M4 has broken down for the fourth time! Curtain detached.

Johnmcd said:
When the curtain was first fixed it was noted by the repairer that it had previously been 'filled' with oil during a service which sounds very similar to your story. What can I expect if I send it to Leica Camera AG? Price? Time?
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The total cost of the overhaul of my M4-P was about US$750 including a new winding mechanism (spare part cost US$250), which was about 5 years ago. I had sent the camera to Leica Japan and they were able to do the overhaul in Tokyo, so time was only 2 or 3 weeks.
 
Unless it has some kind of sentimental reason to keep it your other choice would be to eBay as spares or repairs which should get you around £200 and, buy another It maybe different where you are but I've seen chrome m4s sell in the uk for between £400-500.
 
m4

m4

Johnmcd said:
That's the impression I got from the repairer but I hadn't heard anything about it until then.
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Thank you. Unfortunate though that it must happen numerous times over a short period of time. Goodluck to you.

Nathan
 
Leica should buy the camera from you, crush it and send you a 240 ... it's destroying the image of M reliability! LOL :D
 
John,

I would send it to Sherry Krauter,she does excellent work + Leica service is way too expensive.

Regards,
Robert
 
I had it happen on my much used M3.
i was with my daughter, who was using a Spotmatic.
The Spotmatic was once mine..a year or two younger than my M3.
There was shutter detached.
Leica then in South Africa, repaired it.
The M3 has had many repairs since then, but never the shutter..
well some holes from a sun gazer..
Oh! Leica is back in Wetzlar not Solms..
 
leicapixie said:
I had it happen on my much used M3.
i was with my daughter, who was using a Spotmatic.
The Spotmatic was once mine..a year or two younger than my M3.
There was shutter detached.
Leica then in South Africa, repaired it.
The M3 has had many repairs since then, but never the shutter..
well some holes from a sun gazer..
Oh! Leica is back in Wetzlar not Solms..
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When did Customer Care Department leave Solms for Wetzlar?
 
I would say it hasn't been fixed correctly in the first instance. I had my M2's shutter curtsin fixed by Will van Manen the day after I bought it and have had no issues since. Send it to someone who knows what they are doing.
 
From my research, including the start of some hands-on, I have the impression that the Leica focal plane shutter is basically the same in all Leica cameras including the Barnack LTM units. I have a 1936 LTM and, to me at least, the shutter mechanism looks the same as my M cameras with few exceptions with one listed the last sentence of this memo.

I have the Gunter Osterloh book, "Leica M" and on pages 59 & 60 information is available on the Leica focal plane shutter. Matter of fact, on page 60, fig. 41 the caption starts out, "The principle of the focal plane shutter and film advance mechanism is the same for all the Leica M models." Having peaked at the shutter of the LTM of mine from 1936 it looks quite similar to the M with a few exceptions; I most notably see a difference with the shutter advance mechanism.
 
I had the same shutter problem with my M4 as well, But I just sold it as is.
I have a beat Nikon S3 and it just works and I'm happy with it. I hope you
get your's fixed good as new.

Range
 
I feel your pain as I have had similar. First realize it is an old camera, and old equipment needs maintenance. And I agree as per previous poster , the camera should get a complete overhaul and inspection as to why this is happening. There is some part that is not working properly and it needs correction. Stronger curtains is not the answer just as adding an electric garage door opener is not the answer to springs that are weak. Replace the springs.
 
As an M4 owner, I read this thread with some anxiety... I haven't had this problem, but if it arises, I'll send the camera to Don Goldberg in DAG because he is a very thorough Leica technician. The only problem with him is that he takes his sweet time to get things done, but once he's finished, you won't have to send him the camera again.

Since you're in Australia, sending him your camera or sending it to Wetzlar is kind of a toss. I imagine that they'll be quicker in Germany. Try your luck and see who replies first to your queries. In the meanwhile, keep us posted, please. Best wishes for an improved 2015!! :)
 
Thousands of M4s are still in use which haven't had this problem repeatedly, so it's obviously an issue with the specific camera. Something is awry beyond the shutter curtains.

Although all the shutters look very similar, there are detail differences over the years in materials, lubricants, etc. Many bits interchange, of course. Send it to Leica for an overhaul, explaining that this problem has happened several times recently. They'll fix it properly, with the latest bits.

G
 
Keith said:
Leica should buy the camera from you, crush it and send you a 240 ... it's destroying the image of M reliability! LOL :D
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Yeah, at least we know that the shutter is more reliable on the M240...

don't know about the rest :D
 
I can't find any reference to a change of glue for curtains. It looks like close to 60,000 M4's were produced so I can't imagine the curtains any more of an issue than M2 and M3.
There must be something not fitted correctly or the wrong adhesive being used.
Curtain problems appear to be caused by damp or over dry conditions affecting the glue or rotting the material. In the case of my M2 it was dried and brittle glue. The only other failures I've had were M2's jamming curtains with the felt material from the light shield again caused by the glue becoming brittle.
 
This happened with 2 M4s and 1 M4P I had. Not much data to go on, but I won't get an M4 in the future.
 
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