@Sham thanks for encouraging me to buy it
nopapercup thank you for the really on point advice. Thing is that he already descaled it, following a recipe I found on a forum with 25% vinegar , 75% water at high temperature for an hour.

So I went yesterday to pick it up thinking I will haggle the price to 250 for the damaged element. But when I got there, I just bought it as is. I’ve seen tens of them online, but first one in real life. It looked so nice, I couldn’t haggle a penny, and took it straight away.

Drove home to make an espresso, and electricity dropped the moment I pushed the ON button. Same for both positions. So I write the seller and he tells me he broke the element while descaling for an hour. Because he left the machine with no water and offered to pay half of the element(£30). He says he was gifted the machine 10 years ago and never used it.

I guess I’ll never know if it had worked before or not, but certainly I need to replace the heating element. And my question is, should I just order a new one or try to have this fixed by Gabor in Hungary(as mentioned by @nopapercup earlier).

Lelit Elizabeth, La Pavoni, Niche Duo, Gene Cafe roaster

      oddbean Half the element price is a bit less… Should be the full price at least. And it wasn’t very good of him to deceive you… Try fixing it yourself, it isn’t that hard and there’s a lot of guides online and probably some on the La Pavoni Facebook group. Getting it fixed will cost too much.

        oddbean Buy a new element, it’s only worth getting Gabor to fix the older pre 80s elements as these can no longer be purchased.

        The seller is full of it, the new electrical wiring and switch are a clear indication he knackered the element previously and hoped changing the switch and wires would resolve the problem.

        If you’re confident with the electrics, you can swap it yourself otherwise there are a few servicing centres in the UK that will swap it for you and probably won’t charge much to do it. I’ve used Frank at Ferrari espresso in South Wales who’s great, The espresso Shop in Glasgow also do it and I’m sure there are a few more.

          Great, I’ve looked at it and it seems pretty straight forward. I’ll order the element today and the steam wand today. Thank you

          Lelit Elizabeth, La Pavoni, Niche Duo, Gene Cafe roaster

          @nopapercup could I ask you one last question. Should I order some gaskets/seals too? Espresso shop have a service kit(which includes the heating element seal, that i suppose needs changing) and a group head kit.

          Lelit Elizabeth, La Pavoni, Niche Duo, Gene Cafe roaster

            Wow another nice genuine seller there, £250 is quite expensive for something that blows your home electrics.

            Fingers crossed its an easy fix.

            Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -

              oddbean Yes definitely change all the gaskets, you’re taking it apart anyways and then you’ll be good to go. Don’t worry about the questions, I was once a new secondhand Pavoni owner so if I can I’m happy to help.

                Cuprajake The seller is a shit but doesn’t make this a bad deal. For £350ish oddbean will have what looks to be a mint machine with a brand new element. Good luck finding one as nice for that price.

                    suppose it depends, ive been burnt so many times buying used, id rather stick the extra to a new one, but thats just me

                    Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -

                      Cuprajake Maybe I’ve been lucky but all I’ve had are good experiences buying used (mainly FB marketplace). My La Pavoni only cost £120 and it’s near perfect minus some rust under the drip tray. Same with my grinder. The catch is that these good items are snatched within minutes. If you see something that looks good but has been available for more than a day then it gets more risky.

                        Cuprajake seller is indeed genuine and I’m a pretty weak buyer. I’ve lost so many ebay bids, I just wanted to get it over with. I usually buy new too, just because I’m not a lucky buyer. But some things, including this machine is better old and can’t be purchased new anymore.

                        @nopapercup ordered the element and full set of gaskets(and a naked portafilter), hope they arrive before the weekend. Steam pipe is not a priority now.

                        @Sham that is a steal. You do need to watch fb/ebay non stop, which I give up.

                        Lelit Elizabeth, La Pavoni, Niche Duo, Gene Cafe roaster

                            oddbean Good stuff, there are plenty of videos on YouTube showing how to service them and some good links on the FB Pavoni group

                                nopapercup it seems that it will be a long journey. Replaced the heating element successfully, but the steam tap is phissing from the connection of the T to the boiler. It seems that there is a tool to get there, but wondering if I could reach it from bellow too. Do you have any idea?

                                Lelit Elizabeth, La Pavoni, Niche Duo, Gene Cafe roaster

                                    oddbean I’ve never taken that off but to tighten it, I’m pretty sure you’ll have to remove the element again. You might be able to reach it with a long pair of pliers, but someone else on here may know better.