Bosch SMU68M05AU
Verified200 reviews
11 years, hasn’t missed a beat – Without fault or issue for 11 strong years. Used everyday, sometimes twice a day. Pre rinsing might be the key to it’s longevity? No fault codes, no parts to replace. Show details
Great design, poor electronics/sensors – This three drawer dishwasher bought in 2011 with cutlery up top is space-efficient, it has cleaned really well after rinsing items, and it delivered on the quiet operation needed for our combined kitchen dining/lounge layout. But the dreaded E24 false alert which started about 7 years ago is getting more and more frequent - about 60% of starts.… Read more
Thankfully youtube and blogs showed me how to check the impeller and remove any food pieces obstructing the opening to the pump but this has only been the cause in about 10% of instances. Lifting out full drawers of plates is a chore to do this, so it's near time for a replacement.
We also have the lockout issue where the door lock flips down while the door is open. Happens a couple of times a year but nothing that brute force with a large flat-bladed screwdriver can't fix.
I don't recall any problems with our Whirlpool or was it a Simpson in the '90s. But it was noisy!
It's not what I expected of a German-made machine and doubt that Bosch will be the replacement. A lot of research will be needed on a new one to prevent a dud choice!
Bosch "Lemon" DishWasher - Spare Parts Not Made Available by Manufacturer – Dishwasher washed OK up until if didn't. The Dishes were often not dry at the end of the cycle and / or dirty. The "stainless" steel panel on the door is of poor quality with rust marks present, so either a low quality alloy or was it painted ? Purchased in 2013 for $1200, one would expect 10 years for that kind of spend, but no. The Bosch… Read more
Dishwasher PCB Control module has completely blown, (one chip has visible burn marks) as cheap components on the PCB were used, instead of premium !! I was expecting to find spare parts easily to replace the PCB Control module, but NO Bosch has never made these part available and so the Dishwasher is now dead & soon to be replaced with a Miele. Its seems that Bosch has charged a premium price for this model and excluded using the premium parts and finishes (front door panel), shameful really. Bosch again ? No I think not.
Positive reviews
11 Years trouble free – We purchased this dishwasher in June 2010, and we like it so much I moved it to our new house when we moved 5 years ago. It is still working without any significant issue. Only thing I have found is a couple of the lower basket wire inserts have lost some of the coating which has allowed them to get some rust. This can leave some rust marks on… Read more · 1
cutlery which is a bit annoying, but after 11 years I am not going to drop a star for that. These inserts are removable, so all is not lost. It still looks like new, so I don't understand why others have complained about rust on the panels, and I have never had a fault code come up or a cycle not complete as expected. Will definitely buy a Bosch again when it finally dies. Really happy with our Bosch washing machine too!
nearly 10 years and still going – Purchased in 2011. The stainless steel on the front is not the best quality, painted to look like stainless would be much better than cheep stainless with rust spots. One of the plastic clips on the middle tray would not stay in place and damaged the plastic coating which allowed the tray to rust in that spot. Apart from these rather minor faults that we have had no problems with this unit and I would have no problem buying another one. Show details · 1
Trouble free and extremely quiet – Not a single days trouble, and excellent results since we bought this stainless steel model SMU68M05AU from the Good Guys in Oct 2012. It’s so quiet we could not tell when it was running, day or late night. Maybe it’s due to the combination of soft Sydney water, liquid Finish detergent and the fact that we brush food off plates while rinsing… Read more · 1
before loading, to avoid rotting smells developing before its fully loaded and time start up, usually every second or third night. We generally used the vario speed function with 65C hygiene rinse. Have hardly ever needed to check and clean filters or run a machine cleaning cycle. Great reliable product that does what’s advertised if treated well.
Negative reviews
Nothing but problems – I see that Bosch dishwashers are highly rated and I bought mine because of this. I have to say i've had nothing but problems since I bought it. Doesn't clean well, dishes smell, doesn't dry well. Constant error messages E22 and E25, a new motherboard, and now and E09 error and the heating element has gone - right before Christmas and no way of… Read more
getting it repaired in time. Based on this dishwasher I will never buy another Bosch product again. I've read other reviews and many state consistent errors. Bosch, i'm not sure where you are making your dishwashers but your quality is terrible. Last time you paid for the mother board but I still had to pay for the technician which cost me $225 because he had to do 2 visits. One to tell me it was the mother board which we already knew????? I see that even your new dishwashers are getting the same comments about error messages. Where is your quality control????????
