Be aware that if you are an original owner of a Kirby, you can send your machine to the factory for a complete Kirby rebuild for about 1/2 the price. You do have to pay for shipping your heavy machine and it takes several more weeks, but I wasn't given this option at the time my "repair" turned into a full rebuild. As a Kirby authorized service center, I would assume that it would be required to provide all options. I was specific in asking about the "lifetime" warranty I was sold on and it was kind of blown off saying that it wasn't lifetime, there was only a 3 year factory warranty.
I felt sick that I over paid by more than $200 and it says "all sales final" everywhere. I should have done more preliminary research and to be fair, they were very thorough in explaining the differences in the rebuilds after the fact when I called them about it. They gave me the pros and cons and extended my warranty for another year through them to try to make it right. (They got 1 extra star for that.) I just wish it had been mentioned before I forked over the $$$. I probably still would have done it through them, but I would have at least liked knowing all my options. My rebuilt machine looks good and works well. I hope my "new" machine lasts me another 12 years. That way the price I paid will be worth it.