It’s no secret we think the Miele Complete C3 Marin is the best canister vacuum cleaner on the planet–we prefer it over the Brilliant, which is Miele’s top of the line model. But if you’re paying $1,000 for a vacuum, unless you enjoy vacuuming up hundred dollar bills, you’re going to want it to work and work flawlessly. Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions we’ve come across regarding the Marin, as well as troubleshooting and general cleaning tips for hopefully happy owners. Ready? Let’s go!

Which Marin dust bags are best to replace the original, and where can you buy them?

While there are plenty of cheap duster bags out there, we find you generally get what you pay for, and don’t waste our time with them. We recommend buying the Miele GN Airclean 3D Efficiency Dust Bag. Each box contains four bags and two filters (one motor, one air) and they’re very cheap. We tend to buy the boxes in sets of five since we go through them so quickly, but you can also buy individual boxes if you don’t change bags often.

Which HEPA filter do I need for the Marin, and how do I tell when it needs to be changed?

As with dust bags, you’ll find all kinds of 3rd party HEPA filters claiming to work as well as the ones sourced directly from Miele. We wouldn’t spend our money on them, as it often means spending more money later on the OEM accessories. You’ll want the Miele HEPA AirClean SF-HA 50. It’s cheap, it works well, and it’s worth the peace of mind. The replacement schedule is after every 50 hours of active vacuuming, or about 12 months for residential use. If you don’t want to keep track of how long you’ve had or used it, there’s an indicator on the filter that you can activate when you first use it. It involves a colored bar that will start out green but change to white when it’s time to change the filter.

Do you get a starter bag and filter with the Marin or do you need to buy them from the start to use the vacuum?

If you’re spending this much on a vacuum, we’d hope you’d be able to use it as soon as you unboxed it. Fortunately, Miele agrees; you get one bag and one filter pre-installed in the vacuum. However, it’s still a good idea to buy additional bags and filters from the start, because you’re going to need them eventually, and if you’re like us, you’re going to forget until the day you realize your bag is ready to burst and your filter hasn’t been changed since before you had kids.

It’s important to note that you don’t get an extra HEPA filter with the Marin when you buy it; you’ll be responsible for picking that up on your own (see above).

Can you turn off the automatic setting so you can increase the power of the hose when tackling tough jobs?

Absolutely. While the automatic mode is one of our favorite parts of the Marin, you still get to tell it when you do and don’t want it to operate, and you can choose exactly how much suction you want for any job of your choosing, just as with the cheaper Mieles. We find people are most likely to want manual control when cleaning upholstery, walls, and curtains, but again, it’s fully up to you.

Will Miele honor their manufacturer warranty if you buy it from Amazon?

This is a frequent concern we come across by people who realize that the cheapest place for a Miele is typically Amazon, but who don’t want to trade warranty coverage for a few hundred in savings. The good news is that yes, your warranty will still be valid as long as you make sure you’re buying it from an authorized dealer. Don’t buy a used Miele online unless you’re comfortable with a lack of warranty coverage.

Can you use the Marin on soft carpets and rugs without damaging them?

Yes; the brush heads will do a thorough job on a variety of carpeted surfaces, especially when paired with the ability to adjust your suction power from one surface to the next. Simply turn the power up and down when using carpets of different textures, piles, and fabrics. However, we’ll be honest: it’s not going to work as well as the Soft Carpet; that’s why the Soft Carpet exists, after all, and we note that in our review.

What’s the replacement and maintenance schedule for replaceable parts on the Marin? What needs to be changed?

The only things you need to worry about changing on the Marin are the dust bags, which you’ll change whenever they get full, the pre-motor filters, which you’ll change half as often as the bags and which come in the dust bag boxes, and the HEPA filter, which you’ll need to buy separately and generally replace once a year.

Is the Miele Marin self-propelled (like an upright vacuum)?

As wonderful as the Marin is, no, it’s not going to move itself forward independently while you’re vacuuming the way many uprights will; there really aren’t any canister vacuums that do so, as the cleaner heads are designed to be more flexible while you pull the canister body behind you. Don’t worry, though; it moves smoothly, whether on hard wood floors or on carpeted ones, and it’s easy to forget you’re pulling it behind you. The low resistance comes down to the well-built wheels and their ability to turn 360 degrees. Whether on wall to wall carpeting, wool rugs, or pretty much any other environment, it’ll follow you like a needy toddler.

You can buy the Complete C3 Marin here on Amazon. If, for whatever reason, you prefer the Brilliant or Soft Carpet, you can buy the Brilliant here instead or pick up the Soft Carpet here. We won’t be offended.

Canadians can buy the Marin here, buy the Brilliant here, or buy the Soft Carpet here.

If you find our research on PMC helpful, you can follow our efforts to keep maniacally reviewing home cleaning tools by shopping through our links above. We promise to keep fighting the good fight against every horror children, animals, and grown, yet messy humans can inflict upon a clean home.