Ive had two repairs on my old Sebo X1 Automatic - the lifetime belt eventually snapped (the previous owner, my Uncle seriously abused this vac) after 13 years and it lasted 2 years more before we sold it on. 15 years isn't bad going; our old Hoover Junior lasted 13 years before that with constant repairs and more money spent on it to the value of the Sebo which had been brought brand new. Having only owned Miele cylinders for the best part of 8 years now, I'd say Sebo and Miele are both considerably longer lasting. However the S7 isn't as easy to break down like the Sebo X models are when it all goes wrong.
I only recall one American vacuum series by Shetland-Lewyt that put out a line of canisters back in the day that were "modular" in nature allowing easy removal of motors, etc., for alledgedly easy customer self-maintenance. The idea being, should a motor fail or some other part of the machine suffer damage, you could simply pop it out or off and replace it with a new one yourself. Great idea but the series did not last long on the market. Why, I don't know.
Nilfisk, in my opinion, so far makes some of the easiest to self-service canisters though ordering and replacing an entire motor unit is one thing. Changing motor brushes is more radical, less expensive but best handled by a competent service person.
The S7 has those special screws that require a specific tool to undo them. My curiosity, for once, is not that great I find.
Venson
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