Yikes! Is this true?
 

I took my Brother embroidery/sewing machine in for it's yearly maintenance and cleaning. I was told that the reason newer machines never need oiling is because they have built-in oil wells. So if you neglect your machine and don't have it serviced as recommended, your oil wells may run dry.

I guess it could be true -- I usually take my machine (different brand) in every 12-18 months for cleaning and updating. Just got my machine back and it is sewing beautifully!

I get an email from my dealer that it is time for my machine to get its tuneup. But I do oil after each change of my bobbin.

I wouldn't buy a machine that needed to see the doctor once a year. I don't neglect it, either. I do what it needs myself. Our 'foremothers' didn't bring their old Singers in for an annual checkup! But then... I don't have any computerized machines. Strictly mechanical and vintage.

I have a really hard time accepting any 'commandment' as 'carved in stone' when it's delivered by the person who will benefit financially if I obey it. I look for independent verification on stuff like that.

Hope that's not true.I also have a Brother. It's 10 yrs. old & never been serviced. How would I know if it needs oil.

I think that is only partially true. If you read through this thread (no pun intended!):
http://forums.threadsmagazine.com/ga...sewing-machine
you will see a comment about the newer machines having "oil-emitting bearings". Perhaps the oil doesn't last forever, but it likely would not need topping up every year either. Also note that there is a difference between oiling a machine and getting a machine serviced.

My Bernina 1230 has not been in for service for at least 10 years. Granted, I do not use it heavily every day the way some sewers do; still, it has seen plenty of use in 10 years. I learned how to oil the bobbin race and do that regularly, and am very good about cleaning out lint. The machine still purrs as if it were brand new.

It's the "having it serviced as recommended" that I take issue with. The first few years I had my Bernina I took it to the dealership for professional servicing every year. The last time I did that the cost was over $100 and I noticed that the technician had never even bothered to change the top tension from the lower mark I had set it to for nylon monofilament thread. The machine was very clean when I took it in, so I suspected he did nothing but check the machine for lint. Not worth it for me! I decided then to take my machine in only if I noticed a change in how it was sewing. Been 10 years so far.......

The "oil-emitting bearings" are sealed, so the oil will not dry out or evaporate.

I sew a lot. For my Viking which I got 37 years ago I would go by the sound and "feel" of the sewing. It told me when it needed a tune up, much like a needle will tell you when it's dull if you forget to change it. I could usually go around 18 months between tune ups when I was sewing hours and hours each day. I cleaned out the lint and such along the way. If a person didn't sew as much as I do then it would go longer. For my Featherweights I do the maintenance on those with regular oiling and cleaning. I just recently got a Janome 8900 and at this point haven't got a feel for when it will need to be serviced.