My bobbin case problems plagued me for a year before I found out about that**** little wick hole. What was even more frustrating was the Janome dealer who didn't seem to know about it and kept blaming it on "Operator Error" which frustrated me even more. I was treated like an inept Newbie who had never touched a machine before and I had been a sewer since I was nine and had used numerous machines. My Janome 6500 is now stitching properly but does not stitch nearly as well as my 1947 201 Singer or my #1+ Husqvarna. My Janome cost me $2100 and my Singer and Husqvarna were $200 together so it isn't the money you spend which results in the best machine.