Honestly, I would get another Miele. Even entry level Miele dishwashers work better than many top of the line other brands, that cost more than Miele.

My Mom is still using our very first Miele dishwasher we had in our first home (1995-1998). It has never needed a repair or service visit!!

We have had 3 Miele dishwashers in 20 years, and all flawless!!!

Miele Futura classic, has cutlery tray, but no other bells or whistles. Marvelous. Also consider Bosch the 500 or 800 series depending on stuff you want. Make sure your dishes and pans fit. My dishes didn't fit the Bosch. Good luck

Do you have a photo of where it is leaking? My dishwasher has one inlet and three outlet hoses. Are you referring to the square hole at the bottom?

Must say, I agree with Larsi. I had an Optima for 2 years in our apartment. After that, it would be difficult to go with another brand. Bosch will be quiet and much less expensive. Wouldn't go with KA. It used to be the gold standard but no longer.

FWIW, the solenoid on mine went bad too. I had the option to either *hillbilly fix it* with a aftermarket solenoid (doable, just look hackish), replace OE. For the parts cost OE, I hemmed and hawed. Ended up just buying another Miele DW.

This was around the 5 year mark. Best feature on the new one I love is how the door just pops open ajar a bit to breath

100% agree with a1an....LOVE at the end of the cycle, with Drying Plus activated in settings, the machine, has an automated "arm" that opens the door a few inches, so all steam/heat escapes and completes the drying and cooling down process.

I LOVE my Miele dishwasher. Btw, my model is called La Perla Series II

Hate to say it because I think you're looking for other options, but will echo Larsi and Roc. Once you've gotten used to the cleaning perfection of a Miele, it will be hard to settle for anything else. Look for floor models. I have the second from the bottom model (Futura Crystal) and can't imagine getting dishes any cleaner in a higher-level model, though they do have nice options (like the auto open door).

Yes richard_mariu it's a square hole at the bottom of the circulation pump. The machine fills and then once the motor begins the water comes streaming out of that hole. I'd take a picture but my frustrated husband put the machine back together and shoved it back into the opening. He's a tad mad at it, too!

I know in my heart, I won't be impressed with any other machine, since Miele builds these machines with such quality, but I would expect such an expensive machine to last 15 to 20 years without any major issues.

Bobbi. I can't recall but stock warranty is 1 year and then extended covers it to 4 if I recall. Anyhow, like I said, mine crapped on the 5 year mark.

It's like my cars. Great to own during warranty. Terrible afterwards. And the issue with Miele is that parts are a closed system, so parts are just downright expensive.

Depending on the part/problem, you could red-neck the repair.

I have just bought a dishwasher with a leak similar. I collect it tomorrow and will report on how I get on.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=1102854440

Must say I agree with bobbi1023 that these high end products should last 15-20 years. My DW is going on 13. Only appliance in the kitchen that hasn't been replaced/repaired. IME it's just random. No guarantees of anything these days.

Well, I will take the contrary position. I bought a Home Depot "special buy" Whirlpool dishwasher for $299. I purchased this model mainly because it was a good deal and I was so underwhelmed by the repair problems that I was seeing with all brands of dishwashers that I could not justify paying a high price. At $299 I could buy (theoretically) seven of those for the cost of one of the Miele. Since replacement parts add up to more than the price of the dishwasher, it encourages you to buy a new dishwasher so it doesn't make sense to spend much money on one in the first place. The dishwasher works great. It is all plastic inside. It does not have the third rack. It has zero snob appeal. It is infinitely quieter than any other dishwasher I have owned, but it is not absolutely quiet like a high-end dishwasher.... Also, at that time I was told that Miele costs an additional $$$ to install and that the warranty was void if they didn't install it. Since then I have been told that is all bunk but it did not reflect well on Miele. My husband easily installed the WP dishwasher.

I feel your pain. I went through several dishwashers before ending up with a Miele Excella. It cleans okay. Provided you chose an aggressive program. I bought it because it was the quietest machine on the market. That being said, when it dies, it dies and it will be replaced. Not sure I could or would justify spending the money on another one.

