I have a four year old Bosch, but before that I had an old Maytag. The motor went on that one, but I never heard of the racks rusting through...

My Maytag racks rusted (and broke) too. I don't know what the life expectancy is for dw racks but I had my dw for almost 10 years. I guess I had rust problems as early as 5 years. The rusted and broke tines were the reason for buying our new dw. It cleaned good for a 10 yr old dw but I couldn't get as much in it because of the broken tines.
Monica

Racks are either covered in vinyl (cheaper, not as durable) or nylon (more expensive, much more durable). Look in the specifications for which material is used, or, if it is not listed, try to dig a thumbnail into a rack. Your nail will dig into a nylon rack deep enough to stop your thumb, but a nylon rack will be much harder -- your nail will slip right along.
KitchenAid is known for having particularly heavy wire in its racks, plus a double-helping of nylon at the tips that makes little balls there. I have a Bosch, where the wire is not as heavy, but the nylon coating has been very durable over the years.
One last thing -- try not to use too much detergent. It can be hard on the rack coating, and on dishes.

I've never experienced a problem with racks deteriorating in a dishwasher, regardless of brand. What are you washing and how do you load it? Are you somehow gouging or tearing the plastic (or vinyl, or nylon) coating on the racks?

I wash what I consider normal wash loads on a daily basis. While I don't think I'm particularly careful on how I load or unload -- I'm not aware that I've ever damaged the coating on the racks. When I last moved, the racks in my 8 year-old dishwasher there were in basically pristine condition. I've been in my current house for nearly 5 years, and the situation is the same. Both were Miele dishwashers....but I don't recall any problems with earlier KitchenAid dishwashers, which served even longer.

puzzlefan,

as I had such problem only in those machines with non-foldable non-removable tines,I guess rust problems are mostly where tines are broken/worn (one also has to wash pots and pans, manufacturers took a bit to make it up...)

So choose models with foldable and/or removable tines. Todays almost every brand offer them

Part of the great consiracy in pursuit of a disposable society by manufacturers. In the last 2 DWs in my home, the racks deteriorated. The cost to replace the racks was well over $200, if my memory serves me correctly, which was cost prohibitive. Just like my microwaves which seem to only work for several years.

$200 is correct! That was the cost of replacing both upper and lower racks in my nearly 10 year old Maytag. It wasn't worth it. $100 per rack. That's just crazy!

I just called Sears for replacement racks for a Kenmore Brand dishwasher, Model:15795793, and was quoted $149 for the top and similarly for the bottom rack. Is Sears crazy out of their mind to charge $300 for replacement racks...no wonder we are being priced out by European, Japanese and Korean Brands! They just seem to have the performance, quality and price that everyone can appreciate!

I have a Maytag Dishwasher and every plastic piece has broken in it that holds the glasses or dishes. The top rack can't hold the weight of glasses and kept breaking at the little wheel it rides on. I finally drilled a hole and put a stainless steel pin in, to replace the plastic, that the little wheel fit on. I am ready for a new dishwasher but I don't want any plastic, they all seem to have plastic!

We've owned Kenmore (Whirlpool), GE 2X, Maytag, Kitchenaid, and now Bosch dishwashers. The Kenmore went away when we sold the house. The first GE the same thing. Second GE died a slow death, and was terrible at washing. Tub rusted out as the final straw. The Maytag self destructed one motor under warranty due to a pump seal leak. Final straw was it soaked and fried the circuit board, and was not economic to fix.

The KA washed reasonably well, but internal rack stuff was always breaking. I don't recall that the racks themselves broke or rusted. However it seemed to be put together with a whole bunch of flimsy plastic clips which broke. Replaced them a few times. There was also a plastic hanger which suspended the top wash arm. It kept breaking and when it wasn't broke, it kept coming off (unclipped). The lower arm seal (plastic) kept wearing out. Lost count of how many times I replaced it. I would not buy another KA.

Current Bosch is working well. Time will tell if it stands up, but there are no obvious weak points. It is amazingly quiet compared to all the rest. The KA was probably the noisiest of them all. No regrets buying the Bosch.

