The 800 Plus series is 1/8" shallower.

If guest will see the side of the dishwasher as they enter the kitchen that may be significant.

Sometimes you can find them on ebay for $800-$900

Upgrading from 300 to 500 series upgrades the racks and lowers noise rating 2db.

Thank you! Do those eBay dishwashers come with a warranty?

What are the rack upgrades? Better material so better durability? Better loading?

Catherine

There is the fresh dishwasher in a perfect box that is sometimes available on ebay for a modest discount.

Then there are the "B" goods. Floor models, discontinued models , damaged box ,scratch'n dent. Sometimes there is a small dent in the back that does not affect function nor visuals once installed. Sometimes there is head size dent on the front of the door.

Sometimes authorized dealers sell them in which case you get full warranty. Sometimes sold by liquidators in which case you only get ebay square trade or credit card warranty/protection. These are obviously a bit cheaper.

Difference between 300/500 racks is loading flexibility. These dishwashers are made in North Carolina.

The 800 Plus dishwashers are made in Germany. Most knowledgeable veteran posters believe these are of much higher quality and durability even though the listed materials and warranty are the same.

the 300 series also have two piece tub design with a plastic bottom .

with only 22" of depth , no matter what you get - the unit will stick out past the cabinets by about at least an inch and a half after you add a door to it.

Hmm, the AJ Madison website says the 300 has a stainless steel tub, compared to their specification listing for the Ascenda which says stainless steel and poli-something or other. Is AJ Madision wrong, or am I looking at the wrong spec?

As to whether it will fit, I was pretty insistent that a dishwasher would not work with our slightly too shallow cabinets, but dh found a very recent install description online that seems to prove me wrong.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bosch fits in vintage cabinets

I went to the Bosch website which indicates a stainless steel tub for both the 300 and the 500. For the Ascenta it indicates a stainless steel with PP. So unless I am misunderstanding something, the 300 series does have an all stainless steel tub.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bosch 300 at Bosch website

I just got a 300 series delivered today - it's got a stainless tub.

Bonnie

Bonnie, thanks for the confirmation!

I think you should be okay if you have any countertop overhang.

I've got a 500 series.

The specs say that the depth from the front of the door to the back of the unit is 22.56 inches. (22 and 9/16"). There is a channel along the base in the back where the drain line comes out with a right angle fitting so that the drain line does not require additional clearance behind the unit. The door in front is 1.5" deep.

I believe the 300 series Bosch DWs have the same depth and box design. Assuming you push the DW all the way back, you will have roughly 3/4" of the door proud of the cabinet frames (allowing for old house stuff being neither plumb nor square after so many years.) Depending on the countertops you have, all or most of the door should be covered by the countertop overhang. This is shown in the photos that CRL linked to above.

For some folks, this might be unacceptably imperfect. To me, a little protrusion by the door is not a bad thing, especially for having a DW. YMMV.

This post was edited by JWVideo on Wed, Mar 13, 13 at 17:49

Pray, when you go to bed tonite, that it never breaks. Those units are difficult to service.
If someone gave me one I would give it away and buy a serviceable appliance.

Jump, Wow, those are some pretty harsh words for what is generally considered an okay brand. If we proceed, this will be our third Bosch dw (we have moved). No problems with the first two. Do you have some particular evidence to present? Or do you have a suggestion for a different dw that is likely to fit in the space?

JWVideo, thanks! I appreciate the help--especially as I know you understand the constraints of living in an old house.

I went through the same paralysis by analysis on the DW. Originally went in to finally buy a Bosch 300. Drove out with a 800 in the back of the Element.

For me, the 300 was better buy over the 500. Slight differences from store to store due to the actual models, but the German made ones are all SS tubs, the 500 upper rack has levers to let it drop down vs. having to pull it out to drop down (not a big whoop), and had one more set of tines that went up or down. The 500 had 2 more cycles that we would probably never actually use, and a timer, not we won't see because it is covered when closed and we usually run ours at night.

BUT the 800 had longer racks! And since the dealer had 12 in the back room, I ended up getting the upgrade for about $140 over the 300. There are lots of other features that we will enjoy, but frankly the 300 would have been a great unit.

BTW, we live in a 100 year old historic home.

Thanks for the 300 vs 500 comparison! And congratulations on such a great deal on the the 800. I think we will go with the 300.

At this point I am trying to find someone to take on this relatively small job for a reasonable cost. We are new to the area so I am still sorting out handymen, electricians, plumbers and the like.

Whit461 makes a good point about pricing and deals. IN a similar situation, I wound up with a 500 series DW for $50 less than the 300 I had been looking at.

On Jumpilotmdm's comment about Bosch DWs being hard to fix: my experience has been mixed. My previous DW was a 15-year-old Bosch SHU3 series. About four years ago, the detergent dispenser door latch wore out. The part was readily available and was easily replaced. (Did it myself). Different story when the controller board died last summer. The board is no longer available. That definitely did make it "hard to service." :>)

A point of clarification about Whit's comment that the German-made Bosch DWs are the ones with stainless-steel tubs. As Deeageaux noted above, the only ones made in Germany are the 800+ series, (that is, "800-plus"). The plain 800 (no plus) series are built in the North Carolina factory along with the 300 and 500 series.

CRL: On old houses not being plumb and square, I sometimes find that my 103-year-old house has lapsed into non-Euclidean geometry. Either that or the flow of time has resulted in localized curvatures of space.

Good luck with the DW.

Thanks!

How big of a difference is the made in Germany vs. made in NC?

I'm not completely opposed to paying more money for the better made machine, but I'm skeptical that there really is a difference.

Anyone?

Just to follow up, we've been up and running with our integrated 800 plus series Bosch and COULD NOT BE HAPPIER. I hate to admit it, but I really like the upper tray and it cleans amazingly, whether we rinse or not. Just saying...