Leica Ends Free Sensor Replacement for M9/Monochrom Bodies

[jaapv]

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I don't know why so many people in here are reporting such a long wait.

This is what Leica replied me today:

 

Thank you for your mail.

Our current repair duration is 6-8 weeks after a confirmation. We apologize for the prolonged wait.

(...)

Do not hesitate to contact us for further questions.

Sounds wildly optimistic. I sent my MM1 and M9 in on the 1st of May. They are still in Wetzlar...

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[lucerne]

Sounds wildly optimistic. I sent my MM1 and M9 in on the 1st of May. They are still in Wetzlar...

Maybe they operate the "last in - first out" policy.

 

Whatever, I'd rather be sure that my camera is in the queue and I'll be flexible. In 6 weeks I'll be in the middle of a trip to Singapore and Malaysia without the M9 but that's why I have a choice of backups.

[DandA]

I think part of the issue when we are all discussing wait times for sensors to be replaced after the camera is sent in..is that some are sending it to the mother company, some to N.J here in the states and some elsewhere like in Australia. It appears wait to wildly varies between these venues. As mentioned previously, when people discuss wait times, they should reference how and where they sent their camera to.

 

Dave (D&A)

[erl]

I sent my M9 to Camera Clinic (Australia) on June 6, 2017 where corrosion was confirmed and booked for replacement.

I got it returned August 7, 2017. That's an eight week real time turnaround. The only delay was the wait for sensor to arrive at CC.

Very happy with the overall service.

 

P.S. Corrected date above from July to June!

[dave massolo]

I sent my M9 to Camera Clinic (Australia) on July 6, 2017 where corrosion was confirmed and booked for replacement.

I got it returned August 7, 2017. That's an eight week real time turnaround. The only delay was the wait for sensor to arrive at CC.

Very happy with the overall service.

[rafikiphoto]

I think part of the issue when we are all discussing wait times for sensors to be replaced after the camera is sent in..is that some are sending it to the mother company, some to N.J here in the states and some elsewhere like in Australia. It appears wait to wildly varies between these venues. As mentioned previously, when people discuss wait times, they should reference how and where they sent their camera to.

 

Dave (D&A)

 

I would imagine the best measure is from the date of Leica's confirmation that corrosion exists to notification of shipping back to you.

[DandA]

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Yes that parameter too but its still very much dependant where the camera was sent to.

 

Dave(D&A)

[jhgnag]

Hello,

 

While I didn't think my M9 had corrosion, I figured out how to zoom the picture much more and now I am suspect.  I was hoping I could get some opinions.  

 

Thanks in advance.

 

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Edited August 15, 2017 by jhgnag

[adan]

In your second picture, the four lighter spots on the left just look like dust. The darker sport on the right hints at corrosion ("fried-egg" pattern of dark spot with a bright halo) - although that could be just oversharpening.

 

The three spots circled in red are equivocal.

 

In normal times I'd say give it a few months (and a sensor cleaning) to see what cannot be cleaned off, and/or gets worse with time. But the deadline for free replacement being TODAY!!!!, (Aug. 15) I'd get it shipped to Leica right now - before the next sunset!

Edited August 15, 2017 by adan

[platypus]

I agree with adan. You don't have a moment to lose. Only one of the spots (darkest one in the second picture) looks suss but it only takes one.

Send your M9 off, better to be safe than sorry.

[jhgnag]

Thank you for your prompt reply.  I contacted Leica who suggested the same.  I will have it off to them today.

 

In your second picture, the four lighter spots on the left just look like dust. The darker sport on the right hints at corrosion ("fried-egg" pattern of dark spot with a bright halo) - although that could be just oversharpening.

 

The three spots circled in red are equivocal.

 

In normal times I'd say give it a few months (and a sensor cleaning) to see what cannot be cleaned off, and/or gets worse with time. But the deadline for free replacement being TODAY!!!!, (Aug. 15) I'd get it shipped to Leica right now - before the next sunset!

 

 

I agree with adan. You don't have a moment to lose. Only one of the spots (darkest one in the second picture) looks suss but it only takes one.

Send your M9 off, better to be safe than sorry.

[jaapv]

Well, the Monochrom is back, the M9 will come soon:

 

 

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[schattenundlicht]

My M9-P arrived in Wetzlar two weeks ago. I then received confirmation that sensor replacement was necessary However, I was also sent some invoices for approval subject to my choice of a la carte cover and also an optional replacement back since the text engraving was fading.

I was under the impression that the text could be repaired but apparently not.

If I only have the sensor repair, I expect the reassembly would require adjustment and a general clean at no charge. (A CLA).

I'm not expecting any charges for the basic work.

Does everyone get an invoice for handling irrespective of having no a la carte leather or bodywork improvement.

How much?

Any comments?

To my knowledge, the optional invoice is part of the standard answer from Leica.

 

- The cost for replacement sensor precurement may be covered by some legal agreement that Leica have made with the manufacturer of the original defective sensor/ cover glass. But this is mere speculation.

- Ignoring the monetary repercussions of the marketing desaster, even shipping costs and workload overwhelm of their CS will incur major expenses.

- Thus Leica seems to attempt to limit their expenses somewhat by nudging customers into paying optional extras. This may be a dubious practice on ethical grounds, but is rather understandable.

- For changing the sensor, they have to remove and replace the faux-vulcanite cover anyway so that every customer who opts for a custom leather will cover part of that expense.

- When disassembling and reassembling a M9, propably 90% of the work covered by their optional CLA will have to be done anyway, so this offer also seems to aim at damage limitation for them.

