[Leica] Leica Repair.....

[charlie at droolassicpark.com (Charlie Meyer)]

I have had excellent experiences from Sherry, Don, and Youxin.   
Sherry gave straightforward advice, ahead of schedule repair times,  
and flawless work (and she has a rescued dog). Don's a great source  
for spare parts/bits, and I've heard enough to trust him for repairs,  
and I bought a CLAed IIIc from Youxin...taking the fingercrossing out  
of a buy from 'that big auction' site.  Sherry was also very  
reasonable and quick with a spool replacement repair to a CL I had  
sold to a gent in Dallas a month or two ago that had developed a  
winding fault (damn plastics) that I reimbursed the buyer for. Youxin  
does good work, is inexpensive, and limits himself to what he knows;  
but it's not his 'day job'. (Sherry prefers to work her magic at night.)

Leica USA is expensive and not as responsive as I would like for the  
princely prices they charge.  Reminds me of the '79 BMW I bought  
myself as a present for finally graduating college long ago.  I  
needed a clutch replaced. BMW of Honolulu wanted twice as much as the  
experienced indy shop the other side of Hawaii Kai. Obviously a  
choice for warranty repairs, but short of a winning lotto ticket, I  
doubt I will ever be a new Leica buyer.

Nothing I have, other than a light meter, is newer than Sputnik.   
It's a given that precision lenses and mechanical bodies 30-70+ years  
old need maintenance, and that has to be factored into the price. Buy  
it, have it overhauled, and shoot until the film or heartbeat runs  
out.  Given what even M2/3/4 'closet queens' are now bringing at  
auction, CLA/overhaul is an investment in value.

Bottom line: We do have a good, if tiny, pool of repair sources  
available.  The community is small, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and  
demanding enough that only the best survive.  What other make of  
camera could one still get service for a 1935 model at a reasonable  
cost?

Charlie

PS: A few weeks ago I tidied up my cloudy Imarect. Six screws (two @#$ 
%&! tiny ones holding the prisms). Five minutes to disassemble...one  
harrowing hour driven by sheer shame avoidance to reassemble. Never  
again!


On Nov 29, 2007, at 9:11 PM, Frank Filippone wrote:

> We all have had our cameras repaired/adjusted, etc.  Some use Leica  
> official
> service, some use Sherry some use DAG.  ( some of our Canadian  
> friends use
> Kindermann)
>
> Why do you select the service you use?
>
> If your camera were out of warranty, would that change your decision?
>
> Frank Filippone
> red735i@earthlink.net