Hi, How often have you taken your faithful sewing machine in for a tune-up? I have had my Singer for over 15 years and it has been sounding kinda rough and noisy. After a long time of procrastination, I took it in to my local sewing / vac dealer. They charge $59.99 for basic tune-up and adjustments. Does this sound like a fair price? She said it sounds like a gear is broke. Then it wouldn't be worth fixing ; but they would sell me a new one. Just how long should a machine last?
Elaine

Not worth fixing? 60 bucks os a good deal for a tuneup here in this part of the world. I think I payed 70 for my Elna. They also fixed a part that was broken, that cost me 80. then a gear broke as soon as I tried to use it. That cost me 20. So now I have a 40 YO Elna that sews as sweet as can be. As soon as finances allow, the Bernina goes into the shop. It's sounding a bit cranky now too.

SO the deal is. If it costs you 100 dollars to fix your singer, and you get 15 more years out of it, is that worth it, or do you need to buy a multi hundred dollar unknown machine made of plastic?

Only you know what you need.

tim in san jose

P.S. if a gear was broken, would it work at all? I think not.

hi
for a mechanical machine here in Tucson its usually 69.00 and for a computerized its 89.00 but they really go through and fix and clean the machine,so its worth it,and at the shop I go to,if it unfixable,like my grandmothers was,there is no charge at all.
like tim said if you get another 15 years out of your machine ,then its well worth it.
kathy :-)

Tim, you are so right!
I think the average person owns a machine for 10 years. That's what it said in a magazine with a section about looking for a sewing machine. I think it is really longer than that.

Elaine~ it all depends on how well you love your old machine.
My Mom has a Brother she bought new about 26 years ago. She recently got a new one. She wanted something with a few of the new functions. A few different stitches, an easier reverse, something a little lighter. It was the cheapest one, about $77. I'm sure she will have it forever. She still has her old one.

I did upgrade to a newer one. I wanted the embroidery function. ;) I still have my cheaper Brother. I'm keeping it, too.

You could get your old one cleaned/repaired and have the same as a brand new machine.

or...then there is the possibility that it might be cheaper to buy a new cheap one cheaper than it costs to fix the older one? Is the older one a cheaper one or a more expensive one?
Fix the old one, save for a new one, then you'll know which you want most! :D

Thanks everyone for your quick response, it is a cheap machine. I bought at Jo Ann's years ago. for around $100. It has done alot of hard work. I bought a new Singer computerized /embroidry one about 17 years ago . for $2000. I am not as happy with that one. But it makes a good back up. I guess I will have to wait and see what they say is wrong with this one. I have seen some of the newer ones at Walmart , some for quilters. But I don't know if they would work any better than what I have.
Thanks again, Elaine

If you decide not to have it fixed and you do buy a new one, please consider donating your old one. (A lady I work with threw away on older machine this past Saturday; it was in with a bulk purchase from an estate sale, still in its own hard case, and she never even opened it... I almost sank into the floor thinking about all of the people that 1 machine might could have benefited. :evil: )

Anyway, to answer your original question, in the Memphis, TN area, it will cost you about $45 for an electronic machine tune-up & around $70 for a computerized. Worth it? Well, my Dear Hubby says (in reference to his old '89 Ford 350 Diesel) it is cheaper to repair than to replace (at that statement Daughter #1 chimes in with... "F.O.R.D.- Fix Or Repair Daily"). Of course, this is the same truck I named "Mater" when we bought it this past Summer. :lol: My point is, he loves that old truck (and drives it 10 times more than his brand new Chevy) so it is well worth it to him to repair. It "only" has 130,000 miles on it, so he says it'll buy him at least another 300,000 miles. Your machine "only" has 15 years on it... My Mother has a 28 year old belt-driven Singer that is still going strong. She has it serviced once every 2 years, and has used the brand new one her DH bought her for Christmas last year only 3 times. (I'm just waiting, because any day now she'll call me to come "get it out of her way".... :D )

Are there any good books out there that show a person how to do a tune up or repair on their sewing machine? Doesn't Chilton know how to repair just about anything?

Singer is one of the better ones, so I'd hang on to it and get it fixed, I clean and oil my own machines about every 3mos, I have 2-brother machines, 1 is about 15 yrs old and it works great, and a newer brother, about 2-yrs old. I also have a singer in a carryig case, nice heavy duty one, It works great to. I want the brother embrodery machine, so thats what I'm working towards.

Well, I have been considering ordering this manual and maybe even starting my own part time business...but mostly just to save myself money if and when my machines need work. Don't know if its a good one or not, maybe someone out there has ordered it and knows?

http://www.sewmachinerepair.com/repairbiz.htm
Sewing Machine Repair as a Home Business

Do they offer a money back gaurantee? I'd give it a shot, I used my hand book for each machine and setting up a orderly way of taking my machine apart for oiling and getting out the dust bunnies that accumlate. that can stuff you buy to clean your computer buttons is good to, it blows out strings and little dust bunnies.

Hey Elaine,
Day late and a dollar short, that's me. The Singers are the best in the world, they'll last longer than a human as long as you're cleaning and oiling between garments/quilt top. I'm on my second Singer, I just bought it in November. I do a lot of garment sewing (I'll post a pic of the four bridesmaids dresses I did a couple of weeks ago next week) and I do a lot of blanket making with fleece for my kids and grands and the storm damaged. I do a lot of sewing, it's my sanity.