MRB

Buying ~high end~ appliances doesn't guarantee a longer lifespan IMO. Depends if you have golden eyes/hands, but there is a certain attention to details/build quality one will be discernibly notice on said products. But when it boils down to repair frequency, IMO they require as much if not MORE care than regular ~consumer~ grade items.

I literally ~rebuilt/refurbished~ my Wolf Stove in maybe the 8 or 9 year mark. Prior to that, it has had tons of service by repair guys but I didn't pay a dime except for the ~extended warranty~ I purchased on it. I needed to change 1 gasket and in order to do such, you end you breaking all the gaskets to get access

At the cost of time and money (well time is precious to me), I ended up replacing every gasket, O Ring, spark ignitor and just cause I was ~saving money in DIY~, I bought a new enamel top to replace the old one.

The list goes on, but designer/high end appliances are just that. It does not reciprocate to a longer lifecycle IMO

We bought a Bosch 800 model with the third rack. It replaced a 14 year old Kitchenaid that was still running, but not cleaning great anymore. I love the Bosch. Everything is sparkly, quiet, and I really use that third rack. I bought it at the Sears outlet. It had a big scratch on the front but it was around $75 I think to replace the front panel. Worth it as the machine was half price. The scratch ended up being just a paper tag that came off, and a little goo gone fixed it right up.

It's important not to confuse performance with longevity, IMO. One may very well buy a BOL or MOL appliance at little cost that lasts a long time. Said appliance may even be replaceable twice over at the cost of a TOL/"Designer" model. This says nothing about how well it performs, even when working to spec.

Sashanikki - great deal on the Bosch 800. I've heard good things about it.

Well, a $2300 dishwasher that needs expensive repair at the 6 Year mark is unacceptable by any standard, IMO. $700 in parts, alone, without accounting for labor...yeh, I'd be done with that brand, too. Forever.

My current kitchen came with a 13-year-old Bosch dishwasher. First Bosch I've had, no third rack. With less-than-stellar reviews on newer Bosch in my price-range, I didn't consider it when buying all new GE Profile appliances for my kitchen remodel at our last house. While I loved that Profile DW, I absolutely HATED keeping that stainless steel exterior clean and polished. This Bosch works great, is really quiet and while the other appliances are newer KitchenAid stainless steel, the DW is black front and a heckuva lot easier to keep clean. Doesn't seem to have the air-dry cycle though so we often shut it off during the dry cycle and open the door. Phoenix is dry and hot anyway.

If repair parts were priced at cost plus transport plus 10% for the first 10 years after an appliance comes out, it would make high-end more attractive...with an expected life of about 7 years, give or take, why spend? There would have to be an enormous difference in performance. With DW's there cannot be a significant performance difference, they either clean or they don't. Other attributes (looks, quiet, how they stack) are personal taste.

Really good points and good sense on this thread, especially about peformance and longevity. We've seen many examples.

Ouch. I have had my La Perla II for 6 years now.

No issues so far. Perfect performance even on burnt cheese casserole.

Sparkling clear glass.

Knock on wood.

I have only had middle grade Maytags. I had one for 17 years & replaced it when we changed the kitchen. It cleaned great from day one & was still working when we took it out. Replaced with a midgrade Maytag (all I could get because of the color) & it's been great for 4 years. I never rinse & everything is sparkling. This one has a SS tub for $549! I do use high heat wash & sanitize.

I would get another Miele in a heartbeat. I know how to fit my stuff into it. I like the feeling of it. I like the quietness. I also would feel lousy looking at and using what I bought instead. The closest I could think of buying is a Bosch but when you look inside they feel so cheap and that grey plastic is horrible.

I have rebuilt the pump. Stole a piece from an older G660 and will report back with how it went.

Sure, Richard...when you can buy a busted Miele for $35 (USD) and scrounge up used parts or adapt non-Miele parts...that's one thing. Laying out over $2K for a new one when the old one has a dicey reliability history is a whole 'nuther story. $35 used DW's are a kinda' fun challenge-adventure if you have the time, temperament, resources and ability.

