A minor follow-up...the element that retains the ball bearing cluster is some sort of plastic/nylon...there is sufficient room for roller bearings...or needle bearings, either one retained in metal keepers. This part, when one thinks of the strange service stresses, should be of higher quality.
I have owned five Mercedes machines, two of which I currently own- both broken! I think I will look elsewhere for reliability.
Any opinions as to the most reliable machine? I am not a performance driver, but I do appreciate safe handling and sure tracking.