My 1956 GE has been washing dishes for over 56 years and the racks are still perfect, I believe they are coated with nylon.

I have many friends with various brands of dishwashers under
five years old and they all exhibit rust to some degree, and they wonder why I "keep that old thing".

I used some of that rubber roofing compound on dishwasher racks that were rusting. Held up for a good while...at least a year and it's easy to reapply. Get the kind that brushes on. Or maybe try some Plasti-Dip.

Of course, it's best to apply at the first signs of rust, long before they rust thru.

I have a Maytag that somewhere between 7 and ten years old and I've noticed that the plastic has worn off in a couple of places on the bottom rack so I need to coat mine.

Here is a link that might be useful: Plasti-Dip

Hmm.. my Maytag's racks are rusted through in several places. It was already like that when we bought the house a little over a year ago. House is 13 years old & I assume it's the original dishwasher.

I've had my F&P dishdrawers for 5.5 years and they are pristine. Nothing has broken, rusted, or whatever. They are used daily, of course.

I have a Maytag and it wasn't new when we bought this house 10 years ago. Some of the pins and their tips started showing broken vinyl (cracks and tips gone). Somewhere I found a kit with many slip on tips and a coating compound. Repaired every one of them and no problems since (about 5 years).

My Kenmore has lasted maybe 8 yrs , but yes indeed racks are rusted and tines broken . Will definitely make sure the racks are nylon instead now wondering....about the clean outs now as that is new for me and seems gross

From consumer reports , they seem to all clean well - the difference is mostly with noise and my issue has been the racks and water spots always ----tried everything /next step water softener ...any input?

I just went back and forth with GE Customer Service regarding the racks in my 8-yr-old dishwasher. They offered a $50 credit. When replacing both racks is over $200, because of their defective coating quality control, I don't feel this is adequate customer service. I never had racks corrode like this. I will avoid GE appliances in the future.

Our Kirkland aka Costco Dishwasher has rusted racks and broken straight thru after many years.

My KitchenAid KUDE dishwasher is my ALL time favorite appliance in my 36 years of being a housewife. It is 8 years old and all tines look brand new...no worn or rusted spots.

My F&P DishDrawer is 12 years, the racks are like-new ... no rusting or peeling.

My dishwasher is a Whirlpool model GU2700CTSQ. I have had it for 10 years and it has cleaned dishes very well and run quietly. No complaints here. My complaint would be in the value engineering (value for manufacturer not consumer) that would cause it to have had issues for the last 3 years with rusting of the tines. It has lasted these last 3 years because of multiple applications of a product to cover those spots. Also the appearance of the machine has deteriorated in these last 3 years with multiple control buttons having the vinyl wear off. What will cause me to now purchase another machine is the racks and the appearance, not the workings.

We have an 8 year old Miele, that has had several tines and cross-pieces on the 2 main racks rust quite badly. I have done temporary repairs by grinding off the rust, and applying RERACK (a special coating for these). I priced up a bottom rack replacement, and Miele Australia quoted $415 which is about ONE THIRD of the original cost of the DW. I will certainly look out for Nylon coated racks in the future (maybe the new LG models have this - I will check).

I had an Asko in the FL house that had racks rusting and falling apart. Since it was 10 yrs old and racks are outrageously expensive, I bought a Bosch. It's still relatively new and OK.

In the Utah House I have another Asko. I don't know how old it is but "stuff" is constantly falling off. (clips and flat pieces of plastic that are supposed to hold something) The start button is down to bare metal and the damn thing will only run on one cycle if and when it wants. I'm trying to hang on for the total kitchen remodel but am wondering if it will last that long

Kitchenaid. Purchased 12-2-08. . Rust bucket inside. Slowly falling apart.

3 year old Miele dishwasher, racks already starting to rust in certain spots. Miele replaced the racks under my extended warranty, but I will probably buy Bosch in the future (stainless steel racks) to avoid the issue.

We have a Bosch that's about 12 yo. A couple of rusted spots on each rack, which my DH wrapped in silicone tape that he uses on his boat. They are working well and the tape is holding. The price of replacement racks was nuts given the age of the d/w.

