Thermador Microwave Repair

The MicroDrawer is Thermador's signature microwave: a drawer-style unit mounted below a counter or a wall oven, which glides open and shut at a touch. Its motorized mechanism adds parts an ordinary microwave does not have, including a drawer motor, gears and rails. Thermador also sells built-in microwaves and speed ovens, which pair microwave energy with convection heat.

Most MicroDrawer calls involve movement. The drawer will not open, will not close, stops partway, or ignores the touch pad. The cause can be the motor, stripped gears, a bent or gummed rail, a faulty door switch, or the control board. Spills that drain into the track slowly gum the rails, and anyone resting weight on the open drawer can bend them. Forcing a stalled drawer by hand risks stripping the gears.

Heating failures follow the usual microwave pattern: the magnetron, the high-voltage components or the interlocks. Speed ovens and built-in models have the same weak spots and can also lose a convection element or fan. A microwave stores dangerous voltage, so owner checks are limited to the breaker, clearing anything in the drawer's path, wiping the rails and testing a cup of water.

We safely discharge and test the high-voltage system, then check the motor, gear train, rails, switches and control. Mounting gets a look too, because a drawer sitting out of level binds as it travels and wears out the motor early. On speed ovens we test the convection components separately from the microwave side so each fault is found on its own.

MicroDrawer and built-in repairs usually make sense, because a replacement has to match a specific cutout and trim. Drawer mechanism repairs are often modest, and a newer unit with a failed magnetron is still generally worth fixing. When a part will take a while to arrive, you hear that before we order so you can plan the kitchen around a few days without it.