Dishwashers!!

[millimollimandi]

OK, more a WWYD, but I am curious - I don't have an opinion on who is right or wrong but interested in WWYD.
We need a new dishwasher. Ours is unrepairable after 11 years. We are OK financially and in the last few years when stuff has needed replacing we have gone high(ish) end and paid for a superior product. We have learnt over the years that you do (in general) get what you pay for. We have been hand washing up for about 9 months until we could be arsed to sort out the dishwasher (relevant).
Ok, a disagreement between me and my DH.
One of us wants to buy an expensive dishwasher with a 2 year guarantee. Say for arguments sake £1000. The other wants to buy a cheap one - say £200 - and take out insurance from the seller for another £200 which gives a 5 year parts and labour warranty. The one that wants to buy the expensive one says it would be too much hassle if the machine went wrong to get someone in to repair it. The other says we have been hand washing up for months with no problem. A dishwasher isn't like a washing machine in that isn't an essential. Getting an expensive one with warranty isn't an option as the cost of warranty goes up exponentially, so would be prohibitively expensive. WWYD?

I’d certainly not spend £1k on a dishwasher, there’s absolutely no need!

I also wouldn’t not have one, I view them as essential.

I’d order one from John Lewis with a decent warranty. Preferably Bosch or Siemens.

If money isn’t an issue, I’d get the more expensive one. A £200 dishwasher won’t last 11 years, I’ll bet. We have been in this house 11 years and have had 3 since we moved here, Bosch ones as well so not expensive but not super cheap either. If I could afford it I’d definitely get a Miele or similar next time.

I would see which one is more water and energy efficient - and make my purchase based on that.

We had a Beko dishwasher that cost £220, a friend has it now and it’s still going strong... it’s 11 years old.

Also my mums dishwasher was a cheapy and is 9 years old and still working.

Even expensive ones don't last long these days. Ones built 10-15 years ago were better for that.

I’d go for the cheaper option. Don’t buy Electra. And do buy from ao.com which has the best customer service in the world, they knock John Lewis into a cocked hat.

I’d look on Which (£1 trial I think or sometimes free at the library) and check their rating for the dishwashers you are considering. You often find the much more expensive appliances are not worth it. Then I’d decide based on that.

I got a cheap one with a 5 year warranty. A part broke and I just emailed and was sent a replacement next day. It's a smeg basic model, way better than previous Bosch.

The cheap option is going to work for at least 5 years.
The expensive one is only guaranteed for 2.

What are the differences between the 2?

At £1000 versus £200 your expensive dishwasher would have to last 5 times as long as the cheap one to make it worth it. If you reckon you’d get 4 years out of the cheaper one then the expensive one would need to do 20 years to comparable. Personally I’d go for the cheaper one. I also think spending £200 on a warranty for a £200 product is also bonkers. Just put the other £200 in a savings account and you can buy a new one/pay for repairs yourself when needed.

I would find a different one for about £500/600 and stop arguing

I think it would be bonkers to pay £1k for a dishwasher

@Expressedways This seems like sound advice.
When we renovated our flat 2 years ago we bought a dishwasher that had good energy ratings and we never considered buying a really expensive one because they just don't seem like something where you get a significantly better product when you spend a lot more money and certainly not good enough for the amount extra spent.

A PP advised to look at Which.com and I have to say that I love my subscription to Which and use it for making decisions exactly like this - we've just used it this afternoon to buy a washing machine for my mother in law! In Which some of the cheapest goods get better reviews than the most expensive.

I've got a Bosch integrated dishwasher and it is a massive heap of shit. I wish I'd gone cheaper now as I wouldn't feel so irritated when the blasted thing didn't work. I think Bosch in particular have been changing where they make their appliances so they are not as reliable.

Buy a cheaper one and put the other money in savings to replace it if it breaks after 5 years.

I think there's a happy medium between a £1k and a £200 machine.

Go on which, and research - the length of the programs, functionalities of the machine, and all the actual differences.

200 looks to be absolutely bargin basement for a dishwasher.
I'd spend 300 on a dishwasher, no warranty. Replace when it dies.

Expressed ways but the additional £200 guarantees it for 5 years...

Dartmoor Doughnut oh hell we don't argue we have mild disagreements

RainorSun but for £400 (£200+£200) I would have one with a 5 year guarantee.

Thanks for all the help though, will keep you updated..

I’ve always had dirt cheap Indesit dishwashers. They last between 10 and 15 years, do an excellent cleaning job, and need no care or maintenance.
I was chatting to a chap who repairs domestic appliances for a living, and out of curiosity asked him if expensive brands lasted longer. He laughed, and said they all lasted virtually the same length of time, and he would never personally waste money on a high end brand.

I figure they wouldnt offer the warranties if they lost money on them, so expect more people not to need them than need to claim on them.
So, take no extended warranties, and use the saved cash to buy the new machine on the item that doesn't last 5 years!

No way would I pay £200 for a 5 year guarantee. That's ridiculous,.

Our first £200 dishwasher lasted 13 years of near daily use. Our second £250 dishwasher (cheapest available Bosch) is currently about 4 years old and still fine.

I agree with everything Expressed says. We buy decent mid range appliances and they last for ages (usually over 10 years - fridge is currently 22 years old). We have never bought a guarantee for anything. They are a complete rip off. If you put the price of the guarantee in for every appliance you buy in a savings account, I guarantee that you will not run out of money to replace appliances when they break.

At our old house we had a cheap one a BEKO it was better than our new Bosch.

agree, look at which to see which models come up good.
tbh Iwould go for energy/water efficiency as priority.

£1,000 on a dishwasher is daylight robbery