Hi Suzy, Thanks for your review, we… Read more
Worst purchase ever – We went with Bosch because of the name. This machine is the worst advertisement for a good company. In the five years we've had it, it's been nothing but trouble -- doesn't clean properly, doesn't dry properly, constant error codes particularly E24 which indicates a blockage in the pipes. Paid for two tradies within 12mo to come service and… Read more
neither of them found a blockage but both suggested washing dishes off before putting them into the machine... where's the sense in that?! This machine is well priced at (approx) $800 but it will be a nightmare to own. Cannot recommend it at all. We're spending 3x as much to go with Miele now, which has a guaranteed 20yr running life.
Hi Mel, Thanks for your review, we… Read more (+2 replies)
Cleans well, dies hard and fast – Pros Good basic features and cleans everything well. Easy to clean the filters and machine easy to use and the dishwasher is a good layout. Cons....... Reliability if Bosch could work on making them reliable like they're name used to be known for it would be one of the top machines, but like countless others the control module died on mine just… Read more
after warranty ran out, the machine was in the higher price range when released and I feel your purely paying for the name, not superior parts/components, the replacement part costs nearly half the price of the machine not accounting for labour fees to diagnose then repair the machine
Hi Matthew, Thanks for your review, we… Read more (+3 replies)
Recent reviews
Good but sadly time for a new one – Bought our dish washer in November 2011. Nice stainless dishwasher and with 3 racks is handy with knives and forks up top. It's been pretty good to us but I'm now thinking it's probably worth replacing instead of fixing. The first fault 2 months old was due to the plumber only drilling a 5 mm hole in the waste pipe causing a blockage. I… Read more
re-drilled the hole to about 12mm. Next thing probably 12months in was a few broken clips where the plate racks fold on the bottom but that didn't affect the operation, just annoying. Unfortunately now it isn't cleaning to well. The filter has been cleaned regularly and I pulled it apart to try find a blockage or fault but couldn't find anything obvious. I'm guessing the circulation pump is getting tired and just not supplying the pressure any more (no fault codes). I could spend $300 on a pump but it might not be the problem. And after reading other comments it could be the beginning of many other faults that might start to add up anyway. Just over 8 years probably isn't a bad run but when you spend $1400 on the supposedly pick of the bunch it would be nice to get a few more years out of it. Especially when you see far older and far cheaper dishwashers still running without a problem.
Hi Matt L, Thanks for your review, we… Read more
Continual repairs – Bought new for my Mother, elderly living alone (i.e low use). Rinse Aid dispenser cover broke 3 times. Then electronics went could not select any options and would only do one wash. Then that stopped. Replaced entire control panel. Same problem. Bosch supplied new power supply, yet ro fit it. Show details
Worked great for about 10 years – The reason there are no good reviews are a simple equation that I shouldn’t have to explain Works great for us, just had recently an water inlet valve problem that we are getting fixed Normal people don’t post on their stuff that works I have found in the past, and this is getting worse that most call out repair people charge a big fee just to… Read more
turn up!!!! My last effort at getting someone out was Being told it will cost $165 just to turn up!!!! Then they charge per $15 minutes I told them I would rather fix myself or buy a new item and that was met with ‘Go for it’ I can only laugh as a tradesman myself that when things get tough these people go out of business My mum last year had an air conditioner company go out to her place to look at her obviously older A/C unit to say it’s to old to re-gas??????? Then boom $125 please!!!!! She refused as this was something they could/should have said over the phone.
I'm sure Bosch actually know this model was truly a lemon – Like all other reviews it would seem we thought we were buying quality - And I have to say I've had a lot of other Bosch appliances which generally are reliable but this dishwasher model is clearly a lemon - Absolutely no good reviews anywhere and I'm not about to alter things. Ours only lasted so long (about 2010 purchase) because we limped along… Read more
with a variety of work-arounds to the constant E24 & E25 messages - for YEARS (typically once a month then more like weekly the last 2 years), when there was clearly no actual problem. I'm fairly handy and don't like the throw-away culture we're expected to participate in but after a new error - E15 and actually finding water in the base - emptied and fixed (for now) but I think this machine has reached the end of the line.
