Hay guys (sorry I have a teenage kid - I pick this kind of stuff up from him) I'm looking to add a Bosch washer to my LR. Now that Best Buy (shudder) isn't the only vendor I'm putting them on my interest list. I'll post about my leaking Danby later, after it gets fixed. Second leak, FYI. Somewhere during my insomniac surfing I saw a post that says the 300 heater does NOT maintain temp throughout the wash, but the 500 does. Of course now I can't find it so I'm asking for confirmation or not. Any other differences in these machines (across the whole Bosch line, not jus the 300/500) that one can't get from reading the online user guide/manual? Also I can't seem to download the 300 user manual - I can get the 500, DLX, 700 and Platinum, go figure - so if someone has a link, couldja share please? I'll probably get a 500 (love dross's 'sweet spot') but I just want to look at the options. Gotta tell ya I'm spoiled with my Danby - flick of the dial and I can change temps for any cycle, no muss or fuss, and since its a dial I have infinite variations. I digress. Also since I just seemed to miss one of their (many) rebates which ended 3/31, any idea when Bosch will roll the next one out? Thanks. I'll update my Danby at the three year bday mark in late May.

I agree with gordonr that the cost comparison depends on where you are, also on how long your pipes are. (0.20/kwh is unusually high, the US average is half that!) In any event, the real point we can all agree on is that the net cost difference is not much either way. A profile wash cold to warm *does* run the element for less than 30 minutes, but gordonr is correct that my 'normal' wash assumption assumed using the water heater as well. The difference between 1100rpm and 1000 rpm is pretty negligible (21% higher G-force, but only for the short periods it is spinning at full speed, and the actual impact on water removal for this small a difference is not clear). It is one of those machine specs that marketers love, but is far less important than features which are harder to quantify. While chlorine bleach is the gold standard for disinfection, the philosophy of heated front-loaders is to use heat instead of harsh chemicals when possible, and we use the temp boost much more often than we'd expected before buying our 3200. Temp boost+profile wash+enzymatic detergent+oxygen bleach can deep clean fabrics that bleach would destroy. In Europe, where Bosch has sold for many years, they are considered one of the most reliable brands; only Miele consistently rates better. I wouldn't worry about it, especially with the abundance of high-end appliance service centers in Chicagoland. (BTW, almost 4 decades ago my father sold appliances on W. 63rd Street.) - DR

"Tawny P: ... but every time I open up the washer (when the cycle has completed) all of the detergent has only dripped down the door. None of it getting used." Then you're having some other problem not directly related to the detergent dispenser. No matter when the dispenser opens, all the detergent should be gone at end of the cycle, flushed out of the dispenser and off the door by the spraying water. Seems like the machine isn't filling enough to garner full spray pressure, or has a clogged pump, or clogged spray arm, or some issue of that ilk.

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.