User Review Bosch SMS60L12IN Dishwasher Review

I was in search of dishwasher reviews for the past couple of years, specially from Indian users.
I couldn't find much except for a review or two on YouTube, but they were not in detail for me to take the plunge.

Finally I bit the bullet and bought a Bosch SMS60L12IN from Amazon for 31.5k.

I'd summarize few points which might be useful for prospective buyers.
This review applies to all dishwashers in general since all the models from different brands sold in India are more or less with similar specs.

Which Brand?
  • AFAIK Bosch, IFB, Siemens, LG & Samsung sell dishwashers in India.

  • Bosch has only one model in two colors with different model numbers.
    People quoted that the silver model is an upgraded one with water saving features blah blah blah.
    But I verified the specs and both are in fact color variants of same model.

    Siemens has a model or two IIRC, but they are priced higher and share 90% of the components with Bosch. Both are sold and serviced by same channels too.

  • IFB has 5-6 models, out of which all the models have 12 place holders except the top of the line Neptune SX1, which has 15 place holders. This particular model has extra pullout basket for small cutlery, which is of practical use. I later found out how significant this feature is (More on this later).

  • LG and Samsung sell one model each, which are priced higher and I doubt their after sales service w.r.t dishwashers.

  • I found build quality to be better in Bosch.

  • In terms of service I heard/found Bosch to be better, can't comment on the spares availability/cost of spares at this moment. There are many horror stories about IFB service, so I stayed out of this brand.
Purchase and Installation

  • For months, I pestered almost all major stores for a demo and no one gave a positive reply. Croma, Bajaj electronics have a Bosch demo dishwasher with transparent window to see how the dishwasher works etc, but they never showed interest in showing a demo as well.

  • All of them were offering a discount of 1-2 k, so I chose Amazon as I was getting it for almost 8k discount on MRP. These store guys were selling very old stocks, but the one I ordered from Amazon was imported in Dec 2016. I think all Bosch dishwashers sold in India are made in Turkey.

  • I got a installation request acknowledgement from Bosch on the very next day I ordered on Amazon. They had been following up for installation even before it was delivered from Amazon and installation was done within hours of delivery. Satisfied with the overall purchase and installation experience.

  • There is nothing complicated about installation, just connecting the inlet hose and proper drainage for drain pipe. The purpose of waiting for installation is more or less to verify damage and to avail warranty.

  • Also ours is a free standing unit, if you want to integrate this into kitchen, you might need to get some additional work done to mount the machine into place.

What are these three cleaning agents?
  • A dishwasher needs a combination of three cleaning agents. Using all three( Salt+Detergent+Rinse Aid ) is the key to perfectly washed dishes. You can use any brand of dishwasher cleaning agents, as long as they are dishwasher compatible.

    Bosch recommends "Finish" products, which are imported and cost a bomb when compared to other brands. IFB sells their own brand of cleaning agents.

    We personally use & recommend Fortune Products >> http://fortunedishwashing.com/
    They are cheaper compared to imported brands.
    I compared the wash quality with Finish and I couldn't find any difference.
    Many Bosch/IFB users gave similar feedback about Fortune products.
    They are not easily available in super markets, but you can order from their website or their Amazon store.

  • What are these three cleaning agents anyway?
    • Salt - Don't confuse this for normal table salt.
      This is special salt, used to convert hard water into soft water which prevents hard water stains(white powdery stains) on the dishes. It is mandatory if your water hardness is medium to high. Depending on your dishwasher model, you can adjust the salt dispensing levels.

      You don't need to refill salt for every wash, you need to refill once in a month or two based on usage.In our case, we use dishwasher everyday and we need to refill it once a month with 1KG of salt. Cost of refill is around Rs. 100 per KG.

      http://fortunedishwashing.com/product/fortune-dishwasher-salt/

    • Detergent - As the name suggests, these are detergents specially made for dishwashers.
      You need to fill the detergent for every wash, just like a washing machine.

      http://fortunedishwashing.com/product/fortune-dishwasher-detergent-1-kg-pack/

    • Rinse Aid - It is a special liquid used to reduce the surface tension of water, so that water won't stick on the dishes during rinsing. This actually makes a lot of difference to the final wash quality. If you don't use it, then the dishes would have water droplet stains and white stains.

