I could certainly be wrong but from the sound of your post you sound like someone who has "aspired" to have a SubZero fridge not necessarily for a functional reason but to have the brand. It sounds as if you're going all out - two Miele dishwashers, etc. - so why not just go for the SZ? If you think about all the people who have been keeping their food chilled without investing in SZ, there has to be something people "value" about SZ other than it's functional ability to keep food chilled or frozen that would make them pay the premimum price. Could be appearance, appeal of saying you have the brand, etc. In any case if you want one and want to spend the $ go for it. It seems you can count on repairs with any brand these days - kind of like luxury auto brands. Just because you spend alot doesn't mean it will be trouble free.

We weren't *going* to replace the fridge in the remodel, but then DH saw the Miele and all was lost. He gave up replacing his '97 Altima this year, and I gave up 12" of pantry. So far, he still thinks it was worth it. We opted for the 18" freezer + 30" fridge. Unless you have a *very* small family/don't shop much/only buy for parties, I'd be loathe to go smaller. We have a family of four and cook *a lot* - I felt like my old French Door was always crammed to bursting. It really feels different than a standard fridge - being shallow and wide makes a huge difference. I don't feel like I could cram as much in there, but I also don't feel like I have to - there's isn't any place for the old stuff to lurk, so it always gets thrown out. We're still working on layout, but with the CSA basket this summer, having one drawer for fruits and one for veg is working out really well - it all fits, even in massive quantities. (Of course this causes meat/deli/cheese to divide up between the shelf and drawer, but it still seems okay.) I also like that when winter hits, I can change one of the drawers to "meat" and condense my non-root veg and fruit down to one bin. It is *really* hard to lose something in the Miele, and given that I'm the condiment queen, that's saying something. (I'm one of those people that has soy sauce, fish sauce, and three kinds of mustard - the door trays are great for that.) The freezer definitely holds more than your standard side by side freezer, even with the ice maker. I think the weirdest thing is that the door bins are actually useful - the freezer is so cold that we can put gelato in the door and it's still hard as a rock when we take it out. Like the fridge, it's easy to be well organized and have high visibility. But there is no way you're going to fit a standard size cookie sheet in there - if that's crucial to you, keep looking. And if you're a big freezer user, you're going to want a something bigger than the 18" or a deep freeze. I have a small chest freezer, though I'm beginning to mock it for being so inferior. ;-) If I had the wall space, we would have opted for two 30" and I would have gotten rid of the chest freezer. I've always hated side by sides with a passion and never want one again. Luckily, the 18" x 30" layout doesn't feel like one - it feels like what it is: a giant refrigerator with a skinny freezer. So the layout is working for me, much to DH's delight - I fought long and hard against it, and just a couple months later, don't know if I could ever go back. It's just soooo good at keeping food fresh and keeping us organized. Last note - how tall are you? The Miele top shelf is pretty high - well out of my kids (and MIL's) reach. I've got long arms, so it doesn't bother me - I made it a shallow shelf and wedge cartons of eggs up there. But if reach is a problem, then a fridge with a lower reach might be better. We seriously considered the Miele French Door, but ultimately decided we needed just a little more room. I think if it had been just the two of us (or if we didn't entertain so much) it would have been fine. Good luck!

"Please note the distinction between fully-integrated and built-in. A fully-integrated fridge completely disappears into the cabinetry. There are no hinges showing, no grill, no trim as in Dodge's photo above (Dodge - I am just trying to explain the difference from an integrated)." No problem with your post. As I've posted, before, many times, Our goal was not to hide the fridge or pretend it doesn't exist in the kitchen. Back in 2006 I'd never heard of a "Fully Integrated fridge. If you ever watch "House Hunters" or a similar program, watch the potential buyers give "Thumbs down" to any kitchen missing a fridge!, (so maybe it's my age), but I've never understood this "Hide the Appliance Game". Our goal was first to have the fridge flush. The GE that the built in replaced just stuck out in the kitchen, (not saying anything's wrong with that), but we just wanted a "Smoother" flowing look. Secondly, the old GE was SS, and man was it a pita to keep it looking nice. Our Diswasher, A KA was also SS, and it seemed like every drip of water that got on it sank right down to the "Soul" of the SS. I spent hours and hours trying to keep that "succer", spotless. So I think you can understand why we wanted a paneled Fridge and a Paneled DW. Once again our Miele DW is not a "fully integrated model", alto we could have bought one. While it is paneled, the control panel does show, We like seeing what the DW is doing and like to be able to set the controls without opening the door, so again no desire to hide it or pretend it does not exist in our kitchen, again goal was, easy to keep looking nice, and controls/display easily visible. Maybe we are the only ones in the world that see things this way, alto one wonders, (if that is the case), why do they still make "built in" appliances as well as "fully integrated"??? Anway, there are few days, even 10 years later, that wife does not remark on how much She loves her kitchen, and I wish the same for you!!!! Gary

I have the exact same problem - and I have been going back and forth with sub zero customer service for months. They do their best like help find a tech and give a small manufacturer credit for the service call (though I still pay the lions share). They try to stand behind their products but it’s a C at best. Caveat being that I suspect a lot of it is in installers and dealers fault for which sub-zero can’t necessarily take all the blame. But honestly at the end of the day; I’m stuck with a 5500 unit that has now had a few expensive $$ service calls which can be heard throughout an open plan house AND even from outside the front door. The techs always say the same thing when they come to the house - that’s how it’s supposed to sound. I get between 52-58db at 10‘ distance from the unit. I have 2 friends with these units and they are silent so I guess I got unlucky - just wish sub zero would even sell me one at their cost - I’d pay for the install. I’d say buyer beware/find a really good dealer before taking the plunge. My sub zero fridge is silent (though has trouble with the air filter system) and my wolf stove’s control module failed after about 150 uses. So I haven’t had great luck with them.