I've had a 1630 and an artista 180. I loved both of them. I would definitely repair my 180 if it broke, but then I've become a Bernina gal and at the price of new machines, I figure I can put quite a bit of money in this one to keep it working before I'm past the price of a new one. Just curious, did you take it to a Bernina tech or just a generic sewing machine repair man?