      You might have to refill rinse aid every 10 washes on average. So a 500ml Rinse Aid should be sufficient for a month or two, if you use the dishwasher daily.

      http://fortunedishwashing.com/product/fortune-rinse-aid/

      You can buy a combo pack of all three, which is more in tune with the usage cycle.
      http://fortunedishwashing.com/produ...tarter-combo-pack-free-descaler-worth-rs-150/

    • All in one Tablets - If you are lazy and don't want to buy all three of them and refill every time. These all in one tablets come with a combo of Detergent/Salt & Rinse aid all in a single tablet. You will need to use one tablet per wash.

      Manual says that if your water hardness is medium to high, then you would still need to use salt in addition to these tablets. I've tried to use tablet alone and the results weren't great. Ended up using the additional salt as well. So I won't recommend tablets, plus these are costly compared to the purchasing the individual detergents.

      For example, this costs almost 1200 for 34 tablets >> http://www.amazon.in/Finish-All-Max-Powerball-Tablets/dp/B01ET6E9XE?tag=googinhydr18418-21

Stacking the dishes and Usage
  • You need to dump all left over food particles from the utensils. Soaking is not necessary for normal utensils. Wok's on which deep fries are done, would wash well with soaking.

  • Plates go into plate holders and large dishes go on bottom rack.
    Small plates, cups, small utensils go into the top rack. There is a free standing basket for cutlery into which you place all the ladles, forks & spoons. But using this basket is tricky, as it can be placed only on bottom basket and is difficult to fit in if the bottom layer is full. This is where extra basket in IFB Neptune SX1 comes handy. Otherwise you are forced to use the assorted holder in the top rack for placing spoons and forks.

  • All dishes should be facing downwards on the racks and should not be stacked on top of other.
    Stacking the dishes is tricky and time taking for the first few runs till you get the hang of it.

  • Once you are done stacking, check for the refill indicators. Only for the first use you need to fill the salt and rinse aid. Post that you need to fill them only if the respective refill indicator is lit.
    As I had mentioned earlier, refill cycle is roughly once a month for salt and once every 10 - 15 washes for Rinse Aid (100-150ml per refill).

  • Now comes the wash options, depending on the model there will be Auto, Eco and Intense modes.
    We normally use Eco and Auto modes and are yet to use Intense kadai mode.
    Since water temperature goes to around 70 degrees, we never risked using that mode owing to plastic boxes in the wash.

    Auto/Eco modes usually take 1.5 hrs for the cycle to finish.

    Unlike a washing machine, there is no lock for the door, no sound indicators for the wash completion.
    You can open the door in the middle of wash, it automatically pauses and resumes once the door is shut. But avoid opening the door as the vapor that spews out is very hot.

    Once the wash cycle is done, machine turns itself off without any buzzer.
Wash Quality
  • Aluminium, Wood and plastics which are not dishwasher compatible should not be used in dishwasher according to manual. I tried aluminium dishes, they got cleaned properly, but are slightly discolored and have white stains even after rinse aid is used. So I won't recommend using aluminium utensils.
    I've used wooden spatula's and wash is fine.

    Silverware, steel, glass and food grade plastics are washed perfectly. Shine on the utensils and the squeaky noise from the clean dishes is so satisfying.

  • Specially if you are using Tupperware boxes for carrying lunch, the difference in wash quality is reason enough for you to buy a dishwasher. Even those sticky oil stains are washed perfectly, leaving the boxes squeaky clean. When we used to wash the dishes manually, getting the oil stains from plastic boxes is a nightmare and oil stains never used to go off.
Power Consumption
  • This particular model is rated at 1.5KW, but I guess that rating is only for the heating element.
    Never calculated the actual usage, but should be on par with any washing machine if not less.
    There is no significant spike in electricity bill, so I never bothered to check the power usage in detail.

I will add a few pictures later today, of the dishwasher and utensils before/after wash.

My parents were reluctant to get rid of the maid and get a dishwasher instead. They were apprehensive about the performance earlier, but after looking at the wash quality, even they are on the scout for a dishwasher. Since I know the practical advantages of an extra rack, I'm pushing for IFB Neptune SX1 and will update this review accordingly if we end up buying that.


