I have had this fridge for 10 years now in my condo. About 1 year ago it got warmer and warmer so food starters getting spoiled quickly. There are 600 residents in my building all with this same Miele fridge. Turns out ice is accumulating in the top section of the fridge above top shelf, where there are air vents that supposed to move air. Ice completely clogged the area and air stoped moving. Literally. At some point a fan that’s positioned in that top area started clicking since it’s blocked slowly by ice. So this was after mfg warranty expired, which I think was 5 ears. Anyway I called Miele. Miele tech came, said he see this issue ALL THE TIME. he showed me the huge amount of ice behind plastic bracket he removed. It froze the top section completely, including above the glass panel where the lights sit in the internal ceiling of the fridge. Everything was frozen. Then he used a hand held electric fan to melt the ice at the top of the fridge, it took 2 or more hours, he then charged me $350, it improved things for exactly 3 weeks. And then… Problem came back. Sorry, Miele is useless in this case. And I’m disappointed with the problem - and there are literally dozens of neighbors in my building with the same issue! this issue is very annoying, I had to buy a mini fridge to put food in while I am now defrosting the fridge again myself which takes 5 days! I will not buy Miele again. Sorry. I want to love the brand. But ~ This fridge costs $8K, it should not behave like this. And repair cost is very high. I’m seriously considering a new fridge. I rather spend more for a super reliable long lasting fridge and not have to deal with these issues.

If I were you though I'd look for someone who has that exact model you are looking for to compare apples to apples. I know my model is made in Austria I believe some of the bigger models are made in Turkey or Romania I can't recall as we were looking at so many appliances last year. :)

Does anyone know if Miele has plans for a 24 inch freezer like their others? Apparently the current 24 is Liebhor designed and not he same as the others (do door shelves)? Is that how the other sizes were as some point? I am planning a 36 inch column fridge and 24 freezer. Prefer Miele but don't like that freezer. I'm still a year away from my project so hoping that 24 is temporary filler for a 24 Built and styled like the other sizes. Would a paneled Thermador 24 look like a match to the Miele fridge? Or go to 30/30 like the original poster but I think I could use the fridge bigger, I have a garage freezer but don't want to go as skinny as the 18 inch. 24 seems the right size for me. Or I might go sub zero as I also like their over under all fridge (all fridge but with 2 separate drawers at the bottom). I currently have produce in undercounter refrigerator drawers and like the one step pull out access. But I'm more of a Miele fan. Had a subzero in my old house and knew my repair man a bit too well. But that Miele 24 freezer is a problem and I would love if Miele did the separate drawers on the bottom style for the fridge.

m111675, when choosing our refrigerator we went to a couple places to compare. We saw built-ins, integrated, empty and fully stocked. The SZ lighting is far better than my old fridge, and plenty bright for me, although the Miele was brighter. We don’t have ours yet, so no pic’s of one filled with food and I neglected to take a photo of the SZ filled in the showroom. I did see one some time ago here on GW, filled, and thought ‘wow’ because of the lighting and room : ) We did like the Miele, but it was not the size (in the space allotted) for our needs. We spent quit a bit of time measuring everything… door sizes, depths, widths, and allotted compartment sizes in the doors. No, I don’t think 2, 36” columns is too big if you can use it – but you also asked if it would look massive, and at 6 feet wide, yes. Again, you need to think of your personal needs. We are only 2, and are going with the SZ 48” built-in for the capacity as we keep a lot of food – I looked into columns, but needed something to fit in the 4 foot space, and the columns which fit in our space allotted offered less capacity. I will be sacrificing some freezer capacity (minimal) but I’ve got a separate upright in the garage. Everyone’s needs and preferences are different – I strongly suggest if you haven’t already – comparing the brands in person. The Thermador was more expensive than the SZ (both panel ready) where we live and we preferred the SZ inside and out for our needs. I’ve always been a Kitchenaide fan, but again, the SZ won us in comparison. These are the questions we asked ourselves: What capacity did we need? What space did we have? What options did we prefer? How much did we have to spend? What look did we want? Which of the above are most important to us and in what order? The SZ Built In Panel Ready (some of them) can be flush installed for a fully integrated look, if you have the depth. We are putting in 27” deep base cabinets, so the built-in offered us the best of all worlds: Flush install with fully integrated look, larger capacity. If you are selling your home in 5-6 years, I’d go with integrated for re-sell if your neighborhood and area support and warrant those needs… if you don’t have the depth for a flush install. Here is the SZ 48” side by side built-in in a flush installation in the showroom (again, added depth is needed for this integrated look): As you can see, the hinges are such that it allows for an integrated look, flush with countertops. Not trying to talk you into any brand or style, but do ask yourselves how long you’ll live there and what your most important priorities are. If you've room and $$ for integrated columns, I'd go for it! Good luck!