We have one never oiled it and never took it in for service. I do oil the Janome 6500 like every couple of years. There is a little piece of felt or something in the center of where you install the bobbin on the Janome 6500. Hmm I'll check tomorrow if I see anything like that in the Janome Jem. I have 3 other friends that use the Jem as their main machine and they do not oil either.