There should be no learning curve with a Miele dw. Mine is at least ten years old and I’ve never experienced any issues like you’re experiencing, no matter what brand of detergent or rinse aid I’ve used. It ALWAYS cleans well! Best thing to do is call Miele ASAP.

Thank you guys. With the old Kitchenaid we used Cascade Platinum with far better results than with this machine and it’s custom tabs. I will try Cascade again (already tried Finish Quantum, not good results). Sammy, I’ve been dreading calling Miele because I am figuring this is all operator error, especially with having pretty good success with their washer, dryer, vacuum, and laundry detergents. But I think you are 100% on target.

Sorry you’re not experiencing the joy of Miele dishwasher ownership, yet. Don’t worry, though, you will! ;)

Can you post a picture of this smearing you’re talking about?

I have already wiped off the smearing and rewashed the glassware before putting them away. :/

Luckily, most of the “stains” washed off. What I see left after hand washing is on the glassware, generally near the brim of glasses. It probably would not bother most people, but effective glass care was my primary concern with getting a new machine.

I will post pictures after the next round with the Lumen.

Who installed the DW? Most problems with new appliances are caused by installation problems and not product problems. Miele service did the installation on my DW when I remodeled last year. They don't leave till it is working perfectly.

It was a Miele certified installer. They installed it, powered it up, and that was about it. He said he set the water hardness to 22 (without testing the water) and then they took off. It was actually still at 1 g/gal which I noticed before the first use. Think he forgot to hit “ok” or something.

That is the Lumen in question. They said they couldn’t push it back further due to its square shape and an electrical plug that’s located on the end of the island (it’s out of view but it’s to the right up near the stone counter top).

Call Miele. Try to get them to send out one of their own technicians. Tell them about the installation issues (sticking out) and the problems when running it. Perhaps they can address all for you.

Will do.

On on a side note, cat_mom, your posts about the Miele washer, detergents, etc have taught me so much. Thank you so much. You and larsi-gw are so helpful with your detailed posts. Never thought I would get personalized advice from either of you two :)

Everyone here is so helpful and supportive.

From what I’m understanding, the receptacle issue is a job for an electrician, who can either move it or, if you’re lucky, replace it with a shallower one.

Come to think of it, my brother recently replaced his Miele dw with a new model and he, too, had some sort of issue right away that has since been corrected by an in-home service call by Miele. Hmm... Let me ask him what it was all about and I’ll report back.

It sounds like you got a lazy installer. Call Miele to fix the problems. I would have an electrician take care of the outlet before Miele comes back out.

I just checked the 2018 City of Anaheim Water Quality Report (based on 2017 data), which is the latest published water quality report, and there are three sources from which samples are obtained: the groundwater, the Lenain and The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD).

Total Hardness (grains/gal) results for all three were as follows:

Groundwater average amount: 19

Lenain average amount: 16

MWD average amount: 6.6

Could it be that the MWD results are what you need and thus should be what you’re programming your dishwasher to? If that’s the case, then that’s huge...maybe. :)

Wow. Thank you Sammy for all the help. I saw that report too and assumed to use groundwater value since it was in the range Anaheim told me, 17-20.

Sure enough, lowering the water hardness value (17) in the machine for the last load has given the best results so far, so perhaps the MWD value is what the machine is looking for.

I googled “lenain” and couldn’t find what that means.

I think I will change the value to 7 for the next load and see what happens.

Lenain - it's a water treatment plant - the value must refer to that area? http://www.anaheim.net/5137/Lenain-Water-Treatment-Plant

Well, Miele replaced the entire control board. Wash results are slightly better, but the cycle times: water levels, and even the energy used (as per the app) are all over the place. Also,

the app shows 0% for salt even though it’s full. More surprisingly, the clock/ display goes dark for a few seconds every few hours, followed by a click or two from behind the display.

Time to call Miele again or maybe directly call the service guy.

Update:

Well, they replaced the control board 2 times and the detergent dispenser once, then exchanged for a brand new replacement. Same strange white film.

Water tested at 21 g/gal, (they weren’t sure if their reading was 21 g/gal or 21 degrees, but set machine at 21 degrees, or 22 g/gal) using half Miele tab, RA, and salt.

Not sure what to do. The film easily wipes off, so maybe it’s just the way it is, even with a Miele.

As far as the service provided by Miele, I have to say 5 stars. They did require the multiple repair attempts before the exchange. The parts took a while, but once a replacement was authorized, a few days after the last repair attempt, a Miele concierge called and set up delivery within the week.

Some more pictures just in case someone can help figure this out.

I get similar results at mostly all hardness levels tested, 18,19,20,21,22 g/gal, even tried it at 1 g/gal. Tried RA from 1 up to 4. Tried the Miele tab at 1/4, 1/2, 1/3, and full. Same strange results. Tried Cascade Platinum, Finish Powerball: even worse. Tried the bio Claro tabs, the were better than the American brands but worse than Miele. So I’ve stayed trying to dial in the Miele tabs.

Try Bubble Bandit detergent. It has phosphates.

Hmmm. A phosphate detergent even with the Lumen’s water softener? I have some STPP and TSP. I know STPP is the best phosphate, but when I used some in the laundry from the bag I got on Amazon, the results seemed inferior to the liquid Calgon. So I figured it might be bunk STPP. The only good thing about the box of TSP is it’s a sealed, nationwide brand and true to form.

Long time lurker here but former Miele dishwasher owner who had a very similar problem with my LaPerla II when I first had it installed. For about 6 months I had issues with the glasses being fllmy with streaks running down them. Suspecting this was detergent residue that hadn't fully rinsed away, I tried adjusting and readjusting the water hardness setting, the rinse aid dosage, and went through every brand of detergent there was. In my research I discovered that on certain Miele dishwashers you could activate a second rinse after the main wash with help from Miele's Technical Service dept. I called them and explained my problem and told them I wanted to add an extra rinse.

They walked me through how to access the "Service Menu" where operating parameters can be adjusted. We turned on the extra rinse and water plus functions. The problem went away immediately. From that point on the Rinse Aid setting stayed at 2 and I could use any detergent I pleased and had beautiful results. I don't know if this is still an option or not but it might not hurt to call Technical Service and ask.

Well, tried:

- Bubble Bandit. No success.

- 1/4 Miele tab plus 1/4 tsp STPP. No success.

- 1/4 Miele tab plus 1/4 tsp TSP. Best results of the bunch, but I know it’s wrong to

use, plus the white film was still there, just less with really smooth feel the

dishes and glassware.

Called Miele, had them review my file and requested assistance with activating an extra rinse and/ or Water Plus. They are sending a tech out as they said it can’t be done over the phone on the newer ones.

Thanks to you guys for the advice. I’ll keep the thread updated.

This is such a bummer. We purchased two our first Miele DWs six months ago and have no problems at all. You, unfortunately, must have received a lemon. Good luck!