I have the KDTE404D which is a couple years old. Maybe they have changed it, but the indicator light is on the top control panel facing up. If it does point out, perhaps you can drill a small hole in the panel to allow the light to shine through?

The mesh lids for the utensil basket are removable, took mine off before ever using the machine. They would never work for me since I load silverware business end down.

It cleans very well, I especially love the heated dry cycle. I do use the express cycle most of the time, it seems to do just as good of a job cleaning as the long normal cycle.

I have that Bosch dw - the last two issues you mention - cycle time and heated dry are true of almost all dishwashers, and certainly all of the euro models. we don't unload til the next day, and everything is dry.

our dishes are Denby we have no trouble at all loading the big plates, small plates and soup bowls. The cereal bowls are harder, because they have straight sides, but because of that I assume they'd be a problem in most dishwashers. Cleans great.

I have been using my Bosch 800 series (SHE68T52UC) for a little over a year now. Overall, I am extremely happy with it. I especially love the third rack because we use a lot of utensils. I still get a little thrill when I open it up to use it. (I know I'm a little weird.) I always hated the way the spoons would nest in my old one and I didn't feel that they were getting clean.

The extra insulation that makes it so quiet also takes up space, so the interior is slightly smaller than the old one. That isn't a problem for me since I usually barely get it filled before I want to run it. (Just my husband and myself at home now.)

The thing that does sometimes bother me is what you mentioned. The arrangement of the tines on the bottom rack doesn't always work for larger or odd-sized items. It is good for my plates and bowls since I use Corelle and they are nice and thin and fit perfectly in there.

If I were to buy again, I think I would buy the same one except the very top of the line (this was second) but I do love mine. My sister bought a nice Kenmore one that seems really nice. You might check that out.

We bought the Bosch 800 (SHE68t56uc) 2 or 3 weeks ago. It has the 3rd rack and I love it. It replaced a 15 year old Kitchenaid dishwasher. I have stoneware and have no problem loading my plates or bowls, with the exception of one bowl. It is a pottery bowl with a large lip on it but I can fit it on the 2nd rack without a problem. After the dishwasher is done, I wait about 1/2 hour and have no problem with wet dishes. A few pieces of plastic that have indents on the top have collected water, but that seems to be the exception - everything else has been fine.

My Bosch dries well too, much better than the Maytag I had before it. It only has water if there are indentations on top of an item.

I have a Bosch 800 series - very happy with it - amazingly quiet. I have no loading problems other than it's not as nice for stemware as my previous Miele. We had the top silverware tray in the Miele and DH would not let me buy a new DW without one. It also has a silverware basket so you can go either way - remove the top rack if it gets in your way. So far I've had no problem fitting everything in with the third rack after I adjusted the middle rack to my liking. It does have a short cycle but I either run at night or when I leave for work so I use the full cycle which is 2:09. Everything is dry when I unload other than recessed bottoms of glasses and cups where water pools.

I've had the Bosch SHX7PT55UC for about a month and love it. That third rack--genius. The best feature of this dishwasher, however, is the flexibility offered by all the fold-down tines on the first and second racks. I can even get my 13-qt dutch oven in with a load of plates and bowls. Not that I do that often, but I tried to see if I could.

Not all Bosch models have the same level of flexibility. My pre-remodel Bosch did. On the strength of my recommendation, my sister got a Bosch, but her husband picked it out, and got one with all fixed tines. She hates it.

The cycle times vary. They seem long to me, but I haven't used the full range of options yet to see how low I can get them. It cleans beautifully and dries well except for the bottoms of some cups and glasses mentioned above.