wIth Miele there are 2 important things. Can you get their factory service where you live? If so, and you buy the waranty direct from Miele you are insured as well as possible for 5 years if something goes wrong. I had a washer heater go bad in 2-1/2 years with a $250 waranty and they replaced the machine.

otoh i never had a waranty on my 11 y.o dishwasher and never needed a repair.

It's like insurance.

I totally understand it is insurance. The question is whether it's worth it :) I asked my dealer and she said that yes it would be factory service (I had read about places where you can't get it).

So you're vouching on the dishwasher quality apparently :)

My first Miiele was a lemon. I had insurance(the only appliance I insured). At 4.5 years, I received a check for the original amount. Call it Women's intuition. The issue may have been an incompetent repair company as they lost their Miele contract. My current Miele, I had one repair in the first 2 years so under standard warranty if you have it installed by Wolf certified installer The factory repair person was knowledgable and brought along the suspected piece to repair same day

My other appliances do not have insurance as I "self-insured" them

Wolf -Issues with MDL circuit - Wolf covered out of warranty

Electrolux- problem with ice machine - cost $180

GE Advantium- replace motor to turn carousel $250

If you go for the extended warranty, I would recommend getting it through Wolf

Also, in retrospect, with all of the newer electronics, the extended warranties might not be a bad idea Or even better, the appliance companies should offer a 10 year warranty. In Europe, some do

@Frenchman - Worth is relative when it comes to insurance.

But again, because it's very important to know with Miele. Do not buy a service contract through a third party and don't take the dealer's word. I would call Miele directly in the morning to get the call center in Princeton. Find out if factory service is available where you live. IOW if anything goes wrong a Miele repair guy comes out in his little red van. There's a good reason: their techs bring laptops with diagnostic software. Non Miele techs don't have that. Unclear to me how things get fixed otherwise -- which is why I believe if Miele factory service isn't available choose another brand.

If factory service is available then the warranty can be purchased online directly from Miele. At the time of the call you might ask about a discount code which can be applied to the online purchase of the warranty -- 10% off. Warranty must be purchased within 1 year of the date of purchase of the appliance. I usually wait until a few weeks before the end date to purchase the extended warranty. I would not buy it at the time of the purchase and, again, not from anyone but Miele no matter what any sales person says.

I've had 2 of their DWs. I replaced an oven with theirs 8 years ago and no issues. Ditto for the fridge, washer and dryer. Not perfect -- none is -- but overall, one of the most reliable and high quality brands.

I think that if you buy a Miele appliance before the end of November and have it installed by their installers, they're throwing in the 5y warranty. This is for US.

Edit: Order and put a deposit on by the end of Nov, not buy. I want to get some of the Obsidian models that probably won't ship before the end of Nov, but so long I have them ordered, they're supposed to be good for the deal.

Canada is also including a free 5 year warranty right now.

RE: 5 years warranty, barbja99, are you sure? I've seen it on the Canadian site, but nowhere on the US site, and when I was speaking with the Miele dealer last week, she said the only warranty Miele was offering is 1 year. No more 2 year warranty with Miele installation, and certainly not 5 year warranty.

If you have a pointer to the warranty info I would love to know about it.,

Frenchman, I've been told this by at least two different sales persons on different visits to the appliance dealer that I'm working with. On the last visit, she was on the phone with the Miele rep and asked the him if I ordered an Obsidian appliance when ordering opened later in November, but delivery would not be in Nov (since the pipeline isn't filled), would I still get the warranty extension. Miele rep answer: Yes.

Are you buying a dishwasher, barbja99? It doesn't seem like it. Would you share the info of your dealer and the state you're in? Maybe I need to call them... My local dealer today said they had no idea there was such a promotion, and the local "Miele Experience" store (I live in the Seattle area) said they were not keeping up with promotions but that they may vary state by state (which I hope is incorrect; that would be plain wrong from Miele USA).

Why ask someone you don't know? Call Miele, seriously.

My dealer had and said no, so I wanted to know how that was true for barbja99 and if it may have been her dealer.

I owned a Miele dishwasher in my last condo for 11 years - never needed service, but I did buy the factory extended warranty for the first 8 years that I owned it. I think the extended warranty is worth it, especially for the first few years...

Buying or taking a warranty from anyone but Miele is a dumb move. It only counts if it's a Miele waranty serviced by Miele directly. Appliance companies offer other types of plans. Why I say to call Miele. If its such an issue buy a Bosch.

Miele is offering a free 5 year warranty on dishwashers through Nov 30. You may have discovered that already - or already bought your unit - but that 5 years warranty is gratis for the next 2 days...

Yes, it's not well publicized online. BUT I went to the Miele showroom in Los Angeles yesterday (Sat) and they assured me that it was a true MIELE offer through Nov 30th. I visited Snyder Diamond Appliances and purchased the Dimension and the saleswoman told me about the warranty too. It's included in my invoice and noted at no charge--as in FREE! This is my second Miele and the first one was not without service. I think the problems started when an "authorized" Miele installer wasn't all that qualified and things have needed to be fixed over time. Now Miele delivers and installs their own appliances, at least here in California. That's a big selling point. I used the authorized private company installer rather than my plumber on the kitchen remodel. This time, it's Miele all the way. PS I love the cutlery tray!

What's the Obsidian?

The 5 year warranty from Miele - which expires tomorrow night - doesn't seem to be well known outside of Miele itself. I originally found out about it when visiting Miele's own local design center in central NJ. They told me the offer was national. I bought my unit from a dealer just west of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. The dealer didn't know about the warranty offer and had to contact Miele to verify. It's real - and it is national. Miele also requires that DWs be installed by their own "Miele Concierge" service (Miele's own employees) - I suppose so they can guarantee the installation. Two very competent techs did mine, then took photos, did a test run, and registered the unit with Miele's customer service. I think Miele wants to control the experience end-to-end. They also called twice and guaranteed a two hour time period for the installation; then called 20 minutes before arriving to let me know they were on the way. Impressively different from other experiences I've suffered through over the years. They verified that I had the 5 year warranty - and seemed to be trying to guarantee that I wouldn't have to use it (fingers crossed).

A 5 year waranty is excellent, excellent value. They must believe in those machines.

For those with the new equipment, be sure to get a print out of the warranty information and note the serial number of the appliance on the warranty if it's not already there. You want the purchase date and location noted also. Keep it in a safe place.

If anyone but you has registered the appliance it's worth a call to customer service to verify the registration. Whatever time that takes is well spent as you know for sure all your info is correct.

Additionally, when you call, ask them if they are still giving out the online discount codes. Should you order dishwasher detergent, or the cleaner or any other products (I have a good amount of Miele so I have a yearly order) and you order on line, the code gives you a 10% discount.

The way they market is not so consumer friendly for those without their products but for those who do it's a bit of loyalty you don't get very often these days and I like that.

I'll be interested to hear whether their concierge service hooks the dishwashers up to cold or hot water.

Just to clarify Daryl's last comment-- The Miele extended warranty offer expires TODAY- NOVEMBER 30th. Buy it now!