USA - CLA

[W_jay_p]

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What recommendations do you have for a CLA in the states, nothing major, just a true interior clean, lube and adjust, motor, rangefinder, shutter etc for an M6 TTL that sat in a closet untouched for over 20yrs.   Turn around time is way more critical to me than cost, I would like a place with a quick turnaround. Ideally I would like to overnight the camera and have it back in a week or so at worse, if thats possible. 

 

Thank you.  

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[Pieter12]

Most of the good techs that I know have backlogs of more than a few weeks.

[W_jay_p]

1 hour ago, Pieter12 said:

Most of the good techs that I know have backlogs of more than a few weeks.

I was afraid it was a hope that was too far out there.  I want to hand it down as a gift and wanted it back before then.   Thank you for the reply. 

[Don Flynn]

4 hours ago, W_jay_p said:

What recommendations do you have for a CLA in the states, nothing major, just a true interior clean, lube and adjust, motor, rangefinder, shutter etc for an M6 TTL that sat in a closet untouched for over 20yrs.   Turn around time is way more critical to me than cost, I would like a place with a quick turnaround. Ideally I would like to overnight the camera and have it back in a week or so at worse, if thats possible. 

 

Thank you.  

May I make a suggestion.

Give it as a gift as you plan but tell the person you're giving it to that you want to have it CLA'd before they use it and your wanting to do that before they use the camera so you know it'll last them for ages.

Then just send it to DAG Camera and have Don Goldberg work his magic on it. He's one of the best Leica techs in the US and you'll know when he's done the M6 will be in top notch shape. You can arrange to have it shipped by DAG to the giftee when its done 

Don takes 5-8 weeks based on the M6's I've had him service this year, "Classics" that I bought used. He would charge you $590 total counting return shipping.

https://www.dagcamera.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html

Your 2nd choice for good Leica techs in the US IMO is Golden Touch. Sherry has a excellent rep also but from what I understand can be slower than Don

https://www.sherrykrauter.com/

I'm not sure what she charges since I've never used her. I might if I get another Leica M5, she specializes in those from what I understand. I had DAG service my M5 and was quite happy with his work so I will probably stick with him

Don is very old school on some things. He'll ask for a check up front for the CLA, when he cashs it your camera is close to done. 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 16 by Don Flynn
Added Text

[graphlex]

This camera does not have a motor to adjust. 

[Don Flynn]

1 minute ago, graphlex said:

This camera does not have a motor to adjust. 

Speaking from recent experience, a M6 that has sat unused for that long can have sticking frame selector lines and jellied lub on other things. I bought a LNIB "Classic" that needed a CLA because it sat unused for to many years. A CLA did the trick 

[Crem]

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4 hours ago, W_jay_p said:

What recommendations do you have for a CLA in the states, nothing major, just a true interior clean, lube and adjust, motor, rangefinder, shutter etc for an M6 TTL that sat in a closet untouched for over 20yrs.   Turn around time is way more critical to me than cost, I would like a place with a quick turnaround. Ideally I would like to overnight the camera and have it back in a week or so at worse, if thats possible. 

 

Thank you.  

General consensus these days is DAG or YYE. Both are great and I’ve worked with both.

https://www.yyecamera.com

https://www.dagcamera.com
They are the only two independent USA techs that can order parts direct from Leica. 

Edited July 16 by Crem

[oldwino]

Youxin Ye (YYE Camera) is good for basic CLA work and does offer a rush service. Prices should be on his website. 

[Don Flynn]

6 minutes ago, oldwino said:

Youxin Ye (YYE Camera) is good for basic CLA work and does offer a rush service. Prices should be on his website. 

The issue with Ye is he doesn't calibrate meters in cameras like the M6. I asked about this with him recently. He recommended DAG for that. He'll CLA the mechanical end of a M6 but not touch the metering. 

I think that's because he's self taught from my understanding, Don and Sherry were Leica trained techs from the get go

[W_jay_p]

On 7/15/2025 at 11:38 PM, oldwino said:

Youxin Ye (YYE Camera) is good for basic CLA work and does offer a rush service. Prices should be on his website. 

I checked with YYE, his “rush” is still 6/8 weeks currently.  But also said his normal turn around time is about a year. 

[W_jay_p]

On 7/15/2025 at 11:04 PM, graphlex said:

This camera does not have a motor to adjust. 

Whatever the proper term is for the mechanism that controls shutter time.  

[Don Flynn]

9 hours ago, W_jay_p said:

I checked with YYE, his “rush” is still 6/8 weeks currently.  But also said his normal turn around time is about a year. 

Which is similar to DAG's "normal" turnaround time based on my experience. With DAG you'll get a complete overhaul with meter calibration    

[W_jay_p]

On 7/20/2025 at 9:30 AM, Don Flynn said:

Which is similar to DAG's "normal" turnaround time based on my experience. With DAG you'll get a complete overhaul with meter calibration    

The meter seems spot on, compared to my M9 and M10, doesnt seem to be an issue there. 

[Don Flynn]

6 hours ago, W_jay_p said:

The meter seems spot on, compared to my M9 and M10, doesnt seem to be an issue there. 

That's good, I always figure a complete CLA should include a meter calibration as standard.  

