Leitz New York motor repair

[Guglielmo]

Hello to all,

I need, please, your help!

I proudly own a mint Leica M4-Mot since several years and 2 years ago I found the relevant mate namely the Leitz New York motor. Actually, it was "used" conditions and the paint was quite damaged. Dealing with electric functions it seemed that worked approximately well.

I am perfectionist so I desired to restore it so I forwarded the whole motor-drive to Leica specialist (?) in UK.

They started on the good track and their willing was to restore not only the paint but the leatherette and the electrical circuits.
After more than one year no news! Following my several mails and phone calls they told me that they cannot repair the motor, the work is odd and in practice they send me back the motor with wires not connected, pieces alone in an envelope, covers detached!
Now I have a stuff without value, without sense and impossible to sell unless just for parts!

Now I kindly ask you the following: what do you suggest to do?

First of all: do you know a skilled Leitz technician which may take care of my NY Motor checking and re-assembling the item?
Actually I would keep this rare Leica stuff but in excellent order and assembled! In Italy no people may do this.

Looking forward your kind answer, thank you so much for help.

Guglielmo

 

[zeitz]

I had my motor (CLA) and M2-Mot (3/4 overhaul) repaired by Don Goldberg. His father Norm Goldberg designed and patented the motor which Leitz NY eventually bought. There is no one else in the world with better credentials to repair the motor and camera. I know he is not in the UK, but it is worth the effort to have it repaired at his shop.

 

[zeitz]

One other observation. The motor originally had a vulcanite cover. So there was no seam. Your motor has a seam on the back and has been recovered in leatherette.

 

[Deleted member 65559]

Ciao Guglielmo, As Zeitz suggested, Don Goldberg would be my choice. He has done very fine work for me and others. Contact for him:

DAG Camera Parts​

dag camera parts
https://www.dagcamera.com › store › Featured_Products

...Repairs under the name DAG Camera Repair. Phone: 608-835-3342. Fax: 608-835-3342. Customer Service: dagcam@chorus.net. Version: Mobile | Web. DAG CAMERA PARTS.

 

[Guglielmo]

Dear Zeitz, dear Deardorff38,

thank you so much for your kind reply to my post and mainly for your precious useful address which I've already contacted so I look forward their answer to arrange the shipment.

Having my NY mot repaired and restored by the son of the Leica M4 motor designer is more than a must!

Thank you again to all, greatly appreciated your kind support.

Of course I will gladly update the motor overhaul progress!

Guglielmo

 

[Guglielmo]

I contacted Don Goldberg but he seems not particularly interested in fixing and overhauling my New York motor...

"...after repairing Leica cameras for 49 years I'm SUPER sick of repairing items that were tampered with and your New York Motor, that my dad designed in 1965, was SUPER tampered with, I got at least 250 Leicas in for repair at the moment, I have over 400 right when COVID hit the U.S. and I just don't have the time to open your messed up motor & perhaps find out that its beyond repair due to that terrible tampering done to it. Sorry that I just don't want to work on this."

Regards,
Don
DAG Camera Repair

Now I need again your help because I don't have any idea where and who contact to take care of my destroyed Leitz motor...! Otherwise I own just some metal rubbish rather than a rare item of Leica history.

Thanks again, I trust in your useful support and suggestions.

Guglielmo

 

[splitimageview]

I would suggest Alan Starkie at cameraworks-uk.com. He is no less booked than DAG, but he's in the UK and just might be up for such a challenge.

 

[zeitz]

Wow.

 

[Guglielmo]

Thanks "splitimageview" for suggestion but unfortunately Alan Starkie has been really the author of my Leica NY Motor destruction!

I waited several days to mention him in Forums because I tried to get a gentleman explanation why he shipped back the stuff completely dismantled while he received a scarce soght-after Leica motor in decent status just needing a tune-up and a repainting.
After a dozen of emails and phone calls without reply I cannot more hide the actual situation: now I own some pieces of metal and wires just good for trash... Beware!

Today I got a new possible people who may take care: Sherry Krauter in NY. Do you know him? I wrote him, I am looking forward his answer!

Thanks to all for support, I will keep you updated!

Guglielmo

 

[splitimageview]

Well, yes, well all know her. 😊

Very surprised to hear this story about Alan.

 

[raydm6]

Sorry about your repair experience and that Don cannot address the repair.

He sounds very busy and a little frustrated with tampered items.

A backlog of 250 Leicas. Wow! I did not know he had such a large backlog. Lots of people entrusting their cameras and lenses to him; a testament to his skills and talents.

 

[pixelated]

It is disappointing and frustrating, but it's not unusual for repair depots to return unrepairable items in their disassembled state. Mainly because of the time/money it takes to put it back together that a customer may balk at paying for.

 

[Guglielmo]

Yes, but during more than a year we exchanged several mails in which he wrote the difficulties but I replied considering to leave all the functions as they was but he continued till the conclusion to send back the motor without any excuse nor clarification...

 

[elcanada]

I'm afraid that if Don Goldberg isn't willing to repair your New York motor, yes, you are now left with a pile of useless junk. DAG is the best Leica repairman in the world and, yes, he is tired of being bothered by hundreds of Leica geeks. After 50 years of dealing with all of us, who do not respect his time, he has the right to decide which jobs he will take.

Starkie at Cameraworks can be good but in no way are they in the same class of expertise as DAG. Nobody is.

There are some superb German and Dutch and French and Japanese Leica repair services, and some good other Americans, but they are not knowledgeable about the New York motors. They are also not equal to DAG for custom modifications.

We are lucky that DAG still does his work but he will not do this forever and he clearly has had enough with the way customers use/waste his time.

 

[santino]

Don maybe the best in the world but his reply was rather harsh. Every repairman has the right to decide which jobs he is going to take but c‘mon, there must be a more polite way too…

I‘m sorry to hear about the messed up motor drive. If it is that colplicated, it is probably beyond repair. Have you considered contacting “magicians“ like Oleg who do reverse enginnering?

 

[Sonnar Brian]

The OP has not been on RFF since the end of September. The motor was working before sending it in for cosmetic restoration. It certainly is possible that DAG was told that, or discovered it by finding this thread. Another reason- DAG's Father made this motor drive that was working but now is in pieces just to make it look better. There is a lesson to be learned here for others that are lucky enough to have a combination like this.

There are very few repair specialists left in the world. What I am hearing from a couple of them directly: they take on near-impossible jobs that no one else is willing to take, and then get many complaints from customers on how the repair came out. There is a level of frustration on their part for a lack of appreciation of the work. The ones I've heard from- no longer taking on a lot of work. Others- year(s)-long backup of work.

The Lens Repair Apocalypse: Repair Shops INUNDATED with work, and will get worse.

There are very few Skilled "Opto-Mechanical Engineers" (I look at the work they do, refuse to use "technician") working on Classic Lenses that have hit a new high of popularity. I know first hand: Old Lenses are cans-of-worms, repair time varies greatly on same type lenses depending on the...

rangefinderforum.com

I have my own stories about converting and repairing lenses.

 

[splitimageview]

We need to honor these artisans while they are still around. No one else will ever have the breadth of experience even if they have the skills…

DAG is likely to retire in the not-so-distant future (based on conversations I’ve had with him.) So I suggest treasuring the labor that he provides, he certainly doesn’t need any more ‘fun projects’ to make his career complete. 🙂