Misbehaving Appliances

Unfortunately today's goods are not designed for longevity, they are designed for ease and replacability. Did you know that if you still have a TV with a large back(a CRT~Cathode Ray Tube) once it's gone it's trash. No one makes the part anymore because it is cheaper for them to replace the product than the part. Am iPod, once it's battery dies, you've lost everything and need to replace the iPod, there is no battery to be used or replaced. So I would just chuck them and get new ones, with warranty service plans.

Buy new ones. Stop dealing with that headache. You have better things to do with your time & energy. Get energy star appliances and save money on electric/gas. Watch for sales and check at Lowes - they have great sales and usually the best prices.

I use http://www.hwahomewarranty.com/ to fix all my apliances including AC/Heater, I think I pay just $80 everytime they come and fix something. If the estimate is over 50% of a new one they give you a new one. I believe we paid less than $400 for the entire year to have that. I've been renewing it for over 5 years now.

What brands are they? The dryer probably just needs a good lint cleaning; including the vent pipes and outdoor screen. There are cleaning kits you can buy. As for the others, sounds like they're lemons. If you can afford it get the new appliances.

I'd say get rid of it all, and get new ones! You depend on all 3 and they should work properly.

You should try cleaning the lint out of the dryer vent hose. It is the hose that is behind the dryer and usually leads outside. If it gets clogged with lint, the dryer will not dry as well. Whenever it takes me more than an hour to dry a load, I clean mine, and it always fixes the problem. Keeping that hose and your lint filter clean will also help prevent fire.

As for the washer, you might be using too much detergent. Try running the washer empty with just water, or maybe add some vinegar to clean out the old suds. Read your detergent bottle to make sure you are using the right amount. Many detergents now are ultra concentrated, so you don't need that much, and using too much can damage your washer, as well as being wasteful.

Sorry, I can't help you with the dishwasher. Good luck.

You may want to check your warranty. Many have a "lemon" clause that state if there are a certain # of repairs withing a specific amount of time they will replace it. Check this out. If they don't replace them there may be a discount on new ones. Sears does this, i'm not sure about other places. good luck.

You got some good advice about the dryer - in our experience, our lint door on the outside of the house was trapped - the metal got stuck under a piece of the house's vinyl siding during a storm or something...my husband took a broom handle and broke it loose and used a vacuum hose to try to suck out all the dampened lint that had accumulated with no place to go (from the inside of the house). Once he did that, we tested the dryer and the lint door flug open like it was supposed to and we have had no problems with dry clothes since.
As for your dishwasher - sounds like a hassle and I would replace - appliances SHOULD last for more than 5 years, but many don't, and this could be your opportunity to save yourself a headache and save some money and energy by buying a new better one that is energy efficient.
We have an He washer/dryer set and buying He is a little more costly upfront, but it pays for itself in energy savings over the course of 1-2 years, so it is well worth it!

as for your dryer try cleaning out the vent hose that goes from the back of the dryer to the outside vet. when this gets alot of lent in it dryin time will increase. it also shouldnt have many bends in it. it should go straght to the vent not twist and turn because the vent hose is too long. cut it shorter if this i whats going on. as for getting another warranty i think it would depend on how much that is and how much you have to pay on each service call. if the service calls were free just get the warrantty if not get used appliances on craigslst.org or go get new ones.