> Every 6 months you need to do this otherwise pay for a service call to do this.

Is this legal? It seems like an excellent case for a state attorney general to sue them. At least extract a settlement with promise to repair the software bug.

I don't believe this. It's illegal in many countries. No way a large German (after Dieselgate they all are very cautious) company like Bosch would make such a stupid move. If they did they'd face countless lawsuits and a ban in many countries (first would be the USA).

Not saying it was intentional

Also see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYwD8uqxSw4

The only thing I have ever heard about Bosch major appliances is that people hate them.

Their washing machines and dryers are best in class IMO. At least in Europe they still have a reputation for quality.

I don't know where you've heard this. As a European when I hear Bosch I think reliability and quality. I'd much rather buy a Bosch dishwasher/washing machine over any other brand, wifi or no wifi.

I love my Volkswagen which has plenty of Bosch parts in it.

I don't hear about Americans with Bosch appliances very often, but every time I've heard (I suppose until today) it was a very negative review. Maybe the American versions are different, or perhaps I've just run across a few dissatisfied people randomly.

I bet you would have said the same about VW before Dieselgate.

Stupid question but have you tried turning it off and on for a while?

It might be something simpler

Yep

> Bosch knows how to perfect asshole design.

This is actually pretty low on the asshole scale.

Consider: dishwashing-as-a-service subscription model. You get the dishwasher chemicals in the post - the dishwasher automatically requests the next lot when it feels like it - and there's cover for repairs; for this you can either pay a regular fee or make in-app purchases of WashCoin, which you then spend when you need to wash the dishes. Maybe add a gacha mode to the app to win bonus wash / rinse / self-clean cycles.

My favorite is my Bosh wall oven that uses 85C rated capacitors with practically no voltage derating for the control board that sits directly at the top of the oven. After 4 years, they gave out causing the display to dim to the point of invisibility.

We’re talking about 50 cents of part savings on a $3000+ appliance here.

Replaced them myself easily, but most people will end up having to call for service and end up replacing the entire board for hundreds of dollars minimum.

Actually no - I forgot about my Bosch dishwasher that uses capacitive touch buttons. Great idea for something that is often touched with wet fingers…

Capacitive touch buttons are #1 on my hate list for "inventions". They have all the downsides of touchscreens with none of the upsides, and they're imitating a control device so perfect that it basically hasn't been changed since its invention (the button).

Agreed - I hate captouch buttons, and would rather have physical controls every time. But in case you're curious why they're so common:

  1. They're cheaper than mechanical buttons.
  2. They're more space-efficient inside of the product.
  3. They are easy to waterproof.
  4. They have no wear-out mechanism.

Thanks, I intuited (1) and (2) but I hadn't thought about (3) or (4). I think waterproof mechanisms are about the only time I've encountered them where I haven't immediately despised them for total lack of haptic feedback and lag time between button input and device function--although that probably has more to do with poor system design rather than the limits of the captouch button technology.

My guess is that I associate them with lag because any control interface that cut corners on buttons probably cut corners on everything else, too.

Sidetrack, maybe a silly question: Under what circumstances are you touching your dishwasher with wet fingers? Plates are dry when they go in and dry when they come out if you have a decent dishwasher.

Capacitive buttons suck, but they are no worse in dishwashers than in any other appliance, in my usage at least

Plates are not dry in either direction really.

I like to rinse the plates off to remove larger food debris prior to putting them into the dishwasher. It’s not always necessary though.

Arguably speaking, physical buttons and wet fingers seem to be a way worse combination.