Is $300 to repair dropped M3 fair?

[dovi]

My m3 slipped off of the strap and landed on the top of the RF focusing mechanism.

The shop says it's $300 to "tap out the top plate and relieve the pressure on the RF focusing mechanism" and then to realign it.

Is this price fair. I see that some used M3s with a 1 year warranty go for 699.

For the 300 range I might start looking at a used CL.

What do you think?

 

[alexz]

I would probably be interested to get the quote from a well known, trustworthy Leica repair specailists such as DAG, Sherry Krauter, Youxin Ye, Steve (and probably few others I forgot). That woud allow you to get the picture of the actual repair costs...

 

[ben lloyd]

I would contact DAG, Sherry Krauter or CRR Luton, depending on where you live, and ask for an estimate. They all do top, dependable work. Use their prices as a guide.

I'm assuming you've talked to a local retail shop, if so don't forget you'll be paying them mark-up just to send it away.

 

[Rik]

Depending on where you live , you might consider to contact Will van Manen in the Netherlands, www.kamera-service.info.
He's a trustworthy Leica expert.

 

[Ororaro]

I vouch for Youxin. This guy has been extraordinary with me...

 

[StuartR]

It sounds fair to me. You dropped it, evidently hard enough to dent the cover and do bad things inside the camera. They will have to remove the top plate, hammer everything back into place and then readjust the rangefinder alignment. They will also have to repair, adjust or replace whatever else may or may not be wrong internally. The labor required seems about the same, perhaps a bit more than a CLA, which runs a similar price at many places.

By all means, ask DAG or Sherry or one of the other gurus, but 300 dollars does not sound outrageous to me. I was quoted more than that from Leica to repair a used R9 that I bought only to find out later that it had been dropped.

 

[Chris101]

I dunno three hundred bucks, but you dropped your camera? I'd say some jail time would be warranted.










😉

 

[rover]

Add a CLA, hopefully for not much more, and you can get a like new camera back.

 

[Leicabug]

If you are concerned with cost, go with Youxin. His charge is very resonable. Turnaround speed is also fast.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

I think it's fair. In fact, you're getting away cheap... Just a CLA can cost $350.

Again, contact the masters mentioned above. Don (from DAG) is pretty quick at replying to e-mail messages.

Take care and sorry about the problem with your camera...

 

[payasam]

Wonder how anyone can give a quote without looking at how much damage has been done to the camera.

 

[Never Satisfied]

$300USD will go along way to buying another body that hasn't become a crash test dummy. I'm after a dead M3 for parts, keep me in mind if decide to get another body. Cheers Andrew.

 

[RML]

Did the shop open up your camera and really check what's wrong with it? A dent is often just a dent, and if it's not interfering with anything inside I'd keep the dent as a reminder. 🙂

Also, make sure they give you a full quote: let them put in paper what is wrong, what must to be fixed/is luxury to have fixed, how much each will cost (labour, parts, etc.), how long things will take. Then tell them exactly what you want done. It's a contract you make with the the repairman, and both of you need to stick to it. Extra repairs, outside of the contract, need to be approved by you. Extra expenses need to be specified, approved beforehand, or else you're not going to pay for them. Delays need to be explained properly, and may incur a refund (for your lost time). You'd do these things when you send your car to the shop, right?

 

[DeeCee3]

Some 30 years ago I dropped my M2. The prisms came unglued (obvious from looking through the finder) and the RF simply failed to function. In those days, E. Leitz had a repair facility in New Jersey. My dealer (who used another firm for repairs on everything else he sold except Leica) insisted I send it to Leitz for a proper, warranteed repair. It cost me just under $200 in the late 70's. Yes, $300 is not a bad price.

dc3