I think I would steer well clear of this one. First, there needs to be
a written estimate by Nikon, not an independent repairer. Second, even
if such a document exists it's only an estimate. Actual repairs could
be higher once the body is opened up and inspected. Third, if the body
is supposedly worth, say, $500 why doesn't the seller get it repaired,
sell it for %500 if he doesn't want it and pocket the $200 difference?
The first thing that came to mind when I read this was something that
happened to me about 30 years ago. I had a 1974 Mercury Capri which
caught fire inside the instrument panel as I was leaving to drive to
work (fan blower motor). Thick, acrid smoke suddenly started rolling
out of the defroster vents. I immediately stopped the car at the end of
the driveway and ran back into the house and called the fire department.
The fire station was only about 1/2 mile away and thee truck was there
within a few minutes. They put the fire out by flooding the defroster
and A/C vents with about 1,000,000 gallons of water which left a small
lake in the interior. It was suitable for fishing at that point but I
never stocked it.
Anyhow, when the Geico insurance adjustor showed up a few days later he
spent about 5 minutes examining the underside of the dash and the
scorched yellow paint on the engine side of the firewall. He then
declared that it would take about $50 worth of parts and $100-150 in
labor to effect the repair. Then he said: "If you're handy, I think you
can do this pretty easily yourself without too much trouble. How about
that and we settle on $300 right now. You can even make a few bucks on
the deal." Sounded pretty far fetched to me and I told him to put away
his checkbook.
The car ultimately went to the Mercury dealer for repair. A week and
$1375 later I had the car back. The list of parts used was about 3
pages long. Geico paid without complaint but I canceled my Geico policy
over that incident and have never gone back. Don't fall for the same.
ps: I also got rid of the Capri. It was the third time that it had
attempted to kill either me or my wife. The first time the steering
failed completely when the splines connecting the steering shaft to the
rack and pinion box broke. It was just dumb luck that I didn't get
killed on that one since the car had absolutely no steering... none.
The second time the brackets holding the drivers seatback in place broke
while my wife was driving the car. Fortunately she had a good grip on
the wheel with both hands and didn't fall into the back seat when the
front seat collapsed. I also got rid of Ford products. Haven't owned
one since.
Chuck Norcutt
Ali Shah wrote:
>
> Someone has a broken N*kon dslr for which he/she wants
> $100.00. Person claims that the camera requires an
> "electronic card" replacement which was quoted @
> $200.00. Is it worth getting something like this
> repaired? Keeping in mind that I would probably hand
> this over to the kids, my wife, or keep for backup?!?
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