Dishwasher Rack Rusting - too soon?

[larrymcg]

I have an expensive Miele dishwasher that is a little over 7 years old. The bottom rack is getting pretty rusty and I'm sure it costs a fortune to replace. The dishwasher has a built in water softener and I keep salt in it (Miele's very expensive brand) and the softener is adjusted to match the city water at my house.

My questions are:

Should I expect the bottom (and other) racks to last more than 7 years?

Am I doing something that causes the rusting to happen?

I tend to rinse all the dishes and pots before putting them in the dishwasher so there is not much stuff on them. I've heard that that can cause the dishwasher soap to attack things in the dishwasher (like silverware) since it has nothing else to do. Could the Cascade (powder) be attacking the dishwasher rack?

--Larry

[LLigetfa]

Should I expect the bottom (and other) racks to last more than 7 years?

Yes, if well cared for.

Am I doing something that causes the rusting to happen?

Possibly. A common mistake is people let the dishes drop into the rack because it is just out of arm's reach. If you gently lowered the dishes into place, it would be less likely to damage the vinyl coating. The top rack is closer at hand and so less likely to be damaged in the same way.

If the tine tips are getting broken then one can buy replacement caps to put over them.

Next dishwasher you buy, look for epoxy coated racks instead of vinyl.

[larrymcg]

Thanks about the tip for epoxy coated racks.

The tops of the tines look fine. It's the bottoms where the tines are attached to the rest of the rack. And it's primarily in one area of the rack - right, front as you look into the washer.

--Larry

[LLigetfa]

I've had to replace my lower rack once already cuz the wife lets the plates fall into place. It sounds like she's playing a bloody drum solo when she loads the DW. She also manages to knock the tips off some of the tines with the sharp edges of pot lids.

[wjcandee]

My general rule is that if the parts list for the item isn't available on Sears Parts Direct, a great web site, then the product is probably too exotic to be in my home. In contrast, for our 15-year-old Maytag dishwasher, which is unbelievably quiet and reliable, any significant part, or a functional equivalent that they automatically identify on the site, is still available on Parts Direct at a not-outrageous price. For us this has generally meant that I can easily get, delivered in a couple of days, another silverware basket when it wears out after a few years, but it's nice to know that we don't have to junk this dishwasher that we still love if a part breaks.

(The reason that Sears has so many parts for so many non-Kenmore items is that they are apparently, along with their A&E division, the largest appliance service company, and do the service calls for HD and others.)

[larrymcg]

It appears that parts for Miele dishwashers are not available on any site in the known internet universe. Although some sites say they have parts they list none. So, Miele is too exotic for my house in the future. I will definitely go with a more available brand next time. Here's an example of dealing with a Miele dealer: a couple years ago the drain hose developed a crack and had to be replaced. I called the dealer where I bought the dishwasher and gave them the model number, etc. but they insisted they needed to come out and see the hose. They charged almost $100 to come out and say "Yes, the drain hose has a crack and must be replaced. We will order one and schedule a visit when we get it from Germany." What? $100 to tell me what I already knew? The hose cost about $40 (which seems expensive for a hose that does not have to handle any pressure) and almost $300 to install it. Absolute rip-off. First of all a drain hose should not die like that and then the price to replace it is ridiculous. No Miele for me in the future.