Machine Maintenance

[pkaplan]

Hello everyone, I have been remiss in getting my machine serviced, so last week I took it in for a thorough cleaning and tune up. I have a Bernina 153QE. Got the call yesterday that my machine was ready. I went to pick it up and to my surprise they told me it was $ 120.00 dollars. They told me my auto-needle threader was not working well so they replaced it. That work accounted for $ 35.00 of the $120. That really sounds high to me. Please let me know if I am out of touch?
Warmest regards,
Patti

[Margo]

That's almost twice what I pay to have my Berninas serviced!!

[kmouse]

It sounds a little high to me also (not twice) but did you get an itemized printout? Some dealers have a minimum charge, like $75. I didn't think a new needle threader was $35 but there has been a steep increase in prices of parts and accessories since the beginning of the year. Since you implied there has been some time since you had your machine serviced, there might have been other services performed that outside the normal clean and adjust.

Biggest question...how does your machine sew now?

Kim

[littleflower]

It sounds about right to me. I've paid anywhere from $70 - $90 depending on where I've gotten the work done.
My only issue is fixing the needle threader without speaking to you first to approve the work.

Teri

[rehak]

I agree with Terri. That's about what I pay, but I would really want them to ask me about any unauthorized work. Of course, part of the cost will be affected by where you live, how much business there is, how much competition there is and how expensive rents are. I sometimes feel like my Bernina shop is a bit expensive, but they are the only ones around, they do good work and I trust them, so it is worth it for me.

[pkaplan]

Thank you everyone for your input. The machine is running well. I am feeling a little "taken", however having said that I want to keep my local dealer in business and am trying not to look at this as an expense, but an investment into my continued sewing pleasure.
Patti

[fiquilts]

I just took my HQ16 in for a routine service. It cost $129, half again as much as I paid two years ago - same dealer. I take my other machines to be serviced locally and they vary in price according to whether they're a simple machine or computerized, somewhere between $60 and $90. I haven't had my Bernina 640 long enough to need a service yet.
Fi, in very rainy Northern California

[lotti]

looking at the prices you are paying i am so jealous - when i asked in january they said to expect anything from 250-300 (if it is only straightforward servicing), with the understanding that if cost will be above 400-450, they'll give me a quote first... i'm still deciding if my good old bernina really needs to go into the shop (

[jamonty]

I have my Bernina 730 serviced every year. My local dealer is wonderful and I do trust them fully. The first year was complimentary and the second year it was right around $100. If I take it in every year I receive 20% off fabric and Bernina accessories. Not a bad trade in my book.

[QuilterLynn]

Uh oh. I'm going to admit to a deadly sin, right here on TQS.

I don't take my machines in to be serviced. For my Janome 6600 and my HQ16, I clean and oil regularly, but if they are not malfunctioning, I don't take them in. That's what I always did with my 'old' Bernina 830 for over 20 years.....just if she got sick did she go to the doctor. I only got the Janome in addition, as I wanted some of the newer features!

Now, tell me why this is not smart. I'll listen, I promise, but I might not change.

[QuilterLynn]

Lynn---I'm with you, not against you. I come from old school thinking. Grandmother and my mother obviously rubbed off on me. They were thankful to be able to afford machines. Sending working machines out for attention would not have been prudent. They knew how to use the oil can and blow out the dust. My current machine, a Singer Industrial, has seen the repair man twice in 14 years and that within the first year. Notice repair man, not service man. Until I complained loud and hard to the Singer salesman from whom I purchased the machine I wasn't offered helpful advice. He set up a conference call with a technician clear across the country. His advice: The bobbin case could have been honed too tightly. Oil was the machine's best friend. With the change of every full bobbin of thread I was to give it two squirts of oil, one on either side of the bobbin chamber. I only encounter difficulty now when I have become complacent because it no longer needs the oil every change and have gone too long without this special oiling that is not mentioned in the manual. I give it oil, make sure all debris is gone, rev the motor and I am up and running. Of course, this is a work horse and not a fancy-shmatzy computer model that does everything for me. I know therein lies a big difference.

[littleflower]

Remember the "Quilt Police" are a fictitious organization. There are no hard & fast quilterly rules about how often each machine needs to be serviced.
I have 2 Bernina 1080's. I take one of them in yearly because it gets more use than the other & because I quilt. The level of lint that accumulates in places I can't reach is amazing to me. Yes, I do regularly blow out & brush out the lint. If I didn't quilt on the machines I wouldn't take them in as frequently as I do. Use your judgement - if you think your machine needs something you can't or are uncomfortable doing, then it does; if you think your machine is running fine and you are comfortable with getting the lint out of your machine & giving it oil that's excellent.
We quilters are much more technically savvy than we give ourselves credit...I think Alex & Ricky gave tips on keeping our machines running well sometime back...
Happy Quilting!