The total cost of a pinball machine repair call typically ranges from $200-$350. To schedule service, call 602-386-9356 or email [email protected]. Services accept cash, checks, PayPal, and credit cards. Hole/scoop repair is $100 per call, while cab touchup starts at $500. Shop jobs start at $150 per hour, including cleaning ramps, plastics, guides, and rebuilding components as needed.
Pinball Doctor offers in-home or in-shop services to restore your pinball machine to play like new condition. Dr. Dave can help with new parts, LED lighting, and more. Quick Pinball offers expert technicians who can repair your pinball machine quickly, bringing their tools and supplies to you. They can fix flippers, solenoids, and pop.
For new owners, a guide for new owners provides information on what supplies and tools are needed, how to clean and lubricate the playfield, and how to fix common problems. They have been servicing 1977 and newer pinball machines since 1994 in the Boston area and New England. The minimum charge for an in-home repair is $75.00 + mileage, and they also offer fixed rates for labor on entire machines, including a warranty.
Qualified repair people typically charge $75 a hour for labor, plus travel if over an hour. Onsite repairs should be north of $100/hour. Replacement playfields can be bought at a premium, depending on the game and the process to swap all components over.
In North Carolina, pinball machine repair, service, and sales are available. Home repairs have an $95 service fee, which includes travel to your home and the first 1/2 hour of repair time.
📹 What is the Cost of Pinball Restoration?
How much does it cost to restore a worn pinball machine back to prime condition? This video breaks down the kinds of …
Who repairs pinball machines on the repair shop?
Geoff Harvey is working on a dream restoration of a 1970s pinball machine with comic-book styling, brought to the barn by Louise and her nephew Jack. The machine was a joint birthday present for the twins, who enjoyed playing pinball together. Geoff aims to repair the machine’s mangled innards and restore the comic-book playing surface, ensuring it is in perfect playable condition.
Another project involves a travel chest brought into the barn by Norma and daughter Fiona. The chest once belonged to Norma’s father, William, who was killed in a train crash. Norma wants the chest to be used as a toy box for her great-grandchildren, but it is in poor condition with a warped lid and broken locks. Experts Steve Fletcher and Dominic Chinea are working to restore the chest, ensuring it can be used by the next generation of Norma’s family. If you have a treasured possession that needs restoring, please contact them.
Are pinball machines going up in value?
Pinball machines have experienced a significant decrease in value due to double-digit inflation in 2021 and 2022. The Pinball Prices free price guide offers five guidelines to help shoppers and sellers understand their pinball machine’s worth. The yearly average includes non-working project machines and top-of-the-line mint restorations. Factors such as theme, condition, rarity, age, and where the sale was made, such as eBay, Pinside, or an online auction house, can influence the final sale price.
The guide also provides information on the sale’s origin, such as eBay, Pinside, or an online auction house. Buyer fees are often included in the price listed, ensuring a fair market for pinball machines.
What is the easiest pinball machine to maintain?
Electromechanical pinball machines are more affordable and easier to maintain than solid-state machines, but production halted in the early 2000s. Digital pinball machines are the most advanced but also the most expensive due to the use of LCDs, which require more energy. These machines may have higher electric bills if you plan to play often. To ensure a successful purchase, measure the space you have available for the machine and choose one with the correct dimensions to avoid “squeezing in”. It is crucial to choose a machine that fits your space and avoid disappointment when the machine arrives.
Is there a market for old pinball machines?
The value of vintage pinball machines can vary significantly, influenced by factors such as rarity, condition, and historical significance. As a result, they represent a valuable collectible item in any market.
What is the most sought after pinball machine?
The most sought-after pinball games are Pirates of the Caribbean CE Jersey Jack (EUR 25, 000), Batman 66 Super LE Stern (EUR 24, 000), Ghostbusters LE Stern (EUR 20, 000), and Medieval Madness Williams (EUR 18, 000).
How much does The Repair Shop charge?
