Leica parts availability in Australia?

[Baybers]

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Can anyone shed light on whether Leica is/has restricted the availability of spare parts to repairers outside their official repairers in Australia?

Several weeks ago my M3 suffered a detached shutter curtain and I contacted several repairers worldwide and all informed me that they could do the work so obviously they had access to the correct parts.

On contacting a well renowned repairer here in Oz he informed me that some time ago he attempted to seek some parts for a job and was told by Leica Australia that the policy now was no internal parts were being supplied. I contacted the Leica repairers (Camera Clinic, Melbourne) and they said they also could not come by the part, and furthermore, Leica Germany was no longer repairing film bodies.

Finally I emailed Leica Australia and within several days they replied that the part was available, gave me the cost (very reasonable) and said it would be approx. 4 weeks for delivery?! 

I am now awaiting the parts to arrive but it bothers me that there seems to be either some accidental or intentional misinformation being put out to the detriment of owners and users like myself.

Thank you for any information you may have on this matter.   

 

[jaapv]

Shutter curtain material is not a specific Leica part and can be freely obtained.

 

 

 

 

http://aki-asahi.com/store/html/curtains/shutter-curtain.php

[Baybers]

No but Leica curtains are specific items and that is what I am referring to... 

[jaapv]

Well, it does save work to have them ready-made