I'd recommend getting the DW you want, then find a kitchen cabinet designer who deals with Ultracraft to specify exactly what is needed to match upper and lower replacement panels. (Possibly the lower won't need to be replaced if you go with another non-European DW.) There might be an initial color difference due to wood darkening as it ages where UV light is present, depending on wood species, but the new panel(s) color should converge on the other cabinets color after a year or so.

Interfacing replacement appliances with existing cabinetry and counters is a hidden cost of our built-in kitchen look, as standardization among brands is still less than ideal. Stone counter cutout sizes for various induction cooktops is an egregious example of non-uniformity.

kas

Each dishwasher that takes a panel has specifications for the panel size so it fits perfectly. That's on a spec sheet and there is a diagram.

Every dishwasher brand, with models that take panels, provides a spec sheet on the brand website for each model.

I would first download and compare the size of the panel required with the size you have.

One thing to know: if you go from a KA to Miele, the opening size for the dishwasher will need to be reduced from 24" to 23-5/8". That's an interior adjustment so the dishwasher will be quiet. But the panel needs to cover the entire opening.

So it's a bit of a juggle.

It might be easier is to get a fully integrated dw that has controls on the inside and just get a cabinet panel to fit that one.

Or, what's easiest and likely the least expensive: forget the panel and just get a dw with a stainless front, adjust the interior opening if necessary and cover the little adjustment with strips cut off the old panel which I would save in any event.

I believe US dishwashers are just shy of 24 inches, while as rococogurl notes, the European dishwashers are 23-5/8 inches (approximation to a metric value). In my case of having a Miele, I have a 24 inch opening so that a US dishwasher could be installed at a future time, and two spacers mounted to the cabinets on the sides to fill the gap. The spacers are ripped from prefinished cabinet wood. Hence, the panel is built to the width of the dishwasher door and the gap to the next cabinet door is not excessively greater than between any other cabinet doors.

At least in Miele's case (DW for 600 mm in 24" opening), the door can be tiny wider than the specified (i.e. 24" minus whatever the clearance in the kitchen cabinet design, but wider than the DW itself) so that there is no compromise in the look.

True. Spacers are still needed to attach the Miele side screws as well as block a possible noise path.

There is one other factor to consider with Miele, at least true for my Optima. The Optima was designed to have a one piece panel mounted to a thin frame that attaches to the door. If the panel is intended to simulate the other cabinets with doors and drawers, the fake drawer part and the fake door part of the panel will be connected by a fairly thin piece of wood (metal backed would be better). If this panel spends any time sitting around unmounted to the dishwasher, warping of the thin wood can occur, and some effort "training" it flat without breaking it will be needed.

Good points kas. I do think the least expensive option is a finished dw without cabinet panel. That avoids any non-matching wood finish and will just be more of the same with the DW since it has a panel showing anyway.

That is if a prefinished DW is acceptable to the OP. Everyone has their priorities.

Just to say, this custom-panel trouble can be avoided by repairing the dishwasher ... unless you just want a new one.

The dishwasher is 10 years old and was not working very well - so I can repair it but the repair guy said it was not worth it.

It's worth the repair if you want to avoid the custom-panel trouble. I did some repairs on my 12-years-old dishwasher a few months ago, I expect to get another 12 years of use from it.

I would not expect to get 10 more years out of it...it's not reasonable to expect 20 years out of a machine like that. In a perfect world we never forecast more than 12-15 out of a machine unless it's barely used. That being said, I would say just get a stainless, white or black machine. Will save you a lot of heartache because I would be willing to bet that panel won't fit without alteration or a new wood panel would never match exactly due to the age of the cabinets.

Thanks for all the input - I think I am going to talk to a very reputable appliance dealer and their installer to see what they are thinking - they have some ideas. And if I cant get confidence from them go for stainless.

I will post an after pic when I get this done.

I have the exact same issue except that my KitchenAid is 14 years old. The repair man tells me I probably won’t be able to find the control panel which is the broken part, for a dishwasher this old. I would much prefer to repair it and hope for a few more years. Any thoughts?

"LindaWig: The repair man tells me I probably won’t be able to find the control panel which is the broken part, for a dishwasher this old." Appliance repair techs tend toward giving up too easily. Maybe try researching the part yourself to confirm it's NLA. eBay is a good source for used (and new) parts ... and there are many other online sources for new parts.