I'm new to Bosch -- I have a Bosch 500 series that I've been using about 9 months, and I love it. Very quiet, gets things wonderfully clean, dries virtually all my stuff (including plastics) unless there's a dip that collects water, and has a 3rd rack for cutlery so I have no need for the cutlery basket in the lower rack. The only thing I don't like about it is the arrangement of the tines in the lower rack (I'm considering finding a replacement rack), so it doesn't load as efficiently as I think it should.

I was having problems with it not getting plastics dry, but once I switched from using an all-in-one "pod" to separate detergent and rinse agent, it does a good job now. I'm not having an odour problems at all. I've never had a KA dishwasher, but I'm pretty much sold on Bosch now unless it dies in a few years (but I'm not expecting it to).

I've had my Bosch for a few years now, and feel the same as TO Vet above. Clean, quiet, mostly dry (I run it at night, mostly dry by morning except where it pools in the rims of the Gladware, and for some reason sometimes the non-stick pot isn't dry.) I like the top rack a lot and will never to back to a basket. No odor; I clean the filter every couple of days.

The bottom rack layout I don't care for but I live with it. I wish DW racks were interchangeable!

OTOH, my parents' KitchenAid did a great job for 47 years. It finally bit the dust and sadly, because of the very custom installation, can't be replaced without major changes to the kitchen.

Miele. Your past experience was an anomaly. Second choice CL Miele. 3rd Bosch..

"I wish DW racks were interchangeable!"

Aren't they? All they do is roll in and out on a rim, so if you can find one to match the depth and width, they should work, shouldn't they? I was thinking about taking the measurements and seeing if I can find one at the Restore store, or Craigslist or something.

Hmm, maybe. The last time I tried, with the old dishwasher, the rack I got didn't fit. At any rate, would they match? (I know, the dishwasher is closed 98% of the time, but still lol!)

Bosch has exceeded my expectations in getting dishes clean. It is so quiet, often I wonder if it's actually running. Have not noticed an odor.

Thanks for those photos. Is that top rack the standard for Bosch DW's? That only holds about 20% of the flatware that my current KA does. This may be a dealbreaker. I have a back injury and I'm not returning to the dark ages of a silverware basket in the bottom.

Miele may make good DW's but my previous experience taught me that there's no one around here who's competent at servicing them, so I'm not buying another.

The My Way rack only has the small cutlery rack on the third shelf. The standard 800 series had the full cutlery 3rd rack. I use a lot of prep bowls and they fit better into this type rack. I do use the cutlery basket on the first rack too. From what I found Bosch offers both type 3rd racks.

Oh, I just found that the 300 series have the full cutlery rack. The 500 and 800 models have the kind in your photo.

Have they changed the models? My 500 bought in 2016 has this rack. It did come with a bottom cutlery basket that I removed.

" The 500 and 800 models have the kind in your photo."

That's odd.....I have this 500 series model, and it has a full-cutlery third rack (if you wanted to use it all for cutlery).

Bought my Bosch 800 last year and I have the full cutlery rack as well. I’m quite happy with it. Count me among those who have had a Miele (top of the line $1600 model) who was underwhelmed. I would not buy another. Bosch is excellent at a fraction of the price.

Following..coincidentally, our 8 year-old KA sprang a leak last week and I will probably need to replace it.

Mine is leaking just a small amount of water from the end of the front edge. I thought it was the gasket, but my repairman said KA DW's of this age commonly leak from the tub and that the tub needs to be replaced. The tub has a lifetime warranty but when the repairman tried to actually get a replacement, KA said that it is warrantied but they don't have any replacements and don't know when any will be available.

I'll need to make a considerable trip to the nearest Bosch dealer to see one in person, check out the available cutlery racks, and see if my commonly used dishes and baking stuff will fit. This info here has all been tremendously helpful. Thank you all.

Mine is also leaking from the front. I'm trying to get a repair person to check it this week. It will be interesting if it is the same issue with the tub. The problem started last week with the dishwasher not running a cycle but I figured out how to reset the control panel (thank you internet!). However, the first cycle it ran after being reset resulted in the leak, which was pretty significant.

ALAS, The correct answer is here!!!

