I get a lot of email asking, "Will you come to my home and fix my pinball or coin-operated arcade game?" The answer is YES! And the price is less than you may think.

In-Home Pinball Repair Service.
If you live anywhere around the lower part of Michigan I can travel to your home and fix your pinball or arcade game (EM or Solidstate) in your home or business. This includes the South East Michigan and Detroit metro area like Brighton, Detroit, Novi, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Grosse Pointe, Taylor, Dearborn, Farmington, Shelby, Macomb, Sterling Heights, Bay City, Troy, Royal Oak, Monroe, Kalamazoo, Battlecreek, Jackson, Ann Arbor, Howell, Walled Lake, Pinckney, Roseville, St. Clair Shores, Beverly Hills MI, Grass Lake, Livonia, Westland, Ypsilanti, Belleville, White Lake, Commerce, Franklin. Basically from the Port Huron (thumb of Michigan) down to Toledo Ohio, and up to Kalamazoo, and across to Detroit Michigan, and all points in between. This includes the Michigan counties of counties including Oakland, Wayne, Monroe, St. Clair, Macomb, Genesee, Lapeer, Livingston, Washtenaw, Jackson, Ingham county and others. Also Toledo Ohio and surrounding areas in north west Ohio.

I specialize in pinball games from the 1940s to present. That means I can fix an old EM (electro-mechanical) pinball, or the most current solidstate pinball games. I also fix old shuffle alley/puck bowling and ball bowlers, arcade baseball pitch and bat games, arcade mechanical gun games, and other similar arcade games. This includes coin operated games made by Gottlieb, Williams, Bally, DataEast, Midway, Sega, Stern, Chicago Coin (CCM), Genco, Mutoscope, United and many others. Newer Solidstate dot matrix display games to the oldest electro-mechanical pinballs.

I bring all tools and parts for your game with me (I would say less than 5% of the time I have to make a second trip back because I am missing a part). And if I can't fix your game there's no charge (assuming you're under 30 miles drive.)

Note I am animal friendly! That is, if you have a dog or cat or two at your home, that is not a problem. I can fix your pinball game at your home with no worry about pets.

Generally a 120 mile trip (each way) is about as far as I can travel to do a game repair (like two hours each way). There is of course an additional cost if you live over 45 miles each way. I have traveled up to three hours each way to fix someone's games. Also I only travel at most 60 miles each way during November to March, because the winter Michigan weather is too unpredictable. So if you are in Kalamazoo and need a game fixed for Christmas, please let me know if possible by October so I can make the trip before the winter weather comes.

I also repair many slot machines (email for more details), ranging from old 1930s-1950s mechanical slot machines, and newer 1990s IGT, Bally, Williams slot machines (for example IGT Double Diamond, IGT Triple Diamond, IGT Sizzling Sevens, IGT Wild Cherry, IGT Red White & Blue, IGT 4th of July, Williams Winning Streak, Jackpot Party, Big Bang Piggy Banking, etc).

Can also repair and fix Chexx and Super Chexx Hockey games (domed bubble hockey) from 1983 (when introduced) to present.

I've come to the realization that, as a repair person, sometimes you just have to "take care of the flock". What I mean is, sometime you have to go out of your way to fix things when the compensation for the work may not be forthcoming. That is, people have a pinball that is broken, they have kids, and maybe they don't have enough money to get the game fixed. So what to do?

If you are in this situation, please contact me. Often I can offer some solutions to fixing your pinball at a lower cost. Just call me and let's talk about it.

Feel free to send me an email at cfh@provide.net or call me at 248-390-5382 to discuss your needs. Please only call if you are in the Michigan/NW Ohio area. That is, I really can't help fix your game if you live in California. (Well unless you want to fly me to your location!) Also if you have a broken game you want to get rid of, I do sometimes buy games. This includes pinball machines, gun games, bowling games, slot machines, and Chexx hockey games. But frankly I would rather fix these games in your home if at all possible.

05/23/09 Pinball Repair Update.
Give me a call with your pinball repair needs. I would be glad to help. Note I can compete with anyone in the Detroit area on price.

