Is the Ultra Supercharger a Problem Area?

Just thought to put out a request for people's experience with the supercharger. Would like to get an Ultra and wondering if in general the SC tends to cause more problems than it's worth (especially over the 100k mark)?

The 97-99 apparently has a different SC belt routing than the 2000-05. One person said to avoid the 97-99 because of this. My mechanic thinks SC's are problems (avoids the upper intake leak though). Probably some people do not do the maintenance. Premium gas recommended and a little lower MPG but I think it would still be worth it.

Anecdotal or technical...I know it's a "general" question, but any who want to respond thanks in advance.

Like anything else, the S/C requires regular maintenance in order to give the best service. Change the oil every year and only use GM S/C oil. The snout seals and bearings may need replacing @ 100-120K, some may go longer. Of course a mechanic may think superchargers are problematic because they only see them when they fail. Most people simply buy a rebuilt S/C (about $450.00) when they have snout seal or bearing leaks, because many shops do not have the special pulley puller to service the snout. CLICK HERE (http://redirectingat.com/?id=252X400&url=http%3A//www.pfyc.com/supportfiles/pulleytool.pdf)I recently rebuilt my own with upgraded bearings & seals and while I was at it, I installed a smaller S/C pulley (3.4”) for more boost. Total job was about 1 hr labor and parts less than 100-bucks. BTW, the pics below show the snout rebuild and 3.4" pulley installed.

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/2794/sc3jd2.jpg http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/7898/sc2sd3.jpg
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/7484/sc1vh5.jpg http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/8584/sc11nf1.jpg http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/6512/scpulleybt2.jpg