You would only buy the Kitchenaid dishwasher for a couple reasons ... better upper and lower racks and better drying. Thats it. Bosch has a much better 3rd rack and better reliability although they are also in a RECALL right now because of their installation equipment. If you are the type of person that thinks appliances last forever (they dont) then buy the Bosch. If you want a Bad Ass Dishwasher for the next 5 years then Go Kitchenaid. I am comfortable buying a new one every 5 years so I would go Kitchenaid. I always want the latest and greatest and Kitchenaid Offers that. They best model they make in my opinion is the KDTM404ESS you can get it right now for $1100. Good Model. If you want the Bosch. The Best Model they make for the money is SHPM98W75N also about $1100

KitchenAid is now saying a replacement tub will be available for my DW in 2 weeks. Fingers crossed, because I'm not at all sure I'd like a Bosch or new KA as well as I do my current model.

I currently have a Bosch 800, I got it in August of 2015 and I had a Kitchenaid in our old house.

The Bosch has been a good machine for the most part. It cleans well, I love how quiet it is and the third rack is very useful. But, we've had had two issues with it, one was an error code which required my husband taking the unit sides apart to fix it. This was done with the help of a Bosch rep over the phone.

The second time the machine wouldn't start running and it required a service call. Bosch was going to cover the cost of parts, but we had to pay for the service and labor fees. When the service man showed up, he turned it on and it started right up. He told me that sometimes they just need to sit for a day or so and reset. I wish it didn't have as many electronics as they seem to cause the most problems.

The Kitchenaid never caused any problems and it cleaned well. Of course, it wasn't as advanced electronically or as quiet.

Right now, I don't know if I'd buy a Bosch again. It will depend on how long the unit actually last and what it costs for future repairs.

I've had both Bosch and Kitchenaid over the past couple of years. I think the Bosch we put into a prior vacation house didn't clean as well as the Kitchenaids we've had in our last two houses, but I think the build quality was a little better. All were purchased new. I prefer the heated dry of the Kitchenaids. Our current Kitchenaid was fairly top of the line and is very, very quiet.

Bosch Benchmark here for almost two years. Pretty much amazing! You do have to have stay on top of cleaning the filter and some of the tines are very close together but it's been great. No odor. Had a KA for 11 years or so before that and was happy with it (though it broke down a few times) but love the Bosch more.

I've had two Kitchenaid's, currently have a Bosch, and when I move in the next few weeks will go back to a Kitchenaid.

I haven't had any problems with my Bosch, it cleans well and is very quiet. But it doesn't clean any better or is really any quieter than my previous KA. I really dislike the racks in the Bosch, I like the Kitchenaid racks much better (tine arrangement) and I miss the heated dry.

I just switched from an 8 year old KitchenAid to a Bosch and can already tell the Bosch does a better job cleaning. The KA cost $1,100 8 years ago and this Bosch 300 series cost $800. I could never get the KA to clean glass storage containers with square corners. It didn't matter where I placed them. The same containers came out sparkling on both the top and bottom racks.

OP again, 8 months later. My leaky KA KUDE 60 proved to be unfixable, and I ended up buying a Bosch SHX878WD5N, much to my regret. It doesn't clean the dishes, it doesn't dry the dishes, and it smells like burning rubber. I've tried different cycles and changed various settings to no avail. Today I called Bosch CS, and I described how I put a bowl with a film of mayonnaise from potato salad on it into the DW, and how it came out with the same mayo on it, and was told that everything had to be scraped off the dishes or they wouldn't come out clean. I was also told that the only way to get dry dishes was to remove them promptly half an hour after the cycle ended. And the burning smell requires a service visit.

If I have to scrape every speck of food off every dish, I might as well wash them by hand. I'm also not on board with staying up late to take the dishes out after an interminable cycle finally finishes. It seems this DW expects a slave. I'm also not happy about a new appliance requiring an immediate service visit.

I wrote a detailed review of my experience, giving this DW 2/5 stars, and Bosch refused to publish it on their website.

Now I'm stuck trying to convince the appliance store to take this back.

Not my Bosch experience. Recently went out out town forgetting to run it. Came home a week later, ran the cycle, and everything was clean & dry, even bowl that had dried on scrambled eggs.

If it doesn't clean or dry, and smells like burning rubber, sounds defective. Maybe they will exchange it for another model???

