Maytag Quiet Series 300 Model MDB8551AWW
We purchased a Maytag Quiet Series 300 Model MDB8551AWW dishwasher to replace another Maytag dishwasher that we had had for more than ten years. It still worked perfectly but the racks had started to rust through in many places, depositing rust stains on some of our dishes. The cost to replace racks is very high so we felt, given the age of the dishwasher, that we should replace it rather than invest money in the racks.
This new dishwasher works well and there are many things I like about it; however, it has two major drawbacks that make it not quite as good as our old one. The dishes do not load as easily; the spacing of the tines does not fit our pots and pans as well as the old dishwasher, despite the adjustable racks. The top rack is especially unhandy for some of our glassware; some glasses will fall over in the top rack, even though they fit in the spaces, due to bumpiness of some areas of the upper rack.
The other feature that is not as good is the drying results. I seldom use the Heated Dry feature, but for certain times, such as holidays, it can be handy.
However, with this model, the dishes seem to still be pretty wet at the end of the heated dry cycle. If you do not select Heated Dry, you should be prepared to leave the door open at the end of the cycle for a couple of hours to let items air dry. The things that are great about the dishwasher are the good choices of cycles; there are selections for every kind of load. If you do a lot of cooking, it is good to know that there are not many pans that won’t come clean on the ToughScrub Plus cycle!
The stainless steel tub is a good feature and maintains a clean interior. All cycles take much longer than older models but the dishes do come very clean, which is the most important thing in a dishwasher. We have had no problems with leaking and it is relatively quiet during all cycles.