If you are outside of Michigan/NW Ohio please do not call for phone Tech help.
I just can not give tech help to everyone on the phone, there just isn't enough time in the day. Now if you are in Michigan/NW Ohio and are considering using my services, feel free to call or email and we can talk. But outside Michigan I just can not help everyone fix their game on the phone. Thanks in advance.

Video Game Service.
Though I do not specialize in coin-operated video games, I do often repair classic arcade video games like Pacman, Ms.Pacman, Centipede, Millipede, Galaga, Qbert, Defender, Stargate, Robotron and other similar coin operated arcade games.

Video game repair update: I have teamed up with a friend in the Detroit/Flint area. He does in-home video game repair. We can't repair every video game title, but we do try and concentrate on the 'classics' like Pacman, Centipede, Defender, etc.

Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum, 31005 Orchard Lake rd, Farmington Hills, MI 48334
Crazy Carl's Video, 1340 S. Commerce rd, Walled Lake, MI 48390
MotorCity Pinball, 1877 E. West Maple rd, Walled Lake, MI 48390

Marvin's is of course more than just pinball, it's an *awesome* place in general. There isn't an easy way to describe it, you just have to go and check it out. Marvin usually has about six pinball machine, all being 1990s and newer models.

Crazy Carl's has at least five pinballs, mostly being fully restored 1970s mechanical style games. If you remember playing pinball as a kid, Carls is a great place to play Michigan pinball. They also usually have a new Stern pinball too.

Q) When do you usually schedule repairs?
A) I generally try and schedule repairs for 10am on weekdays. I do weekends repairs too (Saturday or Sunday at 11am or so), for those that need it. Basically the only time I generally don't fix games is the evenings (I like to be around for the family). But please call or email to discuss your situation. I can work around your schedule!

Q) How much does it cost to fix a game at my house?
A) This is difficult to determine without seeing the game, but I can give a range of what most games cost to repair (cost based on time). Generally speaking, 95% of all repairs fall in the $50 to $250 price repair range. There are some caveats to this. For example, if you have more than one game obviously this usually takes more time. Older games (1950s/1960s) can also take longer to fix. Shuffle alleys and Ball bowlers from the 50s and 60s tend to take the most time. Solidstate pinballs from 1977 to 1985 with batteries on the computer board sometimes cost more to repair. I know now you're asking, "Batteries? Why would my game have batteries, and what does that matter?" Well most solidstate pinballs do use batteries to store high scores and book keeping functions. And the batteries can leak their corrosive fluids and ruin connectors and even eat the computer board (this is why I usually mount remote battery holders on many games I repair to prevent this problem in the future.) If the batteries have leaked, and the computer board must be replaced, this obviously will cost more (I do usually care spares with me though.)

Q) Will my pinball repair require multiple trips?
A) Ninetyeight percent of the time I can repair your pinball in one trip. No one likes return trips, especially me!

Q) Would it be cheaper for me to bring my game to you for repair?
A) The short answer is NO. On the rare occasion when I have done it, but generally it's just not necessary. When moving a game, there are lots of considerations too. You have to disassemble the machine, put it in your vehicle, and drive it to me. And then do it in reverse after the repair. And there is a good chance the game will be damaged in the process. Moving a pinball is no easy task. If you break the irreplaceable score glass your valuable pinball is now nothing more than $50 worth of parts. And in the process of moving or setting up the game once it's fixed and back at your house, there is a chance it could be mis-connected, damaging the machine. So in the end, is it really worth it? Wouldn't it just be easier (and cheaper!) to have me come out once and fix it at your home? YES.

Q) How much are parts?
A) In most cases parts are pretty reasonable and not expensive. I generally don't charge a lot for parts. I should say that some custom parts are expensive, like digital orange score displays, but most everything else is pretty reasonable.