I think you may have a lemon. My Bosch replaced a KA and the Bosch is far superior. Baked on casserole dishes, oatmeal that has dried in the cereal bowl all day, etc. have all been no problem for the Bosch. I would also check to see if you have a blockage somewhere in your plumbing.

warmfridge, The conditions you are describing are almost always bad installation related.

Check to see if you have a high loop in place, It's described in your install manual. Also check the water fill. It should fill to just touching the bottom of the filter handle or a little more.

I wouldn't think there was an installation problem unless the plumber really screwed up. My old KA ran fine with this same setup for years. And yes, the plumber did put a high loop correctly in the drain hose. Now waiting for a service visit next week. Sigh. I haven't had a correctly functioning DW since last Christmas.

Actually, scraping all the food off your dishes can be an issue. It is my understanding that today's DW detergents utilize enzymes that are activated when food is present. If you scrape/rinse all food, there is nothing to activate the enzymes.

Your experience is contrary to mine. My KA was the DW that didn't clean well; my Bosch cleans wonderfully well -- even stuck on food!

If dishes are too closely packed when loaded, that might affect cleaning ability.

As far as drying -- we turn on the DW b/f we go to bed and don't open it until the next morning -- and with the exception of the pooled water, everything is dry, even the plastics. If we open it too early, the plastics usually aren't dry. I have found that at least an hour after closing is best, but 30 minutes is effective as well.

I think you may have gotten a lemon DW and a lemon CS person!

Warmfridge - Can you describe how much water you have after the fill and also how much water left after the unit has finished the cycle? Also what cycle you are using?

I haven't looked after the fill. After it's finished the cycle, there's about 1/2 inch of water visible in the "well" under the filter screen. I've taken the filter out about every other time I've run the DW, and there's never very much on/in it. Also the water in the well doesn't seem to have any odor. I'm having the same problems on Heavy Duty, Normal, Auto, Eco, and Speed60 +/- Extra Dry cycles. Yesterday I ran a Normal cycle and there was a teaspoon that still had chocolate pudding on it when the DW was done. No, my silverware and dishes aren't too crowded (with the exception of my kitchen knives which get flung around on the tray because there aren't any slots to hold them). I'm also getting a white powdery residue on the plastics, and I'm wondering if that's related to the recommended Finish tabs, which I'd never used before this Bosch. (Yes, I have hard water, but I've never had this issue before.) I switched back to Cascade pods, and I think this particular problem is better.

IDK. I just spent months dealing with my leaky old DW. I don't want to spend more months trying to coax acceptable performance from a new DW.

My Bosch never cleaned well; my KitchenAid died as soon as the warranty was up. Now I'm trying GE -- one year in and it still cleans so far . . .

Repair guy just left. He said

A) this DW should not be leaving mayo and chocolate pudding on dishes and utensils and that although there is no error code on the machine he thinks the valve that directs the water flow to the various arms and sprayers is malfunctioning, so the water isn't going where it needs to go and things aren't being cleaned correctly. He's ordering parts for this.

B} he had no explanation for the drying issues.

C) he had no explanation for the burning rubber smell unless the motor for the above-mentioned value thing is overheating.

D) the Finish tabs were the likely culprit for the white residue.

E) the Cascade pods are too much detergent, and I need to switch to a powder. I am disabled and bending to add powder with a measuring spoon is not an insignificant activity for me.

I bitterly regret buying this. I really wanted the LG I saw at the appliance dealer, but like a mindless idiot I was talked into this Bosch by the salesman and the KA repair guy. The dealer won't take this back. I am probably going to end up eating the cost of another DW before this saga is over.

Update: I'm now 2 months into my Bosch ownership. I've had 5 service visits. They've replaced the valve to the spray arm as above, which did nothing to improve cleaning, replaced the control board which also did nothing, replaced the control panel (buttons) because of random error codes, repositioned the drain hose which made no difference, fixed the release on the middle rack which is stuck again, replaced a leaky Rinse-aid dispenser and the replacement is leaking as well, and some other stuff I've forgotten. It still doesn't clean, doesn't dry, and smells. The RA dispenser is leaking, the middle rack is jammed, the door wobbles, and the cycle timer is whacked. The repair supervisor said to run the hot water in the sink before starting the DW, use the heavy duty cycle with extra scrub and extra dry for everything, which sets the DW for 2 hrs, 40 minutes. The DW will run for <2 hrs then beep that it's done and stop. And that cycle has etched all my plastics.

