@Louis and Petek
Bosch in USA are made in a plant in either Georgia or South Carolina. One would think that the pump and other mechanicals are the same on both sides of the Atlantic. The features and design of the controls differs, however, as I've seen Bosch in European stores that do not resemble what they sell here in terms of controls (but racks appear similar). I should add that Bosch is by far the most common European DW brand sold here. Some large stores like Lowes (which are everywhere) sell them, which means that even people in smaller towns and rural America can buy them (as opposed to only large cities like Atlanta or Chicago or Grand Rapids*). It's also easier to find service and parts for Bosch versus what to us are more exotic brands like Asko or Miele. Miele is not uncommon, but there are more service companies here that repair Bosch than Miele. I think one of the selling points for Bosch is that you supposedly get European design and quality, but a brand that is widespread enough that it is easy to find servicing and parts (I don't know about rural America, however).
My middle-of-the-line model is from 2001 and has never needed a repair or adjustment. One of my patients owns the local appliance store in town (no, I do not enjoy special discounts....) and he advised keeping my old machine going for as long as possible, by that he meant if it needs a $150-200 repair, then repair it and avoid having to buy a new one for as long as possible, because the newer Bosch models that he sells do not seem to have the same durability as the older models. In addition, he said that final rinse temps have been dumbed down so that at end of cycle, dishes/glasses are still not fully dry, and his customers with new machines find they have to open the door and air dry the contents for an hour or so before they are ready to be put away. In my Bosch, as soon as the cycle is over, the dishes are dry, though of course the steel interior sides are wet. He said the cleaning ability is about the same, though cycles take even longer now to accomplish the same task (because they are using even less water than models a decade old).
*Louis, that is a joke for you. There ARE people in Netherlands who consider Grand Rapids, Michigan to be a "major" city of the USA. And let's not forget Hope College (Dutch Reformed Church college) in Holland, Michigan, which is not surprisingly a center for tulip bulb production in USA. In the 1980s, I remember that a friend of yours (Trixi) visited Los Angeles and urged Californians to buy and plant more imported flower bulbs. Apparently the Princess of Orange did not know much about California gardening: tulip bulbs must be kept in the refrigerator for eight weeks to simulate winter, then you plant in December, and you get them only one year. They don't come back a second year, unless you dig them up and store them in sawdust over the summer. Sounds like fun, no? I'd like to see her do that at Soestdijk or Huis ten Bosch. Ha! However, narcissus and freesia will survive year after year here, and freesia for us is an OUTDOOR plant. Not something in a pot on a Dutch coffee table in February that you look at while stirring your coffee and complaining about the weather.
(the national sport).
For the uninitiated, the women in the photo below are:
Left: then-Crown Princess Beatrix, today Queen of the Netherlands and owner of what has to be the largest hat collection in the country
Right: her mother, Queen Juliana, now deceased. Compared to her somewhat-regal (but popular) daughter, she had a very informal style in spite of being (at the time) the wealthiest woman in the world (Shell Oil and all that stuff). Unlike Queen Elizabeth, most of whose "wealth" is held in trust for the nation and cannot be sold (and is not her personal property), the Dutch royal family has very large stock and real estate portfolios which are "private" and "can" be sold or liquidated
