$520 to repair my Nikon 200-500 lens
Feb 28, 2022 11:25:25 #
$520 to repair my Nikon 200-500 f/5.6 seems a little excessive to me. The problem was a small screw had come out and it would no longer zoom.
Feb 28, 2022 11:38:34 #
alandg46 wrote:
$520 to repair my Nikon 200-500 f/5.6 seems a little excessive to me. The problem was a small screw had come out and it would no longer zoom.
Your $520 repair is much cheaper than replacing with a new ($1300) or used lens ($1000).
Feb 28, 2022 11:40:36 #
Yeah, that sounds excessive to me too, but I agree with jkm. It beats buying a new one!
Feb 28, 2022 11:44:09 #
Feb 28, 2022 11:45:38 #
alandg46 wrote:
$520 to repair my Nikon 200-500 f/5.6 seems a little excessive to me. The problem was a small screw had come out and it would no longer zoom.
You could buy a new Nikon-mount Sigma 150-600 f/5 - 6/3 lens for $865.
Feb 28, 2022 12:09:53 #
If all they did was replace 1 missing small screw then I'd say you maybe got a little screwed. If they had to completely disassemble the lens to replace the missing screw, and cleaned all the optics while it was apart, then maybe you didn't get screwed. I had a Canon lens shed an internal screw once. The resulting damage cost around $600 to replace parts and clean and repair the lens. Considering the amount of usage that lens gets and the excellent work the technician did, I believe I paid a very fair price. Replacement cost new would have been around $2400.
Feb 28, 2022 12:14:28 #
alandg46 wrote:
$520 to repair my Nikon 200-500 f/5.6 seems a little excessive to me. The problem was a small screw had come out and it would no longer zoom.
Everyone sympathizes.
Feb 28, 2022 12:16:29 #
How long you think it would take to fix it? I think the labor of a technician should be at least $100 an hour. Not that the tech makes that much but that would be the cost to Nikon to have the tech works on your lens for an hour.
Feb 28, 2022 12:20:41 #
kb6kgx
Loc: Simi Valley, CA
John Maher wrote:
Is there a warranty?
Depends when it was purchased. Nikon stopped offering a five-year warranty in lenses a few years ago. Only the standard one year now.
Feb 28, 2022 12:23:22 #
JFCoupe
Loc: Kent, Washington
I think rmorrison1116 had it about right. On the surface, the cost seems high. What isn't known is what disassembly was required to get the screw in the right place and then re-assemble the lens.
Feb 28, 2022 12:26:35 #
Feb 28, 2022 12:32:00 #
larryepage
Loc: North Texas area
rmorrison1116 wrote:
If all they did was replace 1 missing small screw ... (show quote)
I used to repair small appliances and shavers. It goes well beyond replacing one small screw. Why did it come out? Does that part need repair? What else did the screw damage or knock out of adjustment when it came out? What is involved in putting everything back together correctly?
Feb 28, 2022 12:53:19 #
The breakdown is $20 to replace the screw and $500 for knowing which screw to replace.
Feb 28, 2022 12:57:13 #
larryepage
Loc: North Texas area
UTMike wrote:
The breakdown is $20 to replace the screw and $500 for knowing which screw to replace.
And that's true and valid, as well.
Feb 28, 2022 12:58:53 #
larryepage wrote:
I used to repair small appliances and shavers. It goes well beyond replacing one small screw. Why did it come out? Does that part need repair? What else did the screw damage or knock out of adjustment when it came out? What is involved in putting everything back together correctly?
I was a small equipment mechanic before and while I was in school to learn computer programming. One of the hardest parts of that job was explaining to customers why it cost so much to replace a seemingly insignificant and inexpensive part. The customers more often than not don't consider the amount of work involved in disassembly to get to the part, cleaning the parts, and reassembly. People tend to place more value on the parts than they do on the labor cost of replacing the part and making sure the device works correctly and reliably.
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