Find out how Bosch SMU68M05AU compares to other Built-in Dishwashers
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Buy the cheap Bosch NOT the German Made – My Mum bought this disaster in 2012, hasn't been working last 2 years at all after going into Abel Appliances (Auckland) 2 times for new dispenser units from broken doors. Third time a tech came out and the control module in the top seems gone. Mums 80yrs and disabled on a pension. We thought this junk would see her out....what a trucking joke. Show details
Poor Reliability - Constant Error Codes After 2 Years – We purchased this dishwasher in late 2010 from the Good Guys in Geelong due to their great pricing for our new home after reading the great review in Choice magazine. The machine cleans our dishes well, however in early 2013 it would start to stop the wash cycle just after starting and display error code E24. We clean the sump filter after… Read more
every wash, and regularly ran finish dishwasher cleaner through it to keep it clean and smelling nice. We looked into this error and checked the drain pipe, water inlet & filter, and waste water pump impeller and sump for debris or obstruction but could not find anything. After a few months we had a local tradesperson come out and charge us $120 to tell us that it's either the main pump or control board and will cost between $375 and $800 to possibly stop the error from happening, but couldn't guarantee which one (or both) would fix it hence the up to $800 (if both were replaced). After a while we inadvertantly identified that it we opened and closed the door approx. 1 minute after starting any wash cycle, the selected cycle would run as it should. If we didn't do this then the dreaded E24 code would appear on the display and the wash would have to be restarted. We've tolerated this for many years now, as this was a minor inconvenience, and much better than paying up to $800 which did not guarantee further errors would occur on an item which was only just over two years old, but yesterday it is now giving us an E21 error code (circulation pump). We have run a diagnostic test cycle, and the dishwasher appears to work fine during this test cycle, and then presents the E24 code at the end of the cycle. We feel that this dishwasher was never fit for purpose and is now at the end of its short life (without having to spend an uneconomical amount of money on it with no guarantee that no further issues will appear), and it is time for it to be replaced.
We were expecting much better reliability from this Bosch dishwasher, given that: 1) It had an RRP of $1499 in 2010; 2) We have had good reliability from our Bosch Front Loader; and 3) My parents Dishlex dishwasher which I grew up with lasted 19 years for them before they had to replace it.
Hi Tim, Thanks for your review, we… Read more
Hopeless machine and customer service to match – Eight years with this dishwasher have so far cost us as much as we paid to buy it. It's had the same problems, and same assessments from our technician as previous reviews state. We thought we were buying quality and longevity - not even close. We approached Bosch via their Facebook page over a week ago with no response from them. We're giving… Read more
up on this piece of crap, and on Bosch as a company that demonstrates it values keeping its customers. We're buying a new dishwasher - not a Bosch - after paying an amount of money that we thought would keep it from landfill for twice as long as we had it.
Hi Linda, Thanks for your review, we… Read more (+1 reply)
Very disappointing for supposed " German engineering" – Purchased new about 5 years ago. Cleans dishes well but has disappointed us with constant breakdowns. Just after the warranty ran out the heater/pump unit failed, the part took 2 weeks to arrive and then another 2 weeks before the busy technician could install it. Then a fault every month or so e15, e22 and after looking for further information… Read more
online found that it was the drain pump playing up. Found the impeller had a small piece of string off a roast wrapped around it. Others online say that the impeller and pump are too underpowered and have seen a piece of lettuce leaf stop it dead. Fixed this myself and had about 6 months of good running but now it is leaking into the sump and found the source was the heater pump unit again. This is only a push on fit on the intake to the pump which as a technician myself can say is not good enough. Should have a clamp of some sort. My considered opinion is I will not be buying another Bosch dishwasher and probably never a Bosch product of any sort due to the fact they should know well and truly by now how to make a reliable dishwasher. As others have said. Junk.
If you do have one it needs better pump sealing on both the heater /pump unit intake and outlet lines(either flange sealant or clamps) and on the smaller twist fit drain pump.
Hi Greggo, Thanks for your review, we… Read more (+3 replies)
Waste of money – I purchased this Dishwasher to replace my 14 year old one that had packed up in 2012. When I purchased it, I did some shopping around and was told that BOSCH was one of the best dishwashers on the market, so I put my trust in this appliance. 6 years later, I have had one fault after another. Last September my dishwasher had a fault (E22), and now… Read more
I have an E09 fault. I already called out a technician last year in September and had to wait 2 weeks before he came out and paid for his visit and repairs, to only find that I have another fault. I can’t keep throwing money at this dishwasher. Had I known that it was going to be unreliable and cause this much trouble - would I have purchased this brand and model....NO......
Please don’t fob me off with a generic email...as I have read other reviews. The ACCC states that “you have the right to ask for a repair, replacement or refund under the Australian Consumer Law.” According to the ACCC this is considered a major problem and defined as “A product or good has a major problem when: it has a problem that would have stopped someone from buying it if they’d known about it“....
Post script...I was contacted privately and extended the invitation to contact BOSCH. I did this and spoke to a lovely lad based in the UK. She could not do anything and so it was a pleasant conversation and no action or remedy was provided. I will not be purchasing one of these again or recommending it to friends, family or colleagues.
