Very nice and very expensive.

That seems to be the verdict. They are the OEM units from Bosch/Themador/Gagg with some improvements (easier install, etc.). For our two units, it clocked at cool $12K from what I recall so we passed on it and went with Thermador.

BTW - the Miele's are not easier to install than their cousins. At best it's a wash, the level system and tip bracket is the same. The panel holders are different and the Miele is quicker to start , but if you don't get it perfect and it needs adjustment the whole thing has to come off the unit. Trust me they all need adjustment when placed next ot cabinetry. The others allow a greater range of panel play with the door on the unit.

We have the Miele30" fridge and `18" freezer. We have had 2 service calls, one for a non functioning ice maker and the other for noise. Both services were done without having to remove the units; the service tech indicated that everything but the compressor can be serviced from the front. The install was easy; although this was the first Miele the installers had installed so there was some time waste on the phone with Miele. The units themselves are bright and roomy. The ice maker seems small compared to American units; however, we have yet to run out of ice. The shelves are easy to adjust and hold a lot. I was steered away from the Thermador by our seller because of compaints on installation time and repairs , but others here don't seem to agree. I choose the miele because I wanted the compressor on the bottom not up by my head. With the side by side , sub zero has the compressor on the top. I hadn't been pleased with another bosch appliance so didn't want bosch, and there were questions about the thermador. That left Miele. I didn't intend to get all Miele appiances, but it turned out that I did with the exception of the cooktop.

Beautiful, yes. Pricey, yes. Worth it? Only you can say. But, what really bugged me is that the standard warranty is one year. For a 10K fridge (36"), I'd like to feel a bit more secure. We're going with the Liebherr.

"I was steered away from the Thermador by our seller because of compaints on installation time and repairs , but others here don't seem to agree"

Now it seems your sales weasel is/was either: ignorant, stupid,or had some other adgenda doesn't it? The units are no easier or harder to install, they are pretty much the same in that regard. Need repairs, so much for the vaunted "Miele" eh? Look I'm a Miele fan and that unit is prob. the best of the 4 cousins, Gaggenau might be a tad better if your aestetic eye leans towards a commercial look. Miele's service is heads above all of them, but to say what your sales guys did is just flat out wrong.

Venice - what is Liebherr's warranty???? You'll get 2 years on the Miele if you have a certified installer do it which you'd want on it anyway. It's a bit of a game by Miele but it's not that egregious. This and the sealed system warranty is the same as everyone else in the industry. If you do need service who do you think has the more established and broad service network? Think Liebherr will still sell fridges here in 3 years? Miele is a more "secure" bet then Liebherr. Better find another measuring stick. Price would be a better one.

antss, you need to chill out. The OP asked for feedback, and I gave mine.

And, my measuring stick works just fine.

Liebherr's warranty is 2/5/6-12. The Miele warranty is one year, no matter who installs it, at least here in Canada. For $349, one can extend the warranty by four years to five years.

The Miele warranty on the sealed system IS NOT 1 year (or 2). Just like the Liebherr's is not a all inclusive for the 12 years. Miele's might be 10 years, One of the majors is a bit less than the stand. 12 and I can't remember which this second. For certain the Gaggenau and Thermador cousins are 12 just like the Liebherr. In fact theirs are FULL parts and labor through year 6.

As far as bugging you that it's less, I can't argue with it there. I've heard many people ask Miele about their policies to typical German response: na und!

The analysis of the service networks's bredth and commitment is spot on. Same as the company's commitment to the N.A. markets.

Liebherr or their dealers will sell you an extended warranty too. My aim is to see that the CORRECT information is out there not, opinion or sales jargon. I hadn't realized Miele wasn't offering the extra year in Canada on "in network" installs.

If someone reads your post they might likely think that the Thermador is harder to install, (it's not) , and that the Miele warranty is only one year on their fridge ( it's not)

I'm just reporting on our process and owner experience not claiming truth or falsehood to the claim that the Thermador is harder to install, just that the information I had at the time led me to consider the Miele. Miele refrigeration wasn't even on the market when I started my search. If anything was pushed, it was sub zero. I think Miele is overpriced, but I gave their service record some weight. I have had several service calls on my ovens and am not that happy with the fix so far but that is a different story.

KATTVIC,

If you're still here, back to your topic:

Mine aren't installed yet, but I chose Miele over SubZero after a lot of research. Yes, the box, and I think the compressors, are the same as BSH, but the units are so different I didn't even recognize that when I first saw them. Miele claim that they make all the electronics separately to their own design, though I don't know the truth of that.

What I can say is that the thing I like the very best is that the door opens out and away from the box. I think it's the same 115 degrees that others do, but it feels more open because of the extension hinge rather than pivot. It is a true integrated fully flush unit. The shelves are glass with frames. I really dislike the frameless ones on the BSH. The location of the icemaker in the freezer is far superior, especially in the 30". It takes up too much room in the BSH. I also really like the lighting, the depth of the drawers, the fact that one can put full sized trays in, etc., which is better than the new SubZero.

It doesn't have the SZ 3 week old "fresh" broccoli air filter, but I'm good with that because I find the thought unappetizing.

Re price, it depends on your comparison point: For me it was between the 36" SZ all fridge and 27" all freezer and the Miele 30" fridge and 30" freezer. In real terms that's about the same, though there's 3" less total width. The price was very similar.

plllog -

Miele electronics are different

hinges are EXACTLY the same

shelves are different and full width, better spill catching ability

the ice cube maker/try is in the upper left like it is on almost all built-in over under models.

