Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/07/30

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Subject: Re: Wetzlar/Solms Quality
From: Leikon35@aol.com
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 22:22:44 -0400 (EDT)

What you seem to be saying is that when Leica Camera was formed from E.
Leitz, the company changed the way they built cameras. It is silly to
suggest that the folks at Solms are not those same folks who turned and
milled and cut and ground parts in Wetzlar. The production site changed, but
are we to believe that the methods, tooling, technicians, etc. were scrapped
for inferior replacements?

Ben - 
As with many products today, parts are manufactured in one place & assembled
in another - ie: computers, autos & cameras.  It would be 
foolish for Leitz to manufacure their own ball bearings, for example
when a standard item is available from Switzerland.
According to the Business Magazines, the Camera Division of the 
mother company, has lost money on their cameras for many of the last
15 years  but has made it up by selling things like Cement.  The actual
ownership of Leitz, Wetzlar has changed hands many times before it
went public.  
With so many complaints about M6 & R8 faulty parts,  I think the fault 
lies in poor service from Leica, Inc.  It would be nice if they had recalls
like the auto manufacturers, but like the computer companies have found
out - service eats up the profits. 
The nicest thing that Leica Parts Dept. (under David Elwell) has done for 
me was to to send me gratis (4) red replacement beads for their lenses,
A long way from the days when Leitz would completely update your
camera for free, when you you sent it to the factory for a lube & oil change,
but tempis fugits ( or something like that).
BEN - I am not knocking Leica ,  I am an avid user & collector of them and
love them obviously, but still consider the contempory ones to be snobbish
status symbols, like Rolex, Mercedes, Porsches & Brooks Bros. Suits.
Keep your lens Klean
Marvin Moss