Consumer Watch: New Dishwasher Washes Too Noisily For Metro Family

Amanda Taylor, News 9

OKLAHOMA CITY --  Dusty and Sandy Horton loved the look of their LG dishwasher. They chose it because of the controls on the top and the stainless steel.

They were also impressed when they read it was one of the quietest in the industry. LG claims it operates at as low as 45 decibels, about the sounds you'd associate with a park or office.

But after about a year, the Hortons noticed a drastic change.

"To me, it sounds like a belt squeaking on a car," Dusty Horton said.

Sandy Horton described it as "Kids screaming. Fingernails on the chalkboard."

A repairman replaced the motor, but the noise continued. After three warranty repairs, including replacing everything else inside, Dusty and Sandy hit a brick wall.

"LG said this was a normal noise for this dishwasher," Sandy said.

So the Consumer Watch Team put it to the test, using a decibel reader to see if the dishwasher met the 45 decibels as promised. Instead, it averaged 70 decibels.

That's about what you'd expect to hear from busy traffic, not a dishwasher.

The Hortons say they didn't get what they paid for so they want a refund.

News 9 Consumer Watch called LG and while they won't give their money back, they have now offered the Hortons a new dishwasher.

And the Hortons and LG agreed to an upgraded model with the Hortons paying the difference.

No word on why their dishwasher wasn't as quiet as advertised.

Consumer Reports highlighted the best appliances, including dishwashers. They list these three as their favorites: The Bosch Evolution 500 at about $850, The Kenmore 1374 at $600 and a KitchenAid model (KUDE70CV[SS])at $1250. All of these models are energy efficient and will get your dishes sparkling clean, though the KitchenAid will take longer than the Bosch and Kenmore on the normal cycle (140 minutes compared with 120 and 125). The KitchenAid is very quiet. The KitchenAid and Bosch have a filter that requires occasional removal and cleaning.