I bought these yesterday; mine are coming in a week as well. I want you to know that it was your post that inspired me to research them, and they are just what I was looking for. Thanks!

Marie Louise,
I'm glad to have helped you. Now I do hope that the w/d set works out well for both of us. Haven't received mine yet, but will post as soon as I get them and use them a few times. It was a touch decision for me, I had researched a ton, and also considered Samsung, Electrolux and LG. Ultimately I would love Miele but I can't justify spending that much at the moment. I hope the Bosch decision was a good one.
Please let me know how they are working out for you once you get them!

I love my Miele vacuum and dishwasher, too. I wanted a big washing machine and the big Mieles were $800 more than the Bosch. The Bosch 500 had enough bells & whistles for me. As the salesman put it, anything we buy is going to do a better job than what we have. (A 10 or 12 year old Kenmore front-loader.)

FYI to everyone, Bosch is currently giving a $100 rebate on any washing machine bought between June 1 and July 31. (Of course, wasn't it $200 earlier, LOL-there may always be something until the economy gets better.) With this, a federal and a state rebate, we got a total of $300 in rebates. That brought the price of the washer down to $700!

We bought the stands and that pull-out "folding rack. Even if the washer isn't perfect, not bending over anymore will make me love it.

I am in the market for new machines this Fall. I will look forward to hearing both of your reviews when you've had a chance to put the machines through a good workout! I am leaning to the Mieles but have wondered if the Bosch will be good enough.

Livebetter, personally, if I could afford it and had ample space I would go for the Miele. They get amazing reviews. But, like with everything else, I have also read some negative reviews. The only other drawback for me regarding Miele is the lack of people who can fix them and the fact that parts tend to be expensive and not easy to find. But, this may not be as important seeing that they hardly ever break. Bosch used to be better I read and hear, they have gone down in quality but at least they are made in North America based on German guidelines and design, they are easier to repair and definitely cheaper than Bosch. All salespeople and repairpeople I have spoken with either have or recommend Bosch, they all have said that they are second to Miele in quality. Let's hope they are right.

Grrr... I typed out a long and positive review, clicked preview-and it vanished and instead took me to the list of forums. So frustrating!!!

Too lazy to type it again, but the bottom line is that I love it.

Yay! That's good to know. I just got mine a couple of days ago and have only done a few loads, I want to really try it before I can absolutely say I love it. So far so good. Seems to clean well and it's soooo quiet and stable (I have mine stacked and there's almost no shaking!). My only issue thus far is that I can't turn off the end cycle chime on the dryer and it keeps chiming every few minutes until you open the door or turn it off manually. Maybe I haven't found the way to do it yet. I have turned it off on the washer but somehow the dryer doesn't seem to have that option.
Marie Louise, I would love to hear in more detail from you, when you have time and once you've used it longer. I really makes me feel relieved that you are loving yours!

Nevermind what I wrote above, I figured out how to turn the off the chime (it was bothering my dog ;-). Liking the w/d so far. I will post a more comprehensive review once I've used them many times.

Glad to hear you are still liking your w/d. I have been looking at several different brands and am leaning towards this one.

I like mine very, very much. I particularly like that they have dials, not a digital interface, to select programs. I'm still learning the programs and how much [Persil/ Vaska] detergent to use in different loads. It is hard to know how much of the improvement is from having a new washer and how much is from switching detergents because I did both at once, but my clothes are much cleaner.

So far, the dryer seems like just a dryer. I'm still adjusting there-the clothes come out damp on a lot of the programs (just like the manual says they will.) I've only used the steam feature once and it worked well.

I also like that both are so huge. I can wash and dry my queen-sized quilts easily.

Marie Louise: Do you think king size sheets will fit in them ok or our king sized quilt? Or am I expecting too much for the quilt to fit? For the clothes that come out damp-would that be towels too or is just another setting to make sure towels come out dry?

I can get 2 sets of queen sheets in them without problems, so your sheets would definitely fit. The manual says you should run cotton loads fully loaded, so the bigger the better. I'd take your quilt to the store just to be sure.

If I select the driest cotton setting, everything gets dry. It is just a change from my old dryer; that setting meant cooked until shrunk, LOL. We had a Bosch tech out to check it, and everything was normal. DH was the one who talked to him, and he said that permanent press and the less dry settings are designed to leave the clothes a little damp. (So you can hang up the PP or iron the cottons.) I have the right plug and the correct amount of amps to that circuit, and my dryer vents right to the outside in a a two foot long, newly replaced rigid tube. He said the sensors are very accurate-it is just a switch that many of the settings are designed to leave clothes damp.

Marie Louise: Thanks so much for the info. We are going to go next week (or probably I should I am going to go!) and make a final decision. Glad to hear my king sized sheets etc will fit.

Sammiecanada, like Marie Louise said, you will have no problem fitting in your king sheets.
I have a question and thought I'd ask here before contacting Bosch. The washer's 'delicates' cycle, what temperature does it wash in? There is a typo in the manual (on the back page, where all the details on every cycle are listed at a glance). There, under 'delicates', it states 60F/45C - which is wrong, 60F is 15C or 45C is 100F. I would think it's the 60F/15C combo but wanna make sure. It would seem silly to have a hot water delicates cycle, no?
So far so good with my w/d. I do like them. Can't say, however, that it washes so much better than my old top loader. Mind you I use all natural detergent and no bleach so the clothes will definitely not be cleaner than with conventional stuff.
Like Marie Louise said, the clothes do come out damp unless you choose the 'very dry' option. But that doesn't bother me. I love the steam feature, it really does take out wrinkles and refreshes clothes.

Thanks Bancora...we have decided to hold off on purchasing the new washer/dryer until after our renovations are done and see how much money we have....hopefully we will know by November..unless our salesman comes up with a better price for the Bosch Vision 500's we looked at-we can get by with our very old units until then.

Sammiecanada, we got (what I think ;-) is a great deal on our machines. Bought them from TJ Cavanagh in Peterborough (no idea where you are in Canada but if you are near PB you should definitely check them out, nice mom and pop small business, great service and prices). Good luck with the renos!

Hi Bancora, We live on the Wet I mean West Coast! I think one of our quotes for the white set with pedestals was $2800 before HST.

Oh wow! That is high. I got mine (without pedestals but the stacking kit) for about $2100. But the west coast...oh, so nice!!!!

Ha ha!!! Yes, prices are too high....so, I'm thinking that if I wait until Fall maybe, just maybe, the prices will come down or some sale will be on. Yes, I love Vancouver even when it's the WET coast!!!

We have purchased the Bosch 500 w/d with the stacking kit (with pullout shelf). We're renovating so the appliances have not yet been installed. Now I've discovered that the Bosch stacking kit requires us to drill holes in the top of the washer. I suppose it adds stability, but why would I want to do that? I have room for a side by side installation, but prefer stacking as it solves venting/plumbing and door opening issues, plus allows for more counterspace.

Other w/d stacking kits use brackets on the back of the machine - no drilling required. However, I've read that using another brand could negate my Bosch warranties.

Any suggestions?

I got my Bosch 500 w/d about a month ago. Mine are stacked with a pullout shelf kit. I wasn't home when they were installed and the delivery guys installed them. My husband doesn't recall any drilling (but then he was busy working at the same time). I haven't noticed any problem with my units, they still work great.

Thanks, bancora. This forum has been helpful. I've decided to go with stacking, despite the holes in the washing machine top. (Expect you have holes too since that's the way the Bosch stacking kit gets attached.) It's reassuring to know others are happy with the stacking arrangement. Now, if I could just get my contractor on the job...