Would you class a Dishwasher rack as a consumable part??

neilmcl

madhouse77 said:

neilmcl said:

That sort of thing can happen on any dishwasher when you chuck stuff in with sharp edges that can cut/break the protective plastic on the racks. As soon as that happens it will get worse and rust will form. I don't agree that racks are consumables as such but I also think you'd struggle proving that this is an inherent manufacturing fault, which you would need to do to if you choose to exercise your consumer rights. Also, your rights are with the retailer, not the manufacturer, so you'd need to go back to the original seller.

A lot of the rust is on the under side so not in contact with the items it's cleaning.
I brought the Dishwasher direct from the Swan website at a cost of around £530 so wasn't cheap but the overall quality is.

Once the plastic has been damaged rust will appear just about anywhere.

FaceHead

Your consumer rights are that it should 'last a reasonable length of time'. The dishwasher is not broken. You continue to be able to use it and your dishes continue to come out cleaned. You don't have the right to a dishwasher that remains in pristine condition for multiple years - after two years, it should still be 'lasting' but would be expected to be showing some signs of wear. 

Whilst I don't agree with Swan's rationale that the rack is 'consumable', I do agree that they don't need to fix/replace the component, as it's not broken. 

madhouse77

FaceHead said:

Your consumer rights are that it should 'last a reasonable length of time'. The dishwasher is not broken. You continue to be able to use it and your dishes continue to come out cleaned. You don't have the right to a dishwasher that remains in pristine condition for multiple years - after two years, it should still be 'lasting' but would be expected to be showing some signs of wear. 

Whilst I don't agree with Swan's rationale that the rack is 'consumable', I do agree that they don't need to fix/replace the component, as it's not broken. 

Yes it still works and still cleans but leaving lots of small rust spots on my nice new 18/0 cutlery isn't ideal and you could argue it's not really working as it should because of that.

mandy47

Try asking on your local  freegle. Someone may be replacing their old dishwasher and let you have the trays. It's a long shot but worth a try.

GDB2222

I am shocked by this. We have a Bosch dishwasher that is ten years old, and used daily. The racks are absolutely fine.  I don’t accept that the racks in the photo are acceptable.

Since Swan acted as the retailer, you should send a letter before action, then sue them for the cost of replacement racks, using MCOL. To defend the case, they would have to send someone to your local county court, which is not worth their while. 

I have made a note never to touch Swan stuff in future.  We have a Swan water urn which I was about to replace on a like for like basis. I'll be looking around for a different brand. In the past, they have been good about repairs, but perhaps they are under new ownership? 

Ajmason42

No I would not class any part of a dishwasher as consumable. Salt rinse aid and tablets are additives.

 For me consumable parts are things like spark plugs in an engine they are a part of the engine which couldn’t work without them but have a limited life and the replaced. 

greyteam1959

I would say those racks have a manufacturing defect.
They should not have deteriorated like that in 2 years.
Consumables ??
That's just plainly ridiculous.
I have had 15 year old dishwashers with no visible damage to the racks.
I would stick at it & get them replaced.

DRP

Agree that 2 years is ridiculous. I’ve had multiple dishwashers and they’ve lasted longer than I’ve lived in the houses (5 years +each time).

That’s put me off Swan for sure. 

Money_Grabber13579

getmore4less said:

Dishwasher racks are moving parts that do wear out with use.

The wheels and the wash arms can go first through normal use they are serviceable elements of a rack.

Over time any protective coating on the racks do wear out and the corrosion process start.
our last one had quite a few areas that were blown or worn coating but that was over 10years by the time we replaced.
 
I would suggest that if any part of the rack has started to corrode within 2 years then there is a manufacturing defect they should last a lot longer.

Just because something wears out with use doesn’t automatically make it a consumable.  On that basis, the whole dishwasher would be a consumable. In fact, the only thing that probably wouldn’t be a consumable is land.

The racks should last the life of the dishwasher and I would argue that if they don’t, then there is a manufacturing fault (unless the dishwasher has lasted an abnormally long time, which it hasn’t - yet).

unforeseen

Greatgimp said:

Consumables are available in several shops like salt, rinse aid etc. Is this rack available in most 'Wilko-style' shops? Of course they're not!

They don't need to be available in most 'wilko-style' shops. If they are available, replaceable by the consumer and something that can wear then they can be classed as consumables. E.G.laptop batteries are consumables.