Our first Asko lasted 7 years before we gave it to friends who've now been using it for 17. We replaced it (during a remodel) with a new one that lasted 17 years. We just replaced that one (faulty circuit board) but with a Miele this time. It was obviously not out of concern for reliability that we chose Miele but features my wife wanted. I hope it will last as long as the Asko's.

The guy who installed our new Miele said he was planning to put a new circuit board in our old Asko and use it at his home.

Which Miele did you install? Since you've had Asko and now Miele, which do you prefer?

I love my 20 year old Asko and plan on buying Asko for the new house, too. Heated fan drying rocks.

The new Asko models don't have a heated dry. The 30 series just gets the final rinse water hot, and then uses condensation dry with no fan. The 40 and 50 series add a fan for the drying.
Miele also uses condensation and fan drying, but then opens the door at the end to allow evaporation so plastics dry.

Miele is my choice.

2fauguy: G6665CVI

So far so good but we've only had it a couple of weeks. It does a better job cleaning and rinsing vs our former Asko. I assume much of that is the water softener. I think we preferred the older style silverware basket to the new one tray in the top but that might just be getting use to it.

opaone:

Your G6665 is a Crystal with hidden control. It's the same as the G6625 Crystal with the visible control (which I prefer) that one dealer has for $1200 new in box (probably a canceled order).

The newer Asko dbi664ixxlssof has a water softener on it as as well.

http://www.askona.com/dishwashers/built-in/dbi664ixxlssof

It's $1400, but has a $150 mail in rebate (prepaid Visa card).

So that's why I'm saying the pricing would be similar....

Miele would be: $1200 + $150 install + tax = $1431. Then before the 12 months would buy the Miele warranty like I did before at $300. Total would be $1731.

Asko would be $1400 + 150 install + tax = $1643. Mail-in-rebate is $150. Then by month 10 could by the dealer's 5 year warranty for $150 (maybe use the rebate Visa card to pay for it). Total would be $1793-$150=$1643.

I'm just not sure whether or not to go with a Miele again. I was happy with the cleaning results of our Diamante Plus model (with water softener), and it was fairly quiet. But the Circulation Pump Motor died at 8 years this past Jan, and a year before the Solenoid on the water inlet had to be replaced. So because of the motor going bad after 8 years, and would cost $1000 to replace; I just wasn't sure if I wanted to go with Miele again. I had hoped it would of lasted 12-15 years, since Miele says they last for 20.

My main concern about the Asko is not sure how well it will clean and dry (since I've never used one) and the way the dishes load side-to-side. I'd have to bring some dishes and items to the showroom to test out if it'd fit ok.

I bought an Asko in 2004 and it is still going strong . We moved and I replaced the Tappan (yes, it was a 60db Tappan dw) with another Asko in 2015. The baskets on it look the same as the model you're looking at except the free-standing cutlery basket looks to have taller sides. I don't use a lot of plastic and I take care to put things with water-catching rims on one of the slanted racks, but once in a while I have to blot water off of something *IF* I use the Quick (50-some minutes) cycle. On Normal or Heavy cycle, no issue with water unless something flipped over. I always use the Extra Dry feature but not usually the Extra Heat especially in the summer since we live in PHX.

Because I get into the cab above the DW frequently, I love the integrated handle since I don't bump into it. The SS front also doesn't show smudges very much. I had had a Bosch very briefly before this Asko and its SS showed every mark.

And definitely, definitely take your normal dishware to both places and try out loading it!! Eliminates those nasty surprises after it's installed and too late to change.

mtnfever,

The Asko that I have linked to above is one of two models they just introduced with a water softener, the other is in the 30 series.

But this 40 series unit has an extra heat mode and also an extended drying mode. When I read the user guide, it said to use both for the best drying results. My Miele (when it was working over the past 8 years) has an extended drying, which just runs the condensation air dry cycle for another 30 min.

I plan to visit the dealers again this week and bring items with me to load into both units. I know everything would fit in the newer Miele, since it fits in my older one, but would have to try the Asko in person.

