Happy day -- M3 back from CLA

[Ben Z]

Overhaul prices are based on what the traffic will bear. I have a little trouble believing Mr. Ye would charge only $80 if he could get $300, but then again I don't know the man. DAG and Sherry both received their training from Leica and both worked for Leica for a time. Don is the son of Norman Goldberg who also worked for Leica and was the inventor of the original electric motor for the M2, as well as a modification of the Visoflex for scientific use. IIRC Sherry was married to Manfred Krauter who was also a legend at Leica repair. They have also been servicing Leicas for the major Leica collectors and the major Leica dealers since the 70s. There are a lot of camera repair guys that will work on Leicas and probably most of them do a bang-up job, but they lack the reputation and factory-trained credentials to command the top prices.

 

[ywenz]

I'm a practical man, I don't need no reputation..

..but how practical am I if I bought a Leica? :bang:


I guess the same analogy can be made of are you going to take your Honda for tires rotations at the Honda dealership where they charge $99 or, at the Sears Automotive, where it goes for $25?

 

[merciful]

I have a little trouble believing Mr. Ye would charge only $80 if he could get $300, but then again I don't know the man.

I believe he just does it for fun, so he probably isn't terribly concerned about price.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

I contacted him a while ago... and after this thread, I'll be sending him my M3 tomorrow (UPS is open on Saturdays).

 

[Biggles]

< thread drift> Two of the best cat avatars on the Interweb, one atop the other. Heh. < /thread drift>

 

[pbjbike]

Youxin is a very nice and honest fellow. He is also a seller on the auction site with an excellent reputation, user name: wye7.

 

[SteveM_NJ]

Excellent news about the return of your "child", and I too am going to keep that name in mind for a CLA for an old M3 that hasnt had one since '89 (tag inside bottom plate).
Since I am still at work (more than 19 hours today) just took a short break to check out the Forum, i'll try to get home and shoot some film this weekend.
Hoping to run my first few rolls of film thru, now that a lens finally showed up).

Thanks for letting us all know you are happy with the CLA and it is a viable resource.

Steve

 

[Ben Z]

I'm a practical man, I don't need no reputation..

..but how practical am I if I bought a Leica? :bang:


I guess the same analogy can be made of are you going to take your Honda for tires rotations at the Honda dealership where they charge $99 or, at the Sears Automotive, where it goes for $25?

Actually the analogy I'm getting is, are you going to take your classic Jaguar for a complete engine and transmission rebuild to a Jaguar-trained mechanic with 30 years experience and a reputation as a top gun, or save a few bucks and take it to someone who is self-taught and relatively new at it?

I believe he just does it for fun, so he probably isn't terribly concerned about price.

Do you think it would it be "fun" for anyone with any pride, to know that others were getting almost four times as much for doing the same quality job?

 

[merciful]

Do you think it would it be "fun" for anyone with any pride, to know that others were getting almost four times as much for doing the same quality job?

Why not email him and ask? Perhaps he thinks that the élite Leica service people are screwing people to the wall with the prices they command, and he can't morally justify doing the same thing? Maybe he's got so much money he doesn't care in the least?

I bought my M3 from him, recently serviced by him, and it's been dead perfect for two years of indifferent care and hard use. I'll be sure to use him, exclusively, for any service I need.

 

[ywenz]

Actually the analogy I'm getting is, are you going to take your classic Jaguar for a complete engine and transmission rebuild to a Jaguar-trained mechanic with 30 years experience and a reputation as a top gun, or save a few bucks and take it to someone who is self-taught and relatively new at it?

Let's just put the Leica name aside, this is just a camera after all, one with with minimum electronics. It wouldn't be reasonable to put the Leica up on a pedestal because I wouldn't think my M6 is that much more complicated mechanically than my Electro 35 or Minister. This is a 40some year-old design that has not evolved over the years. I imagine its not very difficult to teach yourself of how to perform a CLA on a Leica M if you are mechnicaly capable person. I would even go as far as saying any home-brewed garaged gearhead would be able to teach themselves of how to service a mechical camera.

Since I don't know Youxin's background, what I said above could apply to him, or it could not. I feel confident about his work simply from word of mouth. In other words, I don't really care whether he had any official affiliation with Leica. I originally thought that the pricey service work on Leicas come with the territory, I'm happy to say that I know better now...

