An honest review of Bosch panel ready dishwasher after using it for 2 years. Dishwashers with custom door panels could be a great addition to your kitchen. They feature a unique design that allows you to seamlessly integrate your dishwasher into your kitchen by matching it to your kitchen’s custom cabinetry. This ensures a clean, well-organized look that impresses guests and family alike.
Btw, this post is not sponsored by anyone, and I hope provides some helpful information to you! If you are interested in my kitchen furniture and decors, check out my kitchen resource page.
Panel-Ready Dishwashers For Your Kitchen
A few months back, I bought a Bosch 800 panel-ready dishwasher after my GE dishwasher broke down after 2 years. At that time, I’ve already heard good things about Bosch appliances and am very excited to try an integrated appliance with a custom panel to match my kitchen cabinets.
We bought our dishwasher from Home Depot and opted for the installation service. When the installer came, they were only installing the dishwasher, not the panel, even though we asked Home Depot whether they’d installed the door for us when we purchased it. Instead, they told us they didn’t know how to install it.
So we decided to DIY because installing a panel door doesn’t sound very difficult. During the DIY process, I encountered a few unexpected things despite the multiple video tutorials and instruction manuals I had. I want to give an unbiased opinion or review of the Bosch panel-ready dishwasher and the process I went through to install the unique panel door.
What is a custom panel dishwasher?
Custom panel dishwashers just act like other dishwashers, but with custom doors. They don’t come with the standard stainless steel door and you need to install a custom door to your dishwasher. Panel ready dishwashers come with a blank stainless steel door that can be fitted with custom door panels to match the cabinetry.
This lets you seamlessly integrate your dishwasher by matching it to your kitchen’s custom cabinetry, giving the kitchen a cohesive and polished look.
Especially for a small kitchen, do you want each part of the kitchen to look like a set, ideally the same color and style, instead of blocks of appliances with metal front (which can make your kitchen look smaller).
A panel-ready dishwasher is an excellent option for your kitchen. If I reno my kitchen again, I might get as many appliances with custom panels as possible. Except for the oven and microwave, I like to see what’s happening inside. Otherwise, a dishwasher is excellent for this, oh, and a fridge too.
Can I put a panel on my dishwasher?
The short answer is it depends on the type of your dishwasher. Not all dishwashers are designed for panel ready capabilities. The panel ready appliance is designed so a cabinet can easily be attached to the front.
If your dishwasher is not made for a custom panel, you cannot put a custom door panel on it. However, there are many panel ready dishwashers nowadays, such as KitchenAid, Bosch.
If you have bought a panel ready dishwasher, then the answer is yes, you can put a custom panel to your existing dishwasher. With a panel ready dishwasher, you can easily change the door panel. Simply remove the screw, unclip the door panel, and replace it with a new custom panel door.
Can you change the door panel on the dishwasher?
Yes, you can even change the color of your dishwasher by purchasing a replacement panel to coordinate with the rest of your appliances or kitchen design. It is much less expensive to replace the dishwasher panel than install a new dishwasher, primarily when the old dishwasher still functions well.
Pros And Cons Of The Panel Ready Dishwasher
Pro:
- A panel ready dishwasher will blend in with your kitchen cabinet seamlessly. It deemphasis kitchen appliances, and highlights your beautiful kitchen cabinetry.
- It is fairly easy to replace or repair if the door font is damaged. For example, if the custom door for my dishwasher is damaged, I could patch the dent and repaint the door.
Cons:
- You do need to pay a little extra cost for the door; My 24” x 30” dishwasher panel door costs a little over a hundred bucks
- You’ll need to either get the installer to install custom door for you, or DIY yourself which is not very hard.
Bosch Panel Ready Dishwasher Honest Review
I have been using the Bosch panel ready dishwasher for 2 years. With my experience, the overall quality has been great. It’s quiet (I use 44 dba) so the sound does not really bother you if you’re using it.
One of the biggest factors why I love this dishwasher is its durability. The engine is strong and the brand itself is known for its quality in making dishwashers. Even the salesperson who recommended Bosch to me guaranteed the brand after seeing my GE dishwasher break down due to an electrical outage.
The interior is slightly smaller compared to the non panel ready ones (about 2 inches). But for our day-to-day use, I’m still able to load everything in. Besides, the middle rack can be raised or lowered depending on your dirty dishes’ size.
How to get a custom door panel for your Bosch dishwasher? The easiest way is to go back to your kitchen cabinetry maker.
I have an Ikea kitchen and to make it look more custom, I used Semihandmade door fronts, instead of Ikea door fronts. Semihandmade is an online store that makes custom door fronts successfully for IKEA kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, which you can read more of my experience here. So to get my dishwasher a custom panel, I ordered a 24 x 30 shaker door from them and received it within a few weeks. Then I gave it 3 coats of paint, the same as my other kitchen drawer fronts.
Recommendations For Choosing A Bosch Panel Ready Dishwasher
With models for every budget, Bosch dishwashers offer a great balance of energy efficiency and convenience. Additionally, a range of features makes them ideal for most kitchens.
