Owning a 1st year production Spheros and having next to no problems with it.Maintenance is the key dude and not the way you're doing it.My original spool is going on 8yrs,no probs.
Remove spool and mist everything down.Let dry.Squirt exposed and moving parts with WD-40(bail screws,anti-reverse etc.).I'm also a huge fan of this product:
http://www.sentrysolutions.com/MarineTufCloth.shtml trust me on this product.