One more thing: Immediately after each use be SURE to clean the base, especially the space under the drip tray. When this area is not cleaned and dried faithfully, severe corrosion is likely to result.

Thanks for the advice. And thanks for those who have helped. Today i picked up some fresh beans from the roaster and wow, what a difference! The first shot I pulled was about 20 seconds and lots of crema.I can feel resistance through the lever at last! Tried a couple more with similar results so not perfect yet but I'm now pretty sure that there is nothing wrong with the machine.

I'm amazed at how much difference fresh beans make, I am still down to a very low grind setting on the gaggia MDF (number 2), is this right? I thought the usual espresso setting was around 5 -7, does anyone use this grinder with a La Pavoni? I find it hard to believe that the finest grind setting on this machine is still too course?

I'm glad to hear the machine's okay. Yes, fresh coffee makes all the difference! I don't know the Gaggia MDF but grind setting varies by machine. There's no single correct "espresso" setting. If your flow is still too fast you can increase the dose and allow longer preinfusion.

Thanks Gary, I'll give that a try.