This is how dishwasher was delivered by Amazon. Luckily no damages.

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A few pics from yesterday's wash cycle.

Notice that refill rinse aid indicator is lit. It's been almost 3 weeks since last refill.

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After refill, with the indicator off.

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After the wash cycle.
Those plastic flap like things you see at the bottom of the pic is where you add the detergent and the rinse aid.
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Bottom rack, where plates and large utensils usually go.

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Top rack. Since the bottom rack is full and we couldn't fit the small cutlery basket, We had to improvise and use the Etagere for small cutlery.

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Notice how the stainless steel utensils are shiny. If you don't use rinse aid, there will be a cloudy layer of water droplet marks over them.

I'll do a set of before/after wash pics of dishes, once I get some time over the weekend.
 
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Hey all. Amazon no longer has stock of Fortune Rinse aid/salt etc. Anyone ordered from their official website? Any alternatives we have apart from Finnish?
Yeah, their products keep coming back in stock but for very less time. I always used to order the 5kg Detergent pack and have around 1 month's supply left. So maybe I'll have to order directly as well
I have and they delivered within 7 days. The only con is the minimum order qty is now 5kg but I'm fine with that.
How much was the delivery charge? I wonder if they'll ship to a small town like mine, but I hope they do.
 
I have and they delivered within 7 days. The only con is the minimum order qty is now 5kg but I'm fine with that.
Well it is fine, the con as in (for me). It is PITA to order these essentials on a regular bases. I think they no longer sell on third party sites like amazon/flipkart. I placed my first order from their official website. Got order details/number in my inbox/whatsapp chat (Customer care) is fairly responsive. Will keep you all updated :)
Yeah, their products keep coming back in stock but for very less time. I always used to order the 5kg Detergent pack and have around 1 month's supply left. So maybe I'll have to order directly as well how much was the delivery charge? I wonder if they'll ship to a small town like mine, but I hope they do.
Here you go bro :
 

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Those who have been using dishwasher for years, I want to compare notes regarding the detergent.
I have been using LG dishwasher from the past 2 months. So far I tried Finish Max in 1, Quantum Max lemon, classic powder. Fortune tablets, Crystale tablets.
The best is obviously quantum max, with worst being crystal and Finish classic powder dead last.
Yet to try IFB powder.

I seem to be getting fine white coating on some stainless steel vessels on all of the brand detergent. Very less on quantum max.

So any remedy to this, milk pans always have white spots on the bottom, very very less on quantum max. Milk pans where soaked for about 1 hr in cold water.

Setting used was auto, which has a wash temperature of 55c and rinse temperature of 70c, cycle time 3:15min(the last 50min it does nothing other then condense drying. This cycle consumes 1unit. While the intensvie cycle which has wash and rinse at 75c consumes 1.6units, this cycle obviously cleans better but not worth the extra .6 units .
 
I haven't tried any other detergent apart from Fortune as others felt expensive. The LG dishwasher seems to have very long wash cycles. In Bosch, I get great results even in quick mode which is just 30 minutes for a full load. Auto is 1h20 minutes which is the other mode I use. No issue with white spots and I don't use any salt either, just Rinse-aid. Have you checked your water supply TDS. Knowing you, I don't think that would be a problem.
 
I seem to be getting fine white coating on some stainless steel vessels on all of the brand detergent. Very less on quantum max.
Try using washing cycles other than Auto. Are you cleaning the dishes before putting them in? In the Bosch manual it says if you most of the dishes are too clean (or if you clean it before putting it in the DW) and only some are dirty the DW will select a non-intensive washing mode in the Auto cycle assumming the load is already clean. They recommend just scraping the foods and putting it in. Also you can try using less detergent. What rinse-aid are you using? Try lowering its dose or try stopping it for one cycle (dose set to zero). The rinse-aid is a product that remains on your utensils as it is used in the final rinse cycle. So it may also be the culprit.

I used Fortune and Finish in last 2.5 years and frankly couldn't find any difference. So now-a-days I use Fortune only.
 
