SGS45A08GB ((36)) Bosch Dishwasher

Here are the steps you need to take to do the job properly:

1. turn off electrical circuit breaker to the dishwasher
2. remove 8 total hex screws (3 on each side and 2 at the top) of the inside door panel. The door panel will slide off so be careful and it happens pretty quickly when the last hex screw is removed.
3 ... Read more . unplug the wiring harness to the detergent/rinse aid dispenser
4. you need to use a flat head screw driver to lift the metal flanges on the top and bottom of the detergent/rinse aid dispenser.
5. the unit will pop out toward the inside of the dishwasher
6. insert the new detergent rinse/aid dispenser and very important all metal flanges are pulled back over the plastic edge (top and bottom) of the dispenser unit. The screw driver needs to be used to assist in pushing the dispenser unit as tight to the frame of the door to ensure the metal flanges grab hold and lock in.
7. re-attach the wiring harness
8. re-install the dishwasher door with 8 hex screws. Doing this step alone is challenging as the door frame will want to keep going up to close. I used a small foot stool and placed it inside the dishwasher front area on top of the inside metal door area so the door would stay open roughly half way. I then used my knees to prop up the outer door cover while i got 2 screws started then was able to easily complete the job.
9. run the dishwasher with a detergent packet loaded into your new dispenser. I checked for 15-20 minutes during initially running to insure no issues or leaks.
10. One last note - my Bosch dishwasher had a custom wood door installed to the outer panel to blend in with our kitchen cabinets. The door itself was much heavier as a result. Some of you may not experience the slight difficulty i noted above in step 8. Good luck.

To perform the repair, the door panel must be removed (8 Torx screws) and the door removed from the hinges in order to access the lower door seal. For this model Bosch and other similar models, the hinge springs must then be disengaged (safer) or kept from retracting. To disengage the springs requires removing the entire unit, disconnecti ... Read more ng the water supply, and flipping it on its side to disengage the springs. I chose the latter, keeping the unit in place, holding the hinges with vice-grips on either side, then removing the door. This was not easy and caution is required. Either method is risky with a 20-year dishwasher.
The replacement part does not fit as well as the original (much sturdier) part, but appears to seal well for now. Repair videos on the internet are for different, newer models where disabling the hinges as described here is not required, making the repair much easier. Recommend looking carefully at your model/manual to determine if the difficulty of the repair is easy or hard.

There are two ways to do this repair: the "right" way and the hard way. I chose the hard way, as the right way involves disconnecting the dishwasher plumbing, removing the dishwasher from under the counter, taking all the outer panels off, and disabling the door springs. There are good YouTube videos on this. The hard way doesn't invol ... Read more ve that -- but is not all that easy and I'm not sure I'd recommend it. The problem, in essence, is that to install the new seal there is now way to do it without taking the door off the machine and taking the door apart -- which requires that the springs be locked out, if not disabled.

I accomplished that part of it by opening the door, partially, undoing the two screws on each side which hold the hinges, taking the front panel off (piece of cake, with a Torx driver),slipping the door partly off the hinges, and then locking the hinges open with the pry bars.

There are an assortment of ways one could seriously damage either the door or one's self doing it that way -- the hinge springs are very powerful -- so I don't recommend my approach.