Nikon repairs in UK.

[David Burns]

Some time ago, I had to have the AF motor replaced on my Nikkor 300mm f4 D AF lens. I had this done at my local repair shop and they did a great job. It took a long time, not because they were slow but because of the time it took to get the parts from Nikon. At the time, they told me that parts for older equipment were getting very difficult and would soon dry up altogether.

The AF on my other 300mm Nikkor, an f2.8 VR II AF, decided to malfunction yesterday and I ended up with virtually every shot out of focus. I am fairly certain that the AF motor has gone on this lens too as it was making strange 'clunking' noises. Having rung the same repair shop this morning, he told me that Nikon in the UK (including Nikon's own repair centre in London) are having to wait months for spare parts. He has a Z6 in for repair at the moment and cannot get spares. He was sure that Nikon in London would have the same problem in getting an AF motor replacement for my 300mm. Apparently Nikon use the same parts distribution company that he does! It is worth noting that the 300mm f2.8 is still being sold new in the UK and therefore, I presume, still being manufactured. It is an expensive piece of kit (£6,000+ in UK) and also the best lens I have ever used! I know the guy in the repair shop and have no reason to doubt what he tells me.

The last time I had equipment repaired by Nikon in London, they did a great job but it took four months. This was on a D500 body that I had bought new just after it was released and was about a year old when I dropped it! I was not told why it had taken so long at the time.

I was both disappointed and alarmed by what I heard and am now concerned that my Nikon equipment is going to become more and more difficult to get serviced owing to the absence of spares and delays in getting them. I have invested a lot in my Nikon equipment and whilst I am no longer using it professionally, I would like to be confident that I will be able to continue using it as an amateur into the future.

Experiences, comments from others?

 

[agrumpyoldsod]

If you live in/near London the Number 1 place to go to is Fixation (now Wex Rental) at:
Address: Unit C,
250 Kennington Lane,
London, SE11 5RD
Email: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Phone: 02075 823294

I have used them for decades for parts, servicing and repairs and so do everyone else I know (including one well known Nikon retailer). You can courier your gear or drop it off.

The last repair the did was on my Nikkor 300mm f2.8 G VR II -- which needed deep cleaning and AF motor replacement. AF-S long lenses need to be worked regularly and as soon as you hear louder than normal noises they must be cleaned and lubricated. Otherwise you will find like me you have to shell out for a new set of SWM.

Nikon moved its HQ from Kingston to Surbiton. AND Nikon's repair centre moved from Kingston Upon Thames to somewhere near Bedford and appears to be weak now after the cost savings. Very long delays appear common. Nikon only accepts courier deliveries -- whereas I used to drive a few minutes to their place in Kingston.

Fixation also appear to have access to lots of parts -- someone told me that they had taken over management of Nikon's spare parts in the UK.

 

[David Burns]

Andy, many thanks for that information. Most helpful. My last repair by Nikon was at their Kingston Repair Centre where I used to deliver and collect.

I am still doing some tests on my lens to try to see if I can identify what has happened. My 300mm f2.8 is used a great deal and the only warning I had was that a few weeks ago, the AF completely stopped working. I managed to revive it by several rotations of the MF ring and it then seemed to work normally. Perhaps I should have sent it for service then. That could certainly fit with your lubrication suggestion.

I will give Fixation a ring tomorrow and see what they say. My local camera retailer is Wex in Norwich, so they may be able to help. However, my anxiety about getting Nikon equipment repaired remains. I will update when I can get more information.

Thanks again,
David.

 

[agrumpyoldsod]

Andy, many thanks for that information. Most helpful. My last repair by Nikon was at their Kingston Repair Centre where I used to deliver and collect.

I am still doing some tests on my lens to try to see if I can identify what has happened. My 300mm f2.8 is used a great deal and the only warning I had was that a few weeks ago, the AF completely stopped working. I managed to revive it by several rotations of the MF ring and it then seemed to work normally. Perhaps I should have sent it for service then. That could certainly fit with your lubrication suggestion.

