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Spent $80 on a 'universal' dishwasher part that fit nothing
Last month I ordered this universal spray arm kit online and spent a whole afternoon trying to jam it into a Whirlpool, only to find out it was 2 inches too short and the clip didn't match any mount I've ever seen. Has anyone else had luck with those generic repair kits or are they just total junk?
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cameronb522mo ago
Hugo brings up a good point about measuring, but even careful measuring doesn't always help with these kits. I tried a universal drain hose once that said it fit "most major brands" and the connection point was a full half inch off from my GE model. The problem is these companies use the word "universal" way too loosely. They usually mean it fits one or two common sizes and the rest is just hope and luck. I've found it's better to just spend the extra few bucks on the OEM part from a parts diagram website, it saves a lot of headache and wasted time.
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tarajenkins17d ago
Read this thing on Consumer Reports last month that said almost 40% of universal appliance parts get returned within the first week. That stat really stuck with me because it matches exactly what you're describing. The half inch thing is brutal, I had a similar situation with a Maytag washer where the universal belt I bought was like a quarter inch too narrow and shredded after three loads. These companies bank on people being too lazy to return stuff or just figuring "close enough" is good enough. OEM might cost double sometimes but honestly my time is worth more than wrestling with some cheap part for two hours.
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