Are not hard to find, the FPs from any Kitchenaid DW from an 18-22 will fit this DW.

John L.

Photo #3 shows a front panel kit although they don't mention what color it is.

IIRC there were two or three panels of various colors in the kits.  For an 18 series, I would guess that white, gold, and avocado were included.  I can't recall if the panels were two-sided or not.  If so, then coppertone could have been in there as well.  Stainless would have required a separate purchase.

What I'm confused about is John's mention above that series 18 through 22 use the same flat panels.  I thought the flat panels didn't show up until the 20 series.  My statement about multiple panel options applies to the flat panel system, where they were stacked together and slid in from the side, allowing the owner to easily switch them out as kitchen decor and/or appliance color schemes changed.

Pictures I've pulled up show the 18 series with wrap-around panels (as shown here) and no stainless trim.  So which is it?

I think he means you could take the panel set (from factory with interchangeable colored panels) from a later series and mount it to the 18 series?  

It seems to me that the 18 series wrap-around panels would have employ the same mounting system as the 20-22 series stainless sections that hold the flat panels in place, so the entire systems would be interchangeable but the actual color panels themselves would not.  Does that make sense?  

Hi Greg,  You can use ANY panel package from an 18-22 KA DW on this KDS-18,

The 18s did still have wrap-around panels.

You can also use the custom panel kit from a KD-18 or 19 on any of these DWs.

John 

Congratulations Robert what a great score.

I would give the machine a quick inspection when installing it to see if anything is missing, broken, disconnected etc. there is unlikely to be an deterioration of hoses seals etc to worry about, just hook it up and be sure that there is at least a quart of water in the sump when you first turn it on so the main seal is wet.

I would experiment with different detergents. Take into account how hard [ or soft ] your water is and how hot it is as well.

In order to preserve this great DW and get clean dishes out of it use the least aggressive detergents needed to do the job and the lowest incoming water temperature. Water temps of 120-130 should work well, never over 140. Also the new detergent pods can work very well in vintage DWs and are a lot less damaging to the machine than old fashioned phosphated detergents like Cascade boil out.

Keep us posted when you start using this DW.

John L.