Thermador Appliance Repair in New Jersey

Thermador warrants the appliance for 730 days from the date of purchase, parts and labor, with 60 days on cosmetic defects. Built-in refrigerators add coverage on the sealed refrigeration system: parts and labor in years three to six, parts only in years seven to twelve, and a lifetime parts-only warranty against rust-through. Dishwashers add parts-only coverage on the electronics and the racks in years two to five, and a lifetime rust-through warranty on the tub and the door. The warranty belongs to the first purchaser and is not transferable.

The wording on outside service is unambiguous. The refrigeration warranty statement reads: "For safety and property damage concerns, Thermador highly recommends that you do not attempt to repair the Product yourself, or use an un-authorized servicer; Thermador will have no responsibility or liability for repairs or work performed by a non-authorized servicer. If you choose to have someone other than an authorized service provider work on your Product, THIS WARRANTY WILL AUTOMATICALLY BECOME NULL AND VOID." The Pro Grand and dishwasher manuals carry the same clause, and BSH's service terms add that replacing a part yourself has the same effect.

So the rule we follow is simple. Inside those two years, and inside the sealed-system years on a refrigerator, call Thermador Customer Support and keep your warranty. We take the calls after that: appliances out of warranty, appliances bought second-hand or with the house, and the visits the warranty excludes anyway, which by Thermador's own list include correction of installation problems, resetting breakers or fuses, and visits where nothing is wrong with the product.

Thermador does not publish a list of individual oven fault codes. The instruction is generic: an "E" with a number means a fault, press any key to stop the beeping, reset the oven, and call if the code comes back. The current wall oven manual goes one step further, a flashing display with a continuous beep means disconnect the power and call. The only oven codes Thermador documents by number are E0211, E1601 and E0510, which appear during a Home Connect software update, and E11 on speed ovens and microwaves, which is condensation on the keypad: clean the panel with a dry cloth and cut the power briefly.

A few symptoms have published owner fixes. "ERROR COMM" on a Pro Grand after a power failure clears when every oven knob is set to OFF and the breaker is reset. If only part of the display works, turn the breaker off for five minutes. If the door latch will not retract, turn the breaker off for one minute, or on a self-cleaning oven enter Self-Clean for two minutes and exit. If the second cavity of a double oven will not heat above 175°F, Thermador points at the circuit amperage on the data plate and at a blocked vent. A broiler that shuts off and stays off is a service call.

Self-clean has rules that cause real damage when ignored: one oven at a time, no chemical oven cleaners, the Full Access telescopic racks out of the oven or they lose their lubricant, and if the door does not lock, do not run the cycle at all. The fiberglass gasket is not to be cleaned. Oven temperature can be offset by up to 35°F in 5°F steps on newer models, 25°F on the Pro Grand dual fuel, which solves most "runs hot" complaints without a part. Steam ovens take the DESCALE program when limescale appears.

Gas burners have their own list. A burner that will not light: gas on, breaker on, burner cap seated, igniter wiped with a cotton swab dampened with water once cool. A burner cap out of place produces high flames, flames shooting out, uneven lighting or no ignition. Clicking in the OFF position starts with the cap and the regulator, whose arrow must point to the appliance; clicking about every 60 seconds on a low setting is the ExtraLow feature cycling the flame and is normal. On cooktops sold after September 2018 the spark runs continuously if a knob is held past the child-lock position. A gas smell for up to four seconds after ignition is normal; a smell that stays means turn off the main gas supply and schedule service. Thermador's manual says never to dismantle a gas appliance, and we agree.

Thermador publishes no error-code list for its refrigerators. The appliance has a built-in self-test whose result is meant to be read by service, which is one of the first things we do on a column that is not cooling. What the manuals do give the owner is a short fault table: a temperature far from the set value, switch the appliance off for five minutes and check again; a compressor that runs more often and longer, look for covered ventilation openings; display and lights on but no cooling, demo mode is switched on. A continuous signal is the door alarm, and it stops when the door is closed.

Ice and water calls have published answers too. A new ice maker needs about 24 hours to start and 72 hours to reach full output, which Thermador puts at 70 to 120 cubes a day. On built-in units the ice bin has to be inserted far enough to activate the detection switch on the back wall. Low water flow at the dispenser comes from a shut-off valve that is not fully open, a kinked line, a filter that is not seated, or a filter that is old. Thermador's interval for the water filter is six months or when the appliance alerts you, and on certain models the flashing filter symbol resets by holding LIGHT/FILTER or SUPER COOL together with ICE for three seconds.

Installation explains a share of the "warm fridge" calls on columns. Thermador asks for a dry, ventilated room with an ambient temperature between 55°F and 100°F, so a column in an unheated mudroom or a sunroom is outside its specification. Water pressure must be between 29 and 116 psi, with a pressure-reducing valve above that. Two columns installed less than six inches apart, or a non-freezer column next to another unit, need the HEATRKIT20 heater kit against condensation. Custom panels have weight limits, for example 90 pounds on the refrigerator door and 20 on the freezer drawer of a 30 inch two-door bottom freezer, and an overweight panel shows up as a door that will not stay closed.

Two jobs Thermador reserves for authorized service even out of warranty: the odor filter on freestanding units and the lighting in the Freedom columns. And one job that belongs to Thermador while the warranty runs: a sealed-system failure, which is covered with labor through year six and with parts through year twelve. If your column is younger than that and the compressor is the suspect, call Thermador first.

A good share of "appliance" faults on Thermador equipment are circuits. The 36 inch Pro Grand dual fuel range needs a 240/208 volt, 40 amp circuit, the 48 inch needs 50 amps, and Thermador recommends a dedicated circuit. The ME301 and ME302 wall ovens are dual rated for 208 or 240 volts on a four-wire supply, 30 amps for a single oven and 40 for a double. The Freedom induction cooktop goes on a separate branch circuit where the electrical code requires it, with the junction box within three feet. A dishwasher takes a dedicated, grounded 15 amp, 120 volt circuit with 14 gauge wire at minimum; it draws 12 amps. Each built-in refrigeration unit needs its own 110 to 120 volt receptacle on a 15 amp fuse or higher. On a 208 volt supply, common in Hudson County high-rises, heating elements run cooler than on 240, and that is not a defect.

All Pro Grand ranges ship certified for natural gas. Propane requires the conversion kit that comes with the range plus the tank's own high-pressure regulator. A range converted without the kit burns wrong on every burner and no part replacement will fix it.

One recall applies in the last ten years: CPSC recall 18-013 of October 2017 covered dishwasher power cords on DWHD44 models with FD numbers 9209 to 9403 and on DWHD64 and DWHD65 models with FD 9401 to 9501. If you own one of these, check the CPSC notice before you book any repair.

We repair Thermador appliances in homes and small commercial kitchens in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, Middlesex, Monmouth, Mercer, Somerset and Union counties. We work in New Jersey only. To book, call (551) 282-9561.