To the OP, I'm not sure exactly how you bought the game, however, in the future you might consider buying from a "full service" reseller who will un-box and go through the game before they turn it over to you, and maybe set you up with a maintenance plan. All the little adjustments you mentioned are on par for coin-op equipment, especially pinballs. The maintenance, tuning and cost are among the reasons why these machines were almost exclusively the purview of operators. You didn't have bad luck at all. It's just how these things are.

A NIB for a 1" hairline crack that showed up a year after purchase!?

I can't believe Jersey Jack actually wants to get in this business.