It's too bad no dealers have the dishwasher "live" to see and hear how they work. But a few miles north of me is the Miele showroom in Boca that I've been to several times (even in 2010) and all their units are live.

Which model Asko did you buy in 2015? Is the top rack (where the glasses go) height adjustable? The pictures of the 40 Series that I'm looking at on the Asko site doesn't show the height adjustment on the sides like on the 50 series.

After a few weeks of Miele use... Some of our plates (Portmeirion Botanic) won't stand up straight. We've tried numerous positions. There is no good place for Chef's knives. Other minor frustrations trying to figure out how to load it.

For those of you with the Miele or Asko, would it be possible for you to post one image of the bottom rack empty, and another with it full before being washed (or after washed)?

Here are some pics of lower basket empty/full from a 2015 Lumen model. The stem holders are updated in the new models:

Hope this helps

I've always had a Bosch. This is the first house with an Asko. It's 10 years old at this point and is working well. It gets the dishes clean. I have one ding against the Asko, though. The cutlery basket fits in the back of the lower drawer. In the Bosch, it's in the front of the drawer. With my Asko, it means I have to open the drawer all the way down, slide out the lower rack in order to drop a spoon in the basket. It's a bit of a pain. I find myself piling up cutlery in the sink in order to only have to open the door once or twice. If they have changed this, it would be a perfect unit. I hope they have. Just be aware of this issue. I know it's a first world problem and I'll get over it.

Kim,

Thanks for the picture of the Miele above. That Lumen model is pretty much the same as the current model, but had a newer rack design

Homechef59,

The newer Askos has a cutlery rack on the top, but it's not has wide as the one Miele uses, and the Asko still included a cutlery basket that can fit anywhere in the lower rack.

I heard back from one of the local dealers, and they now have the Asko 30, 40, and 50 series model on the showroom as of last week (which wasn't there a month ago when I checked) plus the Miele models. So we're going to go in a few days with a bunch of plates, cookware, silverware, glasses, to see which one loads better. I'm pretty sure the Miele would load fine, since our 8 year old Miele never gave us trouble loading, so I'm more interested in seeing how the Asko does. But the Miele would probably have the greater flexibility with their baskets.

fauguy, sorry I missed your question earlier this week. I bought an Asko D5636XXLSHI. The very top third rack is height adjustable but the normal upper rack is NOT.

Here is the lower rack from last night when I ran a bottom-rack only load. Because there's just two of us, I often run a upper or lower rack only load.

Here's the empty lower rack. The front tines aren't adjustable. The rear tines are adjustable and also you can adjust only half of the rear tines if you want. I find this handy for doing big plates as well as a couple of pots in the back row.

Here's the third rack which is above the upper rack. I like and normally use the separate cutlery basket, though I like the flexibility of the third rack to use for cutlery when I have a lot of big stuff to put in the bottom rack. This rack is adjustable in height (where my finger is) and I have it set lower so my Pyrex mise en place dishes, egg separator, etc fit there. I have occasionally taken out half of this rack and raised it, so I can put taller dishes/glasses in the upper rack and run a top-only load.

Before I bought this Asko, I had bought a Bosch that was super quiet but it leaked on the first load and couldn't be fixed and there apparently wasn't another to replace it anywhere. So after a month of waiting, I gave it up and went back to Asko. The Bosch *was quieter than the Asko which was why I got it in the first place but I preferred having a slightly noisier working dishwasher.

I found a bunch of Asko reviews here. The ones for the dishwashers are pretty bad....

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/asko.html

Thank you mtnfever for the pictures. I finally figured out how to place the cutlery basket in the front of the pull out tray. Operator error. The previous owner didn't leave any manuals. It's only taken 9 months. A picture is indeed worth a thousand words.

That takes care of my one complaint about the Asko. Now that is fixed, it's very quiet and it cleans the dishes very well. I have to put my hand on the cabinet face to detect a vibration to know if it's on. That's how quiet it is. I definitely would rate it right up there with my higher end Bosch units I have owned.

@fauguy, from just very quickly browsing it looks like all dish and clothes washers have similarly bad reviews. I couldn't find anything on Miele on the site, are they listed? How are their reviews?

