I have a 30 - year old Linn Sondek. It is working fine! No need to put in replacement parts. I think you are worrying about nothing! Anyway, the LP12 is just a copy of the original AR turntable - which I also have. The claim that only a trained Linn expert can work on it is malarkey! It is a simple mechanism - a basic mechanical ability (screwdriver, pliers ...) will suffice.
