A good condenser should last for years. Points used to be solid hard metal (I think titanium) but now to save money are only COATED. Thats why filings points no longer works... Condensers seem to be hit or miss now, really if the motor is miss firing I would suspect a condenser. Make sure your gap and dwell are set right. Also, CHECK TIMING! When we first got our CC it was at 2 degrees BTDC. Set it to 10* ran great. Two years ago in NH with family, it was a dog. (was full with 10 people though, and we were trying to ski haha) Got back to Keuka Lake and found the timing at 1* ATDC! Set it to 11*~12* runs great again! But with the timing set way behind it was really missing its top end... The reason for it retarding on its own is because the coating on the points is gone and the cheap filler material is wearing away fast. Will Probably have to reset timing again this year...