In a previous thread I mentioned some damage to a new Leica M6 base plate. I spoke to Leica service about the Paaport warranty which states that any damage whatsoever wil be repaired. Leica service told me that only damage which effects the operation of the camera is eligible. My damage is purely cosmetic but I have in effect payed several hundred dollars for the Passport Warranty by not buying gray and would get like to get it fixed. Does anyone have any experience with Leica on a similar matter?

-- jeff schraeder (jeff@engineperformance.com), July 01, 2001

Answers

Yeah,

If your not planning on dropping your new M6 everytime you pick it up then save your couple hundred dollars and buy grey. The passport warranty is only good for pros who rely on their equipment to function wherever they go.

Cosmetics does not equal function.

Sorry, sad but true.

-- John (ouroboros_2001@yahoo.com), July 01, 2001.

I have a M6TTL, one time I threw my key to the bed and it landed on the top plate of the chrom camera body, the key cut the camera top a nick, I sent it to Lecia and they replace the top for me.

-- Mitchell Li (mitchli@pacbell.net), July 01, 2001.

I'm surprised, Jeff. Unless the meaning of Passport Warranty has been changed, I was under the impression it was an "any damage, no fault" warranty. I would ask to talk to the regional Leica sales manager about this.

-- Ken Shipman (kennyshipman@aol.com), July 01, 2001.

I am sure if you read the details of the warranty, they have to mention something to the effect of " regular wear and tear" not being covered. Otherwise any time an anal M6 owner got a small scuff he'd be sending the camera back for free cosmetic repairs. The person that got the top plate replaced for a small ding must have caught soembody in a good mood. Maybe Jeff should take a sledge hammer and give the bottom plate a hard hit so it jams up the whole camera and then it will be covered.(I'm not serious!) That is the craziness of insurance in general. Out here in California if we had an earth quake and my house got knocked off the foundation and totalled, it would not be covered on my home owners insurance (I do not have earth quake insurance-too expensive and too limited coverage). But if after the earth quake, my house "somehow" caught on fire, then it would be covered under my fire insurance.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), July 01, 2001.

Jeff,

If your really paranoid about getting the occasional ding on your Leica equipment then you can always go to the photo-tradeshows and look for used/abused baseplates. That way you can keep your OEM baseplates tucked away from harms-way and just use the beaters. Personally, I am not inclined to worry about such things as:

1: I have 2 USER M6 TTLs (not the fancy black paint variety) and the chances that they will be considered collector items are slim to none.

2: I am settled on the M system so my trade-ins are only limited to lens that I don't use (haven't gotten to that point yet) and the bodies will probably be traded one day for a good eulogy from my grandchildren.

3: There aren't enough hours in the day to worry about stuff like that.

4: I'm a "man's man" (read sloppy!) and being high-strung about stuff that I use on a regular basis goes against my basic nature.

Your Leicas are capable of things that other systems can only dream of (read serendipity + 3D imaging + bokeh + sharpness) and hopefully you bought then because of those reasons. I would be a sad state of affairs if every Leica owner bought Ms only to put them in vaccum wrap and stuff them into argon-filled vaults (like some Japanese collectors do).

Enjoy them as tools and your life will be much easier.

Regards,

John.

-- John (ouroboros_2001@yahoo.com), July 01, 2001.

Kind of makes me think of the people (I'm sure you've all seen this) with the brand new Corvette (Mercedes, Porsche, etc) parked anglewise in the parking lot, taking up two stalls, not to get a ding. If you can't afford the upkeep of what you buy, buy something else!

-- Bob Todrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), July 01, 2001.

Hi, Jeff: I'm sorry about your accident and about some less-than-considered adjectives some of our friends seem to easily throw around. I would subscribe the idea of carefully reading the Passport program terms. I own only second hand old M gear so that the Passport is far away from my concerns but still I was under the impression that it was a no-questions warranty that would relay on the cost/benefit balance to keep repair requests regarding irrelevant damages controlled. But your experience could be educative for the rest of us so that if you finally find out how the Passport really works please post your conclusions for everybody else's benefit. Best of luck, Jeff. Regards

Iván

-- Iván Barrientos M (ingenieria@simltda.tie.cl), July 01, 2001.

I wonder how many people on this list get hurt jumping to conclusions or just plain tired out from making assumptions. I paid several hundred dollars for a Passport Warranty so that I could get my equipment fixed because I do use it every day and it does get beat up and I do like nice things. Thank you to those who actually answered my question.

-- jeff schraeder (jeff@engineperformance.com), July 01, 2001.

I wasn't at all trying to say Jeff was being anal by wanting to have his dinged camera fixed under the passport warranty, and I am sorry if my comments were taken the wrong way-if indeed they were. My point was that Leica must have some standard for determining between a small flaw caused from regular use (like lug wear, a rub mark, etc.) and what is "accidental damage" serious enough to qualify for new parts and service free of charge.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), July 01, 2001.

Jeff, I too am sorry if you were offended by what I said, but, having known the Canadian Leica rep for 15 years, I know he gave up offering the Passport Program when he started to get too many people trying to replace their cameras every few years with complaints of lug strap marks and tripod marks on the baseplate. They have to draw the line somewhere, don't you agree.

-- Bob Todrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), July 02, 2001.

i think the passport warranty covers CLAs, so you might just want to send it in saying you want the camera checked, aligned and cleaned and also the baseplate replaced. they'll probably do it if the camera is in for something else...

-- Tristan (tristan@tristantom.com), July 02, 2001.

Jeff. I wanted to know exactly how the Passport warranty works myself, so I just talked to the head of Leica USA service, a woman named Brenda. She told me that as we suspected, normal minor wear was not covered by the Passport (neither was fire and theft--but I guess most of us knew that). She did tell me, however, that they looked at each case individually, and would make every effort to repair something at no charge ESPECIALLY near the early period of the Passport warranty, and when the customer was bothered by the damage. She told me that you could call her directly at 800-222-0118 extension 217, and she will encourage you to send the camera in under warranty. I hope you don't mind that I did this--I hadn't originally called up on this specific incident, but it came up in conversation. I hope this is of some help.

By the way, Brenda also told me that near the end of the 3 year period, they still often replace a badly scratched base plate with a much nicer used one at no charge if the customer requests Passport service.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), July 02, 2001.

Andrew: I'd like to make a statement that I don't feel I'm the one to tell anybody what is right or wrong but I love this site and only for that reason I feel myself entitled to make you know my highest consideration for your attitude asking for excuses and actually DOING something nobody else thought of so as to be of actual help for Jeff. Best regards

- Iván

-- Ivan Barrientos M (ingenieria@simltda.tie.cl), July 03, 2001.