<p>I think there are clunkers in almost every model and maker. When I read the reviews, I found that folks ( like on this thread) either loved or hated a dishwasher. No in between. I was so flummoxed after reading many reviews that I got what looked good to me from the outside.</p>
<p>There was an NPR broadcast a couple of years ago…about appliances. The short story…they are NOT built to last like they were 20 years ago. The speaker said to PLAN to replace every new appliance in 7 years…if you can even get past 5. He suggested getting the least expensive appliance that has the features you want. </p>
<p>I came to the same conclusion thumper - that it isn’t worth buying all the bells and whistles on a kitchen appliance because they are not made to last. 7 years really is a pathetically short lifespan so for me, upgrading on an applicance is a hard sell. </p>
<p>“The Bosch had a drain at the bottom that periodically needed to be cleared of disgusting rotted food”</p>
<p>BOOM! That lovely issue… I already forgot about it! The Bosch needed a periodic “disinfecting” run with vinegar to get the stench out because of said issue - there was always water with food particles etc. in that drain. Imagine coming home from a weeklong vacation and trying to figure out wth stinks in the kitchen! The Miele had a very similar drain design on the bottom, but it gets <em>drained</em> and in its 6 years now has not had an issue. I only have to clean the filter once in a few months, but that’s normal maintenance and is expected if you do not pre-rinse the dishes.</p>
<p>It takes all of a minute to take the filter out and rinse it out on my Bosch. Mine smells fine…all the time. If you put chicken bones on plates in your dishwasher, yes, you will have debris. But pasta sauce, and anything like that will go right through. My filter is usually spotless when I take it out to “clean”.</p>
<p>I’m not trying to convince anyone to like or buy a Bosch. </p>
<p>We have had friends who have had Miele dishwashers break, and had a terrible time finding a repair person. Ditto kitchenaid and whirlpool. </p>
<p>Honestly, in this day…sadly, I think you are taking your lumps no matter what you choose. Some just break. And thus the mixed reviews.</p>
<p>It was not the filter itself, which was always squeaky clean and shiny, as I do not put chicken bones in the DW (lol!), but the constant pool of “dish water” in the chamber under the filter. Upon standing for a few days without action, the DW began to stink. I was very, very concerned with my new Miele when I saw the same kind of drain on the bottom, but it does drain completely - no standing water of any kind. </p>
<p>Thumper or any new Bosch owners, you might want to take out all filters and look into the drain to check for standing water and let us know. Maybe Bosch fired the idiot engineers who designed the older version and the new hires got the problem solved!</p>
<p>Awesome. Looks like the issue is most likely solved. I was told back in the day that it was normal. Lol - whoever thought that a pool of not so clean water was “normal” was smoking something really good. ;)</p>
<p>Well, the leak happened when the thing died, only 8 years old. So technically, it was much bigger issue that could not be solved without a major repair. I learned to deal with the stench by doing a periodic vinegar or Oxiclean rinse (run it empty with a cup of vinegar or some Oxiclean powder) - especially before going on vacation. We did not want to experimentally find out if the leak issue has been solved, lol, so Mr just pointed to a Miele in the showroom and said, “This one”. Apparently, it has a bunch of leak prevention measures built in, just like our washer. </p>
<p>As this thread shows, past performance may not be indicative of the future results. Good luck to the OP in her DW quest! </p>
<p>Miele owner here–like it because it’s very quiet. At the time I bought it (13 years ago) it was the quietest brand–Bosch was close, but according to the sales person, even one decibel lower makes a big difference. I recently had to have my Miele repaired and found out that Miele has its own repair center. You call an 800 number and give your zip code and Miele sends out a repair person who just works for Miele. I had to wait a little longer for an appointment than I would have waited for the general appliance repair folks that I use, but I was pleased with the service. The guy knew immediately what the problem was–he had a part with him and fixed it. Cost of repair was same as I would have paid with regular appliance guy.</p>
<p>Bromfield…my guess is your 13 year old appliance is better made than the current models of most brands.</p>
<p>BB…EIGHT years? You exceeded the NPR life expectancy of a dishwasher by at least one year. I know…it’s pathetic…but there it is!</p>
<p>The appliances original to this house were 20 years old. I don’t expect the replacements to last for 10. But I’m thinking that will be the NEXT owner’s issue! </p>
<p>In the meantime, our appliance salespeople have told us to keep fixing our 20 year old Maytag washer and dryer, and the Insinkerator garbage disposal for as long as we can. Parts are metal, not plastic, and the new ones are…well…junk.</p>
<p>I am another happy Miele owner here…DW is 14 years old and no repairs.
I just checked out the new ones for son’s apt, prices now are ridiculous.</p>
<p>Thumper, that DW decided to take part of the house with it to the underworld when it died. Lol. The only good thing out of that incident was that I now know that Swedish finish is the way to go with hardwoods! I know - we want them to last, don’t we? The manufacturers want to sell more units… I was really sad to throw the Bosch away - shiny ss tub, looked as good as new, but the repair would have meant tossing all ectronics and there was no guarantee that the DW would not die the same death - while we were on vacation. So we parted with the badly designed unit. </p>
<p>Mr B earned some status points on Fixya by posting his repair solution after fixing our fridge problems (I want the thing to die, but he keeps fixing it for $50 a pop). </p>
<p>“My filter is usually spotless when I take it out to “clean”.”</p>
<p>Ditto. </p>
<p>"^just checked my Bosch–no pool of standing water under the filter."</p>
<p>Ditto. </p>
<p>“I learned to deal with the stench by doing a periodic vinegar or Oxiclean rinse (run it empty with a cup of vinegar or some Oxiclean powder) - especially before going on vacation.”</p>
<p>Never have had any stench except when dirty dishes have not been washed for several days. But doesn’t smell when door is closed. With only two us home most of the year dishwasher sometimes doesn’t get run for 3 or 4 days and I never rinse dishes before putting them in the dw. </p>
<p>I have a Bosch 500 Series SHP65T55UC. I have had it about two months. I like the third rack. I have not had problems fitting most things in, but may need to adjust the middle rack for some things. I love that it is extremely quiet. I have had the detergent door not open properly a couple of times - I don’t know what is up with that. I also noticed the water in the drain issue recently when I returned from a vacation. I am still happy with it despite those two things because it cleans much better than my old one and I no longer have to blast the TV to hear it over the dishwasher. I bought it at Sears when they had a friends and family discount and an installation rebate from Bosch.</p>
I learned to deal with the stench by doing a periodic vinegar or Oxiclean rinse (run it empty with a cup of vinegar or some Oxiclean powder) - especially before going on vacation. We did not want to experimentally find out if the leak issue has been solved, lol, so Mr just pointed to a Miele in the showroom and said, “This one”. Apparently, it has a bunch of leak prevention measures built in, just like our washer. </p>