Product review (5 stars): Still going strong!
I have the previous version of Danby dishwasher, 496, but I want to comment on how great a machine it has been for me.  I bought the DDW496W almost 4 years ago, while living in small apartment, expecting my 4th child.  I knew I would never be able to keep up with the hand-washing any more.  I have never regretted the decision.  After getting used to the size of the machine and getting into the groove of what I could fit into it, I was very satisfied.

The only trouble I have ever had with the machine is that the hoses have loosened a bit over time, and water has leaked under the machine.  Once I realized the problem, and tightened the hoses back up, the leaking stopped.  There was also a time when I noticed a black scum building up around the heating element, but it turned out to be a by-product of my natural dishwasher detergent and had nothing to do with the machine itself.  Another time, the machine sudsed all over the place, but that was because I had tried out a new detergent and added rinse guard all at once.  Too much detergent.  Now I use the basic store brand gels, about 1T per load, and never have any trouble with over-sudsing.

We have a lot of dirty dishes, and I run my machine at least 3 times a day.  When a load is done, I either leave it in the Danby with the door all the way open to air dry, or unload it into a dish-drying rack and put in the next load (depending on how quickly I need to wash the next dishes).  It's worth it to me to run it 3 times a day, and only wash pots, pans, and other big items at the end of the day ... as opposed to washing every thing by hand every day.

I also love the water-heating element.  It gets the water super-hot and cleans/sanitizes my dishes very well.

With very little TLC, and running the machine so often, I am surprised at long it has lasted.  I still use it every day, now with six kids in a 3-bedroom apartment.

I love this machine and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for an alternative to hand-washing all those dishes.