Yes the vessels where pretty clean before being put into dishwasher. I am currently using fortune rinse aid. I do have finish and crystale rinse aid, which I am yet to use.
The only other options I have is power hungry intensive cycle and all cycles have sub options like high temperature 85c and steam, which I dont want to use because it reduces the life of the heating element and increased power consumption. There is eco option which uses 49c but thats not good, there is a 59min turbo cycle which also doesnt clean well. I am yet to use any of the downloadable cycles.

I have been using the finish detergent powder since 5 days now. 25 grams of detergent causes the vessels to feel rough, like sand paper, increasing rinse aid solved that. 15grams works but it doesnt remove stains from coffee/tea vessel.

Finish tablet and crystale tablets are phospate free. While fortune powder/ tablets and finish powder have phosphates, which is said to clean better but use of phosphates is banned in EU, US, Australia.
 
Fortune is now back available on Amazon as well. Could have saved 150 bucks on delivery fees but had placed the order a few days ago.
 
Fortune is now back available on Amazon as well. Could have saved 150 bucks on delivery fees but had placed the order a few days ago.
I am happy to know they have their own delivery thing going on too. Fortune is not available on amazon all the time + this is a combo pack :)
 
I don't think that anyone here would have these two dishwashers at their home to compare but asking nonetheless -

I have to buy a dishwasher and I have shortlisted Bosch 12 Place Settings Dishwasher ₹42k and
Midea Torrino 13 Place Settings Dishwasher ₹30k.

Obviously, Bosch is an established brand in this deptt and I have read many many positive reviews here and on team-bhp about how efficient it is at cleaning utensils, even for Indian dishes.. Do you think Midea would be as good at cleaning utensils as Bosch? Coz some people on Flipkart did mention that utensils need to be pre-rinsed, which in case of Bosch I don't think is needed.

..BUT there are a few very negative reviews of Bosch regarding their Service Support. I am from a Tier 2 city and I am really doubtful about the support I may get from Bosch. Though I don't have any idea about support from Midea (which is parent company of Carrier) either.

I was of the opinion if the Midea DW works as efficiently as Bosch's and its customer support is also similar to Bosch's, I could save some money and go for Midea DW. Kindly guide.

PS - I was about to buy the same Bosch DW before Lockdown for ₹28k from FK but the family didn't see any use for it then and thought I was being spendthrift and didn't let me buy. Haha.

Hi Thank you for your question.
I am a Bosch Dishwasher user and am very happy with it , it's been almost two years now.
I have never heard of Midea DW, hence cannot comment about it. I do not think it can compare with Bosch quality or support. Bosch is too huge a brand established decades ago. It takes a while for any company to excel in its area.
Even when Bosch was new it probably was not as good as it is now and probably had few takers. Midea DW has to slog it out, it has to prove its worth, if its really good then nobody can stop it from shining. I think you should not think of saving money rather think of quality and peace of mind for the long haul.
My experience with Bosch's support has been awesome!
 
I have never heard of Midea DW, hence cannot comment about it. I do not think it can compare with Bosch quality or support. Bosch is too huge a brand established decades ago.

I don't think the Size or Age of Brand matters here. Midea is sister company of Carrier, which was established in 1915. Bosch was established in 1885. Midea/Carrier alongwith Bosch have already been selling their DWs in developed countries for long.

They have introduced DWs in India very recently though. Since this particular model of DW is new, hence my query..

I am a Bosch Dishwasher user and am very happy with it , it's been almost two years now. My experience with Bosch's support has been awesome

Thank you for your response. I think I'll wait till the September sale to buy the DW then.
 
So the other day I was trying to look at service manuals or parts diagram for my LG dishwasher, while there is no issues with my machine. I do hear people getting HE error on their new machines, due to either water temperature heating above 85c or if the heating element fails.
So while researching about this, in the LG and even in Bosch if the heating element fails one has to change the entire motor and heater assembly.

So to those long time users who have used the dishwashers, how long did the heating element last and whats the temperature setting that you guys normally use.

Here is the bosch heating element and motor unit.
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Notice the 3 pins, thats the heating element, bosch could have easily sold this seperately but they won't.

