Laurie, come on over and we can discuss. We have mostly all Bosch appliances.

For those who don't know, Laurie and I have been neighbors for over 30 years. :-)

Jodi-

I don't know what model mine is but it has a recessed handle. I've had mine for about four years and it is still working great. I paid a shade over $800.

I use the top rack only setting quite a bit. It is extremely quite, and stays very clean inside. I put about a half cup of vinegar in the bottom with a load about once a month.

FWIW - I'm in the scrape only before stacking club, and my dishes get very clean. I use Finish power that was recommended by Bosh.

My wife works at Lowes. We got a returned $500.00 + Bosch dishwasher for $200.00. Quiet and clean. All is good.

We have one, but haven't used it yet. With just two of us it will take two weeks to fill it.
My concern is how the top rack seems light and rather loose fitting. Def. not as heavy as the bottom rack.
I'm sure there's a reason, but if anyone can address this I'd appreciate it. I hope Laurie will too.

I have a 500 series..it is very quiet. Cleaning...I do have problems but it may be because I am not using a rinse aid. Am currently using Cascade powder. I do get a funky smell once in a while that others on here have complained about. I'd give it a B.

Jodi - Thanks : ) I would love to come over one day this weekend (Fri, Sat, or Sun)...I'll email you.

LoPay - that's a great idea to use vinegar once a month.

Trebruchet - We shop at Lowes, a lot. You really got a deal!

idabean - I anticipate you'll like your new Bosch. I hope the racks (top & bottom) are durable and stand the test of time.

joaniepoanie - Thanks for letting me know about your 500 series issues. Have you tried any solutions for the funky smell? Have you tried Finish Powder? Maybe the vinegar once a month as suggested by LoPay may help?

Sorry. I have to be the dissenter here. We don't have a Bosch dishwasher. But we do have a Bosch washing machine which is still under warranty. They have been out SEVEN times to repair it. I had another appointment for them to come out this past Monday (yes, visit #8) but they called and canceled Monday morning because their technician called in sick. I live in a big city and this repair is directly with Bosch. They have no other repair technicians? The soonest they were able to reschedule is 10 days away. Each time they come out they will only give you a 4 hour window and there is no priority given when they've come out previous times for the SAME problem. Maybe their other appliances are good, but their customer services is HORRIBLE. I wouldn't buy another anything from them. If I save just one person the heartache and countless hours off from work waiting for a Bosch repair person, I will consider my job done. My recommendation would be to not buy anything made by Bosch.

Just got a new bosch dishwasher being installed tomorrow. Sorry I cannot comment on how well it runs. I must say that we thoroughly, thoroughly did our research and they by far can hold more than any other dishwasher we were contemplating. We were going to get a Miele until we went to a Miele showroom and realized how damn small they are inside. Bosch didn't rate as high as Miele as far as service, but I think it might have been the next in line.

I used to put vinegar in the dishwasher with each load and then read that it can corrode the rubber pipes.

I love mine.
I am constantly amazed at the really gross dishes I put in there that come out sparkling. Oatmeal pot from breakfast that sat on the stove all day- check. Chili pot, lasagna pan- check, check.
I do use a rinse agent, and I use half a smarty dish tab(yes I cut them in half). I fill the machine to bursting, stacking dishes, upon dishes, literally piling things on top of one another.
This baby handles it.
I run the machine one time per day. We are a family of four. We make breakfast, my husband and I both work at home so there are also lunch dishes. I cook dinner. Last night we had shepherds pie, home made apple sauce, steamed broccoli. Everything went in, everything came out clean.
And it's so quiet..... I thought the red light on the floor to show you it was on was ridiculous- I find myself looking for the light to see if it is done yet.

We got a Bosch 500 a few years ago. It was very quiet, and got the dishes cleaner than the previous piece of junk dishwasher, but not super clean, and it had a funky odor if not run daily (not usually a problem in this house). THEN... We had our kitchen remodeled, and the same dishwasher was reinstalled PROPERLY, and it works like dream. I use Finish tabs and rinse aid.

we love our 500. we got it maybe 2-3 years ago and LOVE it. It is quiet and cleans very well. Some people might take issue with the drying of plastics. Plastic cups and tupperware often have moisture/water beads left on them when the cycle is done. For some that's a deal breaker, for me it isn't. Non plastics all dry completely. But it's something you should be aware of in case that may bother you.

......and we never used the heat cycle on our old one. I think is an energy sinkhole. Never got any dire illnesses witout "Sani-heat". This Bosch does not have the heatless option.

I have had Bosch dishwashers in 3 different houses over the last 16 years. All have been quiet, worked great, and have not needed any repairs. I replaced a filter on one once.

