Particulars

Pinball Repair: Your Questions Answered

All you need to know before having your game repaired
in your home or in our shop

Getting ready for your in-home Day Spa Experience

While we work on most years and manufacturers of Pinball Machines, we excel in repair and restoration of pinball machines 1977 and newer.

We generally make on-site service calls within 100 miles of Boston, MA. (We have been known to travel further. Contact us for details)

Indoor Games Only Please

For the most part, we only service games on location that are kept indoors, in a dry, temperature-controlled area (room temperature typically 60-80 degrees). Working on games that are kept outdoors or in non-climate-controlled areas during winter or summer months such as garages and unheated basements is bad for the game as well as not an optimal work environment for us. Most games (especially older ones) will often not work properly if located in an area with extreme temperature conditions, or will operate intermittently in areas where the temperature/humidity fluctuates over the course of a year. But please feel free to contact us / ask us about special situations where your game is located as we may make an exception.

Please Be Ready For Us:
While we have the means to get into your game if you have lost the keys, please have your game keys located prior to the service call and have your game ready in an accessible, well-lit, indoor climate-controlled area, so that it can be worked on properly. It is difficult to work on games that are buried behind furniture or other items, wedged in a dark tight corner, cannot be moved due to items stored on/under/around them, or if any sides of the game are not easily accessible for service.

“Can I watch you work on the game?”:

Sure, but we work much faster and more efficiently when left alone to do the job. As much as we enjoy talking about pinball with our customers, carrying-on a discussion, or showing/explaining what we’re doing while trying to work, it can take away a tremendous amount of focus and concentration, and increase the odds of something getting overlooked. It also increases the amount of time it takes to get the job done.

Note: our typical Day Spa service is $1,200 – $2,500 depending on the amount of parts, labor and travel involved. More complex games, complex issues, or extensive travel may require a multi-day spa treatment. See our Repair Services page for more info. 
 

The Pinball Doctor’s In-Shop Spa & Resort is our most exclusive service, and the pricing structure for that is a bit different: 

Understanding our in-shop “resort” pricing

Our In-shop game restoration Spa & Resort is a highly personalized service with pricing based on the following:
  • Estimated cost for services:

We specialize in the refurbishment and restoration of most pinball games dating from the late 1970’s and up. Pricing can be very hard to nail down specifically because conditions and brands vary so much. The more modern games we restore tend to ballpark into the $3,500-$6,500 range for just the labor, with the overall cost in total once done typically falling into the $5,500 – $9,500 range. Estimates will depend on both what is necessary and how far we go with your game. Sharing pictures and/or video of your game prior to sending your game to us helps immensely in getting you a more specific ballpark cost range.

  • Playfield touchup during the restoration process:

Playfield touchup feasibility and costs depend on the starting point of your playfield’s condition. Sending pictures is helpful when inquiring about the game you are looking to have restored. A new playfield could be an option if available.

  • Cabinet restoration / touch-up:

Cabinet restoration is taken in on a case-by-case basis. The price depends on the condition of the pinball cabinet or level of service needed. We rarely perform complete cabinet repaints. However, we will fill in missing wood / gouges, deep-clean the cabinet inside and out, and touch up the outside of the cabinet and head. We can optionally paint ½ way up of the interior walls of the cabinet for a like-new appearance from the player’s perspective.

  • Electronics and mechanics:

We do all circuit board work in-house if the boards are reliably repairable. Otherwise, we will install new boards by our short list of highly reputable re-manufacturers.
As with everything employed during your game restoration, any company we use for our playfield parts and PCB boards are well established and will provide quality on par with our own.

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