[naturalhealthrep]

Need replacement dishwashing racks for a kenmore ultra wash III model# 1684993 does anyone know where we can buy these used but in good condition?

[RubyPitbull]

You will be hard pressed to find a used rack in good condition. When people replace these parts it is because they are not usable. When people throw away their dishwasher, it is because they just aren't worth fixing. No one really holds onto racks because they take up a lot of room and they can't really make money off them. The used dishwasher just gets thrown away in the local junkyard, parts and all.

Your best bet is to buy a new rack or depending on what has happened to it, you can purchase a repair kit. In any event, you should try the following web sites. You might want to e-mail them and ask if they have any good used racks in stock.

Both of these web sites should help you. The first one is a favorite of mine. The second of course, is Sears which manufactures Kenmore.

Kenmore Replacement Parts In Stock

Welcome to the Parts Store

Good luck!

[CheBella]

My fantastic appliance repairman (one of the few people around metro NY who will fix an item rather than either replacing expensive parts or recommending replacement of the entire appliance) dealt with this for me when my KitchenAid DW racks had seen better days. This particular model is one of the last year before model changes reduced the quality of the KitchenAids, and we have made a few repairs to keep from buying a new one. It's still better than the new models.
Bottom line: many people replace a DW or similarly priced appliance when something like the motor goes because the repairman (who probably doesn't know how to fix a motor) persuades them that the parts and labor would total not much less than a brand spankin'-new DW, and said DW is replaced, often after only a few years, with racks (& lots of other parts) almost as good as new.
Secondhand appliance dealers buy the discards to sell to repairman (who, hopefully will tell you, is supplying a secondhand part) repairs made with said parts are a fraction of oem pricing, the "dead" DW lives on in several other kitchens, and the world is greener for less landfill.
New racks for my KitchenAid would have been $140 EACH OEM. My repairman got them from his junker for 2/$25. AND! They are the fancy-delancy multi-adjustable racks from the Superba model; the difference in racks and a bit more insulation being the only difference that separated my model from the Superba, which justified a $!50 difference in price when I first bought it 20 years ago.

So... please, if you like our dishwasher & it works well for you in every other way, don't give up on it for the racks. Look around, ask around, and don’t be embarrassed. If you don't like the way the DW performs & this might be a good excuse for that steel tub Bosch, well, that's another story!

Donna
:D