Thanks for your inputs - much appreciated. A thought occurs. The machine is still under manufacturer's warranty. It was purchased in May 2010, has currently only 111 hours up, and has a 36 month/300 hr warranty. So both on time and running hours it currently remains under warranty. I have religiously had it serviced since new by an authorised repairer, rather than servicing it myself, solely to retain the manufacturer's warranty.
I wonder if the manufacturer might be able to assert that what has occurred comes under the heading of "fair wear and tear" if I try a warranty claim. The reason this thought occurs is that the old Greenfield Rideon that I traded in to buy the current machine never had this type of problem and it was a lot older than 2 1/2 years with about 400 hours on the clock at the time.
Any thoughts?
