Bail out the dishwasher. It's not a barrel of fun.

After going years without a dishwasher, I immediately fell for this Bosch dishwasher (Stainless Steel Bosch Appliances 24 in. Built-In Dishwasher with SENSOTRONIC™ Wash, Model SHX46A05UC). It cost much more than I had budgeted, but I figured I could find a less expensive fridge (who needs a post-grocery shopping quick chill mode anyway?) and spring for it. I lovedthe Bosch's minimal look with all the controls tucked inside the door and its ability to manage plates and wine glasses on both racks, perfect for parties.

Whenthe dishwasher was installed, R* and I had a running joke about not being able to tell if it was on our not, that's how quiet it ran. And all my dishes, even bowls with dried chocolate frosting stuck to the sides and a Pyrex meatloaf pan, came out perfectly clean.

Until about a month ago, I only had one quibble with the dishwasher: At the end of the cycle it beeps and beeps. If you don't come running to shut it off, it keeps blaring like an alarm clock with a snooze bar gone wild. I learned to babysit the beeping and then found out that some models flash a red beam of light on the floor, rather than giving an audio alert. If you're dishwasher shopping, look for that feature.

Now I have two much bigger concerns. I bought this dishwasher from Sears late last summer for almost $1,000 and had it installed in November. After less than eight months of light use, it isn't draining or drying the dishes and there is a crack in the plastic surrounding the on/off switch. Water can seep through this crack into the digital control panel.

Sears repair center (1-800-4-MY-HOME) has been difficult to deal with on this repair project. Since I work during the week, I need them to come on weekends. They, of course, are booked 3-4 weeks out for weekend service and the Long Island-based repair people don't like coming to Brooklyn. Last time, we stayed at home a whole sunny Saturday and when repair guy showed up at 6 p.m., said he had to order parts and would be back in about three weeks.

Finally, tomorrow's the day. I called Sears tonight to confirm. Mrs. Palmer in Texas, a supervisor at Sears customer service who appreciates "one more chance to get this right", told me that I'm the first stop on the repair team's run. I'll let you know what happens.

"Tub won't drain" says one reviewer who also had a bad experience with this Sears "lemon." Does anyone else have a problem with this or another Bosch dishwasher? I thought I did my homework before I bought this appliance, so I'm so disappointed.