flow meter looks the same as original Bissell units except the clear gloss plastic is opaque. You need to replace the flow indicator when water squirts out at you from the black and white rotating indicator. It's actually pretty easy to replace if you're watching a specific YouTube video. The one I like the most is filmed by a serious guy and it's probably the shortest and most straight forward video. He goes straight to the nuts and bolts and gives some helpful tips on disassembling and reassembling the machine. This can be done in 5 minutes or less. Apparently this flow indicator is prone to failure (mine failed after 5 years) due to the use of boiling hot water causing the indicator to crack or fall apart at the seams which I did damaging my indicator. I have now used warm water on the hot side and cleaning worked great. Save a lot of money and replace it yourself, it's not that difficult.