Same thing happened on mine. Plus I got the added bonus of damage to the backbox head because the rubber was missing.

#PremiumProblems

Had this issue, found an easy fix.

Remove the rubber from the metal post, place some electrical tape on the metal, re-attach rubber with a nice snug fit. Make sure that you don't invert the rubber, it is tapered and will cause problems if changed.

So, with people using a couple of similar techniques to fix the launcher issue (washer mod, shim mod), and having great results....

Can we officially proclaim that the launch issue is with the metal ball guide bending inconsistently when the ball is launched? That's what it seems like, as both of these solutions are related to strengthening the ball guide.

Always use the holes.

WRT power, the default settings seem to work well on most machines. If you are experiencing mechanical issues, it would be best to resolve the actual problem, rather than changing the software settings. Many Maidens had over-tightened flipper parts from the factory, causing the plunger to bind (it seems like the flipper gets weak after a while.)

It also greatly affects the players ability to make shots while the ball saver is active during MBs. Other balls are bricking and blocking the way up the middle, instead of being in the loop where they are supposed to be.

Ruins the start of Aces High and Rime as well, both aesthetically and strategically. On Rime, you should be able to triple big loop the auto plunged ball and have the jackpot ready before the first ball is even released to the mini flipper.

From ghosting to planking to bulging... it's always something with their pf's. Brutal.