These sites often attract a disproportionate number of unhappy customers who want to vent.

That said, our new Miele generally seems to clean better than our Asko. I'll try to post some photos of the loading problems we're experiencing.

Miele is not part of BSH (Bosch Siemens) which owns Thermador and Bosch. Miele is a separate company.

Opaone,

Your Miele is the Crystal model G6665 with the door that opens at the end if the drying cycle, right?

Do you know what the Asko model was that it replaced?

I made progress today. Went back to Monark in Pompano Beach as they now have the new Asko models on display. I took with us a variety of plates, plasic cups, wine glasses, silverware, and pot/pan.

We put everything in the Asko DBI664 (40 series) unit first. Even though everything that we brought fit, you had to "plan out" where you wanted different sized dishes to go in the bottom rack. If you are going to put a pan in there, that has to go in the back where the tines fold down. The middle rack is height adjustable, but just a low and high setting. It is best to keep it on low, because if you raise it up, your stuff will hit the cutlery rack at the top. Now the cutlery rack was the one thing we didn't like, due it being much smaller than what we're use to on the Miele.

Overall for $1400, the Asko DBI664 (with water softener) does look like a nice unit and we'll made. All of the stainless used inside was impressive.

(Continued from above)

We went back and forth looking at the two units for quite a while.

But we ultimately went with the Miele Crystal G6625 since he had one available for $1200 ($400 off). We felt that was not only the better buy but the 5 year Miele Extended warranty is done through them (which we did the last time). Now if the dealer didn't have this Crystal for $1200, and it would have to be ordered at the full price of $1600, then we may have been more persuaded to of gone with the Asko at $1400 (which does have a $150 Mail In Rebate). But I think going with the Miele at $1200 was the best option, $150 for install and tax came to $1450.

It's so helpful to be able to "demo" load them with your own stuff and actually *see them in person! Glad you were able to make a decision.

Since our kitchen remodel was done in 2006, the cabinet opening was 24" for a GE Dishwasher, which was then replaced by an Electrolux, before buying the Miele in 2010.

With the Miele, when the door is closed, there was a noticeable gap between the side of the stainless door and the wood cabinets. But with the door open, the gray gaskets on the sides covered up the gap where the mounting screws are. So I am thinking about having the Miele Filler Strips model GPL771 SS installed to fill in th gap on the sides, so it wouldn't be quite as bad with the door closed.

https://mielestore.com/default/filler-strips-pair-gpl-77-1-stainless-steel.html

We went ahead and ordered the Filler Strips since it was only $50 and wanted to see if it would help to fill in the gaps of the 24" opening. The install is set for next Tuesday, but if the filler strips aren't in by Monday, then I'll have to push the install back by a few days.

If it wasn't for the dealer having a Miele Crystal G6625 new in box (customer canceled) for $1200, and it being a $1600 unit, I may have went with the Asko DBI664IXXLSSOF instead at $1400 - $150 mail in rebate. But taking into account the Asko rebate, and the Crystal at $1200, both units would of been about the same price. So at that point it came down to the racks and adjustability that we like more on the Miele, being made in Germany, and that the extended warranty uses Miele's own tech directly in our area.

But last night I was thinking, if the Circulation Pump Motor on the new Miele Dishwasher goes out before 10-12 years like our current one did (at 8 years), then I doubt I'd go with Miele a third time.

But one thing I did notice, on my Diamante Plus model (from 2010) it has a Solenoid on the end where it connects to the hot water valve, which went bad last year and I replaced it with a GE Solenoid that worked fine. But the new Miele's don't have this, and instead use a braided water hose without a solenoid on the end. I guess the solenoid valve got moved to the inside of the unit...maybe this was done so that it will last longer or be better quality?

Missed the discussion this round, but for anyone else shopping, I have a - maybe - 10 year old Asko that I love. It's in a second home, so used intermittently, with well water. Easy to clean, decent loading flexibility, have never had a problem with it. I much prefer it to any of my Bosch, Miele, GE, or, even old school KitchenAids. I'm going to replace a loud GE in my primary home with another Asko.

h1basic,

You may want to check the label on your old Asko to see where it's made. Production was moved to Slovenia a few years ago, and I'm not sure about the quality of them being made there?

