In my lab we have a piece of equipment that is out of contract at the end of the year. The supplier can't provide maintenance after the 31st December but we may not get a replacement until March. If we get the equipment serviced before it goes out of contract it would not be due service/ calibration for 6 months. Although not ideal we were looking at keeping the equipment in use until the new kit arrives, hopefully by March. Yes, if it malfunctions we won't be able to get it repaired which is far from ideal. However, if it does not break down and we keep it maintained in the validated state, we were hoping it could stay in use until the new kit is in place.
Has anyone had to use this type of approach before? Anyone any views on how this would sit from an inspection perspective? We realise this is far from ideal but we are weighing up all possible solutions and would be keen to get an independent point of view.