Q) How much do you charge per hour?
A) I get asked this a lot, and frankly it's difficult to answer. I always give people a price range for repairs, as discussed above. And if the repair turns out to be time consuming and takes a long time, I will try and stay in the stated price range. In these cases obviously I'm working a lot cheaper "by the hour" than a standard repair. The point I'm making is that I will put a price ceiling on nearly all repairs, so the budget is not blown, regardless of how long the repair takes. It's best to discuss this on the phone for your particular situation, so give me a call and we can talk about it.

Q) A local shop is willing to fix my pinball, but I have to bring it to them. Won't this be cheaper?
A) Heck No! Trust me on this, the shops in the Detroit area that offer that service will NOT cost you less. Besides the fact that you have to disassemble and move your game to AND from their shop, the bills that I have seen reflect much higher repair costs than I do fixing your game at your home. Add to that the cost of a good chiropractor, and the fact that they may have your game for *months*, well, you get the point.

Q) I have lost the key to my game. Do you have a "master key"?
A) There really is no such thing as a master key. But I can usually get into a locked game without too much trouble.

Q) Can I watch when you fix my machine at my home?
A) Yes you can. A lot of people watch and learn some things about pinball machine care. I'm happy to share this kind of information. That's another reason why having me come to your home to fix your game is better than dropping it off at a local repair shop.

Q) I have several old broken pinballs from the 1960s and 1970s that have been stored in our barn for 10+ years. Can you fix these?
A) Yes I can. But please have them set up on their legs and the inside vacuumed (especially if stored outside, mouse house!), so I can get right to fixing them. Hopefully water, rust and vermin are not big issues.

Q) I live in Lansing and have a Bally Bobby Orr Powerplay pinball from 1978. Will you come to Lansing and repair it?
A) Yes most certainly. Lansing is within my travel area and I am very familiar with that era of Bally pinball.

Q) I have a 1993 Bally Twilight Zone pinball that turns itself off during play when I press both flippers. Can you your fix this?
A) This is a common problem for Twilight Zone, and yes I can fix this.

Q) I have a 1980 Gottlieb Haunted House pinball that has not worked in 5 years. No one can repair it so it works more than two weeks. Can you fix it?
A) Haunted House is a great pinball, very enjoyable. I am very experienced with older solidstate Gottlieb pinballs, and yes I can fix this game at your home so it is reliable.

Q) I have an older 1972 Gottlieb King Rock EM pinball. It was the game in our house when I was a child, and hasn't worked for 20 years. I am now 40 years old and would like to have it working for my children to enjoy. I live in Port Huron. Can you fix this machine? Do you carry parts with you?
A) Yes I certainly can fix it. And I carry all the parts I would need with me for your game. I have lots of experience with older Electro-Mechanical (EM) pinballs, and Port Huron is within my travel area.

Q) I have a 1963 Chicago Coin Grand Spare Lite ball bowler. It has not worked for about 10 years, and we can not find anyone to fix it. I am located in Farmington Hills, can you repair it? Do you carry the parts?
A) Yes I repair ball bowlers and shuffle alley bowlers from this era, and I carry the parts needed.

Q) I have a 1977 Bally Eight Ball pinball. One repair guy told me it's too old to fix, and would be unreliable. Do you agree?
A) I don't agree with the 'unreliable' statement at all. Though yes this is an early solidstate pinball, and it may require some work, I find after repair this series of early solid state pinballs to run very reliably. So yes I would be happy to repair this game in your home.

Q) I have a 1981 Midway Ms.Pacman video game and I live in Grosse Pointe. When I turn it on, sometimes I just get a screen of "garbage". Can you fix this?
A) Though I don't specialize in video games, I will do video game repairs at your home if you can not find anyone else that specializes in video game repair. Or I can send your request to my friend that does in-home video game repair.

Q) I have several an IGT Triple Diamonds slot machine. It displays a "12" in the score area, and will not accept money. Can you fix this?
A) Yes I can. Email for details but I do work on many new and old slot machines.

Q) I have several old EM pinball games from the 1960s and 1970s. Will you come to my house in Brighton Michigan and repair them?
A) Yes most definately. I love working on the older Electro-Mechanical EM pinball and EM arcade games.