There's no question: Duo-Art player system restorations are expensive.
Sadly, I find most people are not willing to pay me for 300 to 400
hours of work.

In your instance, the customer is 97 years old; if he chose to get
it restored he might not be alive when the work is completed.  That
is when I have to reach into my "bag of tricks."  I tell the customer,
"It needs to be rebuilt, but I can get it to play.  There's no
guarantee it will hold up."  They are paying me for the service call.

Many player piano technicians will charge for the service call
and estimate with "It's going to cost several thousand dollars,"
a "my way or the highway" approach.  They leave with the check and
the player still doesn't work.  Many player technicians will even
refuse to do work on a 30+ year old restoration someone else did
(maybe not so well in many instances).

It takes little time to search for major leaks and perhaps nylon tie
the accordions down, close the spill valve or install a larger pulley
on the motor, patch and seal bellows, etc.  I get them to play.  In
many instances the customer highly praises me.  Many of my customers
will even tell me, "You're honest; the last guy was a crook!"

I just tell the customers that, in my trade, what I did is considered
"hackish: okay it is!"  It's their piano, I gave them all the options.
I did what _they_ chose to have done, and wanted to be done, and what
they paid me to do which was to "get it working."  I work for them.

I prefer to do complete restorations in these instances, but only if
people adequately compensate me for all that work.

Bill Maguire