[Boomer]

Our Maytag dishwasher is 5 years old. The latch mechanism just bit the dust. The part costs $150.00. And, yes, I know that’s a lot cheaper than a new dishwasher. And we don’t have to try to find the Maytag repairman because Mr. Boomer knows how to fix stuff. But this is about the big picture aggravation factor in the world of today’s kitchen appliances. Are these things now designed to fail?

Maytag must have designed this latch to break, sooner rather than later. The part of the latch mechanism that broke was held together by some tiny plastic nubs that broke off. What’s up with that? The latch. Used constantly. Little plastic beads under stress every time that door was opened and closed. Surely that was designed to fail. And fail it did. A hundred and fifty bucks worth.

As a kid I learned to cook on a Chambers range that had been in the kitchen for as long as I could remember and was there long after I had left the nest. My parents’ Kenmore washer and dryer, bought in 1967, lasted more than 40 years.

When Mr. B. and I were first married, somebody gave us their old dishwasher. It was a Kitchen-Aid that we rolled to the sink and hooked up to the faucet. It was 25 years old when we got it and when we moved we gave it away to someone else. It might still be out there rolling along. That made us loyal to Kitchen-Aid through three more houses, but then Kitchen-Aid dishwashers were suddenly no longer what they had always been. They just didn't seem the same. So we tried Maytag this time. Never again.

My history with kitchen appliances has been long one. And I have tried to get things that I thought would last. I realize that I can no longer expect 25 or 40 years. I am realistic about our world now. But 5 years and then the obvious design to fail starts kicking in???

I think most big appliances now are made by one company or the other. South Korea. Mexico. Cranking them out and slapping different brand names on them. It is a maze to me.

I have been noticing Electrolux everywhere lately. (I thought it was a sweeper.) Their big marketing campaign is that they have been in Europe forever. I guess that is supposed to mean something to me as a consumer, but that’s not what I care about. I just want something that is well made and will not aggravate me along the way with just plain bad engineering. Or purposely bad engineering.

Electrolux also likes to market like Saturn. The price is the price so they say. My guess is there will be some kind of deals built in somewhere. They are significantly more expensive than other appliances. Could that be part of the marketing concept, too? Or are they really that much better? (And btw, I think Electrolux and Frigidaire are now connected. Geez. No wonder I am confused.)

And you know what else I miss. I miss the little appliance store with the people who stood behind what they sold and knew their products. Now it's those big box stores full of whippersnappers who know nothing about washing machines because their moms are still doing their laundry. And all they want to do is sell you an extended warranty anyway.

Well, thanks for listening to my trials and tribulations in the world of kitchen appliances. And I really would like your opinions on what brands you like and have found to be dependable. And does anybody know anything about Electrolux? All I want is to get what I pay for. Is that even possible these days?

Dishwater Hands Boomer

[ijusluvit]

Our Maytag washer and dryer up north are going on 20 years old and are good examples of why that company enjoyed a good reputation for many years. So when we bought in TV five years ago, we were pleased that we got a Maytag washer and dryer. 2004 - that was shortly after the company was sold. As we have had to replace virtually every moving part in the washer, and have had trouble with the dryer too, our very veteran repair person has said that Maytag is now junk. My neighbors have had lots of problems with the same machines, so much so that repair trucks are a regular fixture on our streets. Our repairman up north says the same thing. He is particularly critical of Maytag because there is such a decline in quality in this decade. Other companies have slipped as well, so he now recommends buying stuff like Whirlpool, but with no frills. The low initial cost spares you the frustration of inevitable early demise, and relatively inexpensive parts spares you sticker-shock repairs in between.
All of this is a statement about the technological progress we are making in our modern world.

[PR1234]

who do you use for repairs? We just had aBC Fredericks come out today to replace our dryer belt. Took him 5 mins. and cost us $125.00!!!!

[zcaveman]

I have used Fredericks twice and am pleased with their work.

When you watch them do the job and get the bill you say I could have done that but then you would have had to order the part and figure out how to take the machine apart and put the new one in and hope you aligned everything properly. If anything went wrong you were off on another trip to get another part if you could figure out which one you needed.

Back in the day that is what I did. Took a day off of work so that I could be sure the plumbing or appliance part store was open and busted my butt doing the work.

Now I pay the guy and watch. Unless he gets there when I have a tee time. Then the wife gets to watch.

[Army Guy]

We are big readers and followers of Consumer Reports. On 99% of appliances Sears Kenmore brand gets the best marks. Right now I can not remember who makes their stuff, cause they came in up top too. Thinking it is Whirlpool. Also GE is very good. For the past several years Maytag has been near bottom with Frigedaire (sp?).

Army Guy

[GMONEY]

We have LG, very pleased with them. Espcially the Frig and washer-dryer

[batman911]

We owned a GE fridge for 26 years and finally replaced it. My monthly electric bill was noticeably lower with the new top of the line GE we purchased. However, the new top of the line GE is no where near the same quality as the previous fridge. Plastic parts that break with normal use. I have had to have it repaired 3 times in 5 years. The repairman always says "we see a lot of this type of failure". Had the same experience with a GE clothes dryer. Never again with GE!

Boomer,

Just when you thought we would never have anything in common... We too have a Maytag dishwasher and have had the exact door handle failure you described. Twice!!! Our diswasher is a "Maytag Quiet Series 300 model MDB-3."

The second failure is mimicking the first failure to a tee: The first notice of a problem the nubs break and the handle is flimsy. The good news is that you can still open the dishwasher if you press hard enough. Eventually the latch breaks altoghether and fails completely. Then you have to decide to either fix the problem or purchase a new dishwasher.

We are currently in the phase where the nubs have broken and we can open the dishwasher if we press the handle hard enough.