Will do, fauguy. Thanks for the heads up.

ASKO all the way and its not even close

Instead of dropping fanboy comments, how about providing some details?

lol. Miele dishwashers are a sham. They are not even #1 where they are built and I could find you a $600 Bosch that will out clean it. They also are a service nightmare. Not that ASKO service is any better but the ASKO flat out uses the best materials in the build. All wash arms are stainless, in fact they use the most Stainless in any dishwasher built in the residential market. They also use the most insulation of any dishwasher brand in the residential market. They clean great day one all the way to year 15 because of the quality of craftsmanship and they are in bed with Sub Zero WOLF who always take care of their customers. ASKO also drys the dishes. Buy ASKO and dont look back. The best and most affordable model for the money D5636XXLSHI - $1299

Askos are good dishwashers but not as good a Miele when it comes to cleaning and loading. I get to use an Asko often and it does not clean as well as my Miele does. I had a 14year Miele that I replaced last year for a Miele integrated model that dries just as well as the older model with a fan. No issues with the previous unit and it went to another home where it is still in use. Asko changed manufacturing about 10years ago and does not have the same build quality. You can check on the laundry forum for reviews of their washers, they are absolutely terrible. You can also stop with the Wolf/Sub Zero promotion, the owners who have experienced flaking in their Wolf ovens would disagree with the level of service you purport that Wolf provides. Please provide evidence on how Asko would be a better choice for a customer rather than listing all the products that you appear to get better percentages on.

First of all the Asko D5636XXLSHI that you recommend for $1299 has been discontinued.

The NEW model would be the 30 Series DBI663ISSOF for $1000, the 40 Series DBI664IXXLSSOF for $1400. Last week I looked at both of those, as well as the 50 Series DBI675IXXLS.

I would agree that the Asko's do have the most amount of Stainless used, such as 3 wash warm, the pipes in the back, and the feet on the bottom.

But what I didn't like about it was the racking system, where dishes go side-to-side and the tines are angled different on each side of the bottom rack. Also, the cutlery tray at the top is about half the size of what I'm use to on the Miele.

As far as insulation, the Also was just a stainless tub with a thin black insulation pad stuck to the sides & top (similar to what is on the bottom of our Blanco sink). Miele uses a foam type of insulation, and then has side panels that encase it. But both would have insulation in the door as well.

Since I've never owned or used a Asko, I can't really say on is "better" than the other. All I can go by is my past 8 year experience with the Miele. During the warranty in year 4 the baskets had some rust spots where the nylon chipped of, and they fully covered that. In year 7 the solenoid went out, which they wanted $200 for the part. I replaced it myself with a $40 GE solenoid. And then in Jan 2018 (year 8) the motor started to make a loud grinding sound. After doing this for 2 weeks, the unit would not finish was load and would drain the water. From speaking to Miele, they believe the Circulation Pump Motor went bad, which is a $700 part, plus labor would be close to $1000. I couldn't see spending that on an 8 year old unit.

At that point I wasn't sure if I wanted to go with Miele again, or another brand like Asko. I never had any issues with the Miele not cleaning and was quiet enough for me. The Asko I've read good and bad about it's cleaning, but also read bad reviews about the warranty provided by Sub Zero Wolf.

The Miele Crystal G6625SCU goes for $1600 and the Asko DBI664IXXLSSOFis $1400. So based on that, the Asko is a better price. I may have ended up going with the Asko, but my dealer had a new-in-box Crystal G6625SCU that was a customer cancellation for $1200 ($400 off). So because of the lower price on it, the good cleaning that I've had with the Miele, and their own Service Center a few miles away, I decided to go with the Miele again (and would by the 5 year extended warranty before the 1st year is up).

Now if I still happen to live here, and this unit starts to have issues or parts going bad again before 10-15 years of use, then at that point I may decide not to go with Miele again.