Used racks can sometimes be found via eBay ... but check the photos closely to confirm the condition.

It's 2020 right now and I have a Whirlpool I bought less than a year ago, dishwasher racks already rusting and I've even been super careful since that was why I replaced my last dishwasher. This past October it's been about 11 months now. I purchased it 10/21/2019, I believe (looking through emails the first I saw came through around 10/21/19) and it's 9/15/2020 now. I noticed the rust about a month ago. So frustrating! I was super careful to not put anything hot on the racks. I let all my dishes cool in the sink first before we load them into the dishwasher. I also was being careful not to overload or place items in too forcefully, just in case, but still rusting! We do have very hard water, so maybe it's our water hardness, IDK.

Megan, try calling their customer service. GE sent a replacement lower rack at no charge. Still have rust on the top rack, not as bad, but at least they did something. Yours rusted so fast, insist on both racks. Best of luck.

BTW I tried dremeling the rust spots and coating with RERACK, it only lasted about a year. Lots of effort for very little result.

whiterosesinbloom I purchased my Whirlpool dishwasher thru Costco, (which I have bought a lot of our appliances through Costco over the years) and never needed their concierge service. I called the Costco concierge hotline to give that a go, they did basically just work as a liason between me and Whirlpool so if it were under the warranty you are correct in that it may have been easier to just call Whirlpool directly but I also wanted to test out Costco's support as I have heard rave reviews. It was a good experience but hold times are super long waiting for a call I tried 3-4 different times before finally leaving a callback number and they called me back in 20 minutes or so and I am indeed getting replacement racks for free. I have not received them yet but did get a shipping confirmation that they are en route. We have tried re-rack multiple times and was not flawless it's sort of a better than nothing approach but if we can we'd rather just replace the racks even if we had to pay as long as the part is still available. Our prior dishwasher that was the issue we replaced them a few times but eventually the model was obsolete and the few parts left went way up in price where it was cheaper to just buy an affordable newer dishwasher.

My Whirlpool dishwasher after 7 years had loads of rust on the tines and parts of the racks. The Bosch after 3 years has none. I do recall the rust forming alarmingly quick on the Whirlpool though.

I've had my whirlpool since I bought it in 2003-04. Just replaced the racks, which were rusted bigtime. Found a great deal on Ebay and replaced both racks for ~$150 total. Top rack I got lucky and got Whirlpool genuine, brand new, height adjustable parts for $75 all in. Bottom rack in great condition as well, but not new, yet in tip top condition. Like new. Washer is still going strong so I figured why buy new until the motor dies. Cleans excellent still. I do agree that using too much detergent and not being careful to not slice up the vinyl covering is what causes the rust. Also logging on and searching for new racks at a regular parts store - the prices were ridiculous- $350 + . Thanks!

We have a kenmore... and a rental house...been through a few dishwashers, my husband and I are both aircraft mechanics so fixing things comes easy for us... appliance parts are ridiculous... when something breaks and it’s time for a new one we keep the racks, tracks, drawers and pumps. The parts don’t take up allot of space and have saved us a good bit in the long run, and if you post it on a local sell site, you can get a few bucks for the rest.

That is certainly a good idea if Keeping spares from previous machines) you have had to replace with similar models. I see an earlier post where someone said that some Bosch models had stainless steel racks. I thought that only their commercial ones had that. I think the main domestic ones have NYLON coated rack tines for better longevity, as this is much harder than that horrible (much softer) vinyl based polyamide/polymer coating. I see that Bosch ones and Lowes (USA) ones have the Nylon coated metal racks, and probably some other makes as well (LG?). I beleive that Miele STILL use the Vinyl polymer ones, even now in 2021, which is VERY surprising, as they (and the "fanboy" sites) still tout these machines as having "at least a 10 year life". I would beg to disagree!

In my prior post - GE replaced the lower rack at no charge. I searched and purchased an upper rack WD28X10230 from Snap Supply (most of these racks fit other models as well). A year and three months later, it's rusting. This is the rack reviews were saying cups and glasses don't quite fit the sides, the side racks are just a bit too narrow.