But we do get them separately and it costs only 35$ vs the cost of the motor and heating element from bosch which costs $150+.


Now in LG I have not yet seen who makes the heating element but like Bosch its one unit but a different heating element, worst part is it costs $185 new. But the motor has a 10 year warranty, so will they replace the part if the heating element fails after the 2 year machine warranty gets over. I mean then don't sell them as seperate part but the motor which is part of the heating element as a 10 year warranty.
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Where as the older model Bosch and LG had heating element as a separate part, just like those washing machine ones. Seriously pissed they changed the design.
 
Unfortunately True.
On Bosch, it's an integrated unit, i.e. circulation pump with a heating element in a single unit.
But this has been the case since 2017 units as well, not sure which older models had a separate heating element though.

Fortunately, both of our dishwashers are going good so far.
One of them is a workhorse, where it's religiously used twice a day at full load, for the past 4 years.

The key to avoiding heating element issues is by keeping a regular check on the salt level and religiously descaling the unit monthly/bi-monthly.
 
Where as the older model Bosch and LG had heating element as a separate part, just like those washing machine ones. Seriously pissed they changed the design.

Cost cutting galore. Very few appliances are not cost cut any more. In India that would be Miele and Gaggenau. Even though the latter is from BSH, apparently the internals are very different.
 
But look at LG they claim 10 years warranty of the motor. But in their parts catalogue and part store, the heating element and pump together as only one part number. So if the heating element fail, where do stand legally on this 10 year warranty of the motor, or is one supposed to pay for heating element+motor cost despite the fact that the single unit has a 10 year warranty. Or will people have to make the motor to not work to get a heating element replaced.



Unfortunately True.
On Bosch, it's an integrated unit, i.e. circulation pump with a heating element in a single unit.
But this has been the case since 2017 units as well, not sure which older models had a separate heating element though.

Fortunately, both of our dishwashers are going good so far.
One of them is a workhorse, where it's religiously used twice a day at full load, for the past 4 years.

The key to avoiding heating element issues is by keeping a regular check on the salt level and religiously descaling the unit monthly/bi-monthly.
My usage is the same 2 cycles a day since may of last year. So yours going strong even after 4 years is encouraging and whats the input water like in terms of TDS, is it soft water.

I am trying to understand why some people machines get a HE failure error in just a matter of weeks or months after their purchase. Mine the input water TDS is below 250 after the monsoon rains its like even 10 TDS.
Cost cutting galore. Very few appliances are not cost cut any more. In India that would be Miele and Gaggenau. Even though the latter is from BSH, apparently the internals are very different.

Unfortunately Gaggenua is using the exact same motor pump/heating assembly as bosch/siemens. Miele does have a a separate heating element but that heating element alone costs around 100 euros or about 400 euros with the pump.
Looks like only whirlpool still uses seperate heating element even in their 2020 models. As usual their machines are always out of stock in india.
 
Got 14 Place Toshiba Dishwasher during the lockdown period last year as maids were not coming during that period. We used it for few months but after lockdown period ended we stopped using it as Mom said it is too much hassle to load all the utensils and then pick it again and also our maid started working again. The demo guys said we have to clean the utensils by water before putting them inside the Dishwasher. The unit was made by Midea, overall we are quite satisfied with the quality of wash and it is definitely better than hand wash. Initially we used the 2 hour 30 minute cycle but later shifted to quick wash that was only 1 hour 30 minutes instead. Looks like it will be used again during the upcoming lockdown in Delhi. Tried out various salt brands Finish, IFB etc. Overall IFB was cheapest and the best salt in my finding.

Model is DW-14F1 IIRC.
 
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Unfortunately Gaggenua is using the exact same motor pump/heating assembly as bosch/siemens. Miele does have a a separate heating element but that heating element alone costs around 100 euros or about 400 euros with the pump.
Looks like only whirlpool still uses seperate heating element even in their 2020 models. As usual their machines are always out of stock in india.

Hm.... The gaggenau website claims they don't share parts. Not sure though - I have no experience with them.

I bought a built in Miele 7150 for my new house. Seems to be a pretty decent model and is rated pretty high by consumer reports. Of course price is on a different planet compared to Bosch as it is a Made in Germany import.
 
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