The BBC show The Repair Shop does not charge for the service of repairing family heirlooms, as explained by Ricochet’s Head of Factual, Rob Butterfield. The show is filmed at the Weald and Downland Living Museum in Singleton, West Sussex, and the repair shop is not a permanent fixture. The show is open to anyone with a treasured item that has seen better days and who thinks their experts can help. The BBC website also encourages people to contact the show’s experts for assistance with historical or social objects.
How much do they charge on The Repair Shop?
Luckily for people taking their family heirlooms to be repaired, the BBC show does not charge for the service. Speaking about the costs, the Head of Factual at The Repair Shop ‘s production company, Ricochet, Rob Butterfield, explained: “We don’t charge for repairs. If people wish to make a donation to a charity we’re very happy with that, but it’s by no means necessary.” Incredible!
You can also apply to go on the show with an item you would like to be restored via the BBC website. It reads: “If you have a treasured item that’s seen better days and you think our experts can help, please get in touch now! We’re also keen to hear from communities who have objects of historical or social interest they’d like our help with.”
The series is filmed at the Weald and Downland Living Museum in Singleton, West Sussex – so the repair shop isn’t a permanent fixture!
How much is a pinball machine worth?
The value of a pinball machine is contingent upon a number of variables, including the collector’s demand, the price of the machine, and the initial offer made by the dealer. A fully restored Medieval Madness can command a price in excess of $10, 000, while a dealer may offer approximately $5, 000.
Are pinball machines a lot of maintenance?
Deep cleaning your pinball machine is recommended once a year, as it is a delicate task that requires careful attention to avoid breaking parts or pulling out cables. Before starting the cleaning process, it is essential to identify the state of the machine, including any broken bulbs, damaged mechanical parts, and rubbers. Taking pictures of these items can help in reassembling them if necessary. Additionally, it is crucial to place a material order to ensure everything is available on the day of the big cleanup.
What is the cost of repairs at The Repair Shop?
The Repair Shop, a popular TV show, does not charge for repairs and does not require donations to charity. The show’s experts work in private workplaces, and while some fans may believe hard work deserves rewards, the show is known for its sentimental approach. The show uses sign-ups to provide content consented to and improve understanding of its audience, which may include advertisements from the show and third parties. Users can unsubscribe at any time and can read the Privacy Policy for more information.
Why do repair shops charge so much for labor?
Mechanic shops face significant expenses, including labor costs, overhead costs, tools and equipment, ongoing training, parts and materials, and business profit margins. Skilled technicians undergo training and certification to perform complex and specialized work, which can be costly to purchase and maintain. Mechanics also need access to high-quality tools and diagnostic equipment, which can be expensive to purchase and maintain.
Ongoing training is essential for mechanics to stay up-to-date with the latest vehicle systems and repair techniques. Replacement parts and materials are a significant part of the total bill, and the business profit margin is necessary to sustain operations, invest in improvements, and provide for employees.
To manage these costs, it is recommended to shop around, get quotes from multiple mechanics or shops, perform regular maintenance, consider DIY repairs, use used or aftermarket parts, negotiate prices, seek second opinions, and budget for unexpected car repair expenses. By doing so, mechanics can provide affordable options and maintain a healthy business profit margin.
📹 6 Things You Need to Know About Getting Into the Pinball Hobby
Thinking about joining the Pinball Enthusiasts? Got your eyes on a game or just curious as to what you’re getting into? Well, this …
I think before you even buy a machine, you should find out how far the closest pinball tech is because most likely you’ll need help at some point. Also my best advice (if you’re on a budget) buy the cheapest working game you can find, and try to do your own repairs. If you mess up a game you didn’t invest a lot into, you won’t feel so mad at yourself when you do screw up.
The one thing you missed that’s related to 2 and 3 is the other reason why you might want more than one pin. Since anything that moves… breaks, if you only have one pinball machine for your Fourth of July party, you run the risk of having that one machine break when you need it the most. Redundancy is something to consider. Also I think you can rent Pinball machines if you want to try it for a month.
