@kitchendetective, yes, I am a huge Miele fan. I honestly, do not even own a non Miele appliance. I have been Miele only, for almost 20 years. I sold my La Perla I on Craigslist...got a lot for it. It was the BEST machine. I was so excited that the La Perla II opened automatically at the cycle end, so I thought I would treat myself and upgrade. While the new machine is beautiful and I do really like the end of cycle auto open...I am a little disappointed with the performance. Also the door makes a pop/creak/crucnh sound at the bottom of the door, right side. Almost sounds like metal on metal or hard plastic on metal. Odd. Does not sound critical, but for the price...I do not like the sound. I think I am going to have to call Miele. I hope I do not have to use the 90 day return guarantee. What would I get? I do not think Bosch, Asko or KitchenAid are on the same level as Miele. Maybe I should try and find a new La Perla I?? :)

"Sometimes, I wonder what we really *get* out of having designer appliances and keeping up with the Jones's." I really do think that your "Average, run of the mill appliances" are more reliable than the "fancy stuff" we buy and it's certainly less expensive and easier to get parts and service for them.(I base this on comparing "everyday appliances" I've bought for my rentals~~~and I just never get complaints about the appliances from my tenants). Example~~~~One rental has a "run of the mill" gas range. It's about 10 years old or so now. It uses spark ignitors to light the burners, I've never had to replace one and I've had cleaning people (that are most likely NOT careful of the ignitors) when cleaning the range in the condo, yet I've never had to replace an ignitor.~~~Now compare this to the posts we see of ignitor problems with the fancy stuff, (Blue Star, Capital~~~etc) We see the ignitors, ignitor modules fail on those or pinched or disconnected wires (sometimes when brand new)!!!!. When one thinks of how many more Whirlpools are sold, and even Electroluxes than the really "Esoteric Stuff", (Miele, Gaggenau, Wolf/SZ) and then compare the number of complaints~~~~~well it's like my appliance guy said, They sell so many of the "more common stuff" that even thou the complaints "may seem to be equal to the esoteric stuff", all in all the "Common stuff", is pretty dern reliable. (I had mentioned to him that "Maytag" seemed to have a lotta complaints about their clothes washers a few years back, & that was his response to me). My Maytag washer & dryer have been trouble free for 5 years or so, except I had to have the big door seal "bellows" replaced in the washer. Anyway, I did not buy my Miele Optima to "Keep up with the Jones", I bought it because of that top cutlery rack. I'm kind of a rebel here, gray is "all the rage here now", and I've expressed my opinion on that and NOT in the most "Politically correct way"~~~~~~now there's a good example of following the Jones's (even thou they are color blind)!!! Anyway, good luck with your new Miele, YOU DEFINITELY "Stepped out of the Jones neighborhood and into the Vanderbilt's abode", with that purchase, (LOL)!!! I hope it serves you well for a long time, and I hope my Optima does not come down with the same disease yours got!!!! Gary

Would like to add my two cents regarding the Asko dishwasher: Purchased their basic model (D3112) back in 2003 to replace a broken KitchenAid. Our options were limited to either Asko or Miele due to a height limitation (previous homeowner installed a new floor on top of the old one; our choices were to tear up the new floor, tear out new coutertops, or go with the dishwasher that fit the space - not a difficult choice). We decided to go with the Asko based upon the fact that there was a $400 price difference between the two - and for us, that was substantial. I will say that it took four visits from the installers to finally get the job done right - but that's the installers fault, not Asko's. We quickly realized that very few people actually knew how to properly install our dishwasher - and if it isn't installed properly it will malfunction. For instance, the first installer wanted to undo the high loop even though the instructions said not to in bold letters. I pleaded with the installer, he said I didn't know what I was talking about. I showed him the manual (it states that if the high loop is undone, the warranty is void). He decided to do it the right way afterall, but as it turns out, he then forgot to pop out the plug in the disposal. He turned the machine on to test it and a few minutes later, my kitchen was flooded. I called the store manager and the following week I had a new machine, a huge refund, and a more experienced installer who did a great job. He also explained two very important things about European dishwashers: they only need a teaspoon of detergent and DO NOT PRE-RINSE the dishes! If you follow those rules, your machine will work wonderfully. He really stressed this and explained why: If you use too much detergent, the machine produces excess suds. But the machine can't tell the difference between suds and water, so it thinks there is water in the bottom of the machine and it keeps trying to drain it. Eventually the motor burns out. He also stressed that we should never buy the fancy pre-portioned detergent cubes - they're a waste of money and will cause the machine to malfunction (again, too much detergent). Four years later, we love the Asko! We follow his advice faithfully and have never had a single problem. We never pre-rinse and everything comes out sparkling clean. I love the condensation drying method - no energy required due to heat retained in the stainless steel interior. I love the minimal water usage. I love how quiet it is - our kitchen is an open plan that looks out onto the family room - trust me, it's super quiet. We love that it was so much less expensive. Granted, we chose the basic model - few options means fewer things that can go wrong. Also, for us, four cleaning cycles is plenty. We use the same cycle everyday. Love the cool LED light too - silly I suppose, but whatever. Anyhow, just felt it was important for people to remember that if a machine isn't installed properly or used properly, it will malfunction. That isn't the fault of the machine or the manufacturers. IMHO - most Americans are using way too much detergent, waste way too much water pre-rinsing their dishes, and fail to read instructions. Our Asko, one properly installed, has been fantastic. So much so that we're buying one to replace the piece of crap that came with our newest home purchase. I was sad to leave my Asko in the house I sold. BTW, I was sure to leave the instruction manual and my tips for the buyer. They actually contacted me recently to let me know how much they love the Asko too. Hope this helps everyone. And no, I don't work for Asko. I'm a science teacher.

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