I bought the new Singer to replace or assist the Simplicity machine I've been using (about 3 million miles or so..) for the last 20 years. I never had to have the Simplicity serviced. I kept it clean and oiled with good sewing machine oil NOT 3 n 1 oil. It eats a machine up and slows it down. The belts are not hard to change and that's what it sounds like with your machine, if it were a gear, as Tim said, you wouldn't be getting it to do anything.

Trust Singer repair, but not the sales people. Try to find someone that does the repair separate from a sales floor. I've never been afaid to take a screw out of a piece of equipment. It can't hurt if it's not working well anyway, right? lol lol

OOOOOOh dear, got on that to soapbox, didn't I. I believe in having good working machinery. I didn't get a Singer with all the bells and whistles. I go the Singer Ingenuity at Walmart for about $239. It matches me, gives me some nice finishing stitches, it's built for quilting, and I love it. When I win the lottery I'll buy one with all the bells and whistles. I wonder if it will be as much fun?
Sharon

Sharon

sewing machines are like cars. as soon as you sew the first seam, they're rolling one off the line with a new bell or whistle you didn't even know you "just had to have". LOL

My husband had his mother's 50 year old Adler, and we took it to get it tuned up. It needed a new motor, everything lubed, tightened, cleaned, etc. We paid $129.00, took it home, and the tensioner came apart. Took it back, they fixed that for free, then something else way inside came loose. I put it back down into the cabinet, put a cutting board on top, and put my new Brother on top. Sometimes you have to weigh the "annoyance" factor. :lol:

Hi,

For my computerized Pfaff, it costs me $89 here in Vancouver, Wa. A regular non-computerized machine is about $69. If it isn't broke and costs too much to maintain, KEEP IT! A tune up is a small investment in the overall 'love' of your machine. I recently had to weigh that choice when I took my serger in for repair.

I paid $79 for cleaning and new blades. It runs like a charm. The learning curve on a new machine, not to mention the finances, was way too high at the time.

:) Lisa

P.S. Talk to the best mechanic you can. Don't be afraid to ask them for references or ask to see their work. I had some issues with one shop in Portland not doing the best job. So, I went to a big name sewing dealer (Pfaff - even before I got my Pfaff) and talked with their mechanics. Now I request one specific guy to do the work. He's usually backed up about 2 weeks all the time, but he is worth the wait.

I have a Pfaff 362 I bought new approx 48 years ago. I took it into a shop to be gone over although it was in perfect shape and worked just fine about eight years ago. It cost $80, it was all scratched up, covered with black grease and no longer looked new when I picked it up, and didn't work any better. It stopped working 6 months ago (plan to take it in and have it repaired) and bought a Janome 9700 not quite a year ago and I was told it should be taken into the shop once a year to be gone over and oiled. The Phaff had instruction as to how to oil etc. the Janome didn't have any instructions oil included. I called awhile back to have the Janome gone over and was told it would be 3 weeks before it could be done, not only that but I would have to leave it there that long.

I have not taken it in.

tuni

La Tuni - I'm so sorry about your experience - No repair man/person should return your machine to you in WORSE condition than when you dropped it off! If they are a licensed Pfaff repair person, then complain to Pfaff! They have all their repair people go through classes - its a big deal to be able to work on Pfaff machines! If they aren't licensed for Pfaff, I still would complain to the owner, the BBB, SOMEONE. They shouldn't treat people that way.

I had a shop in Portland (one I no longer frequent) try to return my machine dirty once. They tilted my machine back onto an oily rag and actually stained the machine. When I went to get it, I got oil all over myself and ruined a coat. I complained loudly and they did cover the cleaning cost, but as I said earlier, I NEVER went there again.

I have a back-up machine - a Viking, that I use for general sewing when my Pfaff is in the shop. I actually plan to take my machine into the shop when I'm gone for a week or so or not using it - like during canning season or during vacation. I always call ahead to check their schedule and they are more than happy to work me in. I've also worked really hard to maintain a good relationship with the mechanics, they are invaluable.

Have you tried contacting Janome or searching for an instruction book online? Often, you can have one e-mailed to you or buy one used on eBay for fractions of the cost.

Regarding people's luck with Singers - I learned on a Singer Golden touch-n-sew, it was the best in its day and my mom used the life out of it. She also got the cabinet for it because it actually fit her frame - she is petite. I also watched it fall into a state of disrepair from being 'rode hard and put away wet'. So much depends on how you treat your machine and the reliability of your mechanic....I am happy for those of you who have had the same machine for 50 years - what a a blessing! I pray my Pfaff will last that long....

:mrgreen: :D :) :? Yea, I taught myself and girlfriend/Daughter to fix it ourselves cause there's no one that will fix them,and we've drugg them home from the GSales and tinker with themto our heart's content . We collect them and Quilt a LOT!!!! Good Luck!!!!

I have had my Sears Kenmore 30 yrs. Never had it in the shop. I've always cleaned and oiled it myself. But since I am quilting/sewing with more regularaity now I have noticed I have to oil it more often (listening for the slight knock ) then I oil. Yes, I too have found canned air a helps to send those dust bunnies scampering away. I would like to get a new machine not fancy but has a few of the new features like needle down and double needle capabilites, least wise sometime in the future. So I am going to have to stop charging and start saving/praying too. And hint around Christmas & birthday in Jan.

I bought my Bernina in 1975. I regularly clean and oil it at home. But I have had it professionally adjusted and maintance done a few times. It's well worth the $69 (approximately). My machine runs beautifully and I have no need or desire to replace it. Canned air and oil are your friends! S.