Never Again – I’ve been a long time fan of Bosch Appliances and have purchased quite a number of kitchen appliances for my home and my mothers. This dishwasher has worked well and we paid a premium for it as it was “Made in Germany”. I didn’t expect it to die so soon. Error E04 which I’ve just learned from this forum and others is a common problem which has… Read more
cascaded into an approx $700 repair with several parts requiring replacement. Just over 5 years on a premium dishwasher just isn’t right. I’d have been better off buying two or three Chinese dishwashers and just changing them over as they failed and still been in front. You can bet my next dishwasher purchase isn’t going to be a Bosch. I’m very disappointed.
Hi GlenP, Thanks for your review, we… Read more
Bosch SMU68M05AU – This dishwasher was nothing but trouble after five years. Just typical once my extended warranty ran out. The E15 fault, I did everything from tilting machine to checking polystyrene float that activates a switch in case of a water level in the base. I bought a Bosch thinking i would at least get ten years out of it. Not to be! Show details
Hi Pay, Thanks for your review, we… Read more
Terrible dishwasher, Constant Faults and breakdowns – I purchased the Bosh SMU68M05AU/44 in 2012 and have had constant issues. I continuously get the Error Message E24. We have had to have it fixed several times which is very expensive. I am very disappointed in the BOSCH appliance and would have expected a much better product considering what I paid for the dishwasher. Show details
Hi Lee, Thanks for your review, we… Read more
Absolute disaster – Purchased 2012 and had continual errors since. It has also decided to switch off at its discretion. Paid big money for quality and only got problems. Will need to replace but Bosch will be far down our list of due diligence checks. Very disappointed with a so called quality product. Show details
Hi Ken S, Thanks for your review, we… Read more
Find out how Bosch SMU68M05AU compares to other Built-in Dishwashers
Know better, choose better.
Appalling piece of junk – Purchased from Good Guys in 2012. Have suffered various error codes over the years. E24, e15 etc. this time though we have an e04 and apparently that is the end of the line for it as this means it’s a power/circuit board. Paid over 1200 for this machine which is clearly not fit for purpose. Bosch customer service was just, oh well, you will need… Read more
to pay for a service call out. So, back to the retailer and fingers crossed they come good under Australian Consumer Law which is designed to protect against this sort of rubbish.
Hi Simon, Thanks for your review, we… Read more (+1 reply)
good for 6 years then suddenly power died – we bought a bosch for $1297 6 years ago on the assumption it was high quality and reliable. suddenly after 6 years the dishwasher power module failed. 400 bucks to replace plus Labour to diagnose and repair. very poor experience. thought we paid for reliability at a premium. l would have at least expected 8 years Show details
Hi Kwaman, Thanks for your review, we… Read more
E:15 – The pros of this machine. Great wash, quiet, large capacity and it kept going until now. 8 yrs we had the machine which I thought was a good innings Cons... like other reviews... e15message at the end of a wash cycle. Service guy came out, put on a 30 min wash and said everything is okay but it could be the motherboard. 400 to replace. Um no… Read more
thanks.
As for buying a Bosch again. I would. Tech evolves and surely 8 yrs on German engineers have rectified these sorts of problems.
Remember nothing is built to last these days but I like to buy fairly informed after doing research.
Hi Love a Bargain, Thanks for your review.… Read more
Poor value for money – Took out extra warranty, so 5 years peace of mind. Just as the 5 years mark passed , started getting E15 faults, googled the problem, tip machine at an angle, worked for a wash or two, then E15 fault returned. I was told the wash motor is on its way out, will cost in excess of $400 to replace. Paid over $1300 for this machine. Will never but Bosche again Show details
Hi Pete, Thanks for your review, we… Read more
Horrible wish I had never purchased! – We have had this dishwasher for just on 5 years. Over the last 3 years we have been getting errors, The most common one is E15 which means the seal might be going and luckily also thanks to YouTube as another reviewer said has lots of repair videos and my husband is very handy with his hands we were able to fix temporarily but now we have the… Read more
dreaded E09 error which means a new heater and may as well replace the seal at the same time since we are there but how long will it last after we do the repairs. This isn't the first crappy Bosch product we have had. We also had a washing machine which after 4 years of use the heater died and the brushes kept wearing out very quickly. We replaced the heater and the brushes and kept it going until it finally died about 2.5 years later. As other people have said we spent the extra money believing that Bosch was a good trustworthy brand that would last but from my experiences now i would not recommend Bosch to anyone and would advise them to not waste their money on any Bosch product.
