The Set
Pros: Good
overall styling and appearance
No repairs on either unit (knock on wood)
Push to open/close door mechanisms still working well (was skeptical at first)
Cons: Should have porcelain (not painted) tops for the price
End-of-cycle chimes not nearly loud enough, even on the highest setting

The Washer
Pros: Great pet hair and lint removal-best of any machine I�ve ever owned
Simple, flexible controls
Huge capacity
Low water use-(also a "Con" for some items)
No "placebo" cycles-each cycle is unique, functions not duplicated on another cycle
Good water extraction
Sanitize cycle works very well
Stain removal is superb�even with salad oil spots

Cons: Low speed spin cycle much too fast (about 650RPM) for wrinkle resistant fabrics
No bulky bedding cycle-not enough water fill for blankets and bedspreads, yet there is one on the dryer (of course, it doesn�t work well)
The Dryer
Pros: Simple, flexible controls
Large capacity

Cons: Loud exhaust fan-high pitched noise can be heard all over our sub
Dryness sensor on most cycles leaves clothes much too wet, even when maximum dryness is selected
Severe tangling of large items like sheets and blankets even when using the bulky bedding cycle
Lint filter often drops its load into the well of the exhaust housing-very difficult to remove the lint filter screen for cleaning without having this happen
Poorly-designed drying rack virtually unusable (really nothing to hold it in place, it often comes loose into the moving drum)
Dryer drum often hits the inside of the outer cabinet when drying heavy items, like towels

Severe tangling of large items!! This is what I do not understand. Why, why do all dryers just not reverse tumble, like Miele, some Fisher Paykel and the Electrolux Wave Touch. Reverse Tumble totally eliminates all tangling, "balling" up and almost removes most wrinkles from all items.

I've said it before, I could probably live with, and even learn to love a non-Miele washser, but IMO, nothing works better than a Miele dryer. Nothing!!

Congrats. FIVE years with a major appliance, with no repairs is really awesome!!

A KitchenAid dishwasher I bought in January 1992 has had no repairs, although it was stored/unused from Aug 2003 until May 2007 when my sister took it. That's 20 years of existence, although only 16 years of use.

The end of cycle chimes can be adjusted for volume. I have mine set at about 2/3 volume and find it loud enough to be heard just about everywhere in the house. (one story ranch)

Low Water: There is an "add water" option that can be used for any wash cycle. However, I've also been impressed with the amount of water that is used by default. It's more than I expected, and actually plenty for most of the washes that I do.

Severe tangling: I believe that this has been addressed by the "shrink guard" in the washer and the "perfect tumble" feature in the dryer. The 'shrink guard' in the washer tumbles the load after spinning to release it from the sides of the drum and fluff it up a little. The "Perfect tumble" feature reverse tumbles the load at the end of the cycle. I have used this on my king sized bedding and jeans, and have seen no twisting or tangling. It also really helps with wrinkling--the jeans especially come out smooth and wrinkle free. I'd say that these two features are among my favorite things about these units.

I also have not had trouble with things not getting dry enough. I have had to kind of feel my way with how dry things get at the various drying levels, but I've been able to achieve the level of dryness that I prefer.

I haven't used the drying rack yet. But I agree about the paint on the top of the units. It would be nice to have something a little more durable up there.

There is still no 'bulky' setting on the washer, but I suspect that this is because you can set the machine to add extra water to any wash cycle. I had no trouble washing my king sized comforter, it was wet through and came out of the washer clean and not twisted up. I did, however, need to take it out of the dryer and rearrange it to get it dried through, and it was a bit wrinkled, because as it dried it expanded and filled the drum completely. I'm not unhappy with that, as I'm just pleased not to have to take it to the laundry-mat! However, it's something to know if you're researching these units.

Thanks for posting the 5 year review. I will try to do likewise.

Cj