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Before & After Spa Treatment

Matt Sparrow

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DawnCavanaugh Advanced Member

DawnCavanaugh

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Hi Everyone,

 

A week at the "spa" is a wonderful thing for both a quilter and her machine! I thought I'd give you an idea of how a spa week at APQS works, and when to consider making a spa appointment with us. (Keep in mind that since APQS machines are hand-built, no two machines will ever sound the same, even right out of the box. Get to know the "normal" sound for your machine so that you know when something sounds unexpected.)

 

We're asked all the time whether a quilter needs to send in her machine "regularly" for maintanence like she does on a home sewing machine. Because we build APQS machines to industrial standards, they're meant to be powerful workhorses for many years. You'll get several years of use from your machine until it becomes evident that a little TLC is in order. We typically see a machine back in the factory sometime between its 5th and 8th birthdays, depending on whether it's used every day or less frequently. And even if your machine has celebrated those birthdays and it's never been back to the factory, that still doesn't mean it's necessary to send it back "just because". Your quilting style, the time the machine is in service, and even the way you care for it will determine how long it will perform well for you before it's time for a tune-up.

 

Keep in mind that most repairs are still possible "in the field" without needing to send the machine back for service. With the help of great documentation and videos, many quilters are able to keep their machines humming along without shipping the machine back to the factory. You can easily change the motor brushes, repack the gearbox with grease, polish the needle plate hole, change thread guides, install circuit boards and even install a new hook and retime the machine...all without your precious baby leaving the comfort of your quilting studio. In fact, we encourage quilters to consider these options simply to protect the machine from potential damage while in transit to and from the factory. (My apologies to any shipping company employees out there, but it can be a pretty rough trip for your sewing head as it travels along the conveyor belts, bumps along in a truck, or gets tossed and jostled on a loading dock.)

 

Of course, at some point there are some "wear and tear" items that simply aren't practical to fix in the studio like worn bushings, bearings, or entire gearboxes. Those are best serviced at the factory. We still examine your baby from head to toe, evaluating everything carefully for signs of wear or potential problems and we address all of them.

 

We schedule your machine for a "spa week" when you call us for an appointment. We ask that you ship your machine to our factory to arrive by the Friday before your scheduled appointment week. In a typical week, we are able to work on 3-4 quilting machines so your baby won't be alone. :) Early in the appointment week, our team evaluates each machine, going through a thorough 30-point checklist. Once we have evaluated your machine and have determined what repairs may be needed, we contact you to get your authorization to perform the repairs or upgrades. We'll tell you what really needs to be done to restore your machine to proper working order, along with some recommended changes that could improve your quilting (for example, we might suggest new wheels or mention the availability of the interchangeable hopping foot if your foot is "old style".) You always have the option of determining which repairs or upgrades we perform on the machine.

 

Since we have no way of knowing what condition a machine may be in when it arrives, we can't guarantee that we'll be able to open your box, evaluate your machine, make repairs, and ship it back to you lickety split. Several normal repairs actually require extra time for the machine to sit undisturbed (for example, the needle bar bushing replacement--a common wear item--requires the machine to sit in a sideways position overnight so that the bushings can properly seat inside the housing as the loctite sets up.) Some machines require a trip even farther down the production line, back to our machinist's factory, if the gearbox has a problem. This is why we need an entire week for your machine (and on a few occasions, it may even be slightly longer than that.)

 

After your machine is repaired, we also do a thorough sew-off with the machine before boxing it up and shipping it back to you so that we're sure your stitches are beautiful, your buttons work the way they're supposed to, and your baby is happy once more.

 

Spa weeks are very popular, and because Amy and Brenda do such a fantastic job, they're booked well in advance.:) It pays to plan ahead if you anticipate that your machine's spa time is near. We're typically booked ahead about 8-10 weeks (right now we're scheduling for the end of June). Due to shipping times for your machine both to and from the factory (typically about 3-5 days each way by UPS ground), plus the time while it's at the factory, you should plan on roughly a 3-week period where you'll be without a machine. That's a great time to plan your vacation, or actually PIECE some of those quilts you've been promising to make for yourself! You'll have no excuse!:)

 

As for the cost of the spa week, naturally it varies based on the machine's age, wear, and necessary (or optional) upgrades you choose. As a general rule, we advise new owners to set aside about $100 for every birthday your baby celebrates. By the time it's ready for a trip to the spa, you'll have a birthday fund that will be adequate for most service and repair needs. If you plan on upgrades (for example you may be pining after an interchangeable hopping foot which wasn't available until 2012) then you may need a little more. In addition, UPS shipping costs run anywhere from $75-$125 each way for the machine. 

 

To make a spa week appointment, just call our Service Team at 800-426-7233 and we will schedule your machine, and we'll then email you information about how to properly box up your sewing head, along with what additional parts we need from you to complete the repair. If you no longer have the original sewing head box your machine came in, we strongly recommend that you order one from us before your appointment date. The boxes include custom-molded inserts that allow your machine to "float" inside the box to further protect it from potential damage. Of course, even the most well-padded package can sustain damage, but the factory box is a much safer option than to expect batting and bubble wrap to suffice. :) A new head box is $30 plus shipping.

 

One last reminder...your machine is built to last. We subscribe to the old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." If your machine is humming along, it's not necessary to schedule that appointment "just because it's never been checked." Since so many things on your machine can be tweaked or fixed without you ever needing to even remove the machine from the table, it's best to start with a phone call to us first with any concerns or performance issues you encounter with your machine. Together we can determine if a trip back to the factory is really necessary. In most cases simply installing a new part or readjusting an old one saves you time, money, and protects your machine from inadvertent shipping damage.

 

If you ever have any questions about your machine, just call us or email or service team at service@apqs.com. We're here to help!

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