For best success with any dishwasher:

- make sure it is installed level
- run the water first to make sure it is hot
- use a good detergent (Finish Powerball All-in-1 tabs are currently best)
- have reasonably soft water (if not, you may need a rinse aid)

My current DW is in the 500 series, and it is extremely quiet. I think the main difference between the 500 and 300 is that the 500 has an adjustable top rack.

Plastic items are not dry at the end of a cycle, but I would rather save the energy that drying them completely would require.

When looking at a dishwasher, pay attention to how the racks are set up, how adjustable they are, and if they work for your dishes. My current one doesn't have the fold-down tines my old one did, and I don't like it quite as well. I'm a person who likes to maximize my load, and I've adjusted to it fine.

It cleans perfectly, and I don't pre-rinse. It seemed not to be working well for a while, and that's how we discovered our water softener was broken.

califkitchen - So sorry to hear about the problems with your Bosch washing machine. That must be extremely frustrating to have so many service calls with no results. I hope it gets resolved soon and thanks for the heads up on their poor service.
Contact their headquarters, document your situation. It couldn't hurt to try.

Brandywine72 - Glad to hear they hold a lot. I'll look into the possible problems with vinegar and rubber pipes. Let us know how you like your new dishwasher after you have used it a few times.

localeater - Sounds like yours is working great! I happen to be making Shepherds Pie, tonight : )

fouramblues - Glad to hear you like your 500 series.

illinigirl - Another happy 500 owner. Thanks for the plastics info. I am ok with water leftover on the plastic things.

idabean - Thanks for adding info about the heatless option

Fouramblues......what do you mean installed properly? How did the prior installation affect the cleaning? Thanks!

Joanie, honestly I have no idea, sorry! I do know that the guy who originally installed the dishwasher was a hack (needed to cannibalize one of our extension cords to install, chipped my laminate countertop, couldn't figure out how to install toe kick cover, though DH did it quickly and easily...) Our GC's guy who installed it properly tried to explain to me why the previous work was a hack job, but he speaks very little English, so I didn't understand. DH suspects that a water supply line was crimped. We just thought the dishwasher wasn't very good, so didn't think to investigate the original installation. (Though, given the list above, I don't know why we didn't...)

Very happy with my 500 series three years in. Plastics don't dry sometimes, but I really don't even think twice about it anymore. Brought our dishes to store to make sure that they fit, and I did have a bit of a learning curve on how to load it. Very quiet and have opened while running it more than once because I forgot to check for the red light. I try to always open mine after it finishes running, helps with plastic and hardly any funky smells.

I've bought three different Bosch models over 17 years (none failed) and would buy one again. Miele continues to be a temptation, but the current 500 series was more than adequate for my needs. Two quibbles: the aforementioned plastic issue (doesn't bother me) and the custom panel instructions are not necessarily clear on how wide to order the panels (the implied width may be too narrow). I will probably order a fourth for a 2nd home.

Localeater, do you mind sharing your model?

mpagmom, you use softened water from a softener in yours? During our remodel, a plumber insisted we have a separate water line run and I am currently questioning that approach because I hate the spots left on glassware from our hard water. It's one of the reasons I insisted on a softener! Maybe it's because ours uses salt? He also claims that we can't run it to the ice maker! Again, why would I want ice made from that nasty well water? I just had the plumbing stopped in order to do my own research and starting that today.
Thanks!

We have a Bosch 800 Plus Series and love it. I do not regret not getting the Miele. The Bosch cleans great and has a far better warranty than Miele (3yr vs. 1yr). The Miele requires you to have an authorized technician install it for the warranty to be valid. Being a DIYer, I'd rather save the money and install it myself. The Bosch was really easy to install anyways.

The only time that we have gotten a smell in ours has been when leaving dirty dishes in it for more than a day. Usually, we run a load every day. So, this doesn't happen often for us.

Based on our experience, my in-laws just got a Bosch 500 and they love it. Their old KitchenAid left food particles all over the glassware. I always had to check any glass before using, when visiting their house. Now, I don't need to.

@susied3 - It is better not to drink softened water, including making ice cubes from it, due to the salt content. We had a plumber change the routing of our cold water pipes, so we got unsoftened drinking water to the kitchen. The old configuration also had softened water going to one of our outside hose spigots. Plants don't need that salt either. Note, it was just the cold water line that needed the change. The hot water to our kitchen is softened, which is what is connected to the dishwasher.

This post was edited by gpraceman on Wed, Oct 16, 13 at 17:04

I got my Bosch in May. Not sure which model, has the recessed handle and adjustable top rack. I got it on sale for $800, was normally $900.

It is a lot quieter than my old Kenmore, but at times it isn't *that* quiet. However, I don't care how noisy it is. I just don't care.

