Motor has to be replaced on our fairly new dishwasher. It was installed in our newly built retirement home by professionals 4.5 years ago. We bought because it was Kenmore's 'quietest' model, nice stainless steel interior, and presumed a reliable brand.
It lived up to our expectations for 3.5 years. Then it started to get noisy and a few weeks ago it started leaking.
The appliance repairman said we need to replace the motor.
Cheaper models from other brands have served us much better over the years.
Oct 31, 2010 Rating
World's Fasted Breaking Dishwasher. by: Anonymous
I Recently replaced a 11 year old top of the line Kenmore Elite with this one. The machine was installed and the first thing that bugged me was the top rack adjusters and the fact that the top spikes did not flatten (the spikes where my fault though) and that the bottom rack was extremely flimsy. It would get stuck between the bottom rails. The heating coil also started to discolor. At the time I was using Cascade powder, noticed all the items in the top rack would get more gritty after ever wash, I changed to pacs, to my surprise it kept happening. I found that Finish Tabs worked. I continued using the dishwasher and the cleaning performance was pretty good. Until a couple of days ago when I went to turn the machine on, I tuned it on, it filled then it stopped and made a loud humming sound. Turns out the whole motor was gone. I decided instead of wasting my money on replacing the motor in this machine that I am not so satisfied with, I am going to replace it with a Miele.
Aug 23, 2009 Rating
doesn't clean by: Anonymous
This dishwasher is horrible. Even though the manual says it takes about 110 minutes for the Normal wash - the manual is wrong. It takes about 3 hours. Even then, the dishes come out filthy. I put glasses on the top rack and they get extra food particles on them. They look and feel worse after being through the cycle.
The shine has worn off my plates. Before I have company come over, I have to manually wash my dishes in vinegar to get them presentable. I have to be extra careful that that I allow enough space for the detergent dispenser to open.
On the plus side, the dishwasher is quiet. The tines haven't broken off or rusted.
Aug 23, 2009 Rating
bad mistake by: Vivianm Ri
The worst mistake I ever made and to make it worse..I talked my daughter into the washer & dryer. We cancelled Consumer Reports and told them why. I am not allowed to say "Kenmore" in our conversations and will NEVER make an error like this again. I have a dishwasher that simply pisses on dishes. I want my Maytag back!!! And have to wash pots and pans by hand, and thank god no one wears lipstick any more. What absolutely sub-stansard crap.
Apr 20, 2009 Rating
This one is a piece of trash! by: Gene
We bought this dishwasher in 2004. I am looking for a new dishwasher now as this one is a piece of trash! When it works, it works okay. It is quite enough, and cleans. We only do about 5 loads per week, so this is not a big part of our home equipment. I bought the 2 year extended warranty. I can't even remember how many time Sears has been out here to fix it. It has been broken down, taking 3 weeks for the appointment to get it fixed.
It started smoking so we had to turn off the power to the kitchen. 3 1/2 weeks later, Sears arrived to fix it. When they left, we turned it on for the first time that night and it STARTED ON FIRE! I had to turn off the power to the kitchen again. Sears made me wait 3 weeks for another appointment. When Sears arrived, they did not have the part to fix it, so I had to wait another 5 weeks.
I will NEVER shop at Sears again! EVER! I have a Sears Fridge, Washer & Dryer, Water Heater, Water Softner, Lawn Tractor, Tredmill, Wide Screen TV and Stereo, and more. Sears treated me like crap!
The fire was one year ago. They have been out here 3 more time for the dishwasher, and it is not working now. I am going to buy a new one, not Kenmore, and not Sears.
I say, never buy Kenmore, and never shop at Sears!
Apr 14, 2009 Rating
Cleaning power, reliability, and overall sturdines by: Dee
This Kenmore dishwasher was bought from Sears in 2002 and is still running strong in 2009! It has been one of the best dishwashers that I have ever had because of the cleaning power, reliability, and overall sturdiness.
This has been the best dishwasher for me because I am abusive to my machine. I am one of those lazy washing types. Not because I am lazy by nature, but because I do not have time to pre-wash my dishes. Besides… why wash your dishes just to put them into a dishwasher? I never do maintenance on the machine because I don’t have time. And… I also overload my dishwasher because I do not like to have dishes out in the sink.
So, I just pile in all of the dirty dishes. I let the machine do the work and generally it does a great job. There are a few times when there are left over particles of food on the dishes because I have made grits or rice and just let the machine take care of it. For the rest of the conscientious dishwasher owners, this would not be a problem. But for other dishwashing machines it is a problem! I have had several GE machines in apartments that have not withstood my level of abuse and I had to constantly clean them out.
The main parts with the housing and the motor of this Kenmore dishwasher are very sturdy and have taken my abuse. On the other hand, the dish racks have not enjoyed the punishment. About 4 years into owning the machine the plastic coating started to break and the rack began to rust. However, from what I understand, this is a common problem for dishwashers in general. There is an easy fix with a kit that will repair the tips of the rack. Or, I found a silicon caulk that worked well on the tips for much less.
One day I think I’ll replace the rack, but since I am so abusive to the machine, I think it would be more of a waste of time and money. But what was not a waste of time and money was this dishwasher. Anyone would be pleased to have this Kenmore dishwasher.
Feb 12, 2009 Rating
Adjustable top rack is great by: Rose
We bought the Kenmore Elite Ultra Wash HE in June 2008 after a lot of researching on Consumer Reports and reviewing opinions online. It was a little over the budget we had set, but with the other brands and models available at our Sears store, it was the best value and had more of the features we wanted.
The dishwasher is incredibly quiet, to the point where you are not sure if it is actually on. The cycle time is long, but the timer allows you to delay the cycle for 2, 4 or 6 hours so we can set it and unload the dishes the next day. There are six different types of washing cycles, including one for china/glassware that is a huge bonus.
There is a SmartWash setting, and the dishwasher determines the amount of dishes, amount of residue and amount of needed water. This is great when you have a few big items, but don’t necessarily use the top rack. Another great feature is that the top rack is adjustable, so if you have the big items on the bottom, you can move it up instead of trying to wedge your items in or tangling with them in the sink.
It’s hard to look at an item in the store and try to visualize how your items will fit, but the layout of the racks allows us to do a lot of dishes less often (sometimes, sadly, it is mostly silverware). And, since it has angled levels, it allows us to put our dishes, cups and glasses in and not use the drying feature – without puddles of water in the cup bottoms.
I’m not wild about the fact that it suggested that you put the knives with the blade pointing up to ensure they are cleaned – probably like many others, I don’t want to put a lot of thought into loading and unloading the dishwasher, so I have to remind myself to be careful. With the silverware basket running longways along the side, and with the way the dishwasher is installed in our house, the basket side is on the “approach” area.