Like Mr. B, my husband saved us the labor cost on our first latch break since it was fairly easy to repair. When we went to purchase the part, the guy at the appliance repair supply house knew precisely what the problem was since he had sold numerous latch mechanisims to other Maytag dishwasher owners who were experiencing the same problem.

Unfortunately, I am unable to give you any advice on what brands are considered longer lasting. Good luck in your pursuit to find a long lasting sturdy dishwasher.

[Tweety Bird]

Originally Posted by Boomer

Our Maytag dishwasher is 5 years old. The latch mechanism just bit the dust. The part costs $150.00. And, yes, I know that’s a lot cheaper than a new dishwasher. And we don’t have to try to find the Maytag repairman because Mr. Boomer knows how to fix stuff. But this is about the big picture aggravation factor in the world of today’s kitchen appliances. Are these things now designed to fail?

Maytag must have designed this latch to break, sooner rather than later. The part of the latch mechanism that broke was held together by some tiny plastic nubs that broke off. What’s up with that? The latch. Used constantly. Little plastic beads under stress every time that door was opened and closed. Surely that was designed to fail. And fail it did. A hundred and fifty bucks worth.

As a kid I learned to cook on a Chambers range that had been in the kitchen for as long as I could remember and was there long after I had left the nest. My parents’ Kenmore washer and dryer, bought in 1967, lasted more than 40 years.

When Mr. B. and I were first married, somebody gave us their old dishwasher. It was a Kitchen-Aid that we rolled to the sink and hooked up to the faucet. It was 25 years old when we got it and when we moved we gave it away to someone else. It might still be out there rolling along. That made us loyal to Kitchen-Aid through three more houses, but then Kitchen-Aid dishwashers were suddenly no longer what they had always been. They just didn't seem the same. So we tried Maytag this time. Never again.

My history with kitchen appliances has been long one. And I have tried to get things that I thought would last. I realize that I can no longer expect 25 or 40 years. I am realistic about our world now. But 5 years and then the obvious design to fail starts kicking in???

I think most big appliances now are made by one company or the other. South Korea. Mexico. Cranking them out and slapping different brand names on them. It is a maze to me.

I have been noticing Electrolux everywhere lately. (I thought it was a sweeper.) Their big marketing campaign is that they have been in Europe forever. I guess that is supposed to mean something to me as a consumer, but that’s not what I care about. I just want something that is well made and will not aggravate me along the way with just plain bad engineering. Or purposely bad engineering.

Electrolux also likes to market like Saturn. The price is the price so they say. My guess is there will be some kind of deals built in somewhere. They are significantly more expensive than other appliances. Could that be part of the marketing concept, too? Or are they really that much better? (And btw, I think Electrolux and Frigidaire are now connected. Geez. No wonder I am confused.)

And you know what else I miss. I miss the little appliance store with the people who stood behind what they sold and knew their products. Now it's those big box stores full of whippersnappers who know nothing about washing machines because their moms are still doing their laundry. And all they want to do is sell you an extended warranty anyway.

Well, thanks for listening to my trials and tribulations in the world of kitchen appliances. And I really would like your opinions on what brands you like and have found to be dependable. And does anybody know anything about Electrolux? All I want is to get what I pay for. Is that even possible these days?

Dishwater Hands Boomer

Golly Gee...you sound like Andy Rooney! Start a show~

[Tweety Bird]

Originally Posted by PR1234

who do you use for repairs? We just had aBC Fredericks come out today to replace our dryer belt. Took him 5 mins. and cost us $125.00!!!!

That's disgusting!

[Boomer]

Originally Posted by Julie

Boomer,

Just when you thought we would never have anything in common... We too have a Maytag dishwasher and have had the exact door handle failure you described. Twice!!! Our diswasher is a "Maytag Quiet Series 300 model MDB-3."

The second failure is mimicking the first failure to a tee: The first notice of a problem the nubs break and the handle is flimsy. The good news is that you can still open the dishwasher if you press hard enough. Eventually the latch breaks altoghether and fails completely. Then you have to decide to either fix the problem or purchase a new dishwasher.

We are currently in the phase where the nubs have broken and we can open the dishwasher if we press the handle hard enough.

Like Mr. B, my husband saved us the labor cost on our first latch break since it was fairly easy to repair. When we went to purchase the part, the guy at the appliance repair supply house knew precisely what the problem was since he had sold numerous latch mechanisims to other Maytag dishwasher owners who were experiencing the same problem.

Unfortunately, I am unable to give you any advice on what brands are considered longer lasting. Good luck in your pursuit to find a long lasting sturdy dishwasher.

Hi Julie,

That's it. Here I am in my parallel universe in Ohio with the same, exact dishwasher. Maytag Quiet Series 300. And you say it happened twice. I'm thinking mine might not get another chance.

Boomer

[DDoug]

Used to repair appliances get a Bosch dishwasher run forever and you can't hear it run even beeter Fisher Paykel ( I think the spelling is close) dish drawer you can have two seperate dishwashers in the same space as one Maytag. They also make great washers and dryers

[PR1234]

We have the 2 drawer Fisher Paykel up north and LOVE it.

[The Great Fumar]

I've had my last ge anything............

Fumar

[Pturner]

Hi Boomer,
I share your frustration. Many consumer products are engineered today for planned obsolescence. Even Consumer Reports now recommends replacing rather than fixing many kitchen appliances after so many years-- like eight or something. Appliances that last 40 or more years are gone with the wind.

Some really, really expensive brands are supposed to last longer. But I wonder sometimes, do I buy a cheap one that I know will only last 5 or so years, or an expensive one that might last longer? It's as if appliance manufacturers are saying, "We'll sell you a piece of junk at regular price. Or, we'll sell you one that actually works as intented and might still work five years down the road-- but we charge extra for that."