Bernina 830 repair. Ouch.
 

My friend has the Bernina 830. She said the bobbin wouldn't pop out when the door was open so took it to the dealer. The tech said it was a broken hook sensor. $1000 replacement!!! Thank goodness her warranty is still good, for two more weeks! She had almost decided to wait until Jan to take it in and then the warranty would have not covered it. She is still shook up over the bad and good news.

Wow, that repair would have been more than I have ever paid for a machine. Can't hardly wrap my mind around that.....

Wow, that's a lot of money, but the 830 is pricey machine and would be worth putting that into it.

This makes me really glad that my Bernina 830 is the old Record one, from the 70's! Whew! Berninas have gotten ridiculously pricey, and I'll bet they are not even made in Switzerland any more.

Well, there you go.....when you buy a sewing machine that costs as much as a car, the repair bills are likely to cost as much as a car's would too. I thank God for my trusty 25 year old Bernina mechanical 1031. Happy she was still under warranty!!!

Jan in VA

I just took out my old mechanical Bernina 830--usually use a 1230 but it has a foot pedal problem--anyway, that old 830 sews like a dream--sews so much faster than the 1230--almost have to wonder why I bought the newer one. Really, the 1230 is better for intricate sewing with the needle up-needle down and the half stitch option--but for straight sewing that old 830 is wonderful. $1K repair is scary!!!

Even tho it was under warranty, I would contact Bernina directly and ask if that price is correct. What would happen if the machine was out of warranty in the future and something happened.

It reminds me of the expensive Kohler fixtures we put in our house. Bad choices. The repairs are horribly expensive. One of the toilets cost over 300 for repair because they had to replace a whole cartridge thing. The same with the faucets...not just a washer or something simple like on the old faucets or toilets.

i have a Bernina 820, which is the 830 without the embroidery. I wouldn't be too happy if I had to spend 1000 to replace a sensor.

I gues I'm thinking, that machine is less than 1 yr old (?), and something that major and costly happened to it already? It seems the more complex they get, the more likely they become fragile......

I agree with this. I can't wrap my head around that at all but I don't do as much.

The machine is almost five years old. The warranty is good for this repair for five years. After one second past five years you are on your own. The $1000 was the discounted price because at first the tech thought it wasn't under warranty. And her service charge isn't covered. Or any other maintenance charge that has to be done. I told her I'd get if fixed and then trade it in. She doesn't use but a few of the features on this machine. She sews on her FW or small brother more. She made the mistake of having her DH with her to look for a new machine and he insisted she get the high dollar one thinking it was the best. She felt she had to love this machine.

That is a very expensive repair! She is a lucky person to have it under warranty. I didn't even pay that much for my last machine.

I won't pay that much for a machine either because 95% of my sewing is straight stitch. I have a Bernina 1260 and there are buttons on it that I have never touched. People who have the big new embroidery machines will do the small amount of embroidery I want for a fair price. $100 now and then while the thousands of dollars sit in my pocket.

She'd have to pay to get it fixed.

Upper end Bernina repairs are costly. But when you put your money into one it just is something you need to do. My suggestion is to take it every year for a check up, they seem to catch problems before it gets really bad.

Thank goodness for warranties. I should jot down my warranty dates on my newer machine just to have it handy...otherwise, one year rolls into the next and then you forget you've been quilting 6 years.

A few years ago, the motherboard went out on my embroidery machine. Didn't even think to look at my warranty so the shop owner looked it up and it only had 5 days left on the warranty! I agree, we need to write down the warranty dates, maybe inside the cover of our manuals.

Sewing machines are exactly like cars. You've got the Kia's//you've got the Mercedes. In home sewing Bernina is the Mercedes. Thank goodness I don't like them. Except for the oldies, but goodies.

If you have Kohler, they usually sen the parts to you at no charge with directions how to do the repair. Check out their website.

Thank goodness it is under warranty! Berninas are great machines (I have 3) and I do think they are worth every penny.

I had the Bernina 820 & traded it in on the Husqvarna Viking Epic Machine & this makes me glad I did. These expensive machines should come with longer warranties than what they offer now. When you pay big bucks, it only
makes sense to me. Ouch $1,000. so glad it was still under warranty.

I have the 830 - it goes in every year for a "spa day". Did have to pay for a repair this year it was only $25.00. Love my 830! And yes, it was made in Switzerland.

I also have an 830 and have it gone over each year by a trained technician. This year it cost me $500+ for the service and upgrades installed. No it is not very reasonable to pay this amount, but I love this machine, it sews like a dream and also the embroidery is fabulous. Mine was also made in Switzerland, so they are all probably still manufactured there.

That is a whole lot of money, thank goodness it was still under warranty.

I too love my oldest Bernina best. I've had the 1090 and it just keeps chugging away. I'm always surprised at the cost of replacement parts/labor. But we really don't have much choice. My husband wanted to buy me the 830, but I wouldn't let him. Now, if it washed the kitchen sink, I might have wanted it.

Egads! I would have passed out.

Why does the repair cost so much? I mean, I would expect it to cost a LITTLE more for a Bernina job than a less expensive brand, but why THAT much more?

Could the repair person be gaming the system with Bernina? You probably don't know what the warranty claim was actually made for, and there is the added incentive of a customer having the money to buy the machine in the first place being likely to be able to afford an expensive repair.

From the extreme high-pressure tactics I've experienced re having cleanings and "tune-ups," there seems to be a lot of potential for fraud.

hugs,
charlotte

Berninas are great machines, last forever if you get the older ones that were made in Europe. and I briefly looked at them when I first started sewing but between the very high initial cost plus high repair and service costs and having to use name brand accessories plus a very rude high pressure local dealer equaled getting Singer and Janome and Juki brand machines. Very glad the warranty was there!!

I just put my 2 year old Pfaff QE 4.2 in the hospital because it won't make a decent straight stitch. I put my 25 year old Bernina 1031 in the cabinet and no more problems. I'm so glad I have more than 1 machine, I do miss the IDT that my Pfaff has and that bigger throat space for quilting.
I was sewing 4 patch strip sets for En Provence(Quiltville mystery), I had frog stitch 8 strip sets and resew them. I love my plastic wonders, but often find that the old mechanical machines are the most reliable.
Sharon in Texas

I have a 180 and do the same. Before that I had a 1630 and took it in every year also. I've never had a repair more than $150 and that was only once. I like to piece with the vintage machines but when it comes to clothing construction for my wearables, putting bindings on and FMQ, there's nothing like a Bernina.

I'm wondering why you - not even the owner of the machine - posted this. Expensive machines can potentially incur expensive repairs. But it IS COVERED under warranty - a 5-year warranty on electrical components. The machine also has a 20-yr warranty on mechanical parts. I personally think this post should be titled "got lucky" instead of complaining about how much parts cost. 👍🏻

Never lose the wonder is my personal thinking.

...I think onebyone posted just as a point of conversation.....a situation that could happen to one of us personally, I'd r a friend. Yes, she was fortunate to still have her machine under warranty...maybe makes us all aware of our warranty window...and if there's a problem, get it to the dealer, quickly!