Bosch SKT5102GB - design/quality issues

[Kentish]

So while you're around then, how hard is 18 degrees of water hardness as I'm just about to set up a new dishwasher and you have options on the salt usage.

Depends on the the make of dishwasher. Some have more robust softeners than others (which is usually governeg by the size of resin chamber and size of metering tank that holds the water to make salty).

Whereabouts are you in the country?

[cheezemonkhai]

Depends on the the make of dishwasher. Some have more robust softeners than others (which is usually governeg by the size of resin chamber and size of metering tank that holds the water to make salty).

Whereabouts are you in the country?

The dishwasher will be in Southampton.

Current plan was to set the mechanical switch to 2 (1 is low 2 is high) and then try and work out where to set the electronic level 1 to 10 (10 being high)

[Kentish]

What make?

[Clunkclick]

You set it how you want, it matters not to me. I can't be bothered with this anymore, since anything I put down you need to get confirmation. This is a car forum and not a white goods forum. If you want umpteen people to respond and give you lots to get confirmed then visit a white goods forum, and don't be surprised when the answers you get are the same as those given already. It is obvious to me that my 28 years in the trade including 13 years at a manufacturer means I know less than a desk jockey.

That's me told then. Gone away, never to make household appliance enquiries ever again Thinks . . . . . .alright then, may be next week.

You're correct, not being an expert I was just trying to canvass views to see if anybody had simialr operating conditions to me. I think its good to get a range of views.

I take your point about setting the salt dispenser to max, but, of course, there may be a downside to this. I was hoping somone might pop-up with the info.

Nick

Edited 16 April, 2010 by Clunkclick

[cheezemonkhai]

What make?

It's a current john lewis one.

Ta

[Clunkclick]

Kentish

FM. Already, slight intermittment screeching noise on new motor. Nothing to lose. Turned salt up to max (Beyond 3), screeching gone. Motor impeller seal breached already ? Salt better lubricant than calcium carbonate ?

Nick

Edited 24 April, 2010 by Clunkclick

[Clunkclick]

I don't believe it.

The e**ing motor has gone again. So this time, I've had less than 8.5 months use, with exactly the samr usuage pattern - once a day and salt setting turned to absolute max . This pure faulty design. Goods not fit for purpose. One for Anne Robinson and Bosch Germany.

Nick

I

[Clunkclick]

No ! No ! No ! > I've got the solution. I'll offer it to TG for dropping on a Morris Marina.

Nick

[Evening Star]

I bought a dishwasher for £5.

It's brilliant, 100% reliable, never broken down in 5 years, needs a refill once in a blue moon, very economic.

Sod a dishwasher, it's expensive to run with electrickery & special detergent pellets, rinse aid + salt.

[Clunkclick]

Yea, it can be done, but with today's busy lifestyles its 20-30 minutes a day that I could be spending doing something else - usually another outstanding domestic chore.

IMHO, it comes in the same category as washing and ironing clothes, hoovering and dusting, cleaning windows, house painting, cutting the grass - occasionally therapeutic but mostly time consuming necessary diversions which, with today's technology could be avoided or automated.

I suppose, I could get in a domestic, but it probably wouldn't be economic to do it more than once a week. There would be a substantial pile of pots, pans, crockery and cutlery after a weeks use. Alternatively I could secure the services of a HID (Her-In-Doors), but I understand that today's HIDs' are less enamoured than their forbears about the prospect of domestic slavery.So the only time saving alternative would be either eat out all the time - too expensive, or use disposable plates and cutlery, leaving just pots and pans to hand wash.

In the wider aspect, if the human race had determined in the past that everything was to be done manually, there would have been no industrial revolution, productivity gains or higher standard of living we have today.

Of course we could take the view that mindless domestic trivia is "Character building". But frankly, I can't see it getting on the curriculum of Eton, Harrow or Oxbridge and we all know what they do at the Bullingdon Club . I'm sure that we might find that even the PR web cam over "Call-me Dave's" kitchen sink became inexplicably inaccessible on 364 nights a year.

I'm not of the camp that would encourage manufacturers of white goods to produce such low quality output that it drove everybody back to the behaviour of an earlier era of economic development.

I'm just funny that way.

Nick

Edited 27 December, 2010 by Clunkclick

[Clunkclick]

Hello Folks. Again !

Its that time of year again. Yes, Christmas is coming and its time to put in another service call for repair of the dishwasher. Yup, sounds as if the main wash motor, that was replaced on 7th January this year, has expired again. Certainly the machine is not washing.

As before, its only been subject to light use, i.e. once a day - couldn't even manage a year.

If it is the motor that's at fault, then the year's warranty issued upon completion of the last repair still applies and Messrs Bosch GB will be meeting the £120 part cost and £99 call-out fee.

New machines come with a two year warranty. Clearly the replacement parts that are issued and fitted cannot even comply with that !

And they say that the imminent collapse of the Euro is going to severely damage international trade and set the World economy back 20 years . . . . . . . . .

I think Robert Bosch have stolen the march on that.

Postscript

Had the Bosch engineer in Tuesday who identified the main wash motor as broken and replaced it. Within an hour of the engineer leaving, the machine broke down again. Engineer attended this morning and discovered that the main plastic sump into which the wash motor fits was not forming a good seal(The engineer said this may have occurred because the motor had been replaced so many times). As a result the machine flooded the casing and had stopped. So that's at least a replacement sump and perhaps another motor. Even though the casing was flooded, the machine electrics kept on going and as said before the main wash motor is at the bottom of the casing (Where any flood water will eventually sit), is completely open to the damp and the whole system is not double insulated.

Both regulator and company need their collective arses suing-off for allowing crap like this to reach the consumer.

So far, the machine has gone through four motors, possibly five. With about 10 engineer visits. As they have all gone u/s whilst inside warranty they have been replaced free-of-charge. Motor's cost £120 retail (£75 Cost to the supplier, I'm told) and engineer time charging-out rate is £99 per occasion.

So this machine has already cost John Lewis/Robert Bosch £480 in parts and £990 in labour. For a machine that retailed at £350 in 2009 and probably cost no more than £120 to make.How do they make a profit if this is going on all the time ?

I've been advised by the Bosch engineer who has attended (Same one on all the occasions) that successive failures like this are unpredecented. Further, I've read comments about this motor on the Espares web-site that you can expect them to last 8 years.

So I have contacted the Chief executives of both John Lewis and Bosch by e-mail and have received a response. Basically all Bosch were prepared to offer was an extension of the existing part warranty to 2013 i.e. really no better than the standard warranty they offer on replacement parts (In the letter the Customer service person conveniently confused the main wash motor (£120) with the drain motor (£30) and offered the extended warranty on the drain motor).

I've already responded highlighting the error (Deliberate or otherwise) in her letter and stating that I want a brand new replacement as the machine is clearly not of "Satisfactory quality" with the meaning of the UK Sale of Goods legislation.

I will be writing again tonight, equipped with the engineer's report from today's visit.

What a bunch of dead-beat organisations. Has any body else had problems with Bosch products ?

As previously stated the current Bosch advertising capmapign plugs the Eco friendly efficiency of their dishwashers. Why bother, when you blow the manufacturer carbon budget with multiple service visits after sale.

Nick

Edited 26 November, 2011 by Clunkclick