Just picked up my trusty M6 (1780xxx, which makes it a Classic), after having it CLA'd for the first time by the Dutch distributor. It was given a major revision, a dent in the baseplate was corrected, new anti rub inserts, new battery (old ones were still OK IMO), the finder as clear as a bell again, film advance feeling smoother than ever. It's almost better than new. Not cheap but worth it. It feels great to have it back again.

Bert

BTW, I like to think I'm the one who came up with 'M6 Classic'. In April 1998 I thought it would be a nice way to distinguish between the types of M6, the arrival of the non-TTL 0.85 made it seem appropriate to do so. My proposition wasn't met with a warm welcome in the LUG. Now it is a frequent used adjective. Funny.

-- Bert Keuken (bkkn@wanadoo.nl), October 22, 2001

Answers

Who did the work, how long did it take, and how much did it cost?

Also, isn't it nice to know that in today's world of mostly disposable consumer goods, there still exists equipment that is actually worth spending a few bucks on to keep in shape? Stereo breaks, buy a new one. Microwave goes bad, buy a new one. Hair dryer stops working, buy a new one. P&S camera breaks, buy a new one. Heck, I don't even maintain my cars that much anymore other than oil and tires - just trade 'em in when they get around 70,000 miles on them... ummm Leica!

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), October 22, 2001.

The work was done by the Dutch Leica distributor (Odin). Total cost was USD 350 and took 5 weeks.

-- Bert Keuken (bkkn@wanadoo.nl), October 22, 2001.

Wow, 5 weeks!!!!

That's an awfully long time... Any spare M while waiting?

Jean-Michel

-- Jean-Michel (meandmym6@yahoo.com), October 22, 2001.

No spare... The long wait was also due to some unresponsiveness of the shop. But now it's back sitting on my desk and probably better than ever.

Bert

-- Bert Keuken (bkkn@wanadoo.nl), October 22, 2001.

>Wow, 5 weeks!!!! That's an awfully long time... <

I spoke with Sherry Krauter a few weeks ago, and she was bragging that she had her M repair lead-time down to only 4 or 5 weeks!

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), October 22, 2001.

I just had both an M6 "Classic" and an M3 CLA'd by Sherry Krauter and the wait was only 2 weeks or so in each case.

FWIW, the M6 is now smoother than it was when new and the M3 is smoother than the M6 :-).

-- Rolfe Tessem (rolfe@ldp.com), October 22, 2001.

Here in Singapore its a mere 3 months or even more.

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), October 22, 2001.

M3's generally are smoother than M6's due to the fact that gears in the M3 are brass. The gears in the M6 are steel.

-- Bert Keuken (bkkn@wanadoo.nl), October 23, 2001.

Actually, steel gears can be made as smooth or even smoother than brass, it just depends on how well each were polished and mated prior to assembly. With brass, gears will "mesh", or wear together for a better fit much faster than those made of steel. However, after prolonged use, even steel will mesh. The big problem is that the scrub - the small bits of material that comes off the gears as they mesh to each other - contaminates the lubricant which reduces its effectiveness. Thus, when a good technician, like Sherry or Don clean and re-lubricate the steel gears, they will feel much smoother than when new. Also, if brass gears run short of lubricant they can gall, which results in much rougher mating surfaces and a rougher feel.

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), October 23, 2001.

Hmm, interesting explanation Jack. Thanks!

-- Bert Keuken (bkkn@wanadoo.nl), October 23, 2001.