My quick nickle:
To service or not is a personal choice and there is no right or wrong.
If you spend some serious money on a rep, you probably did a lot or research. The aesthetics match what you want, it passes the sniff test for you. You're going to wear it a lot. In that case it is probably worth servicing and treating well.
If you buy a throw away rep, say a noobmariner and you want a year or two out of it, you're probably better just using it for parts when it dies. Buy a new one
There is a third consideration though. Our reps have been getting better over the past years. A lot better. Just looking at the throughput of discussions on a new release going to V2, V3, VX and you can be certain that things move fast in the rep world. For those looking for aesthetic accuracy, then movement accuracy isn't as big a deal. Some sell their old rep for a new and improved rep that has a more accurate scramson etching or bonaculature incised monocle. And I think this is why we see rapid improvement in the aesthetics of a rep but suffer deeply when it comes to improvements in movement.
Has there been a big shift since the 16,600 A7750 was replaced by the 28,8? And other than the realization that the ETA 28X movement was, itself, being repped has there been a dialog on the gutz of the beasts?
Business (whether white market, grey market, or black market) are dictated buy supply and demand economics. The consumers are the ultimate dictators of business behavior.