Overall I love it. I had noticed some water condensation on the top of the door, but hadn't given it much thought.

Last night I realized that the wood under the formica counter top above the dishwasher has begun to swell.

Has anyone else had this problem?

We will be remodeling in the Spring and will have soapstone tops, so that shouldn't be an issue later, I don't think.

Any suggestions about what the issue might be?

Nothing you can do about it now. Will be fine with non wood tops.

Since then, the problem has gotten worse and worse. The counter top above it is swollen and a total mess. I didn't worry about it so much because we are remodeling in April and I thought it would be fixed then (not that it made any sense to me how such an expensive dishwasher could ruin a counter top unless you had stone...)

Now the dishwasher door won't shut keeping me from even running the dishwasher.

I called the appliance store and the man became defensive immediately. He told me that there's no way it's the Bosch's fault because it doesn't make steam and has no heating element.

He told me to call their appliance service company to come out and take a look but that he didn't think there was anything they could do.

I feel like I'm going to get stuck here. Any advice or ammo before I see the service people? I'd appreciate any help!

I'd figure there's a problem with either your machine (door misaligned, witness: not shutting now) or the installation (can also cause misalignment if the machine isn't anchored properly).

During drying I don't recall seeing steam break thru the door seal. I would do the dishes in the evening and let everything cool and condense in the unit overnight. Thats the best you can do until you get stone.

To fix the counter top, I guess you could shave off the swollen wood and try to wrap plastic around it for the next few months if you wanted too. or just replace the section of the counter top with new. It would only be for a few months, you could probably fine a 24" section of wood as scrap somewhere if you aren't picky. Thats up to you but the unit is normal.

The original installer sort of jammed the dishwasher in and there just wasn't the space for it. There is a small piece of wood running all along the right side of the dishwasher squaring the cabinets to the counter in that spot. It was apparently pushing the dishwasher just enough to the left at the top to create enough torque on the door to keep it from shutting correctly.

So, basically I have to get a contractor out here before the new trim kit my repairman ordered gets in and he needs to uninstall the DW, remove that piece of trim running all the way to the back, cut the swollen wood from the bottom of the counter and possibly remove some shoddily installed tiles under the dishwasher to allow it to sit better so that it can then be put back in and run til April.

The repairman suggested putting a couple of coats of paint under the countertop to repel moisture from this point forward. He also suggested I ask my homeowners insurance to cover the contractor fees...not sure if I'll bother. I guess it will depend on the costs...

don't do that !

insurance is for catastrophic loss - not a damaged counter top you'll replace in 6 months.

Claim that, and you'll get a black mark on your record that won't be worth the few hundred bucks a laminate top and some light carpentry costs.

I'd ask / demand / sue the orig. installer for faulty service before claiming against my insurance.