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Kenmore Elite Ultra Wash Dishwasher with Touchscreen

I was going to title this post Kenmore Elite Dishwasher Review, but that wouldn’t be fair. Y’all know perfectly well that this isn’t a review. Everyone who knows me knows that I’ve been ogling the Kenmore Elite Appliances over the last year and that I’d asked (perhaps begged?) for an Ultra Wash dishwasher to share with y’all.

I wanted this dishwasher because it has a touchscreen, and that’s all I wanted. I knew it was a $2,000 dishwasher so I assumed it would actually get my dishes clean (unlike my previous two dishwashers… not Kenmore) but I didn’t know anything about the features. (Ahem I’m told it’s been reduced by $700+ this month)

I ordered my dishwasher at my local Sears store, which was a shockingly pleasant experience. My last appliances were bought online because I so dreaded the whole sales floor thing, and guess what? There’s nothing to dread. They were super nice and it didn’t take much time at all. That being said, it would have been equally easy to click and order the dishwasher online.

So, about this nerdtastic dishwasher… thank gawd I have a blog because my husband is sick and tired of sentences that begin with, “Did you know that our new dishwasher….” and then he corrects me and says, “your new dishwasher… ” But I know he’s totally into it too because I see him playing with the touchscreen and twirling the arms. Yes arms. If you look at the inside of your dishwasher the chances are that you see one, perhaps two spinning arms. If you look inside of my dishwasher you see this on the bottom.

The red arrows show you that the arms spin. The blue arrows point at these extra jets that they have at the back of the washer. The red jets at the back are attack jets, they attack the food on your plates or if you wash pots and pans just angle your disgusting ones to the back and press go (they’re called the turbo zone, but I like to make them sound like the Air Force). Those three arms are swinging around slinging soapy water at your dirty dishes like a whirlygig with OCD.

Starting this dishwasher up is pure joy. Simply touch the screen to activate it, and then you pick your cycle. There are a ton of cycles. I’ve tried the SmartWash, Normal, 1 Hour Wash, Eco and Pots and Pans. I have to say that the eco wash worked just fine on even my pots and pans so that’s the wash I’m sticking with for daily use.

The first time I used the dishwasher I thought it was a lemon. There were NO SOUNDS coming out of it. Apparently good dishwashers don’t announce every cycle with a wheeze and a snort. I hear only the faintest humming sounds when the washer is in operation which means that I no longer have to plan to wash the dishes when no one wants to be downstairs. The silence is exciting.

My dishes are clean. I can’t really give you degrees of clean, because unlike laundry they don’t get brighter or whiter. They’re either clean or they aren’t. This dishwasher cleans everything perfectly, silently and beautifully. The first time I shared a link to the page on twitter people thought it was a goof, the dishwasher face looks like nothing but a square of silver. Which is awesome. This dishwasher is too pretty for my kitchen. In fact when we put the house up for sale (maybe in a few days) I’m pretty sure I’m yanking out the new washer, putting in a crapola one and taking this one with me.

Kenmore Dishwasher Landing Page

A few things about the Kenmore Elite Touchscreen Dishwasher:

  • The touchscreen is just as awesome as you imagine it to be.
  • This dishwasher (and all dishwashers) come with manuals. If you read it they will show you how to load the dishwasher. It will help you.
  • There is an actual level in the door that shows you if you need more rinse aid. I cannot believe that every dishwasher in the world doesn’t have this feature. Rock on!
  • The energy guide for my washer says that it will cost $23 a year to operate. Holy Effing Efficiency Batman.
  • The manual says that you have to heat up the water in the sink next to the dishwasher for it to heat up. Even though this might be true I forget a lot of the time and everything is really very clean. And I’m a clean freak of the highest order.
  • To keep your stainless appliances clean simply wipe them down with a hot soapy sponge and dry them with a towel. Next use a few drops of baby oil with a paper towel and wipe the front of the appliance in even strokes. Not only will it shine, but it will repel dirt. Make sure you get unscented baby oil or your kitchen will smell like a nursery.
  • There are slots on the basket that separate your silverware. Your spoons won’t nestle together anymore and you’ll be stunned at how little you need to scrape.

The only con I see for this dishwasher is that it could be out of range pricewise for many people. Even if you can afford it sometimes folks (myself included) feel like their kitchen isn’t pretty enough to warrant a big purchase. Ummm… guess whose kitchen is actually sort of pretty now? Ahhhhh. Right now there’s a $703 discount on the dishwasher, more than a 35% discount. Tax returns anyone?

In any event I love it. I love everything about it, and I love that Kenmore engages their community. You can find them on Facebook and Twitter.