[wontonny]

On 7/15/2025 at 9:00 PM, Don Flynn said:

Your 2nd choice for good Leica techs in the US IMO is Golden Touch. Sherry has a excellent rep also but from what I understand can be slower than Don

https://www.sherrykrauter.com/

I'm not sure what she charges since I've never used her.

 

 

 

 

I've had my jammed CL and 40mm 'Cron with her for close to a year now, with virtually no progress made. I've called periodically for updates, but she keeps giving me the runaround usually saying she’ll “have to look for it,” with no follow-up afterward. She's hinted that it may be unrepairable, so I’ve asked her to just send it back, but still no action or communication on her end.

I understand she’s getting up there in age, and I really respect the work she’s done. It’s just unfortunate that so few factory-trained techs remain, and it doesn’t seem like there’s anyone stepping up to carry the torch.

On another note, I sent a broken curtain ribbon M6 to YYe, paid the rush fee, and got it back in four weeks. However, I’m now running into rangefinder calibration issues. It’s off by several feet when focusing around 20–30 feet at f/1.4. When I reached out to him, he told me he’s only able to calibrate at infinity not at the three factory-specified inspection points of close focus, 10m, and infinity. He referred me to DAG for that level of precision, but I haven’t been able to find any other domestic techs who can calibrate the RF to that degree.

[TomB_tx]

1 hour ago, wontonny said:

I've had my jammed CL and 40mm 'Cron with her for close to a year now, with virtually no progress made. I've called periodically for updates, but she keeps giving me the runaround usually saying she’ll “have to look for it,” with no follow-up afterward. She's hinted that it may be unrepairable, so I’ve asked her to just send it back, but still no action or communication on her end.

I understand she’s getting up there in age, and I really respect the work she’s done. It’s just unfortunate that so few factory-trained techs remain, and it doesn’t seem like there’s anyone stepping up to carry the torch.

On another note, I sent a broken curtain ribbon M6 to YYe, paid the rush fee, and got it back in four weeks. However, I’m now running into rangefinder calibration issues. It’s off by several feet when focusing around 20–30 feet at f/1.4. When I reached out to him, he told me he’s only able to calibrate at infinity not at the three factory-specified inspection points of close focus, 10m, and infinity. He referred me to DAG for that level of precision, but I haven’t been able to find any other domestic techs who can calibrate the RF to that degree.

That agrees with my experience with all 3 US techs - DAG has capabilities both technical and customer interaction that are the best.

[Don Flynn]

1 hour ago, wontonny said:

I've had my jammed CL and 40mm 'Cron with her for close to a year now, with virtually no progress made. I've called periodically for updates, but she keeps giving me the runaround usually saying she’ll “have to look for it,” with no follow-up afterward. She's hinted that it may be unrepairable, so I’ve asked her to just send it back, but still no action or communication on her end.

I understand she’s getting up there in age, and I really respect the work she’s done. It’s just unfortunate that so few factory-trained techs remain, and it doesn’t seem like there’s anyone stepping up to carry the torch.

On another note, I sent a broken curtain ribbon M6 to YYe, paid the rush fee, and got it back in four weeks. However, I’m now running into rangefinder calibration issues. It’s off by several feet when focusing around 20–30 feet at f/1.4. When I reached out to him, he told me he’s only able to calibrate at infinity not at the three factory-specified inspection points of close focus, 10m, and infinity. He referred me to DAG for that level of precision, but I haven’t been able to find any other domestic techs who can calibrate the RF to that degree.

That's been my concern with Sherry since I've gotten into Leica's. I know she's a M5 fan (the next Leica I want to get a 2nd copy of) but she's having health issues.

8 minutes ago, TomB_tx said:

That agrees with my experience with all 3 US techs - DAG has capabilities both technical and customer interaction that are the best.

Don is training his son as a Leica tech from what I've read on-line. If so that helps us Leica owners for years. If I do find another M5 I like, I'll send it to DAG. He did an excellent job on my current 1 and hopefully can keep a reasonable turnaround time.  

[plaidshirts]

I would take Sherry off any recommended list. She's been acting erratically and that's the last thing you need for your prized Leica gear.

#1 DAG - most knowledgeable and communicates well, but more expensive than YYE

#2 YYE - great for general CLA of meterless cameras and lenses

Outside of these usual players, I've heard good things about Red Dot Repair and Steve's Camera Repair, which are located on the west coast.

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[Don Flynn]

7 hours ago, plaidshirts said:

I would take Sherry off any recommended list. She's been acting erratically and that's the last thing you need for your prized Leica gear.

#1 DAG - most knowledgeable and communicates well, but more expensive than YYE

#2 YYE - great for general CLA of meterless cameras and lenses

Outside of these usual players, I've heard good things about Red Dot Repair and Steve's Camera Repair, which are located on the west coast.

I was going to try Red Dot Repair for my M6 I bought this year based on a review I saw by Matt Day on Youtube. Evidently, they've had issues recently and he no longer recommends them.

 It's in the comments section.

 

 

[pgh]

I’ve had to send 2 Leicas back to NJ this year. The first one was 13 weeks (a more complicated repair replacing rangefinder parts due to a drop) and the second was 7 weeks. This is now competitive or even better than the independent techs. 

While it’s still long compared to other brands at this point I won’t even look around for other techs. Leica has gotten their turnarounds to a more manageable time frame and has the most resources to fix it. They’ll still cost a bit more but the peace of mind is worth it.