@nottelling we have a Bosch with the fold down rack. We fold it down, and that is where we put our bowls…the ones that are about 4 inches deep, and 4 inches around. We use those for cereal and yogurt…and that top rack works perfectly! On occasion, I will out a casserole dish in that spot. Again…excellent!
I think there must be differences between models and/or even the luck of the draw on the actual appliance. I used to be like someone upthread who had never had one that really cleaned. I had to rinse everything off before it went in so I just considered a DW a sanitizing device. The last one I bought was the most highly rated KA I could find. From day one it left things dirty. A friend was remodeling her kitchen and, despite the fact that she loved her KA dishwasher and that it wasn’t very old, she was getting rid of it and offered it to me. I really grilled her as to whether or not it actually cleaned and she said it did. Paid a handyman to make the swap and this KA really does clean! We’re empty nesters so it can take several days to fill the DW and it gets everything off! Thus, I’m very skeptical of just referring to a brand in general. I hope this DW never breaks because I wouldn’t have any confidence that any replacement I buy wouldn’t just be another ‘sanitizer’.
I think Bosch redesigned the terrible DW they used to sell in the US (which is what the condos have - these dw never worked well new, and they still dont work). They finally added the leak-stop sensor (not a cheap part by any means) that was standard in Mieles.
My point was that anyone who is looking for a DW now cannot rely on reports from both the past and present users because the models change so fast. Even the model that was the gold standard of reliability can have parts replaced with cheap plastic to drive down the costs… So yes, to paraphrase the philosopher, no one can buy the same dishwasher twice!
With any appliance, it is luck of the draw in terms of whether it is good, marginally good or a lemon, the difference is the odds of getting a good appliance is better with some makes than others (not exactly rocket science, that is the whole point of ratings in like consumer reports for reliability and such.There are things that a tip offs to quality, a stainless steel dishwasher is going to outlast one that is not in general (talking rusting out), higher end dishwashers tend to use stronger components IME, and so forth. On the other hand, people sometimes spend a grand on a dishwasher and it dies in a couple of years, someone buys a cheap Kenmore and it lasts for many years.
Meile dries the dishes far better than any dishwasher I’ve seen. It has internal fans that circulate the warm air, evenly drying the dishes and reducing spots. After the cycle is over, the door automatically opens a few inches to further dissipate the warm air and allow water to evaporate. As a result, the dishes are completely dry, but the plastic items are not “baked” like with other dishwashers.
FWW, two summers ago, my H became very frustrated with our just out of warranty top of the line Bosch. The repair guy couldn’t fix it - tried replacing the controller board and other components, but nothing worked. So, he gave up and said we needed to replace it. H (an engineer) thought he’d try a hand at it - pulled it out and completely disassembled it - verified, fixed, or replaced every single part in the darn thing and still couldn’t get it working. I was away on a trip, lol, (I would never have tolerated what he did to the kitchen) and he was probably bored home alone. Afterward, he knew so much about it he could probably get a job at Bosch and tell them a few things about product design, which he said was just awful. Most of the internal components are snap in, hard to access, and not serviceable.
Our Miele (which I loved) only lasted 10 yr., so not really worth the $$$ IMHO. We replaced it with a Bosch which I also love. I read on another web site that cleaning problems, at least with Bosch, can be attributed to using DW tabs commonly sold by Costco. I have an 18" DW so use only powder so I can’t tell you which tabs other than to say that as soon as folks changed their problems disappeared. Cleaning problems with new DWs can also arise from DWs that aren’t properly installed.
My 2 dishwashers are the same model, bought on the same date and installed by the same installer. I think one of them does a better job cleaning the dishes. My biggest gripe is that quinoa gets stuck in the openings on the spray arms. If I have dishes with rice or a small grain I will rince them before loading. I didn’t need to do this with my previous 2.
Lol, Gourmetmom, it sounds a lot like what Mr. B would do. I am so happy the leaking Bosch was hauled away by Albert Lee guys before he could take it apart. He did have big plans for that clunker. 
Our 8 yr old Miele cleans dishes like magic, no pre-rinsing, no special detergents, no gunk removal needed. I think I only emptied the debris out if the filter cage a few times… 45 min cycle is super fast. The dishwasher already outlasted the predecessor Bosch. Even if it dies in a year, it is still a good investment because it saves time and aggravation. The old Bosch was professionally installed. The Miele was installed by Mr. B. Guess who is going to install the next dishwasher in our house… Plus, with Miele, parts can be ordered from their shop in the Midwest where customer service folks speak English.
I have a nice Kenmore from the 70’s with an avocado-green interior in a house I just bought. It looks unused. Bet it works.