34 thoughts on “Kenmore Elite Ultra Wash Dishwasher with Touchscreen”

  1. This sounds like Heaven. If Heaven has dishwashers. :)

    I would LOVE to have one that is quiet. My house has a very open floor plan and when it runs you can barely hear the tv in the living room. And if you have to open it right after you get bombarded with steam. Basically it sucks…but it’s better than washing by hand. Oh the horrors!

    I’d definitely be taking that baby with me. Or at least make sure I got the extra $$ from the sale of the house to get another. It’s kind of like your duty to let the new homeowners get a shot at the wonders of it you know. ;)

    1. Just wait until the crown assembly dies on you. I had this model for 14 months before the crown assembly went dead on me.

  2. “The silence is exciting.” Oh now you’ve got me all hot and bothered about a dishwasher. We put ours on a delay so it goes off in the middle of the night when we’re hopefully all in REM sleep and can’t possibly hear the LOUD CYCLES clicking on and off. I want one. I want to be nerdtastic like you.

  3. Now, THIS is a review. I have and love that dishwasher, too. But, more than that I love the way Kenmore does social media. They’ve mastered it.

  4. I watched the video last week and it is extremely awesome. Totally jealous as we ran the washer on the midnight cycle last night because the husband ‘could hear it and wouldn’t be able to sleep’ so maybe I should show it to him! Except he would say… ours works. *sigh* I will lust from afar.

  5. I had a better dishwasher, but it cost more than that. And 9 or 10 years ago it ran off to college and now is an Assistant District Attorney down in Alamogordo. But it’s given me a really neat granddaughter and grandson… May your dishwasher give you as much happiness.

  6. I could go on and on about what I love about your new dishwasher but for me the power wash rocks and the fact the inside isn’t white! Seriously we have hard water and iron stains on our washer its just gross!

  7. Wow this looks amazing. I would go bonkers over a touchscreen dishwasher. A 35% discount is pretty amazing. Thanks for sharing!

  8. Mine died one month after the one year mark.  I had beautiful dishes for a year, but alas.  Stinkin’ Sears won’t honor their agreement and give me replacement parts unless I schedule a flat rate $130 to have a tech look at it, even though I know what is wrong with it and can fix it myself.  The parts are supposed to be under warranty for two years, but they won’t give them to me.  

  9. Kenmore Elite. Like you I was impressed by all the gadgets. I year and a half later i’m so disappointed in this useless POS. The touch screen has failled to work. The pump is failing, and damn is it load. I wish i had my old $300 maytag back, at least it cleaned the dishes. I sure hate haveing to wash dishes before i put them in the dish washer.

  10. I wonder if you still are loving this dishwasher.  Mine cleans great….when it works.  I’m  awaiting repair on the control pannel for the second time.  It has also leaked.  Mine is 10 months old, has been in disrepair for 3 month and Sears will only extend my warrenty for 6 months.  I’d like a totally different model. I have no confidence in this machine.

    1. Oh no, I am still loving this dishwasher. I just noticed that they sell dishwasher cleaners at the grocery store and I was tempted to try that.
      In the last six months we’ve changed things around so the kids are loading the dishwasher after dinner and I have to tell you that the are HORRIBLE at that job. but the dishes are still clean.

  11. Ours went out last week; was perfect till it died.  No warning.  Did a load of dishes, great, unloaded, closed the door and next time we tried to use it….nothing.  Called the techs and described the above.  First thing the man said was “I’m ordering you a part and scheduling a tech to come install it. When the part comes in, call us to confirm arrival of the part.”  Ok fine so far, I’ve had to wait 8 days for that technician.  The part was delivered and I called as requested.  First thing I was told was to open it to see if there was any notcible damage, I saw none.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed.  I have generally had good service from Sears products and their customer support.

  12. I just baught the Kenmore Elite 24″ Built-In Dishwasher w/ 360° PowerWash™ Technology – Black, I retails on the sears website for $1169.99 ouch, lol. Now your going to be mad at me…I went on Craigslist, because I’m cheap and wont pay retail price if I can find it for less. Found the same thing listed for $550 brand new never used as sears, and paid $575.00 w/ delivery. I got a heck of a deal. You can live the life of the fab and spend the rest of ur $$ on a new mani/ pedi to celebrate no more scubbing. Yeah!

      1. Hi Jessica. We just bought one today. It won’t arrive until July 7. Do you still love it and have no problems? Sears is discontinuing the model and has it marked down below $1000.00. Felt like we couldn’t pass
        It up.

  13. First of all, the control panel, they call it a crown assembly, PN W10335626, sits right above the outlet vent.  Which, in and of itself is OK, but the dim-wit that designed it (or should I say, approved the design) designed the vent for the washer to vent into the cavity right below the control panel WITH NO DEFINITIVE WAY TO EXIT THE STEAM WITHOUT ALLOWING THE STEAM INTO THE CONTROL PANEL.

