Do Tonearms need servicing

Which parts did you service?

I really love tonearms even vintage ones, small micromechanical objects and I collect them; all the arms I buy in the world I send them to a trusted micro mechanics laboratory to have them overhauled.
The vintage tonearms bought used must always be revised if you want to keep them in perfect efficiency as new; bearings with hardened and out of tolerance grease and a lot of dirt stuck to it ... hardened and dried out connecting cables, lifter not work or without siliconic grease and other problems that are not noticed take functionality away from the initial design and the cartridge will never track to the best of its ability.
Around $ 150 should always be budgeted for an overhaul when buying a used vintage arm as they are delicate mechanics like watches, the tonearms at least once they must be serviced after purchase used, this is a guarantee of perfect functioning for many years to come. 

Check out SMEtonearms.com... no affiliation just an SME owner 

A simple enough question but the answer doesn't seem to be.

For example there seems to be quite a difference in opinion between running the bearings dry and using something like very light machine oil. 

Then there's the issue of bearing tolerances.

Since virtually every arm maker boasts about the tightness of their tolerances, can anything be done for arms that have been badly handled, as in changing cartridges etc?

One piece arms must be particularly at risk, I guess.

I remember reading how some bearings are said to be fairly robust, but I suspect far too many are quite fragile.

Then there's the question of rewiring. Certain arms seem to be susceptible to tracking issues if the cable is unsuitable, environmentally aged, or even badly fitted. The relationship of the LP12 to its cable is a subject all in itself.

Yes, interesting question, I feel like we might need @best-groove to elucidate a bit further or someone like @atmasphere to come in and help.

Dear @jorgjean : That's a very specific question for a specific tonearm model and must be asked to the designer/manufacturer, to no one else.

What any one including me but the specific manufacturer can tell you has no value at all.

The main issue in a tonearm could be at the bearing and its condition depends more of the owners care of use than time.

Any person that is dedicated to refurbish tonearms always will tell you your tonearm needs " something " because it's his busine$s. Ask the manufacturer. Period. Wiring up-grade is different.

Regards and enjoy the MUSUIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.