Leica repair center & d-lux 3

[AMinSF]

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Hi. Unfortunately the joystick button on my d-lux 3 stopped working properly. The button moves, but it will not work in the down direction, only works left, right and up. This is a serious issue because it's the only way to set aperture and shutter speed on the camera.

 

The camera is in mint condition but is out of warrenty (3 years old) so I called leica in NJ, asking if there is any chance they would repair this gratis since it's an unusual problem (the guy told me he has not heard of many joystick problems with that camera.) all he could tell me is that I send it in with a letter explaining the situation and someone will make a determination.

 

So I'm wondering if anyone here has advise or experience with similar situations. Is there a decent chance leica will repair it free of charge? If not, will that be an expensive repair? I don't think it's worth for me to fix it if it's much more than $150. I'd appreciate any insight you have on the workings of leica repair policies, and/or possible costs so I can assertion if I should even bother sending the camera in to them. Thanks much.

 

Having a bum joystick on your beloved camera truly sucks!

[Nicoleica]

Hi. You've probably already tried this, but sometimes gentle tapping and a few blasts of air from a blower brush directed at the gaps around the buttons can cure sticking/non-functioning buttons, as bits of dust and small debris sometimes find their way into the works.

 

I can't really help as far what Leica may charge, but my experience of their policies has been favourable so far. Perhaps others can be more helpful in that respect?

[AMinSF]

Thanks for your suggestion, but no luck on my end. I think it's an electronic failure.

 

Hopefully others reading this can comment on Leica's repair center generosity to fix out of warranty problems such as mine, or to get an idea how much they could possibly charge for a fix.