Servicing is actually mainly for machines that are in good working order without any major issues. Its purpose is to prevent repairs, rather than fix problems that have already begun. A service may fix a “broken” machine, but not always, and leaving a machine to develop issues before getting it serviced can lead to additional bills and problems. Servicing is beneficial because: It’s a predictable regular cost, as opposed to leaving it for years then having a sudden huge bill from expensive repairs or even needing to buy a new machine. You can plan a service in advance, when you know you will have some downtime away from projects, as opposed to having a machine suddenly break down at a crucial time! A service usually has a predictable turnaround time (here at Rosie’s I normally say a few days to a week max.). The turnaround time for repairs are often longer and can be harder to judge as I need to assess and diagnose it, possibly do research, order parts, wait for them to arrive, then fit them etc., etc. Wear and tear and damage can be detected in good time to take proactive action. Save money. The long term financial benefits of having your machine serviced include not needing to pay for big repairs, and increasing the machine’s life expectancy. Circuit boards in particular benefit from having lint and dust removed from them regularly, otherwise they can gradually overheat which shortens their lifespan. Delaying servicing causes cumulative problems. Take lint for example. If you get it cleaned out while it’s still a bit of fluff floating about in the bobbin area, it’s no problem. If you leave it to build up throughout the machine and become compacted, it can strain the mechanisms, the bearings, the motor, prevent the stitches from forming properly, the fabric from feeding etc etc. Any and all of which can cause your machine to suddenly (and potentially permanently) conk out. If your machine has a lot of memories attached to it and you’d prefer to be able to use it for as long as possible, it really is worth investing in having it serviced proactively. User error can be spotted and corrected with some friendly advice. This may not sound like a big deal but a lot of damage that happens to sewing machines is caused through user error. More sewing enjoyment!😃 Receiving advice about how to use your machine and troubleshoot effectively means you can spend more time sewing, and less time getting frustrated.  For an overview of what takes place during a routine service, please click here.

It is not an exact science and it depends a little bit on the type of material you have been sewing with, the type of machine you have, and how often you use it. As a rough guideline, I’d suggest annually for computerised machines and any machines that are being used frequently, e.g. every weekend. If you sew daily, or sew particularly lint-y fabrics, you may wish to increase that frequency. If you get your machine out once a year then of course you can reduce that number, but I would not recommend anyone leave their machine without a service for several years no matter what the usage frequency. This is mainly because the lubrication will dry up, and if you store your machine in a less-than-ideal fashion (e.g. without a dust cover, or in the garage), then it may need a clean out to remove environmental contamination. Here's a recent machine that got left for too long - This machine broke down in the middle of a project. It was about 10 years old and never serviced. I found many threads wrapped around the take up lever. If this is spotted early during a routine service, the threads are easily removed and there’s no harm done. In addition, as it is caused by user error, it can be corrected and prevented from happening again. In this case though, as it has built up for years, it had caused irreparable damage to the machine's mechanisms through excessive strain. Instead of being a £70 service taking place at a convenient time, this became an unexpected £300 expenditure for a new machine, in the middle of a project with an upcoming deadline.

Occasionally the cost of servicing and/or repairing your machine can start to creep up towards the price of buying a new machine, especially with the more basic machines. However there are a couple of factors worth considering: Unless you buy the exact same model again, then the way to thread and use another machine may be quite different from your current one, which can mean learning a lot of things from scratch again. If you enjoy using your current machine, then it’s worth investing in an occasional service or a one-off repair in order to keep it running. There can be differences in the way sewing machines “feel” to use and you may favour one over another, and it’s hard to tell when buying online. If you have happy memories attached to that machine, for example if it was given to you as a present, or it’s the machine you learnt to sew on, it can be worth investing in its upkeep in order to help keep it going. You could have it serviced, and keep it as a backup machine. Even if you want to upgrade to a machine with more functions, it’s always very handy to have a backup machine for times when your new machine is out of action for its servicing etc. In addition, if you bring it for service/repair, and I find any user-caused damage, I will be able to provide advice that will mean you won’t need to pay for repairs in the future. Even if you do end up choosing a new machine, the advice you’ll have learnt will be applicable for your next machine too, preventing the same thing happening to your new machine. Sometimes after assessing your machine, there are reasons why I agree it would be better to get a new machine. In such cases I will provide non-biased advice on recommended machines, as opposed to a dealership or online retailer who may be incentivised to sell certain machines.

Sadly, no. WD40 is an excellent product for what it is designed for, however that does not include oiling sewing machines. Using household oils including kitchen oils can cause more harm than good and could even eventually write off your machine. Sewing machine oil is inexpensive and widely available at haberdashery shops, and any major brand is fine to use. Also, old oil gets sticky, so be sure to use recently bought oil, not one that has been in the cupboard for many years. Be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions on oiling (this will be towards the back of your User Manual) - on certain modern computerised machines, oiling is not required or only in select areas. DO NOT pour oil into the body of computerised machines.