We had a Kenmore Elite. Yes, it washed dishes beautifully (not very quietly though).
When the control panel melted down for the third time, we decided that maybe it was time for a different dishwasher. Before the thing caught on fire once and for all.
We still haven't bought a new dishwasher and we've been washing dishes by hand now for a good two months or so. Still looking for a good dishwasher and I honestly don't know what to buy.
Sear's repair service is less than stellar....and that's putting it mildly. I won't go into a lot of detail, but very much less than stellar. Our Dyson vacuum was returned to us in worse shape than it was when we took it to Sears.
Would I recommend a Kenmore Elite? Nope....unless you want your control panel to turn into melted plastic. And I wouldn't recommend Sears' service department either.