Great Expectations: A New Miele Dishwasher (With Racks that Rust)

A new Miele dishwasher to the rescue! I have great expectations after a decade of “dishwasher hell” with another brand. (Please see my update below.)

If you follow me on Facebook, you might remember my desperate plea asking you about your dishwashers: which brand you own, how long you’ve had it and if you’d recommend it, along with any information on customer service.

Disclosure: Miele has agreed to provide me with a dishwasher so that I can write about it and inform my readers about my experience as a Miele owner. I intend to review the dishwasher and honestly report my findings on my blog; and as always, my opinions are solely my own.*

UPDATE (April 10, 2021) Unfortunately, I can no longer recommend the Miele brand due to the most terrible experience with Miele customer service from beginning to end (ending with contacting the US and German headquarters). Although my dishwasher is still working brilliantly, two of the racks have major rust (after only 6 years) which will soon have to be replaced at the cost of more than another new dishwasher ($800 for 2 racks). I was ignored by so many Miele personnel that I am absolutely stunned that any customer would earn this treatment. It is clear that they simply do not care about customer service, which is extremely disappointing.

Everyone’s responses were so incredibly helpful (much more so than that “popular independent rating company”) and I now want to follow up with all of you about what has transpired since then.

After reading all your advice, there was only one brand which stood out from the rest. It had several very strong recommendations and positive comments from readers: the German company, Miele. One reader’s comment, “Let us know what you decide and how you like it after you get it!” gave me an idea to contact Miele about what had unfolded on my page.

A New Miele Dishwasher

I asked Miele if they’d like an opportunity to put their dishwasher to the proverbial “test” under the scrutiny of my readers, and they agreed. This alone spoke volumes to me, and I thought, “They have so much confidence in their product, that they have no qualms in showcasing it under these circumstances.” That’s a good thing!

My Dishwasher Story

To give you some background information, about ten years ago we completely renovated our small galley kitchen which included knocking down an exterior wall and buying all new appliances. My husband built all the cabinets by hand and we paid close attention to every detail because this was going to be my dream kitchen. I even designed some of those details myself (see photo below).

However, neither one of us was an expert in kitchen appliances. So we did what many other homeowners do in this situation and bought a membership to a popular independent rating company. We incorrectly assumed that their information would be the most unbiased and helpful.

Unfortunately, out of the four appliances we purchased, I have only been satisfied with one of them. I cannot tell you how disappointing this has been, especially since I practically live in my kitchen. To say my appliances are “well-used” is an understatement.

One of those appliances was a Bosch dishwasher. Bosch came highly recommended by the rating company, and relying on their expertise, I thought it was the brand to buy. One of the things that appealed to me most was that it was supposed to be quiet. However, I could never run the dishwasher when company was over, as it could easily be heard from the dining room!

Most importantly, I was so incredibly disappointed in its inability to wash dishes properly. More often than not, dishes would have to be rewashed by hand, wasting a large amount of water. When my mother would come to visit, I would absolutely dread her complaints. She always complained about my dishwasher, but I really couldn’t blame her.

Early on in our ownership, customer service was no assistance, whatsoever. However, about two years ago a Bosch repair man recommended that I change my detergent, which I did. It helped for a very short time, then the problems with dirty dishes started again. Emails to the company netted a list of things to do, but nothing helped. Just a few weeks ago it appeared that the heater had stopped working. (There was no hot water or steam when I opened the dishwasher mid-cycle).

The soap dispenser also needed to be replaced as the lid would not stay shut. So for the last few times I used it, I’d been “judging” when to throw the dishwasher tablet in. Last but not least, the on/off button was getting stuck in the “on” position. According to the repair man, it was very likely going to cost a minimum of $400 to fix, and knowing that we were approaching our dishwasher’s average life expectancy of around 11 years, we decided against it. This seems ironic because how do you repair something which never worked correctly in the first place?

It was time for a new dishwasher, which was when I wrote to you, my readers, for advice because from my current research I was once again reading that Bosch was the way to go. However, many of you had similar experiences with this company, and it was definitely a brand to avoid according to a lot of your comments.

Miele to the Rescue

So when I tell you that I’m excited about the fact that a new Miele dishwasher will soon be arriving, after years of dishwasher disappointment and weeks of hand washing all of our dishes, you truly cannot imagine my joy and the great expectations that I have! This is especially so, after researching the Miele company and its dishwashers online, and being able to see some of their products in action at the Dwell on Design show, here in Los Angeles last week.

Miele’s history is one of quality. You know I always promote quality ingredients and products, and Miele is right in line with that ethos. When I saw the Miele appliances last week, I was truly in awe. You probably never knew that one could be in awe of appliances, but I was.

Then came my next thought: I was thinking that I wanted their fridge, and their cooktop. The Miele steam oven looked amazing with MasterChef settings for different types of bread that are programmed just like an iPhone! This was truly in appliance heaven!

The California Drought and Water Conservation

But I digress, back to the new Miele dishwasher. Of course, my top two requirements, given my past experience, are that my new dishwasher will wash dishes properly and be quiet. However, I also am extremely concerned about water usage, given that I live in LA and we are in the midst of the worst drought that our state has ever seen. Time magazine’s headline from an article just six weeks ago reads,

“Entire State of California Facing Worst Drought Since Tracking Began.”

Not only are we advised to cut back a minimum of 20% on water usage, as per the governor of California. There are also mandatory limits on when we can use our sprinklers, wash our cars and varying rules depending on one’s location in the state. Our hills and mountains are completely dry and brown due to the lack of rain over our winter (rainy) season. We expect no rain until November at the earliest. The effects of our drought really hit close to home when a brush fire broke out in the hills near my house last Sunday. The local news station even used my footage of the fire.

Even if you live elsewhere, you can understand how important and serious water conservation is in California at the moment. I might add that the Department of Water and Power recently sent us a letter informing us of a proposed rate increase for water, so you could say that choosing a water-wise dishwasher is extremely important to us. Miele eliminates the need to pre-rinse your dishes, saving an estimated 3500 gallons of water a year! I’m so excited to have a new Miele dishwasher for all these reasons.

Great Expectations

What am I most looking forward to besides a quieter kitchen, clean dishes and a lower water bill? I’m really looking forward to having a high quality dishwasher, with a third rack for cutlery. This will give me more space for my never-ending parade of dirty dishes and pans. I’m also hoping for a long problem free future with what I hope will be my new favorite appliance. (Miele appliances are built and tested to last 20 years),

So stay tuned!

Oh, and if you are curious, when you visit Miele’s website notice the German words, “immer besser,” below their logo. They translate to, “forever better.” (April 10, 2021, EDITED TO ADD: except for their customer service.)

Don’t miss another recipe or travel post; sign up for my free subscription below!
I promise not to sell or share your info, ever.

And in keeping with the German theme, here’s a sneak peek of a recipe that I will be posting soon. This recipe was inspired by my trip to the German markets in Cologne last December~

Mushrooms with Garlic Sauce

Stay tuned to hear about my new Miele dishwasher!

*I will be provided with a new Miele dishwasher in exchange for my review and posts on my blog. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone. As always, I only recommend quality products and services that I truly believe in and would purchase and use myself. There have been no conditions stating that the reviews must be positive; I am disclosing this in compliance with the FTC’s regulations. 

If you would like to see my clip of the brush fire, click here; it begins at the 1:00 minute mark.

 

new miele dishwasher review