I love most things about my new FD 36". It is beautifully designed, easy to clean, keeps food super fresh, the drawers are very roomy for vegetables. Liebherr customer service people are very responsive.
The free-standing model, however, does not have self-closing doors. It also does not open just one door easily without the other one opening also. I believe the integrated does have these features. They think it may be due to the powerful magnets, or perhaps the difference in the type of hinges used. I was supposed to touch base with them again if it still bothers me, & I haven't had time to do this. It is not a big deal, but you should be aware of it & if possible try one out on the display floor. Would it be worth the substantial increase in price for the other model to you?

Thank you for responding, Luisa. What I've found in my research is that the fully integrateds also have the door issues. As far as I can tell, the only reason to spend the extra money for those is to achieve the look of a built-in. Otherwise, performance will be essentially the same as on the freestanding units.

More specifically, Liebherr technical and customer service reps told me that because of the magnets in the door gaskets, there is no way to open the fridge one door at a time. However, supposedly, Liebherr has "fixed" the self-closing feature on the 2062s. Even with that, I notice hesitancy in that claim every time I press for guarantees on the self-closing function. Also, the vendor I'm considering placing the order with is unwilling to make the unconditional claim that the refrigerator I actually receive will be one that has been "fixed."

Since I've already placed my cab order with a request for door panels to fit the Liebherr, I've pretty much made my decision. Nevertheless, I have yet to actually place the order on the Liebherr itself. (And, when I consider the price difference between a 6k FD and something like a Jenn-Air FD for only 2.5k, I wonder whether I should just eat the door panels, get a much less expensive counter depth unit and be done with it!) I guess I was just hoping that others here who have the new Liebherrs would comment here with some more experiential details that would help me feel more certain of my decision - - one way or the other! :)

We purchased the 2062, but it is not yet installed and won't be until next week. Wish I could help.

We have the fully integrated model. Here is what our problem with the doors are: The doors will only self close completely if both doors are closed together. Basically each door has to meet each other at the same angle then they will completely shut. But, if you try to close one door with the other already shut, it gets caught and you have to push the door all the way shut the last 2 inches or so. It may sound like a small detail, but it is really a problem. There is an alarm to tell you the doors are not shut and we are getting really used to the sound with 3 kids. We are still pressing Leibherr on a fix.

If I could go back in time I would not have purchased it.

I do not recommend until they fix it.

The Northern California Territorial Manager, Steve Rebozzi, called me this morning to discuss the issues. He was heading East for a meeting with all the other reps to discuss all this, and then see what the German engineers come up with. He promised to get back to me & that it would eventually be resolved.
Liebherr seems like a very responsive company and after owning many American refrigerators over the past 40 years, I really do love this one. But I don't have kids around so the doors are not as big a problem as they are for some others. Maybe you would want to talk to Steve before you cross off Liebherr to see what they came up with if anything at the meeting. His number is (267) 566-7931. Good luck!

Wow, this is unbelievable because this is the reason why I bought this refrig! If this is indeed true, and I shall see within a couple of months when it's installed, I am going to be really upset. Considering that they list this SoftSystem as an included feature, to have it act that way is ridiculous!

I just talked to Steve who now is saying this is fixed with the new shipments, which Nor Cal should have. If one door is open at 30 degrees, it will now close automatically and completely. regardless of whether the other door is open or not. And if there is a problem, they can replace the door with the new fixed one.

Note that Liebherr customer service does not know about this yet, but they will be informed shortly.

Ok. That's good news. This esentially confirms the "problem has been fixed" statement I received from Liebherr Technical Services last week. Although, I still worry that even though the newly-fixed Liebherrs are said to be "on the boat," it would be just my fortune to be delivered one the first generation unfixed units that are still stocked in the regional distribution center. It's that kind of potential for mix-up at the distribution warehouse that the retail vendor couldn't promise not to happen. (Which is quite understandable). However, Liebherr's promise of a door replacement, if necessary, has got to be worth something!

I'm glad to find this out as well. We are concerned about our new Liebherr 2062 (still in the box) awaiting installation after our cabinets are done after reading about these door problems. Hoping Liebherr will be a manufacturer who stands by their fridge.

Good work yoyoma. This is indeed good news. I am very glad to hear it. I know you will love your new refrigerator.

Just got off the phone with Steve myself. He did an excellent job of allaying my lingering concerns. I must say that I am very impressed with the accessibility of the Liebherr people. Their patience and willingness to listen not only to existing customer concerns but also to potential customers does much to bolster my confidence in purchasing the product. Now on to placing that order!

Steve is not really the one to call with any questions about Liebherr at this point. I owe him an apology for posting his number here without consulting him first.
A preferred source of information is BSC Culinary at (415) 626-6246. The person who has been helping me is Charmen, but I am sure anyone can help you there. They are very responsive & are following the developments of these issues closely.

I just saw the new 36" FD in a showroom and I am not sure what has been fixed about the doors. Not sure what the original problem was, but when I opened the door on one side the other door opened too. That seemed odd. We are remodeling our kitchen and based on rave reviews I had gravitated towards the Liebherr but was not impressed when I saw it. The plastic frames of shelves and drawers was also surprising and reminded me of my current Kitchenaid that I cant' wait to get rid off. I have also seen the Miele and was far more impressed by its looks altough the price made me cringe especially since you have to pay an extra $1000 just for stainless steel doors. I am planning to look at the Thermadors to see what they look like.