Today I get the Crystal G6625SCU installed. The filler strips I ordered came earlier in the week. Hopefully the install goes better this time with New York Minute. When they did the first install in 2010, the unit wasn't level and had to come back out, level it, and then remount it which caused new holes on the side cabinets. So there are 4 drill holes on each side of the wood cabinet. It looks like these filler strips will cover that up.

I got the Crystal G6625SCU installed on Friday, and noticed a few quirks.

First off there are a few scratches on the front stainless door, the top panel, and one across the timer display. Also, the buttons on the front make a "squeak" sound when pressed (especially the two in the center: delay start and short mode).

I'm going to contact Miele and see if a tech can come out and take a look.

Here is how it looks installed with the side filler strips.

I've now done 5 wash loads (Friday-Tuesday) on the new unit.

I've used the Normal, Pots/Pans, and Quick Intensive Wash programs so far.

I have all the detailed times written out, but briefly the Normal has one pre wash, main wash, one interim rinse, and final rinse, then drying and door open, for a total time of 2:30.

The pots/pans mode is close to 4 hours with two 15 min pre washes, a 90 min main wash, two interim rinses, 30 min final rinse, and 40 min drying.

The Quick Intensive Wash has no pre wash, as it goes right into a 30 main wash mode, then a 8 min interim rinse, 10 min final rinse, and 10 drying.

Between them, Quick Intensive Wash is the most interesting, as it get it all done in an hour, and everything came out clean, but wasn't quite as dry as the other two models (due to the shorted rinse and drying cycle).

The pots/pans program is the longest and with more cycles. Out of them it seems to dry the best.

I also noticed louder (stronger) water pressure when using the Quick Intensive Wash or the Pots Pans. The Normal mode is the quietest with not as strong water pressure.

With all that in mind, I would say the Normal mode would get used most of the the time, since the unit is run later at night and doesn't have to be done fast. The Pots Pans mode would also be used on occasion when I want to make sure some items get cleaned well since it has the longest wash cycle. I would only use the Quick Intensive if I have a small load or I need to run it earlier in the day and need to done faster....but with that in mind I could also use the Normal program and press the Short option button which would reduce the time from 2:30 to 1:50.

I haven't tried the China Crystal or Sani modes yet, but expent them to act similar to the older Miele I replaced.

Talked to Miele a few days ago and they are going to send a tech out to take a look at the scratches that are on the front door and control panel, and with the buttons sticking with a "squeaky" sound when pressed.

When they looked the serial number up, they said it was manufactured in 2/2017 and left their warehouse in April. Which means it's been sitting in the box for the past year. Now that shouldn't effect it's work or of caused the scratches, since it was never opened or used.

But when I bought it at a discount, I was informed that it was a unit a customer ordered and then cancelled before delivery, so they discount it instead of sending it back to Miele with a restocking fee.

The person I talked to from Miele said they most likely will just order the parts to replace the stainless panel on the door, but might decide to just replace the entire unit with a new one from production.

@fauguy How was the issue resolved?

@anoop When the Tech came out, it turned out what I thought was scratches on the front door was really just "marks" what did rub off (uses Invisible Glass cleaner). But the areas on the Control Panel and Plastic Display Cover were scratches, so he ordered a new part (front control cover) and replaced it, so that solved the issue with the scratches. That was back in May 2018. This April 2019 I went to order the 5 year extended warranty, and for some reason when I called, the person said it was showing at a lower price (about 50% off) for this Serial Number. They weren't sure, and double checked, but the price was valid, so I bought it, which I would of done anyway at full price.

I haven't had any issues with the new Miele, but it's only 17 months old at this point.

The only thing that has happened a few times, is if it is washing, and the power goes out (1 second longer), the unit will then come back on but doesn't resume the wash cycle. You have to manually press the Start button. So if this happened in the middle of the night, it would be sitting there until the morning with the load not finished!

My unit from 2010 would resume the wash cycle again after a power outage, so I'm not sure why this newer unit doesn't. Maybe it's a safety "feature"?

Did you check with Miele about the issue after a power outage?

I’m considering replacing a GE that came with my house mainly because of noise. I was considering Miele because I have their washing machine and it works well. They also come recommended by wirecutter as an upgraded pick.