Hello all,
I just wanted to give my opinion on a dishwasher in hopes it would help someone out.
ON 6-30-06 we bought a Maytag dishwasher at Sears. Model number 19432. The dishwasher was a closeout model that we got a good price on. We paid $449.99. It was normally just over $600. We also got the 5 year extended warranty.
Yesterday the service man came, for about the 10th time since we bought it. He told us that Maytag dishwashers need to be taken apart and cleaned out every 6 months or so of normal use. More if you are a heavy user washing a lot of dishes. His mother has one and he has to disassemble and clean it about every 6 months.
He also looked it up and we have just over $1,200 in repair calls on this dishwasher to date. Our extended service plan expires in 2011 and I can't imagine they will call to renew it.
Besides just plain not getting the dishes clean, after a few months usage, they have also replaced the pump and most on the internal parts. Screen, small spinning blade. When the electronic control panel went dead they also replaced that.
Also, all of the repairmen tell me that no matter what the brochures, sales people or commercials say, there is no garbage disposer in any dishwasher. In our Maytag it just amounts to a small piece of metal (maybe 3 inches) that spins around inside on top of a small flat piece of metal with holes drilled in it. Whatever the blade can shove through the holes is considered chopped. If the hot water can't turn this debri into mush, the blade won't 'chop' it. It may even damage the blade. The repairmen seem to agree that they wish the sales people would quit telling people anything different.
Anyway I hope this information helps someone out. I am sure that other people have had different results. In our case after the extended runs out we will probably replace the unit and try and get $50 or $100 for it.
Steve