Kudos to you for outwitting the marketing geniuses at Miele and their proprietary parts (grrrr) business model.

This is an interesting thread as I'm sure I will be in the market for a D/W next year or two..And not a moment before so if mine dies before 2017 I will hand wash.. .it won't be a Miele, although I thought about one the closest service is about 1&1/2 hours away and the service dealer told me I could wait weeks for service. Last summer my neighbor bought a BOL GE for 300 dollars, at first it was horrible at cleaning, but once I seen how she loaded it, no wonder, they for sure can not handle Bobloads...I helped/showed her how to load it and everything comes out clean...I call these disposable appliances. 300 bucks if it works well 4/5 years I'd say got your moneys worth. on the other hand these economy brands are not for everyone's kitchen..I always say function before form...BUT come on folks if you have a kitchen like our Roc's or Larsi's, just to name a few, who have beautiful TOL appliances, why in the world put a disposable appliance in all that beauty...sometimes form and function have to go hand in hand.

I have used and owned bottom of the line dishwashers and middle of the line dishwashers in various apartments, condos and houses. Some were ok, some were average and some were somewhat decent actually!

NONE performed as well as any of my Miele dishwashers though.

My first Miele was between an entry level model and a middle of the line model in terms of price and options. Flawless performance, no issues, no repairs!

2nd Miele DW was on the higher end, and again years of use, no repairs, no issues, flawless.

3rd current Miele is a top of the line (2008/2009) Miele La Perla II. It was around or slightly over $2000. NOT a single issue, service call, part needed. Flawless.

So anyone (MAMA!!!) who would not get a Miele dishwasher, needs their head examined! LOL

Larsi..its not that I wouldn't get one..its because I'm told by the closest Miele dealer to me service could be a long wait..LOL.

@MamaP...you might not need Miele Service for a dishwasher ;) 3 Miele dishwashers, 20 years for me....NEVER needed Service or a Part.

AND (before anyone asks or is "judgy", LOL) the only reason 3 dishwashers in 20 years, is we owned 3 homes and moved 3 times ;)

Well that's true Larsi..LOL...but maybe is the key word..haha

Even if a machine can keep going for 10 or 20 years doesn't mean that it still functions as well. I didn't realize how bad my old Kitchenaid was performing until I got the Bosch. No more prewashing and scrubbing lipstick off the cups. Things come out sparkly. It probably won't last as long as the old dishwasher, but I'm fine with that as I'm very happy with the results of the cleaning. My old question was how long will it last, but my new question is am I happy with the results.

Sorry Larsi if you search GW, you will find that there are many instances of people who thought that was the case and we're very disappointed...

I must honestly say I do not recommend Miele if factory-trained service is not nearby. Not worth the aggravation.

Our DD has a weekend house. The house was built in the early 1960s and nothing has been changed since -- including appliances. She replaced the two original fridges with Whirlpool. She replaced the original GE oven with Kenmore double ovens. I used them when we visited and must say they were great -- plus when I made a mess and had to run a self-clean there was no problem. That worked like an old fashioned oven.

They are about to replace a 70s or 80s GE washer that's not the greatest. No idea what she's going with. She has a Miele in her apartment and doesn't hate it but says she doesn't love it either. They have 3 kids and a very active household. So they will probably put in 2 dishwashers.

Overall, dishwashers are very improved today. As long as they are quiet and dry decently it's a matter of budget and choice. My only real requirement -- because I think it's a huge improvement -- is having a cutlery rack.

practigal made a very compelling post on non luxury appliances. There is a case to be made.

I have a Bosch dishwasher with the third cutlery rack. I use the rack for utensils not cutlery and love it. When I bought this apartment I found the working Whirlpool dishwasher a joke. Nothing got clean and it was working correctly. I got a new Bosch (I've only purchased used ones in the past with zero issues) and wow imagine clean dishes and no noise. Two caveats, it does not dry the dishes very well. Any glass with a concave bottom will hold water and you must periodically clean out the filter. I find it worth it for the durability, quality, cleaning ability and lack of noise.

