Was the detergent door blocked by a dish or something? That could cause the problem. Calm down a little, run one of those citrus DW cleaners though a cycle and then try a dishload again.

Thank you! But what are the citrus DW cleaners? Available at the grocery store? I'm willing to try anything! My DH is furious because he hates the Bosch anyway for other reasons.

Certainly I could be wrong, but it seems nothing got in the way of the door as it was open at the end of the cycle. It's like the detergent just won't circulate...instead got gooey and oozed down the inside of the door. Bits of undissolved detergent were in the dispenser.

Yep, I get pretty steamed up pretty fast! :)

I think you can pick up a DW cleaner at the Supermarket - I think one brand is called Dishwasher Magic or something like that.

I had a problem with my very old KA DW and not all the detergent dissolving and it was all over stuff. I finally figured out if the little dish like thing you put the detergent is damp/wet it would not work right. It had to be dry.
I agree look in the grocery store for a DW cleaner. Also do you have the high loop for the drain hose?

Your problem may be due to the brand of DW detergent you use. These machines are very sensitive to that. Call the manufacturer's 800 customer service # and ask them about that. They may guide you toward a different detergent. the harndess of your water may also be a factor.

three_daisies, sorry to hear of your woes. In my old Bosch I used something called Lemi-Shine, purchased from WalMart. You could try that. My filter basket used to get really gunky and clogged and I'd soak that in a bowl of barely diluted vinegar.

Thanks everyone. I think I'll also call Bosch just to see what they can tell me, if anything.

eandhl - I have no idea about the loop for the drain hose! That's interesting about the detergent cup.

Haus proud - I'm at the end of a box of powdered detergent that has worked fine for months...and it never caused a problem before now...it must be a clog somewhere, that's my uneducated guess.

erikanh - I will get citrus cleaner from the grocery and see if that helps at all. It's certainly worth a try!

three_daisies, Look under your sink in the back - there should be a white hose from the DW hooked as high up as it can go.

You say that you are at the end of a box of detergent that has "worked" for MONTHS. I read "tips" on dishwashers from a tech and he recommends powder detergent but said never buy the big boxes. Always get a size that you could use up in two weeks or so because old detergent will clump and not dissolve or clean properly. Try a new smaller box of Cascade and see if that helps after the Dishwasher Magic. I also read that the gasket on the Bosch models is what makes the inside smell. They are made or treated(I forget) with something that other machine gaskets do not use supposedly being why the Bosch models smell more than others.??
You might also try resetting the breaker to the dishwasher. Maybe when you turned it off, then restarted it somehow the whole cycle sequence has gotten off? Did you do a Cancel/Drain before starting the new cycle with detergent after you had turned it off from the accidental start??

The dishes were dirty (greasy bowls, etc.) AFTER the restarted cycle completed? Or you checked it part-way through upon restarting and saw it wasn't doing a good job?

I assume the machine has a mechanical timer, as an electronic control probably wouldn't have remained "paused" for an extended period and would begin the cycle completely over upon being restarted. Since the cycle was interrupted, and restarted presumably already filled with water ... it may have already been in the main wash phase (after a prewash and/or prerinse during the first 15 mins you said had passed) ... and I assume it continued on with the COLD water (since some time had passed with it turned off) already in it. Perhaps, for whatever reason (high-temp option not selected, etc.), it didn't extend the remaining cycle time to reheat the water, resulting in bad performance.

Did you try rewashing the load? Have you had opportunity to run the machine again, with a different load, and got the same poor performance?

It might have a filter basket. I noticed the new Kitchen Aids use a filter cup or basket which has to be emptied instead of having a waste disposer. If so it would block the water flow and explain the smell (if full). Its my personal opinion its insane not to have a waste disposer in a dishwasher. Its probably due to the low water consumption.

Here's a completely other thought - if by chance it does need a repair and you say it's only 18 months old, you may be eligible for the Free Extended Warranty if you bought it with a credit card.

Check your credit card website to see if you have coverage. Usually they will double the manufacturer's original warranty, which I'm assuming was one year.

I hope it doesn't come to that but keep it in mind.