If I'm replacing a fully integrated dishwasher, is it just simpler & safer to get one that's exactly the same size to avoid any problems fitting even though energy rating is D?

[DullTopic]

My 20 year old Bosch dishwasher is not performing as well as it should.
We've been told it's not viable to repair.
I told Bosch, my existing model number and asked them to tell me the model which would match in size with the old one and they told me the model (SBH4HVX00G).
Unfortunately it is D rated.
I want to stick with Bosch because I've never had any real problems with them and most of my appliances are from Bosch for dishwashers.

Does the energy rating matter that much?
An A rated machine will save a couple of hundred over 15 years but they cost several hundred more.
I'm also not sure if my existing kitchen unit door cupboard that attaches to the dishwasher would would fit a smaller Bosch model.
Any advice?

Dishwasher sizes are standard unless they say otherwise, 60 or slimline at 45

Integrated dishwashers will all the the same size (for a full size model). Measure your space to double check, but there will be tolerance anyway. The door is the thing that matters most and you'll take that off your old one and attach it to the new.

Why are you dead set on Bosch? They're nowhere near as good as they used to be. And the specifications have been considerably reduced over time. I had a Bosch integrated DW which lasted for years. When it died, I was minded to get another Bosch but I had a look around anyway. I was really shocked at the quality of the internal finish on all the Bosch machines. The plastic was cheap and flimsy, the tines didn't fold down on the top layer, the configuration was different (and, to my mind, not that practical). When I spoke to our local independent shop they said that over time they have seen a real change in Bosch dishwashers, and not for the better.

If I were you, I'd look around a bit. The ones we liked the most were Grundig and Beko (based on programmes, configuration, quality of internal finish (how robust it looked/felt)), and we ended up with a Beko. It cleans as well as the Bosch, is much quieter, and has some nice extra features like an 'intense' zone which gets EVERYTHING off! (think baked-on edges etc). It's one of their more expensive models, but everything about it felt better than a mid range Bosch.

Integrated washing machines are likely to be more problematic than DW because if they're not perfectly balanced then they move. DW don't spin at 1600rpm during the cycle (and are fixed to the worktop and/or unit anyway) so they don't have the same problem.

Grundig, I automatically think of 1970 TVS.

Beko, I think of fires and I may be right

electricalcontractingnews.com/news/faulty-appliances-cause-43-fires-a-week-in-england-research-finds/?amp=1

I would go for Miele, will outlast your kitchen if anything like mine or my parents - outlasted the parents too!

The energy ratings have changed since you bought your old machine. It was too confusing. A D rating now is equivalent to a higher rating under the old system.

@DullTopic - Hotpoint had more than double the number of fires vs Beko, and Indesit also had a lot more.

Beko is the biggest appliance brand in the UK (in terms of units sold), so there are more of them out there, meaning they will always be higher up that list. Relatively speaking (in terms of number of fires per units in people's homes), Bosch will be a greater culprit, simply because there aren't anywhere near as many Bosch machines out there.

I wasn't saying 'you must buy a Beko, not a Bosch' - I was simply saying that I, like you, had in mind to get a Bosch. But when I looked into it they had changed so much in the 15+ years since I last bought one that I cast the net wider. Having looked at a wide range of machines, I bought a Beko.

And yes - I share your view about Grundig! But I was very surprised with what I saw in Curry's - their dishwashers were really good!

When we got a dishwasher we were advised to go for one with a steel base that would not warp like plastic (that was how the old one died). Got a Neff in the end (same factory as Bosch. I know about the Bosch-love). The standard 60cm cabinet doors fit nearly all dishwashers.