I just bought a 36" bottom mount refrigerator and am convinced it was the correct decision. After much research and just my own personal taste, regardless of price...I simply like the Miele more than any other in the price range.
I'm curious though as to why it will cost $450 to install by a certified Miele installer. I want to go this route because of the extra 1 yr warranty (sorry Canada). But seeing these posts leads me to believe the install may be tricky. Does anyone know if $450 is reasonable installation charge?

$450 is on par with what our local installers charge... I agree with D.C. We just received the 36 inch Miele bottom freezer in our new display and it's magnificent. I love our new sub-zero refrigeration displays but if I were to put one in my home it would definitely be the Miele. Nobody is mentioning the free WiFi remote monitoring system that comes with it or the climate control system. Yeah the lights are pretty but come-on people..! Who cares about the installation difficulties, most of you are paying someone else to do that work anyway. I'm almost certain that they're not charging any more to install a Miele than they are a Sub-Zero. I'm inclined to agree with antts in that with the exception of the panel installation, Miele's aren't more or less difficult to install than a BSH unit.

"Nobody is mentioning the free WiFi remote monitoring system that comes with it "

That's because it's not free. By my calcs, the card is 400-500 bucks added to the price and Miele will nick you for a monthly monitoring charge. Thank the MBAs for tipping Miele off to the recurring revenue stream model. Sub Zero just bought their ticket to the dance and will roll out their stream shortly.

We have the two separate units and are very happy with them. Email if you need specifics.

Yes they were expensive but our choice was limited to what would replace the GE Monograms in our less than 1 yr old custom cabinets.

It was SZ or Miele. We liked the completely integrated look of the Miele, price diff wasn't much and we're happy with the choice. Most people don't even know that's the fridge and no one has ever found the freezer on their own :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to thread with more discussion

antss,

That's strange... I specifically asked this question to the Miele Rep and he said:
"The remote monitoring system automatically ships with the Miele refrigeration line. It does not ship with any other RMS capable product and must be purchased separately."

I then asked the question, does this service cost extra like the new Sub-Zero system and his reply was:

"No, Miele will be offering this as a complimentary service for the life of the product."

Our literature for the Miele refrigeration confirms this as well... We are in the DC metro region are you in Canada maybe?

hilferty - sorry for the confusion. I did not mean that there was a charge for the wi-fi hardware to the customer like an option on a car, merely that it adds to the bottom line of the price of the fridge. I guess Miele's position has changed on the monitoring, not surprising though as the the whole lineup is not equipped yet. Looks as if the suits to a page from the crack dealers playbook: give em a free taste then sock em at the back end once hooked.

At any rate I'm very curious to see if and when people get a call/email saying their "x" needs changing or has failed and needs replacement.

~lol~
You're right,
It does sound like a page from the crack dealers playbook...

just want to put this out there. our 36" miele refrigerator makes a loud "thrumming" noise that miele says is "normal". please make sure you actually hear one of these units running before you purchase it. our dealer has their unit on "demo mode" so you can't hear the compressors and fans running. this sound is driving us crazy and we are being told there is nothing to do about it. if this is a normal sound and we had had the chance to hear it, we wouldn't have chosen this unit. it's a wonderful fridge, in layout, looks and function. but the noise is more than annoying, and miele doesn't seem to want to do much about it. they replaced a cooling fan for us, though they made it very clear that they didn't acknowledge anything wrong with the unit. weird to try one fix, for a problem that supposedly doesn't exist and then say they won't do anything else. very disappointed. still hoping they change their stance. if we can't get used to this noise, and nothing is done about it, we may find ourselves buying a different fridge as soon as we can.

still waiting for this fix that is supposedly in the works for the fan motor noise. do NOT buy this unit until miele resolves the noise issue. i am going CRAZY with this noise. this is no joke. the sound coming from our unit is intolerable.

we had the electronics board replaced with some "upgrade", but the refrigerator became more noisy than before. maybe 50% improved in terms of the quality of the sound, but it was much louder. finally, miele actually replaced the entire unit. yes, the ENTIRE refrigerator. at first as the new unit was getting down to the right temperature, everything was fine. quiet, normal humming fridge noises. but then as soon as it got to the proper coldness, this one makes the same "thrumming" sound as the first one did, pre-board upgrade! the less the fridge and freezer are opened, the more it makes the noise. if i put fresh food in the freezer to freeze, there is a steady, normal and expected working noise coming from the machine. but as soon as the unit has reached it's optimal temp, the cooling fan starts to cycle on and off, creating the thrumming sound. is this the sound that you reported or that you experienced? the replacement of the electronics board did nothing to improve the noise overall. the operational unit at the miele gallery in san francisco did not make the same noise. we listened long and hard. i laid down on the floor with my ear right up to the showroom model and it did not make this horrible thrumming noise. ugh. i am pleased that miele, with enough agitation on my part, stood behind their product ultimately. but unfortunately it didn't remedy the problem. we are stuck with a beautifully remodeled and expensive kitchen, in a small and beautiful quiet house, with a fridge that sounds like a spaceship is landing in the middle of the house. like a bad, old sci fi movie. as i'm typing, all is quiet. but it will start up again. steady and noisy would be acceptable, but this cycling on and off sound that creates a "wahwahwahwahwah" noise is a real drag. to all people considering this unit, i would carefully research this fridge, hear one in action and be very wary about buying this unit. i wish i could say better things.