New Year, New High Scores: Your 2026 Pinball Maintenance Checklist

Start the new year with a clean playfield, new rubbers, and strong flippers and mechs. A little preventive maintenance now means more hours of uninterrupted play later — and keeps your pinball machines performing how they should.

Every part has a purpose. Every machine deserves care. Let's keep those silverballs spinning strong in 2026.

Quick Pinball Maintenance Wins: The Essentials…

These core maintenance tasks take just a few hours but make a massive difference in gameplay and longevity:

1. Install New Pinballs

Scratched or pitted balls wear down your playfield like sandpaper. Always replace your old balls as soon before they ruin your game.

2. Replace Worn Rubbers

Cracked, yellowed, or hardened rubber rings slow the game down and can damage posts. Swap them out with a fresh rubber ring kit — available in classic black and white, or add a pop of color with SuperBands in orange, green, blue, red, or purple.

3. Upgrade Dim or Failed Lighting

Dead bulbs make shots hard to see. Replace aging incandescents or upgrade them to LED lights for brighter playfields and longer lifespans.

4. Install New Lithium Batteries, Remote Mount Battery Systems or Upgrade to NVRAM

Don't let battery corrosion ruin your year. Replace alkaline batteries with lithium AA batteries, or go maintenance-free with an NVRAM or remote battery mount to protect your boards and settings for good.

5. Clean and Wax the Playfield

Dirt and grime slow ball movement and dull artwork. Use a quality playfield cleaner like **Novus** to restore that fast, smooth roll.

6. Test Flipper Strength and Rebuild If Needed

Mushy or inconsistent flippers? Time for a flipper rebuild kit. Fresh coil sleeves, plungers, links, and bushings bring back that crisp, powerful flip.

Check out this article all about Flipper Maintenance: https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts-blog/flipper-rebuild-videos

7. Inspect and Replace Worn Coil Sleeves

Worn sleeves cause sluggish action.. Check sleeves on bumpers, slingshots, and kickers — replace any that show wear or scoring.

8. Tighten Posts, Ramps, and Loose Hardware

Vibration loosens screws over time. Walk the playfield on top and underneath with a screwdriver and nut drivers , snugging up posts, ramps, plastics, and any rattling hardware. Remember kids, “Always Be Tightening.”

9. Update Game Code and Back Up Settings

Manufacturers release code updates that improve gameplay, fix bugs, and add features. Check for the latest ROM or software version for your game — you might be running outdated code without realizing it.

BONUS — Protect Your High Scores:

Many games have an auto-reset feature called HSTD (High Score To Date) that wipes all high scores after a set number of plays — usually around 1,000. If you want to keep that grand champion score forever, go into your game settings and set "HSTD Reset = OFF".

Or, if you're ready for a fresh challenge, reset your scores manually via the menu and start the year with a clean slate.

10. Level the Machine and Set Proper Pitch

A properly leveled and pitched machine plays fair and fast. Use a level to check side-to-side level, and then set the pitch to 6.5°–7° for optimal ball speed and drain behavior. A PinJack makes adjusting the leg levelers easy by lifting the machine safely without straining your back.

Want to mix it up? Experiment with different pitch angles to change the speed and difficulty of your game. A steeper pitch makes for faster, more aggressive play — a great way to breathe new life into a machine that's starting to feel predictable.

Once you've dialed in the perfect level and pitch, use a locknut on the bottom of each leg leveler to lock it in place. Nudging and vibrations during gameplay will slowly unlevel your machine over time — locking the levelers keeps everything stable.

Check out our tutorial with Kyle Spiteri here:

🔧 Go Deeper: Mechanical Inspection Checklist

Ready to go beyond the basics? These detailed inspections catch small issues before they become big problems:

Flippers

Check for loose shafts, worn plungers and linkages, damaged coil sleeves, and return spring tension. Rebuild if flippers feel mushy, weak, or inconsistent.

Slingshots

Ensure responsive triggering, smooth armature movement, clean sleeves, and solid switch blade contact.Use switch adjuster tools to make those perfect micro-adjustments on your leaf switches.

Pop Bumpers

Inspect for smooth plunger action, sensitive skirt switches, intact yokes and spoons, and secure mounting. Bumpers should fire crisply with light contact.

Drop Targets & Standup Targets

Verify clean resets, no broken targets, responsive switch registration, and proper spring tension. Replace any cracked or chipped targets for reliable scoring.

Shooter Assembly / Autoplunger

Look for worn shooter tips, rusted or bent springs, and accurate alignment on automatic plungers. Swap out worn parts with a shooter rod maintenance kit.

VUKs / Scoops / Kickouts

Confirm strong ejection, reliable & clean switches, and clean coil sleeves. Weak kickouts frustrate players and slow gameplay.

Spinners & Rollovers

Ensure spinners rotate freely and switches trigger cleanly with no binding or resistance. A small drop of SuperLube oil on the spinner shaft keeps it spinning smooth.

Posts, Ball Guides & Rails

Check for loose or sharp-edged guides, broken or hardened rubber rings, and misaligned parts. Smooth, secure guides prevent playfield damage and dead spots.

Coils & Solenoids

Look for signs of overheating (discoloration), damaged coil stops or sleeves, and loose or frayed wiring connections. Address coil issues early to prevent bigger failures.

🛠️ Marco's Pro Tips

• Document before you start: Take photos of connectors, switch stacks, part orientation and settings. Future you will thank you.

• Work in batches: Tackle one system at a time (flippers, then bumpers, then targets) rather than jumping around.

• Keep spare parts on hand: A basic tool kit, fuse assortment, and operator maintenance kit mean you're ready for quick fixes year-round.

• Test as you go: After each repair or adjustment, test the mechanism before moving on. Catches mistakes early.

• Protect high-wear areas: Add Mylar protectors around pop bumpers and in front of slingshots to prevent playfield wear.

🎯 Why It Matters

Pinball machines are kinetic art — built to be played, preserved, and passed down. Every hour you invest in maintenance is an investment in the future of the game. Whether you're keeping a classic Williams flowing or dialing in a brand-new Stern, proper care ensures your machine stays out of the landfill and on the playfield where it belongs.

Preserve the past. Power the present. Play toward the future.

🚀 Ready to Get Started?

Shop maintenance essentials at Marco Specialties

Need help with a specific repair or maintenance question? Our team is here to support you.

Rising tides lift all ships — and we're all in this pinball boat together!

You can reach out to us at sales@marcopinball.com or by calling 1-803-957-5500