 

[Graybeard]

The difference in price among the service shops is probably due to the extent of work dome when the camera is serviced.

Sherry Krauter and DAG describe their work as an "overhaul" not a "CLA". Sherry, for example, replaces a number of internal light baffles and seals the rangfinder section with some form of wax. Dag will dismantle M3 rangefinder optics to clean them; so far as I know, no other shop in North America goes that far.

If the camera requires only s shutter cleaning and general lubrication, then is perfectly acceptable to have the shop do just that, at lower cost. I believe that DAG also offers this as a "1/2 overhaul" or 3/4 overhaul". My own preference has been to have the complete overhaul done while the camera is in for service.

 

[mountainrivera]

I am not sure what type of CLA Youxin performs but can tell you that for the same $80.00 my IIF's stickey shutter and clouded rangefinder is history. I had bot it on P-Net where I was told it was in perfect working order and almost sold it here (accuraeltely portrayed of course 🙂 ) thinking I would have to sink $200-$300. Well the buyer never sent the MO and then I heard about Youxin. Now I am a real happy camper 🙂

 

[chendayuan]

The difference in price among the service shops is probably due to the extent of work dome when the camera is serviced.

Sherry Krauter and DAG describe their work as an "overhaul" not a "CLA". Sherry, for example, replaces a number of internal light baffles and seals the rangfinder section with some form of wax. Dag will dismantle M3 rangefinder optics to clean them; so far as I know, no other shop in North America goes that far.
.

I seriously doubt above claim, take part a M3 rangefinder need lots of work, but they can be cleaned without take it apart. CLA a Leica is a easy work, anyone who can repair car and radio, can do the job. replace the shutter curtain is not a difficult job either. DAG/Sheery are good for these who have no idea about mechanics, for me their job is just ok.

 

[Ben Z]

Please don't misunderstand me, I was not implying that Youxin Ye is inferior to DAG or Sherry. The original question I responded to was why those two get so much more for their work, and I'll stand by my opinion that it's because they are both Leica factory-trained and have been the independent repairers of choice by major Leica collectors and dealers in the USA for the last 30 years. References and credentials are important to some consumers, to others the thing that matters most is price.

 

[dgray]

Thank you all for the answers. Sorry if my question hijacked the thread. It is really good to be aware of valid options and testimonials, both good and bad, of repair technicians out there. It sounds like this thread has generated some business for Youxin, and for good work at that price it also sounds like he deserves it. Thanks.

 

[summilux]

we should not idolize a few repair persons, just remember that building a vintage M was a labor intensively job and there must hundreds of skilled workers in the old Wetzlar factory, any one of them should be as good as Dag/Sherry Krauter/etc.

A full overhaul will involve taking everything apart and clean it, both the optical rangerfinder and the mechanical shutter/winding parts, remember reading from the Leica 50th anniversary book that the whole process takes about 3 days or something like that, I just wonder if DAG really takes everything apart to clean them.

 

[Kyle]

A full overhaul will involve taking everything apart and clean it, both the optical rangerfinder and the mechanical shutter/winding parts, remember reading from the Leica 50th anniversary book that the whole process takes about 3 days or something like that, I just wonder if DAG really takes everything apart to clean them.

Judging by the prices charged, I'd say DAG or Sherry are more likely to take everything apart and clean them than Youxin.

I don't think anybody is putting any certain repair person on a pedestal, but given the credentials of DAG and Sherry, they demand their higher prices and receive them, justifiably so, IMO.

Its like that with anything. For example, my dad is restoring a 1948 Buick convertible. He got a few estimates for paint jobs. The shop that has had painted hundreds of show winners and many vehicles featured in magazines justifiably charge much higher prices than the smaller, less well known shops, even if their work is very close in quality. Someone said it earlier, "credentials mean a lot to some people."

 

[chendayuan]

A full overhaul will involve taking everything apart and clean it, both the optical rangerfinder and the mechanical shutter/winding parts, remember reading from the Leica 50th anniversary book that the whole process takes about 3 days or something like that, I just wonder if DAG really takes everything apart to clean them.

If they doing so they have to charge $3000-3500 instead of 300-350.