weedmeister; Good advice! We are planning on taking 3 place settings, including cutlery, just to get a feel for how it loads and also my pet peeve from the Bosch - the cutlery tray. In our Bosch, our heavy cutlery always feels like it will fall out. I was tempted to ask Bosch if they would sell me a tall cutlery tray. I popped into Sears Home today and had a look at some dishwashers, including Bosch (strictly for comparison sake), Samsung, LG, Kitchenaid and Kenmore Elite, which the sales guy said were built by Kitchenaid. Not all models, just the ones they have in that store. I felt the same way about the Bosch, after looking at their new models. Not too keen on the Korean brands as I love my Samsung TV and washer/dryer, but I don't hear great things about LG or Samsung dishwashers. I really liked the feel of the Kitchenaid, but the sales guy told me that I would get better bang for my buck with Kenmore Elite. He said that they had a model that was $2k last year and is now at a lowered price, with a sale on it, which drops it to $1399. Everything is equivalent to the top Kitchenaid, except no third rack for an upper cutlery rack. I don't know whether to believe him or not, but it seems to be the same as the Kitchenaid KUDE 40, which should be that price...... I guess I will have to get my wife to see how she likes the loading : ) That is the most important point! Here is the Kenmore Elite DW that I was mentioning: http://tinyurl.com/7sdsse2 I would also like to know the difference between the Kitchenaid KUDE40FXSP and Kitchenaid KUDE40FXSS They are $100 different in price and I can't figure out the difference according to the Sears 'Compare' chart. My head is starting to hurt ; )

We are having the same problem with our older "WallMaster" unit by Friedrich. After cleaning both coils, filters, checking thermostat, etc finally broke down and called in a repair person. Sad news was that the compressor is going causing the unit to shut down before reaching the proper temperature. Try all the above suggestions, especially cleaning the filter, and a through cleaning of the units coils (both). Get a good thermometer (an instant read kitchen one will do), and check the difference between the incoming air (front of the unit), and what is being blown out. There should be at least a 12-20 degree difference. If the condenser comes on, but shuts down after about 10 minutes, you may have a problem with motor (condenser), in which case it would be cheaper to chuck the unit and buy new. In fact considering how inexpensive units can be,you may wish to look into getting a new one sooner rather than later. The last thing you want to do is purchase a new unit during a heat wave because your current AC died a slow painful death. If funds are tight check Craigslist for local people selling units. They may not be what you want, but it will get you through the summer, that way you can wait and get a good deal when stores are clearing stock in the late Fall.

Kevinande, your analogy doesn’t work. I wouldn’t touch a Ford OR Lincoln car. Both fare poorly, compared to Toyota, Honda, Subaru, or most any import. I’m not even considering the more luxury brands, like Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, and the like. It is totally untrue that SZ is not what it used to be. I somehow doubt you have first hand experience with the brand. I’ve never read of anyone on this forum complaining about their new SZ not cooling, getting flack from customer service, and wishing they’d never bought the fridge. Quite the contrary. Just yesterday, or the day before, there was a thread here with posters extolling the virtues of their SZ, saying it was well with the $$$. And, SZ to this day, has the best customer service in the industry. On the the other hand, there’ve been a multitude of complaints about Whirlpool, Frigidaire, and KitchenAid, all of which have changed ownership several times, over the years. SubZero has always had the same owners (though the name changed), and US manufacturing sites. Samsung, too has many has many disgruntled customers on this site, and off. My sister-in-law was one. When she and her husband moved, and gutted the kitchen in their new home, their first purchase was a SZ. They couldn’t be more pleased. I understand that many people cannot afford a SZ fridge. I’m more replying to your blanket statement about quality of all brands these days, including luxury brands. It’s like when some posters write that all stones are porous, and need sealing. Untrue, as soapstone is impervious, does not etch or stain. Such obvious misinformation peeves me. Before making a blanket statement, get your facts straight.

Chiming in to note we've had the same issues with our 800 series refrigerator. Seems we faired better than most as the peeling didn't start until we had it about 4 years. Now it's like a barn on fire and looks awful. Seems ridiculous that you can invest $10k in a suite of appliances and they look terrible in less than 5 years. (All of the lettering on our range rubbed off within the first year.) We "upgraded" to Bosch in our forever home. Ironically the finish on our GE and Whirlpool appliances in previous homes lasted much longer than these did. SO DISAPPOINTING. Not what I expected from this brand, at all. My husband is a contractor and suggested Bosch to several clients. Now I feel like he needs to call them all and apologize! Step up Bosch and do the recall!