Re: [Leica] Cleaning, Lubrication and Adjustment

[Godfrey DiGiorgi <ramarren@bayarea.net>]

>Hmm.  And what are the reasons for getting a CLA?  I asked the Leica 
>salesman if the camera needed any regular maintenance, and he said no.

I do not have camera equipment serviced on a regular basis as it has not 
proven to be needed the majority of the time. I'll usually send a piece 
of equipment for service to a trusted, experienced repair tech when I 
discover it isn't working to spec. If I get suspect results, I usually do 
a test of the equipment first to see if it is malfunctioning and send it 
in if it appears to be. 

Leica Ms do not need regular service, but every so often they get dirty 
internally, the shutter speeds slow down a trifle or the rangefinder 
needs to be adjusted (or a lens cleaned from the inside). This usually 
happens with either a lot of heavy use in nasty environments or a period 
of long storage without any use at all. Over time, lubricants in the 
shutter timing mechanisms harden and dry out, film chips from normal use 
can build up inside the camera body, slow corrosion of contacts in the 
flash sync or meter circuitry can happen, etc. 

As example, my '51 Rolleiflex was working just fine, but when I sent it 
in for a new (brighter) focusing screen installation, the person doing 
the work noticed that there were some small chunks of dried out lubricant 
in the taking lens assembly. He advised that it would be a good thing to 
clean the entire shutter and relubricate it, along with the film 
transport. I did so: it was likely the first time that camera had ever 
been serviced. It now feels silky smooth in operation, like a new camera, 
and the shutter speeds are bang on perfect again where they had become a 
bit slow. 

>I'm always suspicious of sending anything in for service if it isn't clearly
>broken, as some service organizations are so bad that you end up with 
>something in worse shape than it was in when you sent it there.

In this as in so many other things it's important to know who you are 
working with. I don't send a camera to just any service tech: I send 
cameras to people who I trust from their reputation and experience, I 
talk to them personally or on the phone first as well. I've only once had 
shoddy work done on a camera repair and had the money refunded after it 
was proved to be an ineffective repair by another qualified technician. 

Good repair techs tell me that they will be happy to inspect a camera to 
determine if it needs repair or cleaning, and advise against taking 
things apart if it isn't warranted. Those are the kinds of folks I prefer 
to deal with. I'm happy to say I've had good luck finding them for Leica, 
Minox, Nikon and Rollei equipment. While I did not have any personal 
interaction with the Contax repair service when my Tvs required warranty 
work, they did an excellent job as well, so I'm hoping the same holds 
true for Contax repair folks.

Godfrey