    I’ve replaced mine twice in 14 months.  The first one was under the 1 year warrantee.  I thought it was just a coincidence.  NOT.  

    Buy the extended warrantee for the time you think you will own the dishwasher.  It’s really a poorly designed piece of crap.

    1. That control panel is from a different dishwasher, this one has a touch screen lcd and the vent is at the bottom of the door.

  14. My wife and I bought our Kenmore Elite with all the gadgets. Paid $1100 for it.  It is only 2 months old and it quit working today. Sears says they can get a tech out to repair it in 3 weeks….taking mine back for a refund..

  15. Interesting. My Elite is falling apart. It is just at the one year mark and now the top rack is broken, the dishwasher never really cleans dishes, and have 300.00 worth of parts ordered from the repair guy that will take at least 10 days to receive, and then once it comes in they said they can schedule an appointment. Target date of availability is December 7th at the earliest. Customer service, technical and warranty departments are all non-responsive, and downright rude. I really do wonder whether the ‘added’ service warranty is worth the money. my 10 year old dishwasher that just stopped working cleaned better as an old machine than this one does as a new one. My experience will keep me from making major purchases from Sears in the future, and I really am reconsidering even small purchases from them especially in light of the lack of caring customer service.

  16. The Kenmore Elite dishwashers are the worst.. They LITERALLY start falling apart after a year. All of the plastics dry out and become brittle and just start falling off.. At first it’s minor parts that don’t really matter much, but after a little while you’ll find important/critical plastic parts breaking into pieces without even touching them. The wheels on ours, the upper rack wheels; which are behind the metal rail; broke into pieces.. You can’t even see that part, let alone touch it to damage it. Yet, here we are, 2 years in and this dishwasher needs $80.00 in new plastic bits here and there.. And big surprise… A lot of them are backordered.. I wonder why these parts would be backordered. Perhaps I’m not the only one who’s had this experience.

  17. Like you, I fell in love with the quiet, the racks, the touch screen…..it’s wonderful….when it works.

    Fast forward two years later…..to date, I’ve replaced the mother-board, replaced the touch screen panel, replaced the wire-basket (ie: the guts of the DW). $900 of repairs – I bought the extended warranty – Thank God!

    It died yet again New Years Day 2015. They sent a repair guy out a few days later, who has never even looked at this kind of dishwasher before. His solution for why the control screen was spinning thru every cycle thus enabling you to not select any option – or- turn it on? Flip the breaker on your house electric panel. Yeah. Really. Oh…and $157 for that useless advice. The extended warranty is a MUST HAVE for this hunk o’ junk.

    It broke AGAIN today. Same problem as a week ago. Now, even flipping the breaker doesn’t get it to run. Oh – but they can send a technician out in a week a half…..seriously. The first time it broke — it took 6 WEEKS to get a repair technician out. Yes. a $1500 dishwasher that works sometimes.

    Disappointed doesn’t even describe my feels. I feel ripped off. I spent an hour getting transferred around on Sears help line and have requested a full replacement product — and of course, they are refusing.

    Fine. They can spend another $2-3k fixing this hunk o’ junk as I have two+ years remaining on my extended warranty.

  18. Even more troubling….Sears offers a 1 year Labor, two year Parts warranty on all Elite appliances. The trouble is that to take advantage of the Parts warranty – to get the numerous plastic bits that do indeed start to break after a year, Sears insists on sending a tech out to “diagnose the problem”. Only a Sears tech can do the diagnosis, and of course the visit isn’t free, nor is the second visit to actually install the replacement part. Sears will not allow you to send them the broken bracket or whatever to “diagnose” the problem and get the parts you are entitled to. You MUST PAY for a SEARS tech to visit you. Yes, this is technically illegal under the Magnuson-Moss Warrantee act.

    If you do what I did and file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, the Dishwasher Fairy will indeed give you a call, deny that you have to pay Sears to come out (which is patently false), and bestow upon you whatever parts – rack brackets & wheels, drain pump, thermal fuse, even the plastic (!) housing for the drain pump – that’s a messy one.

    So, all’s well that ends well after a while, but it really shouldn’t take a BBB complaint to get Sears to honor their warranty, should it.

  19. I just came across this today as I search for a replacement part for the doohickey that attaches my top rack to the track. I would not normally comment on a 12 year old blog post but I have had this dishwasher for the last 10 years. I love it. It’s still completely silent, works great, and this is the first time I’m replacing a part. It’s a $40 part but I was just trying to google to make sure I have the right model number.

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