NRC repair center in taiwan (Amazing restoration of the 70-200 VR1) any experience?

niko122

I want to send my 28-70 AFS 2.8 lens for repair. Im giving the lens to a photog who had her bag stolen and since I dont use this lens anymore, I want to fix it and pass it to her as a friend. but its not working anymore. I have a feeling its the SWM as it did squeak a bit at times. first gen on these SWM are failing for many.

we have a service center here but they are not experienced in replacing SWM and always send the lenses to Japan so I though to save the hassle and extra fee and have it shipped to NRC. after seeing what they did with the 70-200 and the nice paint jobs, Im certain these guys can do a fantastic job.

http://nikonrumors.com/2013/06/22/amazing-restoration-of-old-nikon-lenses.aspx/

if you live in the US, there are tons of places that have competent technicians but here to the right of the map, there are very few competent people who know how to replace a SWM lens motor. they dont have the machinery or the experience to do it.

In fact when I brought the lens for repair assessment, they said they dont do complicated repairs and they send many complex repair overseas and I just want to save the middle man fees. so I contacted them and spoke to Daniel. very cheerful and polite person. I will send the lens out tomorrow to them and let you guys know how it goes. fingers crossed.

niko122

ok, NRC received my lens. very fast that EMS shipping.

anyways the 3 bearings on the silent wave motor isnt looking to hot but the bigger issue is the motherboard that needs replacing. this was the main reason the intermittent focus/not focus was happening. at the moment the motherboard needs repair. im still in talks on the bearing. better to fix those now instead of possibly having to in a year or 2.

some pics of my lens disassembled
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=am4376&s=8

I know there are many in my situation who might not have a good competent repair center in their country. I went to Nikon here in my country. they said $1000 repair and they send it to nikon japan. the other lab I brought it to said the same thing, but no estimate. "its too complex for us"

I want to save the middle man here and deal with the repair person head to head. so far, their replies are very quick and im being updated all the time.

something else to consider! if you need your equipment fixed lightning quick, Nikon wont do it quick. they might on a person to person basis, but mostly, you will wait some time. I know the lens would sit there a month before being fixed. and if you dont have NPS then basically, wait patiently. price wise I think its even going to be cheaper and its going to take less time. I also get friendly service like from a mom and pop shop. try that with nikon or any of the big repair places. just lookin out for the simple person like me, in my situation.

niko122

Just updating this post . total time back and forth was 3 weeks at most from what I remember. and thats to him, repair and back. price was reasonable. $350 including shipping express and he fixed the ding and replaced the worn focus ring as well. also made an adjustment on the mount which was offset. man the thing zooms, very quiet and precise. shot an event yesterday and im very happy. need a bit more testing as I prefered to shoot with my 70-200 85 and 105 over the 28-70. the test is in low light in weddings with fast moving subjects.

the procedure for sending a lens out of country isnt so fun. a lot of BS bureaucracy. basically, went to customs, showed them the lens, told them it needs to be repaired out of country. they print u out a form with your pertinent info and write the lens serial on it and what the item is as well. then I take it and pack it and I made a copy of the paper and placed one in the box and taped another copy on the outside of the box and wrote "for customs. lens inside is for repair and to be sent back, please dont charge customs fees to receiver"

on return the other copy was added to the outside of the box and customs released it of fees as they confirmed the serial of the lens. you must do this step or you will be charged customs. possibly if you show a paid receipt with serial showing you bought it in your country they will let it pass when you explain it was repaired. Daniel the manager also includes a repair invoice for them.

I have to send him the 70-200VR1. I was at a wedding and the lens was on my shoulder and I stupid and it hit something when I went up some stairs to mount my off camera flash. focus ring is very stiff to move.

btw, from what someone on another forum posted, nikon no longer repairs the 80-200 SWM version. not sure where though. japan, US, or his country. so basically, repair choices are getting more limited.

Daniel was very professional, replied usually in hours and take into consideration we have over 60 emails back and forth. 60! try 10 with nikon and see how that goes. fast personal friendly service. Im sticking with him. not sure if he does flashes/cameras though. for some people in certain countries, its either send out of country or not repair and buy something else. repairing it saved me money over buying used or new.

the NRC youtube channel is here. very interesting to see how lenses are repaired.

Nikkor

Sounds like you had a very positive experience with this shop. Hope everything is going well with your lense since they repaired it last year. I'd like to get my 70-200 VRII painted light gray, cleaned, and possibly calibrated. Although, I've never had any problems with it and so do you know if they check the lens beforehand if it needs recalibration or cleaned? I wonder if this is an extra cost apart from the $320 they charge to paint this specific lens. Can you give me any more details on how you shipped to them? It sounds like you used your local post office in order for them to take note of the serial number and print out a "Customs Form". Then you packaged up the lens and made two copies of the form (one inside the box / another taped outside the box noting to not charge the receiver customs fees and it just needs repair). Do they communicate in English fairly well and did you ever call them by phone? I'm wondering how you place an order with them and do they want to be paid up front before or after they receive the lens? If so, what payment method did you use. I appreciate any help you can offer.