Lens repair. Ouch...

[Zad]

Last year, my Canon 18-55 EF-S IS kit lens went faulty, with the AF motor only working in one direction. It was out of warranty so I stuck it on manual for a few months and ignored it. As luck was have it, I was bought a Mk.II replacement for Christmas (not what I would have done, but you can't really say that). Anyway, I thought I would look into how much it would cost to repair. After all, it is just the AF motor H-bridge driver chip which has failed, so probably just a PCB swap.

Anyway, I went to the Canon site and looked at the list of officially approved repairers. One in Stoke-on-Trent seems to be nearest (I'm being vague to avoid PH name and shame rules) so I popped them an email to ask how much it might cost.

So, remember this is an el cheapo Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS with a fault that seems to be quite common. Brand new price from Argos is £175. Jessops is £150. Harrison Cameras (with a real shop) in Sheffield = £99. OneStop = £73:75.

email said:

Hi,
The standard repair charge for that type of lens is £162 inc.vat (subject to inspection). Please see attached for details

(Attached PDF explains how they clean the CCD etc etc... Impressive for a lens)

I don't want to make a total fool of myself by emailing back with comments along the lines of "You are kidding right?" but they have to be kidding, right?

[paul911]

Your talking about H Lehmann then?

I recently needed my 24-105mm repairing, and they quoted £100 more than Fixation. So Flixation got my business. First class it was too

[rottie102]

Zad said:

(Attached PDF explains how they clean the CCD etc etc... Impressive for a lens)

I don't want to make a total fool of myself by emailing back with comments along the lines of "You are kidding right?" but they have to be kidding, right?

I don't get it why are you surprised?

Many of the recent electronics are not meant to be repaired. They are disposable. If my printer will die out of warranty I will just throw it away and buy a new one. The same with old mobile phone, microwave, iron, kettle etc.
Also, fixing the issue will probably cost the same on £2k lens and on £150 one, on one it's economically viable, on the other it isn't.

[Janesy B]

Human time and skill will cost the same irrespective of the cost of the lens. As above, it's a viable option for a £2000 lens, obviously not for a kit lens.

[LongQ]

rottie102 said:

Zad said:

(Attached PDF explains how they clean the CCD etc etc... Impressive for a lens)

I don't want to make a total fool of myself by emailing back with comments along the lines of "You are kidding right?" but they have to be kidding, right?

I don't get it why are you surprised?

Many of the recent electronics are not meant to be repaired. They are disposable. If my printer will die out of warranty I will just throw it away and buy a new one. The same with old mobile phone, microwave, iron, kettle etc.
Also, fixing the issue will probably cost the same on £2k lens and on £150 one, on one it's economically viable, on the other it isn't.

This, pretty much.

I think that most repairers quote a fixed price subject to assessment of the problem. Whether that price turns out to be fixed at the high end once the product has been assessed or is competitive is another matter.

In theory you would probably find the bits on eBay and could consider taking the thing apart to fix it. But I doubt it would be worth it for that level of lens simply because they as mass produced and available for about the same price an evening out or filling up a car's fuel tank.

Let's face it - it's much the same with cars. Plenty seem to be scrapped because some electrical component or other fails and the cost of obtaining the appropriate replacement makes repair uneconomic, perhaps even for those who have the knowledge, skills and tools to do it themselves.

[Mr Will]

Zad said:

Last year, my Canon 18-55 EF-S IS kit lens went faulty, with the AF motor only working in one direction. It was out of warranty so I stuck it on manual for a few months and ignored it. As luck was have it, I was bought a Mk.II replacement for Christmas (not what I would have done, but you can't really say that). Anyway, I thought I would look into how much it would cost to repair. After all, it is just the AF motor H-bridge driver chip which has failed, so probably just a PCB swap.

Anyway, I went to the Canon site and looked at the list of officially approved repairers. One in Stoke-on-Trent seems to be nearest (I'm being vague to avoid PH name and shame rules) so I popped them an email to ask how much it might cost.

So, remember this is an el cheapo Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS with a fault that seems to be quite common. Brand new price from Argos is £175. Jessops is £150. Harrison Cameras (with a real shop) in Sheffield = £99. OneStop = £73:75.

email said:

Hi,
The standard repair charge for that type of lens is £162 inc.vat (subject to inspection). Please see attached for details

(Attached PDF explains how they clean the CCD etc etc... Impressive for a lens)

I don't want to make a total fool of myself by emailing back with comments along the lines of "You are kidding right?" but they have to be kidding, right?

As others have said, it's a fixed price for any repair to that category of lens - it's £162 whether you've scratched the paint on the outside or dropped it out of a moving vehicle. Rather expensive in the former case, but cheap in the case of the latter.

No harm in emailing them back asking if they can do it cheaper in light of the low value but don't be surprised if they say "no". The amount of work is the same regardless of whether the lens is worth £100 or £1000.

[DavidCane]

I'd just buy a used one from MPB for £65 and sell your current for spares & repairs on eBay. Sounds extreme but it's the cheapest option. Alternatively, use this as an upgrade opportunity. You can get a 17-85 USM for less than the price quoted for that repair. You'll get more range, slightly better image quality and much faster, quieter autofocussing.