I will give Fixation a ring tomorrow and see what they say. My local camera retailer is Wex in Norwich, so they may be able to help. However, my anxiety about getting Nikon equipment repaired remains. I will update when I can get more information.

Thanks again,
David.

Hi David --

Fixation is fairly close to me so I tend to just pop in. Mine was repaired in Jan 2022.

As you are in Norwich your local WEX store should be an easier and potentially safer way to get the job done by Fixation (is WEX company) -- it is better to build a local relationship and let them manage the logistics -- See what they both say -- if your local WEX say they have to ship to Nikon -- well I would ask them WHY rather than send it to Fixation -- see what they say.

And also call WEX-Fixation to see what they advise.

Ultimately if the SWM need to be replaced -- I cannot remember what my repair cost me -- certainly much cheaper than replacing the lens.

There is something with AF-S lenses that use SWM motors - they need to be used FREQUENTLY - anyone can guess what that means - not just left in a cupboard like mine was. AND also inspected, cleaned and "serviced" periodically -- definitely if you hear new sounds or the lens start to perform increasingly poorly.

 

[David Burns]

Andy, all good advice! Thanks.

Wex in Norwich know me very well (I might be their best customer!) and so I will give them and Fixation a call tomorrow and if Fixation say that they can get parts, I will just drop it in to Wex in Norwich for them to send on. With a bit of luck, I might just get away with a service and lube.

For what it is worth, I have just done some tests and it all seems fine! The problem yesterday was when shooting a motorbike race using VR (active) and panning. It is never easy as the only worthwhile shots come when using fairly long shutter speeds, usually from 1/250th to 1/500th sec. There is always a reasonable failure rate but I have a lot of experience shooting bikes with this lens and have never had anything like what I had on this occasion! I guess that it could just be the VR doing weird things but I cannot get it to repeat the phenomenon. Mind you, I do not have any motorcycles going at 180 mph in my garden to practice on! I did shoot a couple of BIF though and it seemed OK.

I am madly running all my AF lenses through a focussing exercise programme... just in case!

 

[Len Shepherd]

Fixation also appear to have access to lots of parts -- someone told me that they had taken over management of Nikon's spare parts in the UK.

Additional information – Fixation are an official warranty repairers for professional Nikon, Canon and Sony equipment.

Often they can complete a repair in under 10 days.

I presume your local WEX store will ship your lens to FIXATION for free - and that you will receive a quote within about 3 days.

 

[David Burns]

That is my hope!

 

[dabhand16]

If you live in/near London the Number 1 place to go to is Fixation (now Wex Rental) at:
Address: Unit C,
250 Kennington Lane,
London, SE11 5RD
Email: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Phone: 02075 823294

I have used them for decades for parts, servicing and repairs and so do everyone else I know (including one well known Nikon retailer). You can courier your gear or drop it off.

The last repair the did was on my Nikkor 300mm f2.8 G VR II -- which needed deep cleaning and AF motor replacement. AF-S long lenses need to be worked regularly and as soon as you hear louder than normal noises they must be cleaned and lubricated. Otherwise you will find like me you have to shell out for a new set of SWM.

Nikon moved its HQ from Kingston to Surbiton. AND Nikon's repair centre moved from Kingston Upon Thames to somewhere near Bedford and appears to be weak now after the cost savings. Very long delays appear common. Nikon only accepts courier deliveries -- whereas I used to drive a few minutes to their place in Kingston.

Fixation also appear to have access to lots of parts -- someone told me that they had taken over management of Nikon's spare parts in the UK.

@David Burns

I used to live about 20-25 mins walk from there. I've used them with no issues and fast turn around times. Also Gray's of Westminster use them for all of their repair work.