Hi Liv, Thanks for your review, we… Read more (+1 reply)
Wouldn't buy a Bosch again – It does an ok job of cleaning the dishes but we have had regular E9 and E15 error messages since we bought it which "thankfully" many other people had had the same problem and posted the fix on youtube because the instruction manual was useless and the one time we called out a technician he didn't know how to fix it. The top shelf raises and… Read more
lowers which seemed great when we bought it, except to fit full size plates in the bottom area you need to have the top shelf in the raised setting - but then bowls and side plates don't fit on it.
Would not buy a Bosch again, we had our old Westinghouse dishwasher for over 10 years with no problems and have only had this for about four years with continuous problems. Will be replacing it shortly even though technically it still works.
Excellent – Great dishwasher.. love 10 piece setting with extra spot for cutlery on top sliding tray instead of regular basket below. Family of 6 and does hold extra space. Had 2 drawer fisher Paykel previously loved design but was not reliable,had 3 repairs in its lifetime approx 7 years. Sometimes drying quality reduced if too many plastic containers in same wash. Show details · 1
Just like other reviews of this model - terrible – Worked well for a while then regular error messages followed by the pump breaking entirely. To get a Bosch repairer out at a time of any convenience was impossible. Was told by independent repairer that repair would cost approx $450 - phoned Bosch...a waste of time. Am now looking to buy any other brand tomorrow. Show details
Not worth Paying the extra for German made – The company gloats on being Reliable but it is just the opposite. Had this machine for jut over 4 years and has broken down twice now. Comes with error 11 and no water heating. From what I am reading it looks like the heater which is an integral part of the main water pump and of course it is expensive. Waiting for the repair man to come… Read more
tomorrow and if the cost is true I will purchase some other brand will take bosch to Disputes tribunal. If they have designed a machine with most parts incorporated in one unit, it is up to bosch to make sure the parts are reliable.
Bottom line don't get fooled for buying a product made in Germany and paying extra for it. Buy a cheap brand.
Error terror – This machine worked fine for around 4 years then e15 and leaks have plagued us ever since. Basically tilt it and reset daily. It has turned me off Bosch and am waiting for it to be picked up to go to the dump. Made in Germany just doesn’t mean much anymore. Have switched to Miele and hoping for more than 5 years service from an expensive appliance. Show details
Hi Clynt, Thanks for your review. We're… Read more
Worked Well for about 2 years then issues – It worked well for about 2 years. Then it was intermittent in operation. Extremely light use, so very surprised that this unit has failed. Jan2017 - Stopped working and had a service tech - supply and fit new sump repair kit - total cost $145.20. We are extremely careful with the unit, as we have all of the connections clear of any kinks… Read more
and a clear path to the unit. Recently over the last 6 months we have been getting the E24 - water issue. So I carefully checked the water inlet - no issues - other than seeing no water in the inspection window of the hose - I suppose it is the solenoid. Left it for about 2 months, hand washed everything, and then decided to have another go. It all worked well and ran about 6-7 washes and then it all started again - E24. TIme to call the service tech experts - however if the unit - fails after being repaired- no more BOSCH.
After writing this review I got the unit to work 1 x time
Considering the light use that this unit has received over the years - I expected more from Bosch.
Service Tech arriving in a few days - after calling Bosch for resolution.
Will give you updates - on this unit. I know that it has been discontinued - however if anyone was to see this dishwasher they would seriously ask me, if I had ever used it. Very light use.
Had Service Tech come in from Bosch, and they found that there was an issue with a kinked hose,… Read more (+8 replies)
Has been a good machine - but heater failed at 41/2 years – This has generally been a good machine. A few internal bracket parts have broken and the drain seems to clog up too often and not drain properly. However the heating element has just failed at 41/2 years. The repair man also said that the heater is connected to the water pump so all needs to be replaced and the sump seal has also gone. all up… Read more
about $500 repair. Our last dishwasher lasted 20 years, so very disappointing and wondering whether to repair or replace.
Was good till failure at 4 1/2 years – It was great till a few of the plastic rack brackets started to break a couple of months ago, filter retainer broke as well 4 1/2 years and code ER09 heat element which is part of the pump bosch service today $200 for the pump plus callout $88 and $60 for extra time but it may not fix it will probably need a power board as well $271 another $60… Read more
labour for that
it's a major failure and am about to exercise my consumer rights for replacement or refund
I can buy a Samsung new as my son has done for $655 and it's just as quiet and cleans the same
My last dishlex lasted 15 years
Has been replaced for a brand new unit with the same specs by Bosch under warranty with no hassle and has restored my faith in them.
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Hi Dominick, Thanks for your review, we… Read more