For sizes, Bosch dishwashers have a size option of 18″ W for extra small space. Unless your kitchen is tiny or you are buying a dishwasher for your camper, I’d recommend 24″ which is a standard size for dishwashers.
It also offers a few series to select from, and here are my thoughts:
- 100 series: The entry-level series with solid performance but upgraded features
- 300 series: Quieter and more capacity
- 500 series: Sharper look, faster drying, upgraded racks
- 800 series: Refinements and Clever Tech- this is the model I bought.
Each series costs $100-$200 more than the previous. Personally, I use the 800 series since the dishwasher is an appliance that I use everyday and it’s basically an investment for me. You may opt to look at the feature sheet, and compare it to make an informed decision based on your budget and what features you need. Or you can talk to your local appliance shop and ask them to help you decide – something I like to do when I get overwhelmed with choosing appliances.
Ikea Dishwasher Panels Options
Some of you might be wondering, “does Ikea have panel ready dishwasher options?”. The answer is yes. You can get both panel ready dishwasher and dishwasher door panels from Ikea.
As you know, I’m a big fan of Ikea(my Ikea kitchen, and my DIY Ikea window seat). I haven’t tried their dishwashers because I prefer companies specializing in making dishwashers. But I thought I would provide this option for you to consider.
Ikea ofers RENGJORD as a panel ready dishwasher. it is 24”, a pretty standard size. It works with Ikea kitchen cabinet fronts.
This is a good option for people with Ikea kitchen cabinets so you can use Ikea door panels for your dishwasher to match your kitchen cabinets. You can also just use the same Ikea door panel for other branded dishwashers – like Bosch. Just make sure to use 24×30 doors and you’ll be good to go.
Custom panel door Installation tips for Bosch panel ready dishwasher
Now I want to talk about how to install a custom panel door to your panel ready dishwasher, and share some tips on how to make the DIY process successful.
I’m going to skip the installation of the dishwasher itself, because without the custom panel, this dishwasher will be installed similarly to other ones on the market. What I like to focus here is how to install the custom door and what has worked and didn’t work for me.
Tip #1: Adjust the legs’ height
The Bosch dishwasher comes with legs which are used to level the machine and adjust the height. We had to lower the dishwasher to the lowest height possible, leaving a ~2” gap at the top below our countertop.
This adjustment was necessary for us. We initially went with the leg height it came with, but when we installed the custom panel door, the dishwasher door could not open fully. The bottom of the dishwasher cabinet door will hit the base.
This is something the installation manual didn’t not me. We searched online but there weren’t many search results. Eventually we figured this out after a few trials. This was one of the main reasons that motivated me to write this post so you can figure it out faster.
Tip #2: Avoid accumulating dust
After adjusting the height, there is an opening on the top. It doesn’t look pretty, and dust and specks of dirt can accumulate there. After all, it is a kitchen! So I cut a board to size and covered it up. So it will look like it was meant to be there and work with my kitchen cabinetry.
Tip #3: Cover the bottom base
Another customization you can make for your Bosch panel ready dishwasher is to cover the bottom base with the toe kick you used for your kitchen cabinets. I didn’t bother with it because it is low to the ground, and I rarely pay attention.
Summary of Bosch Custom Panel Dishwasher Review
Bosch panel ready dishwashers are a great piece of appliance for your kitchen, so you can seamlessly integrate your dishwasher into your kitchen by matching it to your kitchen custom cabinetry.
I hope my honest review was helpful if you are considering buying a dishwasher with a custom panel door, or you have found some helpful tips to make your installation of the panel door sucessful.
If you are interested in my kitchen design, here are a few post to check out:
Ikea kitchen honest review and cost breakdown
Ikea kitchen organization ideas and tips
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So far I think my Bosch and panel were installed ok but the installer said the panel is too light.
This means the door snaps shut–it cannot be left open part way to load or unload. The only
way to keep the door open is to pull out the bottom rack and open the door all the way to the
floor, Does this happen to anyone else? It’s going to be a nuisance (although when not in use
the panel looks great!)
Hi Anita, Our door is heavy enough that we can take open the door half-way.
I bought a Bosch Panel Ready Dishwasher model #SHV878ZD3N/24 from a retailer that went out of business. I just installed the dishwasher and found it did not have any of the mounting hardware for me to mount the cabinet panel onto. Where can I buy a kit for the installation of the panel?
Hey Michael, I haven’t purchased the kit separately myself, but you might want to contact Bosch to see if there’s retailers you can buy that from, or buy from them directly. They should have that available for customers since it is essential part.
Hi. We recently installed a panel ready Bosch 800 and soon after noticed the panel was loose: upon inspection we saw two of the longer screws had snapped. Our installer came back and tried reinstalling new screws but those also snapped!? Very frustrating as we now can’t use our washer until more screws come in. Is the panel too heavy ?? We can’t figure out why this might be happening ? We are even Hand tightening and with pilot holes.
Hi Stephen, we didn’t encountered this problem and it does sound strange. I would try replacing both long and short screws with higher quality ones, and contact Bosch’s customer service.