My SIL has a top of the line kitchen and the Bosch is the only appliance that did not break in the first two years. Now on year 7 it is still fine and everything else Subzero, and Viking have had numerous issues and will be replaced with MOL models.

For me it a success (no leak) but a fail. The motor has two bearings and the front bearing after the seal is noisy. You can hear it over the quiet sloshing of the water. In the process of removing it from the housing the speed sensor was damaged. However for me (G1220) the speed sensor is not used. So until I find a bearing puller, the machine can sit in the garage. :-(

Out of interest, how many hours of use has your machine done? This particular dw has 6600 hours of use and it is 11 years old.

If you are addressing me I don't have an hour meter on any of my dishwashers. The new one only gets used maybe 2 times a week and is two years old. My old, gotten for free, used (it was being thrown out in NYC) one in my weekend house has thousands upon thousands of hours and the only thing that has ever gone wrong, the covers to the buttons were broken. Easy repair.

It was a question for all. Good on you hmorton for re-using the DW. I am not a fan of waste. If people want to buy a new machine then please don't send the old to the dump unless necessary. Sell it as parts, complete but faulty or offer it for free.

I've spent 3 days looking at dishwashers, even the Mieles. I was truly considering the Bosch 800 Plus series, since it has the water softener and all the fold-down tines, that I am use to with my own Miele. I took my dishes and tried them in several configurations and the Bosch would meet my dish requirements, mostly. I've talked to many sales people, some in the know, many not so much :) I even saw a Kenmore Elite that is definitely a Bosch, at a really ridiculously good price. I've scoured the internet reading as many reviews and opinions, so that I could be as well-informed as possible.

So I've made a decision. My heart won. I'm going to order the circulation pump and have hubby fix the Miele. I love it too much to part with it and it does such an incredible job of cleaning.

Good on you bobbi. Let us know how it goes. I couldn't let go of my Miele so I understand. And don't forget, dishwashers are like buses. There's always another one that can come along.

Congrats on coming to a decision. Wishing you many more years of dishwashing perfection in your Miele.

The intake valve has gone on my Miele twice now to the tune of $450 each time. One more time and it's a new machine for us.

I was in the same boat, on the $300 solenoid repair requirement on year 6 of ownership. It was like a car to me. After warranty, even on DIY repair, only gambling on when the next ~fix~ is required. Could be another 6 years of trouble free or another fix in 6 month. Ended up buying another Miele.

At $505 for a part - already vested in a $300 fix already, that's a call easily I would said to just get a replacement IMO.

Ask for a serious discount if you do buy the pump. They can guide you through the service menu to get the hours of use for your particular machine bobbi1023. Here in NZ they harp on about 20 years of use. Your machine is not 20 years. I know of someone who had their machine replaced (by Miele ) because of a leaking diverter seal. Theirs was about 7 years old.

Well the Miele is working again :) Thank goodness my hubby is handy. When he gets some extra time he will take the old pump apart and see what went wrong ( it had to be a seal). Giving some thought to why would the seal go so soon, I am considering using powder detergent, instead of the Finish Powerball tabs. I did notice the last time I picked them up from Costco, the tabs are more concentrated now. The box claims 8x more concentrated. I am wondering if this could possibly be an issue.

Since I have whole house softener, I thought I would programme the rinse agent to 2, instead of the default to 3. I will start there, since I can't remember the days before tab detergents, anymore.

I think I will give Miele support a call tomorrow. I have read and re-read how to use the built-in softener, but I am a tad unsure how it really works with a whole house softener. I have my machine hooked-up to soft cold water.

I live in an area with terribly hard water. 60 plus grains. I truly doubt I should programme the machine for 60 grains because of the whole house softener. As anyone who has a whole house softener, there can be days when the water is less soft (just before regeneration).

I have never had any glass nor crystal etch in my machine with either powder nor tabs.

I am pleased the machine is once again working. I just now have to play with detergent and rinse agent to find a happy medium of sparkling without eating my machine seals.