As said you can use WEX for free dispatch to Fixation, but if you are close enough to visit them, parking is very restricted but they are only about a 20-30 minute walk from Vauxhall tube station or 15-20 mins from the Elephamt & Castle tube station.

For a quicker turn around you can specify 'repair if cost is under £X'. Saves a few days for quoting and you replying.

 

[David Burns]

Graham, thanks for that. I am just about to bring the lens to Wex in Norwich and they will send it to them. I rang Fixation and as expected, they said that Nikon spares are a nightmare at the moment! However, I am hoping that a service and lube will fix it as it seems to be working OK now.

 

[dabhand16]

Graham, thanks for that. I am just about to bring the lens to Wex in Norwich and they will send it to them. I rang Fixation and as expected, they said that Nikon spares are a nightmare at the moment! However, I am hoping that a service and lube will fix it as it seems to be working OK now.

Yes nowdays it is the parts situation that is the elephant in the room. I dropped my D810 off to them with a smashed rear LCD cover plate some time ago when the world was normal and it was ready in 2 days!

 

[David Burns]

Ha! If only!

 

[agrumpybirdphotographer]

Some time ago, I had to have the AF motor replaced on my Nikkor 300mm f4 D AF lens. I had this done at my local repair shop and they did a great job. It took a long time, not because they were slow but because of the time it took to get the parts from Nikon. At the time, they told me that parts for older equipment were getting very difficult and would soon dry up altogether.

The AF on my other 300mm Nikkor, an f2.8 VR II AF, decided to malfunction yesterday and I ended up with virtually every shot out of focus. I am fairly certain that the AF motor has gone on this lens too as it was making strange 'clunking' noises. Having rung the same repair shop this morning, he told me that Nikon in the UK (including Nikon's own repair centre in London) are having to wait months for spare parts. He has a Z6 in for repair at the moment and cannot get spares. He was sure that Nikon in London would have the same problem in getting an AF motor replacement for my 300mm. Apparently Nikon use the same parts distribution company that he does! It is worth noting that the 300mm f2.8 is still being sold new in the UK and therefore, I presume, still being manufactured. It is an expensive piece of kit (£6,000+ in UK) and also the best lens I have ever used! I know the guy in the repair shop and have no reason to doubt what he tells me.

The last time I had equipment repaired by Nikon in London, they did a great job but it took four months. This was on a D500 body that I had bought new just after it was released and was about a year old when I dropped it! I was not told why it had taken so long at the time.

I was both disappointed and alarmed by what I heard and am now concerned that my Nikon equipment is going to become more and more difficult to get serviced owing to the absence of spares and delays in getting them. I have invested a lot in my Nikon equipment and whilst I am no longer using it professionally, I would like to be confident that I will be able to continue using it as an amateur into the future.

Experiences, comments from others?

In my experience Nikon have generally speaking been pretty swift. In the last few years Ive had a D4, 300 f4, 500pf and also a 300f2.8 repaired. The later two just 18 months ago with similar failures in that they were both AF related. I would hate to loose the 300f2.8, I have has it a while now and although its big, heavy and bit dated I still love it. Nikon also serviced it at the time of repair and its been like new ever since. Like you Ive invested ALOT in good quality Nikon optics over the years and can’t afford to change to the latest and greatest so take care of what I have. Same concerns as you with regards to future.

Good luck hope you get sorted.

 

[David Burns]

Thanks Gordon. It is now on its way to London, so I will have to wait as to the diagnosis. I miss it already!

I agree about the 300mm f2.8. It is probably my favourite lens and thrills me with how sharp it is, with out of focus areas that are uniquely beautiful in my experience. The only other lens that I own that comes close is my 600mm f4. Both are stunning. I guess that they should be at the price but some of the F mount exotics are now totally out of date and therefore no use any more , so they are (relatively) cheap. Certainly, I could never have afforded the 600mm that I recently bought second hand, in mint condition, for about half the price it was new a few years ago.