I have a Bernina 440 that's about eight years old and I do a tremendous amount of stitching, so I never miss having it serviced by a technician once a year. He tells me I have 5-million stitches at least so the cost is well worth it to me as I do not plan to buy another sewing machine and this one needs to last a long time! A friend who also has a Bernina machine takes hers in at the same time and we have the day out together visiting shops we don't usually get to - a fun day for us while the machines are at the "spa".