchen-Aid dishwashers are not very highly rated. Miele, on the other hand, are very highly rated, and Kenmore is not a bad choice for those who don’t want to pay the Miele prices. And those Finish tablets are the bomb. You can buy a big can full of them at Costco on the cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/582079/26 "2011-05-20T13:48:27Z")
All of the cups fill, I just think there isn’t any force behind the water. It’s hot, it fills to proper levels, and I have to clarify a typo: **The seal was _$15_, not $115…the whole assembly will cost $150 where the motor and seal would cost $130** ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/582079/27 "2011-05-20T14:50:00Z")
A minor thing about the dishwasher detergent tablets. They don’t suit all dishwashers. I have a Miele, and used to use the Finish tablets. Not long after I got the machine it stopped with an error warning. (Something which is trivially cleared, but I didn’t think to try - thinking it meant a real failure.) The nice guy from Miele came out and diagnosed a transient problem due to too much detergent in the machine. He was quite adamant that a single teaspoon of detergent was all that was needed. And he was right. The machine cleans perfectly with a teaspoon of generic dishwasher detergent (I buy it by the pail at about 5% of the price of the name brand stuff). The Miele dishwashers are reasonably unusual in that they have a lot more smarts in them than most, and do things like measure the dirt in the water to sense how well the cleaning process is going, and also contain built in water softeners. They do an astonishing job with little water and little chemical assistance. ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/582079/28 "2011-05-20T17:05:59Z")
I don’t have a dishwasher as my kitchen is being remodeled. But thanks to this thread I’m going to be looking at those Miele dishwashers. I found several dealers in the DC area. To me having all matching appliances is boring. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/582079/29 "2011-05-26T11:31:10Z")
So I bought the replacement pump/volute/sump assembly locally for $160 and installed it last night based on the service manual I found online. (googling the major model number actually brought up a link to the manual _on kitchenaid’s ‘secure’ website_…making me wonder how secure it is. The assembly has a squishable ring seal that you have to line up, and force into the hole at the bottom of the washing area. The hard part was realizing just how you put the new one in. It’s held in place with three wedge shaped pieces of plastic. Once I realized I had to PUSH DOWN on it while getting those wedges installed, it went pretty easy. I’d say if you were competent enough to **install** a dishwasher without it leaking, you could probably perform the installation. It’s weird feeling CLEAN dishes again. You don’t realize how crummy your old dishwasher was working until you use one working right. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwashers/582079.md?page=1)