A couple weeks ago, I visited the 2062 in a showroom and noticed...
1) both doors opened whenever I opened one
2) the doors did not close on their own easily unless I closed both at once
3) the handle-to-door connection seemed weak, as if the steel skin on the door was not adhered to the underlying door frame.

Not sure when this unit was made. It was not turned on and of course it had nothing stored in the doors.

I came home and googled for opinions on door issues and found this great forum. After reading up on others' similar concerns, I called the retailer with my concerns, and they arranged for the supplier to call me. He mentioned that Liebherr doesn't believe the moving flap mechanism on other French door brands will stand up over time (presumably due to heavy use, food grime, etc.) Instead they use magnets where the doors touch each other, which eliminates moving parts at the seam. He added that they've recently modified the design to address the issues thru revising the magnets and adding clips concealed inside the hinges that help the doors shut more securely. Everything else about this fridge we liked, and they've been building them a while, so we ordered it. I still had worries, tho, that it would not be friendly to one-handed operation. After all, 50% of the time you have something in your hand when opening or closing a fridge door, right?

Yesterday it arrived, and 24 hours later, I'm pleased to report that ours works better than the one in the showroom. In fact, I'd say all my concerns have disappeared. Perhaps the door motion is optimized for the weight of items stored in the door compartments? Maybe due to it being leveled, and the anti-tip bracket in place.

Elsewhere in this forum someone pointed out that they got used to the motion required to use the doors without problems. That's what we're finding, too. True, the Liebherr is different, with some pros and some cons, but I do not find it flawed.

Here is what I find now regarding 1,2,3 above...

1) if I open a single door briskly, just that door opens. If I open a door slowly, both open. That could be seen as feature, I guess!

I can also open either door slowly and with either hand, without the other opening, but it requires a little hand work. To open a single door with the same side hand, use your thumb to keep the other door closed as you pull. To do this with opposite hand, the back of your wrist can keep the other door closed.

2) a door can be closed on its own even when the other door is already closed. However, you do have to either gently guide it all the way closed, or you have give it some momentum; it does not self-close from a slow/still position at 30 degrees as does the integrated model apparently, and as do many other FD brands. This is the net disadvantage of the 2062 freestanding model, but overall I think it's a good tradeoff for having no moving parts in the seal.

3) my handles are more securely fixed to the doors than what I recall from the showroom. The fridge ships pre-assembled, so it wasn't an installation issue. I don't know if the showroom fridge was from an older batch, but I hope/assume mine is a recently produced version with all the latest fixes.

Overall, we're very happy. It's quiet, very shallow (truly cabinet depth, including the doors!), looks great inside and out, and seems to be working fine. And of course it has the technology, eco-friendliness, and very low energy consumption we were expecting.

Thanks so much for posting this, Jamieinde! This is good news.

My own fully integrated 2062 arrived just before Christmas but it's still not completely installed. However, in its partially installed state (i.e. without door panels or handles installed)I see that the self-closing doors do self-close -- both singly and in unison! Less thrilled that both doors open together, but Liebherr has been clear in advising that would be the case. Nice though to hear about your little door opening trick. I'll definitely try that when I've got a completely installed unit. Thanks again!

I am really interested in the 36" Liebherr and am planning on having a cabinet surrounding whatever refrigerator we choose. The depth is the most important thing with our floor plan. It cannot stick out like my giant FD GE. I thought about a CD but the loss of square footage makes my DH say no way. I don't really care if it looks built in so does that mean I can just get the free standing instead of the integrated stainless? Do I do a 36" wide cabinet?

OdieGirl,

The Liebherr is the only fridge we could find that is literally 24" (and I think 1/4") off the wall. Other "counter depth" makers are usually 25"+ for just the case, plus another couple inches for the doors.

And yes, you can use the Free Standing. It has no side, rear, or top ventilation clearance requirements. There is a useful Design Guide that shows how to build around it. http://www.liebherr-appliances.com/resource_center/design_guides/freestanding.html

The only additional tip I would add to it is that if your cabinet well is 36" wide and more than about 23.5" inches deep, then the doors will not open as wide as you will probably wish. You can either bevel the inside edge of each cabinet side wall, or set them to 23.5" or less, or make the cabinet a little bit wider than the fridge. Maybe get the fridge first, then build around it.

As for cabinet on top, note that it's 81" tall! We have 7'10" ceilings and 3" crown moulding, so we'll have to custom rig a 10" tall cabinet, probably with a swing up door.

For $2k more Liebherr sells a "built-in" model, which is mechanically identical, but the hinges are flush to the top of the case, and I think there's a 84" top piece for blending with cabinetry. We didn't think that was worth the premium, since the Freestanding can also be essentially built-in if you don't mind working around or seeing the hinge covers on top.

Good luck!
Jamie

Jamieinde,

Thank you so much for the valuable information. It seems like the other "CD" claims are not quite true and in my case it makes a big difference. Liebherr is more than my original budget but not having to do a built-in is great. I am happy to have found the Liebherr and all of the great discussions on GW.

As a retailer, we don't seem to get many problems with the doors, although the freestanding units seem more likely to have closing issues. With regards to reliability and performance - they are the best on the market and our customers always give great feedback on the length of time vegetables stay fresh.

Here is a link that might be useful: Liebherr

Mine is just the 30" freestanding, not the French door version, but it was very easy to build in as a counter-depth fridge. My ceilings are 8' tall, so we made a narrow shelf for storage above the appliance. I've had it one year now and am completely loving it-- what Braeg says above is not just dealer hype: vegetables and greenstuff do stay fresher longer.