The days of cheap pinball machines ended when they started showing up on Ebay MANY years ago. Facebook marketplace has made it even worse. People being willing to pay stupid prices for pinball machines are the biggest problem. KISS has been crazy expensive forever, and it’s not even that great of a game to play. Still, it’s gotten to the point where the only way to get a cheap machine is to buy a rough project, or get REALLY lucky. I still refuse to buy a working machine because repairing them is half of the fun for me, but what some people expect to get for games that are trashed is insane.
When Cary, while talking about how his pinball collection has expanded beyond just having one and has now taken over other parts of the house said . . . “I mean we don’t ever use the Dining Room anyways”, that’s when I lost it. That was funny!! And oh’ boy, I can relate. 🙂 Another great article . . . !!
Repair and maintenance. If you can up skill yourself in soldering, that will go a long way in pinball maintenance. Also, the ball in Pinball can move pretty fast around the play field and can break some of the plastic details. Even cause some of the wire point trigger switches to bend and weaken. So look for broken debris while cleaning the play field. Parts. Keeping a stock of play field light bulbs, flipper solenoids, a few bumper rubber bands, and fuses that will take care of most of the common ongoing maintenance repairs.
I built a virtual pinball machine that runs off a Nintendo switch with pinball fx3, pinball arcade, stern pinball arcade, and zaccaria pinball (I have all the dlcs for each) I would love to own a pinball machine, just I would want either a white water, Ghostbusters limited edition or Godzilla limited edition but it’s just so far from my budget. So atleast I can still enjoy playing pinball
I’ve been a pinfan for years, have gone to our local NWPAS for 8 years running, but never thought I’d ever own a machine. Two years ago my wife developed a love for Mini Coopers and though we already had four modern Minis, she wanted a classic. I then agreed to sell my Mandalorian themed Mini F56 (Mindalorian) and we would split the money. She got her classic and I got my pinball machine. Coincidentally, the Mando pin was just released when I went to buy but pulled the trigger on a JPP instead. Once I received it after an 8 month wait I knew I needed more. My gameroom resides on the top floor of our house and I’ve mapped out future expansion while making sure the live load was in accordance with our local building code. Would hate to have all these pins crash down onto the Mini Coopers in the garage below. I may have sneakily tricked my wife into ordering a second pin (Mando Pro) and already have my next target as being a 90s era Bally or Williams. I’d even take the right Gottlieb if the price and theme were right. I’ve also heavily modded them in my head. I don’t really know where I’m going with this but Pinball is awesome. Sometimes I just turn on my lone JPP just to hear the music in the background. I’m quite proud of it and as more pins enter my gameroom it will bring me prestige. But honestly, I’m just a sucker for flashing lights.
Let`s face it. It`s a rich man`s hobby …… which is for someone who also has the space ( most of us in the UK don`t have handy massive basements etc ) But for the rest of of us Virtual Pin is the way to go and …………….. make and config your own like I did so that you have minimal maintenance and you can keep it going for good
Although imagine it would be a hard article to ultimately make and perhaps it’s far to broad of a topic but I’d love to see a article on basic pinball repair. As I’m new to the hobby and just got my 1st game. Tools to have on hand? How to do this or that (insert basic common repairs) like I said that may be far to wide of a topic ? But if possible I’d love to see it
Great article! I am looking into opening up a barcade and I’d love to have a pinball collection for it. I recently researched and documented the costs from distributors and I was floored at how much they generally cost. I would really like to start out with newer titles and it comes out to about $60k-70k for just 8 of them. That’s insane! I’ve also learned that a machine at one distributor could cost ~$3k more than the same “new”, advertised machine at another distributor. I expect that with older titles, but surprised this is the case with brand new machines. I might wait a year to pull the trigger in hopes of the prices going down. Of course, that could backfire! haha
I did that with article games.lol Started with 1 now i have 14 and 5 in my storage lol My main Pin I want is Twilight Zone since I live in Binghamton NY where Rod Serling was from and ALOT of Episodes were filmed here . Along with the Movie in the 80s which was World Premiere was here . New I was Rocky and Bullwinkle and Robo Wars lol Yea Im old
Great article. As someone who made a LOT of mistakes early on when I got into this hobby, I agree with your assessment. I don’t see any way out of taking the long road when getting into this hobby ($$$). The first pin I bought was a 1975 Gottlieb ‘Pin Up’ in cosmetically good condition. Problem was, as soon as it started having mechanical issues, I was in over my head and sold it for half of what I paid. I would love to have that pin back because I could easily fix it now, after 10 years in the hobby. And that was just one instance of that happening………$$$$$$$$$$$$ 🤦♂
Always loved playing pinball but was never in the market for one…until Rush was announced. Now that I have one I definitely want more. Only thing holding me back is the cost and space, and the space issue I can always figure out. Unfortunately I cannot justify the cost of more at this time, so the FOMO is definitely very real.
