Have your Thermador XLO burners hold up after 5 years?

11 years ago

Hi, all!

We are debating whether to get Thermador 30" all gas PR304GH or GE monogram 30" all gas ZGP304NRSS. Wolf is not in the running since it doesn't have sealed burners and DH is not keen on the look (the red knobs, I think turns him off - puns intended.)

DH loves to sear and sautee and loves cooking on high heat, I like to make soups and broil so low simmer capability is important. Baking is cookie level (not bread or cake.)

We love the look of both ranges. Besides of having a good looking range that is fun to cook with, reliability is important to us especially since we will be shelling out over $4K for each.

The appliance guy at our local store (not a big chain) said that he has less issues with GE mono than with Thermador.

One thing that keeps us considering Thermador, even after hearing about the reliability is second to GE mono, is that we like the star burners as they supposedly heat more evenly than the circle burners. Nevertheless, we are concerned that the XLO click-on and off feature will be problematic after a long time (say > 5 years.)

Anyone who owned Thermador out there for > 5 years that can let us know how has the XLO feature holding up for you? How much service call have you needed to make during that time? How was the customer service?

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Featured Answer

soibean

11 years ago

Hi, I can't speak to the newer Thermador ranges, but we have a Thermador dual fuel range that is about 12-15 years old (bought by previous owners). Two of the burners have that XLO feature, and I can tell you that they never worked properly in the 9 years that I've been using them. I had service out to fix the problem two or three times but they never fixed it, and I declined to shell out about $1,000 for a new circuit board which might or might not have fixed the problem.

Basically, those burners just shut themselves off after a few minutes without warning (in the open position!). As a result, they are useless for simmering since they require near constant attention to see if they are still working. I have just one burner that I can use for simmering (doesn't have the XLO feature), and the two XLO burners can't go below medium-low heat.

Separately, the controls for the range are awful - setting the timer is a huge pain, and the readout for oven temperature is so dim that it can't be read at all. To set oven temperature, I have to count in increments of 5 degrees as I push the up/down buttons and pray that I got it right. I can't see the current setting at all, and if I need to change it, well, you get the idea.

Swore I'd never get a Thermador again...oddly, I ended up choosing Thermador fridge/freezer columns and Thermador induction cooktop for my remodel. People seem happy with them - hopefully the takeover by Bosch has improved the quality, but I'd still stay away from their ranges and ovens. That's just me, of course, ymmv.

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Comments (6)

weissman
11 years ago
Actually, you're wrong about Wolf. My understanding is that the new models of the all-gas range have the same sealed burners that the dual-fuel ranges have had for years.
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lovetogarden_oak
Original Author
11 years ago
Hi, all! Thanks for the feedback so far.

Weismann: you are correct that the new all gas 30" wolf, coming out in the first quarter of 2013, will have all sealed burners. But the appliance guy said not to count on wolf being on schedule (since apparently this model was supposed to be out in July 2012 and now it's Sept and they haven't shipped yet.) In any case, while I like Wolf as a brand for its reliability and it has what I like, DH doesn't like its look. It's the red knobs. Maybe they do come in black knobs, I don't know. In either case, we are not sure we can wait for Wolf to come with their new all gas model.

soibean: thank you for your honest feedback. I was worried about that XLO burner konk-ing out on us as you have described. So thanks for the heads up!
jakvis
11 years ago
In the late 90's and early 2000's Thermador used a potentiometer that wore out after a while. About 7 years ago they developed a new part that seems to last and last. It's rare when I'm changing the potentimeter anymore. They even made the part backwards compatible for older ranges.
The XLO feature just doesn't give any problems anymore. I don't have any issue recommending the Thermador to my customers.
lovetogarden_oak
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks, jakvis. That's another good info for consideration and for your recommendation for T-dor. Good to know that the potentimeter issue on the XLO fearture on T-dor seems to be resolved.
HU-419217870
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I have a Thermador 30”. With xlo burners up front. the unit is from 1999. I never had a problem with them. Although I don’t cook much.