 

Owning a 7 year-old camera, I was quite happy to stumble across a thread in this forum by chance and thus being able to have my sensor replaced in time, for free. Although I could be disappointed and even angered by Leica's communication policy (as a registered first owner, I never was informed by Leica of the sensor problem), in summary I think it rather unlikely that another manufacturer would have done a complimentary replacement after 7 years of ownership and use.

 

Thus I decided to pay them for the optional CLA, well knowing, that it would not impact on the value or usability of my camera, because most of the work would have been done anyway. I regard it as sort of a voluntary co-payment. I could live with some people calling me a fool for that ;-)

Edited August 20, 2017 by schattenundlicht

[antigallican]

Well, the Monochrom is back, the M9 will come soon:

 

 

L1004705.jpg

Oh ye of little faith :-)

[Ronazle]

As I posted in #51 I think it's worth sending any M9 iteration in for a sensor check. I couldn't see any early corrosion but they did and replaced the sensor. Just send the camera in, or say you think there's corrosion rather than dust. They're obliged to check it. Just book the camera in before the deadline.

I did. Regards, Ron

[lucerne]

To my knowledge, the optional invoice is part of the standard answer from Leica.

- The cost for replacement sensor precurement may be covered by some legal agreement that Leica have made with the manufacturer of the original defective sensor/ cover glass. But this is mere speculation.

- Ignoring the monetary repercussions of the marketing desaster, even shipping costs and workload overwhelm of their CS will incur major expenses.

- Thus Leica seems to attempt to limit their expenses somewhat by nudging customers into paying optional extras. This may be a dubious practice on ethical grounds, but is rather understandable.

- For changing the sensor, they have to remove and replace the faux-vulcanite cover anyway so that every customer who opts for a custom leather will cover part of that expense.

- When disassembling and reassembling a M9, propably 90% of the work covered by their optional CLA will have to be done anyway, so this offer also seems to aim at damage limitation for them.

Owning a 7 year-old camera, I was quite happy to stumble across a thread in this forum by chance and thus being able to have my sensor replaced in time, for free. Although I could be disappointed and even angered by Leica's communication policy (as a registered first owner, I never was informed by Leica of the sensor problem), in summary I think it rather unlikely that another manufacturer would have done a complimentary replacement after 7 years of ownership and use.

Thus I decided to pay them for the optional CLA, well knowing, that it would not impact on the value or usability of my camera, because most of the work would have been done anyway. I regard it as sort of a voluntary co-payment. I could live with some people calling me a fool for that ;-)

I agree that the options for enhanced service seemed to contradict and confuse the free .sensor deal, because in every case, the leatherette has to be removed and replaced, and when reassembling, any minor problems have to be dealt with. The system has to be checked and adjusted for optical alignment as well. In other words, it's a CLA. BUT I decided to accept the offer of paying for a full service and I've got the camera back pretty quickly and it does seem to be a better camera. I've fallen in love with it again. They have replaced the rear rotary switch cover, and maybe the switch itself. It's spotlessly clean. The new firmware has some differences. What I'm most interested to discover is whether the rear screen is part of the sensor assembly because I'm convinced I have a much improved LCD. I'm just regretting not accepting their offer of an a-la-carte covering at a reduced price. I turned that down, but I've just seen that Jaap has a custom cover which looks great.

 

Comments welcomed.

[Adrian Lord]

^ sounds well worth it- and I think the M9 with the replaced robust sensor will become a historical classic of the M series.

 

 

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[Morpheon]

Thanks for giving me a clear picture, I will reach out for the customer service.

The window of opportunity is closing rapidly but fortunately you just need to contact them in time, that you sense corrosion.

I received my quote today:

-Sensor broken, free replacement!

-...Optional extra service for 178,50 EUR

 

I tend to accept the additional offer, Camera being 9 years old with no aparant prior full service.

 

It's not a beauty queen anymore, so I will skip the ala carte leather and book the saved sum on my virtual lens account.

The standard leather will be roughly the same as before, right? I have got a steel gray M9.

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[lucerne]

I received my quote today:

-Sensor broken, free replacement!

-...Optional extra service for 178,50 EUR

 

I tend to accept the additional offer, Camera being 9 years old with no aparant prior full service.

 

It's not a beauty queen anymore, so I will skip the ala carte leather and book the saved sum on my virtual lens account.

The standard leather will be roughly the same as before, right? I have got a steel gray M9.

A rational decision. I'm very satisfied with the work. Surprisingly, The black replacement covering seems to match my leica grip perfectly.

[jhgnag]

In your second picture, the four lighter spots on the left just look like dust. The darker sport on the right hints at corrosion ("fried-egg" pattern of dark spot with a bright halo) - although that could be just oversharpening.

 

The three spots circled in red are equivocal.

 

In normal times I'd say give it a few months (and a sensor cleaning) to see what cannot be cleaned off, and/or gets worse with time. But the deadline for free replacement being TODAY!!!!, (Aug. 15) I'd get it shipped to Leica right now - before the next sunset!

 

 

I agree with adan. You don't have a moment to lose. Only one of the spots (darkest one in the second picture) looks suss but it only takes one.

Send your M9 off, better to be safe than sorry.

 

 

Thank you for your prompt reply.  I contacted Leica who suggested the same.  I will have it off to them today.

 

 

I heard from Leica yesterday.  It's in queue to have the sensor replaced.  "Sensor glass coating is separating"

 

Thanks for encouraging me to send it in.  I'm thrilled and so impressed that they are taking care of it.  They estimated 9-10 weeks.