I've had a top-of-the-line KA DW (S model) for over 7 years and no problems at all except the door gasket seal came a little loose about a year ago and I had to reattach it with silicone - no big deal. The DW cleans and dries well and is very quiet. I have no idea about the current models but like any brand I'm sure there are problems with some units.

Suggest looking at it this way: If this machine performs as it should, you'll be living with it for a decade. New machines have longer cycle-times than the old ones so whatever sounds it makes will be part of your life for longer periods than ever before. If quiet is important to you (it would be to me) I would suggest strong consideration to putting this annoyance to bed right now....even if it cost a little more to do it. I'm sensitive to this because I just purchased a new machine a couple of weeks ago....a $600 dollar Whirlpool "Quiet Partner III" that I regard as too noisy. With the dealer's cooperation, I'm changing it out for "Quiet Partner V" model. Old one lasted nine years. I don't want this kind of sound in my life for another nine. Of course I'm paying the difference (about $200.00) for the upgrade but the dealer was very cooperative.

If you can send the drain down through the floor to a lower level P trap, you can do that. My saying this is not a recommendation "per se" in and of itself, it is just information, which may need further caveats. If the P trap for this DW is in the kitchen, you need to install a high loop. If you know what a high loop is, install that. High loop means to raise a portion of the dishwasher's flexible drain line as high as you can under the sink (e.g. with a piece of bailing wire). This will prevent contaminated water from backing into your dishwasher, unless the backup goes right up to the rim of your sink, in which case, an above-sink air-gap is the only thing that will prevent cross-contamination. The DW drain line branches into the sink drain line below the sink -- regardless of what type your faucet is. I suspect you have a contractor who I would consider a case of borderline fraud. Your contractor must know what a high loop is. He also must know that any dishwasher drain connecting to the kitchen P trap goes first through a high loop or an air gap. In both cases (high loop and air gap), the drain plumbing connection has no relationship to the faucet you chose to install. That is supply plumbing not waste plumbing. Perhaps I have misunderstood your post or you have misunderstood what you thought he said, or some other explanation is possible, et cetera. If not, you have a special case of a contractor saying that the faucet prevented him from raising the dishwasher hose in a high loop and thereby routing its waste water up first before it goes down into the P-trap and the house drain. HTH David

BKT. It may have water stagnent from testing at th factory which MAY give a smell brand new out of the box, but a single cycle should clear Venting or draining - that is NOT a DW problem. You need to obviously make sure it's tied to the waste tee (preferably with a high loop), but if you have poor drainage or vent issues in your PLUMBING system for that kitchen sink waste tee or however you are tying in the DW drain line, than that must be addressed However, said 2 issues are not a dishwasher issue per se, but a plumbing DWV design flaw/issue.