Bummer that they aren't meant to be serviced. How un-German of them! I remember taking out obscure parts out of my 1977 Mercedes Diesel, and I swear - each one was engineered to be replaced. Those cars were made to last forever!

I wouldn't have thought of greasing with foam grease a million years! Not even in TWO million years!! I happen to have a can of White Lithium Grease from NAPA - is that the stuff you're talking about? Tell me more about the string and spinning and threaded end toward the center. Do you meant to hold it with the threaded end pointing up and pulling the string?