I absolutely hate the Home, Pro, Premium and LE edition model. Hate it. Stern and to a lesser degree some others I guess are making tons of money selling stripped and sterilized versions of their pins, but all it does is pollute the market and increase costs across the board. Just make Premium and LE’s You save on all the tooling and can streamline manufacturing and assembly. This is why a lot of the smaller names only offer two models the base and the limited edition. Both are essentially the same game, but the LE has all the bling. Great! Home and Pro editions are absolute garbage and I think people should just not buy them. I get it who can afford $8k-$14k for a Premium or LE? Well, those prices would go down if people would reserve themselves and say no, those prices are too high. But they won’t because people must have their stuff.
How did you finance your purchases of pinball machines in the beginning? Do you have any general advice besides just saving money longterm. You don’t have to be specific if its private but im just asking out of interest. I’m actually in it to go to college this fall so i can get a job with better pay in the future. Besides im looking at older machines now (classics) since they tend to be a bit cheaper and maybe start there. Thanks for the website and keep it up! / A newly, committed pinball enthusiast from Sweden
why do you say the median is 2.8k, im curious if im missing something, not being sarcastic, i acknowledge that if you consider every possible pinball machine, there are unpopular games and EMs under 3k. I am guessing that most home collectors have betweeen 1-5 machines. Until people get big collectors they are probably buying things off the top 100 list on pinside, the classics, new releases. and recent games since the revival 2013 ish. If you go on the top 100 list, maybe a handful are under 4k. and if you assume the average person might set a budget to exclude the real expensive opitons 13-20k,, Most are going to fall in the 5-12 k range, Im basing these prices on pinside market, and that seems to be the only opiton. It seems the days of finding them at garage sales are over, I live near a city dont seen anything on craigslist
So I guess these tips are only for newbies interested in owning machines then. IMO owning machines doesn’t make much sense. Plenty of arcades in my local area and most machines run 2 plays for 75 cents… I could go play Addams Family at the arcade 40,000 times before I’ve spent enough money just to buy one Adams Family in good condition. And that’s not even considering maintenance cost.
It must be nice to have places to go to play pinball. I haven’t seen a single pinball machine in this country for more than 20 years. Every pub used to have at least one. I think the best solution for people who want to play pinball (like me), who have no access to pinball machines (like me), and who have no technical knowledge whatsoever (like me) is to get a virtual pinball. It’s a box containing a computer and monitors. No extensive technical knowledge required; no hunting for rare parts; and the possibility to play over a thousand tables on a single machine. Mine should arrive in 2-3 months and I can’t wait. I got a top-of-the-line model with all the bells and whistles.
So I went down the pinball rabbit hole last year and picked up a VR machine. Now I want to pick up a real world machine and this article was a fantastic resource for me to give me a good idea what I’m in for .. thankfully I have 2 pinball places here in the Kansas City area and one even has classes on how to fix machines.. they also have a tech that does a home service so I’m thankful for that as well. I’m going to start with one machine I swear.😁 Maybe two …
Liked your article. I’m an old pinhead and you forgot to mention remakes. I have an original Bally AFM which I’ve kept nice. I used to think it might be worth like $12K someday. Since the Remake came out with nicer graphics, color DMD screen, etc… no one will pay that unless they had to have an original for some reason. As it’s the same game, I doubt that’s gonna happen. That one was an investment that I thought I could own & play and someday flip.
