I had my Pfaff Creative 7530 services only once - after a long move where it was packed and roughed around a bit. I never had it serviced again before the motherboard died. Motherboard is not affected by cleaning/servicing. When I opened it up to see if I could replace the motherboard the machine was spic and span clean. Fortunately I had already bought a second machine - a Pfaff Expression 2.0 which I use daily 8 - 12 hours. I clean it thoroughly about every 3 days, making sure I get ALL the lint out. I use canned air with the tube inserted down into the clear areas and pointed toward the feed dogs. When I squirt air the lint blows up and out the openings around the plate. This is how I cleaned the last one, and I will clean this machine the same way until it's computer dies. The secret to using canned air is to never blow down into the machine; always blow up out of the machine.

I thought the yearly maintenance deal was only a suggestion

WOW! You all convinced me - I will continue to have Bernice (AKA Bernina 640E) serviced! Thanks for all your replies.

I think it depends on how much you sew. If you use daily yes. If your like me where you might not touch your machine for several month and sew intermittently than every 2 years would probably be okay. Its like a car the more you take care of them the longer they will last

Yes, it will prolong the life of your machine.

It's a good idea to do annual maintenance on your machine, especially if you sew on it a lot.

If you have a computerized machine, flannel lint especially will compact behind the board .

I'm reminded of what my dental hygienist friend always says, "Only floss the teeth you want to keep..."

My repair person told me that 2 yrs. was enough between cleanings. I have a friend who sews constantly and does her own cleaning and de-linting and she has never taken her machines in for professional cleaning.

I have only taken one machine in for check and maintenance and it performed worse when I got it back. If you keep it properly cleaned and maintained it shouldn't need anything further unless something breaks or something unexpected happens.