I've clearly gotten a lemon here. The dealer is not going to stand behind this purchase, so I've got to go buy another DW. It won't be from that dealer nor will it be a Bosch.

Warmfridge - Call Bosch and provide the service information and they will replace the product. I find Bosch is one of the better companies to do this when multiple repairs have been done. They always treated my customer right with this type of situation. I looked up their number in my service material it's 800-944-2904

The retailer has already called Bosch with that request and was told it was too long since the time of purchase to be eligible for replacement. Note that I first notified the retailer 6 days after purchase that there was a problem with this DW, and their repair dept subsequently spent 2 months ****ing around. Their repair dept said today they can't fix it and to try another repair company.

Call Bosch yourself and escalate if need be. I would not trust your retailer. If you are only two months you are still under warranty.

As Kim G said... you need to call Bosch yourself.

Wow, I'm surprised to hear about all the problems with Bosch. I though they were considered the most reliable. I have friends who bought Kitchen Aid appliances 10 years ago and had many many problems. FWIW, Consumer Reports (if you can trust them) puts Bosch at the top for reliability w/ estimated breakage rate of 10%. Whirlpool is 11%. Kitchen Aid 15%. Hmmm....

Do Bosch dishwashers ever go on sale? I noticed they didn't for Black Friday or now for Presidents' Day. (though on the Bosch website, you can get a discount if you buy a suite of their appliances.) Any thoughts on this model? It's the only one that Consumer Reports lists as "recommended" that's less than $1000. (the KitchenAid ones they recommend are from $1300-$1600. So this Bosch is named a CR "Best Buy")

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/bosch-100-series-24-tall-tub-built-in-dishwasher-with-stainless-steel-tub-stainless-steel/2638126.p?skuId=2638126

We just replaced two kitchen aid dishwashers for 2 bosch. the KAs lasted 6 years. there were not repairable. Previous home we had a bosch, lived there for 8 years not one problem.

Just to add a data point, I will never buy KA again. Two years ago, KA actually bought back my top-of-the-line dw at full price because the board kept fritzing out and they couldn't replace it. So, because KA did the right thing, I bought another top-model KA (KDTM404) because I'm naive like that.

After one year, the new model stopped cleaning dishes. It's out of mechanical warranty by this time and, not wanting to endure any more of KA's "customer service," I and my engineer dad embarked upon repairs. We narrowed the problem down to the pump assembly and purchased another (over $200) to replace it. Get the dw apart and, surprise, the assembly doesn't fit. It's identical to the old assembly, but something is off. I disassemble the old assembly and discover that the metal impeller in the old pump has shredded itself. So we frankensteined the old assembly to the pump from the new assembly and after a weekend's worth of labor the dw now works again, who knows for how long.

None of this answers the question of why a pump in a year-old, very expensive dishwasher would spontaneously self-destruct. No, I do not place auto parts, road gravel, or shrapnel in the dw. It also doesn't answer why KA can't make parts correctly.

So no more KA. Ever.

"Anne Duke: About 23 years ago my appliance guy told me not to expect more than 6-7 years out of a dishwasher."

That would be circa 1995-1996 from the current year (2019).

My F&P dishwasher is 15+ years old, bought in late-summer 2003.

One of my aunts has a KA dating to 2007 (12 years later this year).

My parents have a GE (late 2002 or early 2003), so 16 years.

I am jumping in here... We are two new KA DW into a replacement. Both uninstalled.

The first was returned due to a defective 3rd rack that would bind on the roller and would not roll out. This was returned to the dealer and replaced with the same unit. (KDTM404KPS)

The second unit has seals that are poorly aligned with the door. I have placed another call into the dealer and am still awaiting a response.

Does anyone have any input or feedback on the seals? Although not top of the line, also not inexpensive and I expect more from such a purchase.

I had a Bosch for 12 years before the control panel broke. It cleaned OK, but it never dried well at all. Maybe they are better now. I couldn't even find a Bosch when I was looking. They had none in stock so I got my first KitchenAid. It is awesome so far. I love the third rack and I can fit so much more in this one than the Bosch. If I get at least 10 years out of this one, I will be happy. I have other KitchenAid appliances and they all work well. So hoping for the best.