Picking the machine up is part of the fun (for me at least). as of F.O.M.O: I was always looking for particular machines (EMs from the 70s), and more often than not they showed up for sale only once or twice in the last 20 years or so (and I had to drive to other european countries for the pick up). So depending on what you are looking for, sometimes you have to bite the bullet.
Someone loves colored GI. If I could only convince people that colored GI erases colors from the playfield, it doesn’t enhance. Red GI makes red look white, blue look black and green look brown. Each color GI you add to your machine you are erasing colors from your machine. Please consider switching to soft white. Unless the machine had colored GI to begin with like my Space Station which has white GI and special green GI for a Condition Green mode. Colored GI is to pinball what LCD screens and 60-in-1s are to arcade games.
The addiction is real! I been in the virtual pinball side of things for about 10 years now, An d I must say you think playing them is addictive, Creating them is even more addictive, I find my self creating and working on pinball tables more often then playing them. Like a ratio of 20 to 1. I live breath sleep and dream pinball. If you ever seen IT Pinball Madness, that was my baby. got many more I created since like, my custom barbed wire, and Exorcist table. Currently working on at least 17 new tables. I just cant stop!
Nice article! The part about addiction is very true and very funny; but while you mostly talk about aestethics and emotions, there’s a more concrete explanation for the pinball bug: no single pinball machine can give you everything you want. WhiteWater is a fantastic game, but the only thing it’s got in common with Lord of the Rings is flippers, pop bumpers, slingshots and a shooter lane. The more you play on your first machine, the more you’ll realize how great it would be to add more variety. So, saying that you only need a pinball machine is technically true, but it’s like having a NES and forcing yourself to play Super Mario Bros over and over again, all while you’re aware that Tetris and Mega Man exist. The temptation to buy additional titles is only kept in check by problems like floor space and money, but the desire will always be there.
#2 is extremely important. If you buy a machine, you have to understand that you will have to fix and maintain it yourself. There are no exceptions. What I wasn’t prepared for is how easily you can get hurt once you take the glass off or open the coin door. If you’re looking to get cut, poked, bruised, scraped, deafened, or electrocuted quickly, a pinball machine is your answer. I tried to ward off the “I need another game” by buying a Godzilla. So far, so good.
Amazing work and very informative. when you said they look better in gorups i laughed so hard. I was 20 when i bought my first one and now i have 6 at the age of 22 haha. Crazy how time flies. The hobby is amazing and i keep hoping that more youth and growth comes by because the way its going is amazing and these machines are not just “games” they are works of art.
Do you think used prices will ever come back down to something more reasonable? NIB I can see staying where they are, some the prices points for used games are outrageous. Looking for a ST TNG or a Stern ST Premium, albeit as a first game. (Sidenote: I know TNG probably isn’t a good 1st pin, but I love the theme.)
Great article and I agree with all of your points. Another good way to get into the hobby is considering building your own virtual pinball machine. It’s obviously not the same as the real thing, but a well equipped vpin comes surprisingly close to the feeling of a real machine (realisitc ball rolling, bumpers, slingshots, etc.). There is a huge community and a lot of tutorials for building your own vpin. And the greatest benefit: you can play thousands of different machines on it.
People are always shocked when I tell them how much old and brand new machines are worth, specially since the pandemic. If someone I talk to wants to start going down the road to being an owner, I tell them right from the start that they’re not a article game console, you will have to maintain them. If you’re not someone who wants to fix them just go support those out on location, or any pinball owners you know.. Yes you can get a tech but you’ll save a lot of money not calling them in to fix some issues that are simple fixes i.e. a blown fuse, loose plugs or wires. Plus you won’t be scare each time you use them. Me and Dad started on the pinball owner’s road by getting a project Fish Tales for $500, nervous and didn’t know what we were looking at. Plenty of research and talking to others later we learnt so much, and made new friends. Fast forward to now I fixed plenty of machines with a row of five in the house at one point, sold almost all of them to downsize for the new house, with a nice trio of good titles