Sending a camera from US to Solms - experience & timeframes?

[gwelland]

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Since it seems half of my lenses are at Leica being either serviced or coded I figure that now might be a good time to get the top plate of my M9 engraved as Jaap and Overgaard have done. However, if I were still in the UK it would be a simple matter to ship the camera to Solms for this service but since I'm in the US I'm somewhat more concerned about the procedure and timeframes involved.

 

Has anyone got any experience of this from the US? If it's a relatively fast turnaround then I don't mind the expedited service/shipping and can cover all of that myself if necessary. I assume that any such procedure would be carried out in Solms and that I wouldn't need to involve Leica NJ at all - I can just foresee them as just being an impediment slowing everything down.

 

I'd be interested in hearing about the experience of shipping a camera body back to Solms from the US, not necessarily just an M9 or engraving request.

 

Thanks ...

[peter_n]

Can't comment on direct to Solms but I sent an M7 through Leica NJ to Solms for a DX reader upgrade and it came back in 5 weeks. So direct to Solms may take a little less.

[Riccis]

Graham:

 

I sent an M3 to Solms over the summer for a complete CLA (other changes included changing the vulkanit, M mount, flash port adapter, etc...) and it was back in 10 days. My repairs are prioritized as I am a Leica Professional Services member but priority shipping from the US and back should not take more than a couple of days as long as there are no customs clearance issues.

 

Hope this helps,

[Shootist]

Can't comment on direct to Solms but I sent an M7 through Leica NJ to Solms for a DX reader upgrade and it came back in 5 weeks. So direct to Solms may take a little less.

 

 

 

Well I sent my M7 for the same update through NJ and it took 10 weeks. But that was right before the M9 release.

[rob_x2004]

Make sure you have a tracking number. It is amusing to see how many 'attempted deliveries' you register at germany during regular business hours. Ask the clowns to make sure they pack your kit right before returning it across the world rolling round in a cardboard box.

[Jeff S]

I suggest you call Leica NJ customer service, if you haven't already.

 

When I needed adjustment on my M8.2 and several lenses, I called in advance, established a relationship with a rep there, and got a time frame. The person expedited my order, kept me advised, and got it returned faster than expected.

 

Of course a lot depends on the issue and the backlog. But, I found Leica NJ to be candid and friendly. They even recommended against spending extra $ to code a 75 cron asph. Plus, everything got checked out, even things I didn't request.

 

I think they now have some techs from overseas, so possibly your work could be done here. Easy to ask.

 

Jeff

[gwelland]

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I have a few lenses at Leica NJ, a 50 'cron & 90 Elmarit-M being coded and a 28 'cron getting looked at for softness/front element adjustment, both of which I would assume that they could handle in house. My dealer handles all this stuff for me directly - hey, that's what you pay for right?

 

The M9 doesn't have any issues other than the vanity engraving that I'm considering. I'm pretty sure that would need to be done at Solms. The whole hassle factor may dictate that I'll just give it a miss as it's hardly a priority and works perfectly fine without it.

[peter_n]

If the camera is working perfectly you might be tempting fate to send it on a trip...