It cleans beautifully!!! I use either the Finish Powerball or Cascade Complete tabs. The installer/maintenance guy said both were good (he also has a Bosch). Whether I pre-rinse or just scrape, everything comes out wondrously clean and sparkling. I just have to say, the notion that a DW needs food to clean (say what?) or if you pre-rinse your dishes will be etched is utterly bogus bunk when it comes to this machine. I mean, use your noggin, people.

The funky smell. I've decided it has something to do with me running mine infrequently and the metal insides that cause moisture to condense. If I ran the DW every day or every other day, there would be no smell. But by about day 3 or 4, it starts getting a little smelly, a bit like a sponge. I would NEVER leave something in there for days that contains egg or dairy residue. I think that running the Sanitize Option freshens the interior up better.

I miss the layout of my old Kenmore, where everything fit without futzing around and there was always room for one more thing. I don't know who designs the interior of this machine but they could learn a thing or two from Kenmore. :)

Susied3, our city water here is very hard. If we use unsoftened water to the dishwasher we end up with a chalky film over everything regardless of the detergent or rinse agent (which we found out when the softener was broken). The water to the dishwasher comes off the hot water line to the sink. The cold water line to that sink and to the icemaker were originally not softened water, but I had them change that. Our drinking water and icemaker water come from a reverse osmosis filter in the basement.

I would question having a separate line because you can't run the water first to make sure it is hot when it starts. If you don't, I would think you'd need a DW that heats the water, and that would be slower and more costly than using hot water.

mpagmom - Thank you for that checklist for success and for letting me know about the 500 having the adjustable top rack.

cluelessincolorado - That is an idea I've not thought of...bringing a dish of mine into the store..smart.

gooster - 3 models in 17 years - never failed...and ordering a 4th for a second home. Glad to hear you have been so happy with Bosch.

susied3 - In our city, we have very hard water and I always have to use a rinse aid with my current dishwasher (Kenmore Ultra Wash).

gpraceman - I've heard that the 800+ series is actually made in Germany...glad to hear you like it. Also good to know your in-laws are happy with their 500.

linelle - Thanks for letting me know yours cleans beautifully and that you believe the funky smell only occurs when the washer has not been run frequently.

Testing out your dishes, pots, pans, and cookie sheets in a Bosch dishwasher is a very good idea. We did that and didn't have any issues with anything not fitting. If we had thick stoneware dishes, then there might have been an issue, since the tines are closer together than the American brands. We have had to learn how best to load ours, especially, the silverware (first time with a 3rd rack).

Susie - my model is she43rl5uc/64

I used to the be a huge Bosch fan. I am no longer. We put in a 500 series (SHX45P05UC) in 2011 and have yet to get a dry dish out of it. The older, German-made Bosch could clean and still steam dry at the cycle, the new USA made won't. The machine cleans well, but is noisier than the other Bosch 500 models I've had in previous homes. Not a week goes by that I don't think about replacing it. (And you can look in the Appliance form to see what a strong support of Bosch I used to be.) We've had Bosch repair come out twice and both times they've said, "sorry, that just how these work."

If you go Bosch, get a German-made 800 series.

Best of luck.

Our SC house has a 500 series, but the house we just moved into (in NC) has a 300 series (discontinued shx33a). I really miss the old Bosch as this "new to me" DW is loud and awkward to load. I have tried every type of configuration imaginable when loading and this one just does not hold what the 500 did. I will be looking into the 800 series and some other brands once we get around to redoing the new house's kitchen.

My husband just installed our new Bosch 800 series last night and we've run one load. I am more than impressed at how quiet it truly is! We had to strain to try to hear it over the refrigerator hum. Dishes came out very clean (we've been hand-washing since January) It has the third rack up top and I think I'm really going to love that. Learning how the dishes best stack will be a chore, but I'm okay with that. Apparently we got a pretty good price for it too - when comparison price shopping store B said they couldn't even order it for the advertised price we paid at store A.

gpraceman - Thanks for the heads up on thick stoneware dishes - good to know.

ZacsDaddy - Sorry to hear you are not happy with the 500 series bought in 2011. I guess once you've owned an older German made model, the newer US made models pale in compare.

hsw_sc - Your input is valuable, as well. You've had a 500 and a 300 and like the 500 better for quietness and easier loading.

Thanks to every person for taking the time to respond with your experiences. I really appreciate it!

HammerMom - Congrats on getting an 800 at a great price : )
You were hand washing for quite some time! I am glad to hear it's working well.

Laurie - so glad you posted this as I'm interested in the Bosch too. Based on the reviews, I may have one in my future. Thanks!!!

Mgoblue85 - There's another posting on the Home Decorating Forum that may interest you, as well.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bosch Dishwasher People...

My husband and I have a Bosch and love it. We like to joke, "What you do not hear is the dishwasher." (like in Princess Bride when Wesley says, "What you do not smell is iocaine powder.")

mommaklee - clever testament for how quiet they are : )
What a great movie...Princess Bride...a true classic!