bump bump According to other information I've gleaned on this forum, perhaps this is made by Broan? There doesn't seem to be a Broan model that matches up to this one though, so it's kinda hard to tell....

hv -- the question to answer about this new Viking oven is how different it is from the old ones. Yes, a new company has taken over and the response has improved but issues remain. Past Viking ovens worked by temperture averaging. Does the new one? The oven exhaust was located directly below the control panel. That became too hot to touch and, eventually, the electronics were fried. Where's the exhaust on this one? Does this new oven have a sensor or just the little old-fashioned coil? Another issue in the past with Viking was the disconnect between what was actually going on in the appliance vs the schematics. I stood there with a tech trying to use the diagram to fix something and finding nothing inside that oven resembled the diagram. When he called the company for guidance, no one in the factory could sort it out. Is this oven made in the same factory as past ovens? Also, I'd suggest she go to the appliance store, open the oven, and see if she can handle the weight of the oven racks. The ones on my old oven were so heavy they were a complete PITA to remove and clean. Recently, my fridge was recalled for the second time. The door hinge had broken and it was a dangerous situation. It took 2 for the "new" Viking to get the hinge kit sent out. The first call was ignored. Nothing happened -- this is the new service company. They did not send one of their company-trained techs to make the repair -- those have been fired in our area. During the course of my query about what might be wrong with the door I thought I might need a part for a crisper drawer. They were very prompt in helping me try to order it and sent me a diagram of the drawer. The diagram was so bad it really was impossible to know what I might/might not have been ordering. And the parts people could not help me as they didn't know the appliances well enough. These days, I know opinions/beliefs/desires often overpower facts. You tell someone why something is not a good idea but they want it anyway. Hope for your sake that's not the case here and she will listen.

Well, I have not noticed any kind of noise from it running. Now, I can hear the ice drop. And I can hear the water come on to refill the ice/water (i.e. after ice drops as well as after using a lot of water from the internal water supply). This is not to say that there is no noise from it running, I just have never heard/noticed it (as opposed to my previous 15 year old frig which I could hear running and then shut off -- it was pretty loud). I will try to pay attention more and see what I hear....

Definitely take Viking off the table. I really like the Thermador star-shaped burners--much better than having that dead circle in the center of each burner. But I don't know Thermador's reliability record. Wolf's burners used to come stacked, which was a nice feature, but I am not sure if they still do. Wolf's customer service used to be considered the best, but they've been having problems with the oven blue finish on the dual fuel ranges - it chipped shards of enamel with multiple owners (there may even be a lawsuit somewhere I think I heard), and Wolf has done nothing about it. Remember, you will need a large powerful hood over this 48" range. Make sure your exhaust ducting is sufficient for that! The duct needs to be 8" or 10" diameter, depending on the hood. My advice is to post on the Appliances Forum. Here is the link: GW's Appliances Forum