And I do mean literally flakey. Apprentice Appliantologist billccm posted this question in the Samurai Appliance Repair Forums:

Hello All:

I have a six year old KitchenAid Dishwasher KUDR01TJBL0, serial FL5125226.

It is a very mediocre product, but that is a subject for another day.

What I am experiencing is flaking of black, crusty coatings from the heating element. It seems to be cracking off and blasting itself throughout the dishwasher.

I have researched this issue, and it seems that the ’round’ elements are the issue, and Whirlpool has an upgrade kit.

So, kind experts, is this all I need to fix my problem? Is it a job I can tackle in a Saturday afternoon, or shall I call a service company?

Finally, do you recommend that I cut my loss on this very mediocre product and invest in a new Bosch dishwasher?

Sincere thanks for your time in replying, and have a nice day,

Bill

This repair is very worthwhile doing. On new appliances today, you’ll be doing some type of repair every two to four years. So, buying a new one just because something is broken on Old Faithful is not a silver bullet. Just bite the bullet and do the repair. Here’s the upgrade kit you’ll need. The repair is straight-forward; here’s the service manual if you need it.