2-3 Month Wait Time for Leica USA CLAs

[NaChase]

Yikes! I sent my 75 'Lux to be serviced by Leica USA and it won't be back for up to three months! Anyone here have experience going through Leica USA? Are their turn around times really this long, or do they just give a very conservative estimate so that folks don't expect their stuff back right away?

PS: Mods, if this is the wrong category I'm sorry, please relocate as you see fit and I will self flagellate by way of penance.

 

[furcafe]

I've used them & it's a little of both. The turnaround times can be long, but nothing compared to someone like DAG, & their estimates are conservative. As w/most service people, if you give them a legit emergency reason (travel, assignment, etc.), they can expedite things, but only to a certain extent. Specialty lenses that are discontinued, like the 75 'lux & original Tri-Elmar (both of which I've had them work on), can be slow going simply because they need to get parts from Germany. If feasible, it would also probably help to drop your lens off at the Leica Store in NYC or at the actual facility in NJ, so they can put a face w/the gear.

FWIW, earlier this year, they told me it would take 3 months to have my 75 'lux 6-bit coded & checked/fixed (focus was off on my M 240) & it ended up taking 10 weeks from the time I dropped it off at the Leica Store in DC to when I picked it up.

 

[Huss]

The only service center that I know of that is decent and relatively quick is Youxin Ye.
Sherry Krauter at Golden Touch was good to me too, I recently got my M5 back for a CLA just after about a month. But i hear that wait times are normally long with her too.

 

[JMQ]

The only service center that I know of that is decent and relatively quick is Youxin Ye.
Sherry Krauter at Golden Touch was good to me too, I recently got my M5 back for a CLA just after about a month. But i hear that wait times are normally long with her too.

Some lenses like the Tri-Elmar can only be serviced by Leica (or even Leica in Germany) because of their extreme complexity in the mechanics.

 

[Mephiloco]

Took me over 10 months to get my M2 which was just having the rangefinder arm replaced back from DAG.

 

[NaChase]

The only service center that I know of that is decent and relatively quick is Youxin Ye.
Sherry Krauter at Golden Touch was good to me too, I recently got my M5 back for a CLA just after about a month. But i hear that wait times are normally long with her too.

Youxin Ye is my go to guy, but he specifically referred me to Leica NJ because he couldn't work on my specific lens.

 

[rscheffler]

This summer had a 50 Lux ASPH serviced by Leica NJ and it took one month. They originally quoted a couple months but I was sufficiently persuasive to get them to fast track it. They asked what my most 'reasonable' timeframe was for it. I gave them a date, and received the lens a couple days before this date. Interestingly, the completion date on the service paperwork was a week or so earlier than this... It seems they will sometimes do rush repairs, i.e. if you're using the equipment professionally and rely on having it available (even at that, one month is excessively long when, for example, Canon's CPS will turnaround within a week, and include a loaner during the repair time). It might also have helped that I visited and made my case in person. It's possible they're being conservative in their estimate in order to provide enough leeway for the inevitable rush repairs that will come in and bump others back.

BTW, in my discussions with them, they were acutely aware of the inconvenience caused by their long service times and stated they are working to improve this.

I've heard mixed things about DAG... like the long service times stated here, but others I know have had one week turnaround on lenses and have paid much less than Leica charges.

 

[f16sunshine]

You know Don (DAG)is much faster with lenses than with cameras as far as service goes.
This has been my experience so far anyway. The last lens I sent to him took two weeks.
Just make sure you include a note of when you want it back in the box.
Calling/emailing him before sending it in helps too. He can tell you if your timing is even a possibility.


FWIW
I contacted Leica NJ two a few weeks ago about working on my M5. The estimate at that time was 3-4 weeks depending on parts required.
As Cristian has noted above you can tell them you need it quickly. They will accomidate.
My M8 only took two weeks a few years ago. Very friendly too.
On the M5 I ended up using Golden Touch instead since she did previous work to the camera.
She was fast and did a nice job. Just not particularly pleasant to communicate with which is important to me... maybe not as much to others.

Cheers!