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5 year old stainless steel Frigidaire dishwasher
Soap door doesn't open during cycle
Couldn't find spring, or mechanism - called repair man
Repair man says it won't open during cycle due to faulty circuit board
Circuit board replacement costs around $300
Said it would cost about the same for a new Dishwasher
In the meantime, we can just throw the soap in the bottom of the dishwasher and turn it on.
Seriously?? Appliances are now disposable because of something as simple as the soap door not opening? I mean... come on... these appliance manufacturers have quite the scam going on now. The sad thing is, even if I bought a $1000 dishwasher, the same problem could occur and the only difference is that it's not disposable because the fix is 1/3 of the cost of the Dishwasher.
What happened to the good old days where things were actually mechanical and could be fixed? I think due to limited natural resources appliances should be built to be repaired... not to be disposable.
I bought Fridgidaire appliances and was set to get the dishwasher to match. If you have the model I was looking at it, there are hundreds of threads with very unhappy customers that say the particular model doesnt last long. The major complaint? The circuit board. The cost was almost as much as buying another one. We chose not to go with that model which really ticked me off because as you know Fridgidaire stainless steel and their handles have a very different look compared to other brands. So I had a heck of a time finding a dishwasher with the features I wanted and also the style handle, finish of the SS...and so on. Nothing is made to last anymore.
Ticks me off as well, everything is made anymore to be disposable (clothing, cordless phones whose batteries cost more than replacing the whole system, appliances (although you get a repair and that's guaranteed longer than the initial product). Not sure where all these companies selling poorly-made products think there is any room in landfills, etc.
Remember when you could have a fridge your entire married life??? (you might not like the color but it still worked) - now you're lucky if it lasts a couple years. Cars aren't made like they used to be, I could go on and on but don't want to sound like some old curmudgeon because I'm not (although I should be w/my gripes, LOL)
They became disposable because the American public in general buy the absolute cheapest product they can find. They have a certain look in mind and features and then they set out to find the cheapest that fits that list. There is a difference between quality and getting the features and look you want at the lowest price. You can still find high quality if you search hard enough and that means don't look in the big name corporate chain stores because all they sell is cheap. Of course when you go to the local high end retailer and see a Viking stainless range costs over $5000 versus paying $900 for a GE that "looks like the same thing" most people buy the GE.
. Not sure where all these companies selling poorly-made products think there is any room in landfills, etc.
Virginia has room, apparently! At least where I was in Fairfax County, you could throw just about anything of any volume out on the curb and they'd take it. Maybe that was specific to the garbage service we had in the neighborhood, but you'd never get away with that in Seattle.
Europe mandated appliance recycling close to a decade ago. What this really did was provide a financial incentive for companies to design products based on the full life cycle - not just to the point the warranty ran out. It totally changes the economics of building and selling short lived junk if the disposal cost is internalized.
Companies are looking for the high $$ NOW, don't care whatsoever about loyalty as they know they all sell crap and folks will have to buy something to replace soon.
WHat I don't get is how a circuit board can cost that much. I thought circuit boards are produced on the cheap now-a-days. Ah well.
Anyone have any other solution other than throwing the dishwashing tab in the bottom of the dishwasher?
I don't' know, I would probably just throw the tab in the bottom of the dishwasher. Hey, if it works..?
I generally don't buy new stuff so it is all relatively disposable to me. I just can't justify the cost of new I guess. My microwave recently died. I bought a replacement at Goodwill. $5.99. Modern stainless steel Samsung in perfect condition. A bit small but we only use the microwave to warm things quickly anyway, not for heavy duty cooking. It was obviously donated because someone just wanted a bigger one or changed kitchen colors.
Even the cheapest microwave at Walmart is $40. I guess it's because I have spent money on new appliances and nine times out of ten the thing dies one month out of warranty so I'd rather gamble with second-hand stuff. Last water heater we had in our old house was brand new from Sears and gave us problems 3 months out of warranty. Repair visits cost more than replacement! Same with the last brand new fridge I bought. Lasted just over 18 months, but the one I have now was second hand and just keeps chugging along.
With someone else's unwanted item, I usually win the gamble.
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I bought Fridgidaire appliances and was set to get the dishwasher to match. If you have the model I was looking at it, there are hundreds of threads with very unhappy customers that say the particular model doesnt last long. The major complaint? The circuit board. The cost was almost as much as buying another one. We chose not to go with that model which really ticked me off because as you know Fridgidaire stainless steel and their handles have a very different look compared to other brands. So I had a heck of a time finding a dishwasher with the features I wanted and also the style handle, finish of the SS...and so on. Nothing is made to last anymore. 
Cost me $75 thanks to my home warranty.
