Nikon d600 shutter mechanism replacement

[JC522]

Hey guys so I sent my camera to Nikon repair service for my front focusing issues and noted I may have possible oil on my sensor.

Today I get a call back informing me they needed my credit card info to process the payment and it was done and ready to be shipped back. I gave her my info and the payment went through and then I asked what was done to the camera for repairs. She told me they cleaned the sensor, replaced the shutter mechanism, replaced the grips, and tested it. They charged me 500$ for that but I was under the impression I had at least one free shutter mechanism repair with the D600? I then inquired to her about that and she did say yes that was part of the d600 recall but she didn't further elaborate. In hindsight I should have asked what repairs were done first before giving my payment info.

Is that free shutter mechanism replacement and cleaning only with Nikon USA?

[JC522]

Nvm guys, a few friends contacted me and said it should be a free replacement. I called Nikon back asking why I was charged and they deemed it to have impact damage. Guess I'm just SOL

[Mitsu3000gt]

The shutter replacement (if related to the oil issue) is a lifetime, worldwide, service advisory. I'm guessing that because the camera was sent in for something else, they billed you for all of it, but I also think you should have had the shutter replaced for free (unless they did it as part of the front focusing repair but that seems strange). Probably some sort of technicality at play there regarding the reason it was sent in (not for oil but front focus) - I would press them on it and try at least get the shutter portion of the bill covered under the service advisory. Also you presumably have the name of a Nikon rep. who told you it was part of a recall but charged you anyway - so I think that definitely requires another phone call. Just make some noise, they will probably credit you back the shutter portion. They should be doing a "general check & clean" for free along with all service tickets, which includes a sensor clean, but maybe they are charging for that now too.

It's also possible they have gotten more strict with replacements if lots of people have been abusing the service i.e. buy used D600 for nothing, exaggerate the oil issue (like most people did anyway), and get free D610, but I haven't heard of anything like that to date.

Also for front/back focusing issues typically the best thing is to send all the lenses in with the body, otherwise they just calibrate the body to spec and it may or may not solve the issue unless you are 100% sure all your lenses are bang-on.

Nikon Canada has been excellent to deal with in my (limited) experience. My dad sent his D600 in with super minor oil spots and they replaced the shutter, then he saw a couple spots show up again and they offered to send him a brand new D610 sight unseen without him even having to ask for it (which he accepted). Zero issues since. My own D600 never had the issue so I did not go through it myself at the time.

Re: Impact Damage - that sucks. Something likely happened to the body without your knowing, or the couriers did what they always do with packages and beat the sh*t out of it. I am extremely hesitant to ship camera gear for this reason. Tolerances in a DSLR are measured in microns, and you only need to go as far as YouTube to see what the average package endures from a courier on a good day.

[JC522]

Ya I called them back determined to raise the issue further. I asked her why the shutter mechanism was replaced if I sent it in for front focus issues and why nothing else was done to the camera. She explained that since the shutter mechanism was replaced the camera needed to be recalibrated so that should fix the focus issues. I then asked her why I had to pay for it since it was a d600 and I was under the impression it was a free replacement. That's when she informed me they suspected impact damage.

It sucks but I read other people online claiming Nikon will try to make it seem like impact damage. So since they repaired it I'm assuming if I have to send it back again for oil issues they can't claim impact damage again because they fixed it the first time for impact damage? I seriously just hope the camera is fixed

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by JC522
Ya I called them back determined to raise the issue further. I asked her why the shutter mechanism was replaced if I sent it in for front focus issues and why nothing else was done to the camera. She explained that since the shutter mechanism was replaced the camera needed to be recalibrated so that should fix the focus issues. I then asked her why I had to pay for it since it was a d600 and I was under the impression it was a free replacement. That's when she informed me they suspected impact damage.

It sucks but I read other people online claiming Nikon will try to make it seem like impact damage. So since they repaired it I'm assuming if I have to send it back again for oil issues they can't claim impact damage again because they fixed it the first time for impact damage? I seriously just hope the camera is fixed

The problem with the impact damage claim is it is a circular issue where everyone points the finger at the next guy, and there is 3 parties:

1) First, the customer thinks they have no damage, but they might. Maybe it's a used camera with hidden damage. Maybe their kid got a hold of it one day when they weren't home, maybe they bumped it unknowingly, maybe their 100lb dog jumped on their camera bag, maybe they're rough with the camera and just think it should be able to take it, or maybe they just don't want to admit it - literally there are countless scenarios where it could happen either with or without the owner's knowledge.

2) Then you hand it off to a courier where it takes the beating of a lifetime, getting squished by heavier packages, dropped significant distances onto conveyor belts, etc. at the automated sorting facility and further abused during it's multi-day journey to the service center.

From a UPS employee on reddit:


Because they may have been. I'm not making excuses... in my hub, we're required to unload at speeds in excess of 1200 packages per hour (pph). We get tested on this metric nearly weekly. Packages range from zero to 70lbs, and bulk packages will be in the same truck as well (odd packages, or oversized packages). No matter the size of the package, we have to keep that speed. It's not like we'll get fired for not meeting it, but managers (and other employees) can make your life hell if you're slow.
On top of that, there's literally miles and miles of complicated belt and chute systems in the building. Jams happen. You know what the easiest way to fix a jam is without shutting down an entire area? Get a box that's just the right size and weight to chuck at the jam until it breaks.
Yeah, packages aren't treated that great.
Speaking personally, you don't really realize that these are people's things... after the third box on your first day, they cease to be people's packages, and become a mass of brown cardboard that needs to be moved from one place on a truck to a belt which will go off to some magical place in the building that I'll never even see.

Also hilarious (and scary):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlUJmT2h3-4


3) The service center then receives the camera and sees damage consistent with an impact. You say there's no damage because to your knowledge there was none when you shipped it, the courier needs you to prove they did the damage to file a claim (which is impossible), and Nikon (or whoever - there are lots of complaints about this from all manufacturers) is left at the end looking like the bad guy every single time. The chances of them (or anyone) running a fraudulent service operation are far lower than there actually being impact damage either pre-existing, or from the shipping.

Regardless I am sorry for your troubles - it is certainly unfortunate. Hopefully you are back up and running and can just forget about it all. It's also possible they claim impact damage the second time, because it's very possible that it sustains damage on it's second journey. All you can do (unless you live in Ontario) is pack it ridiculously well and hope for the best.