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Nikon UK Service - experiences (1 Viewer)

Craig H

Well-known member
I have a pair of 8x32 HG that I'm considering sending in for a service and possible re-armour. Nikon can't give me an estimate and as I'm looking to sell I cant decide whether it will be worth the investment (I know they need new eyecups and maybe, at a push, a re-armour). Any idea of what Nikon charge would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
 
The full "eye cups" as such are not removable. The "cups" are rubber sleeves (or socks, if you will) covering the metal eyepieces which are permanent. The "sleeves" have to be replaced. They can be rolled back. I would think that replacing them can't be very expensive.

I had one that came loose on my 8x32 LX L and I fixed it with a couple of drops of glue.

It's getting confirmation from Nikon that they can or will do it which will be the problem. Maybe they can send you the rubber sleeves?

I am skeptical that they can replace the armour on it and surprised that it even needs replacement.

Bob
 
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The full "eye cups" as such are not removable. The "cups" are rubber sleeves (or socks, if you will) covering the metal eyepieces which are permanent. The "sleeves" have to be replaced. They can be rolled back. I would think that replacing them can't be very expensive.

I had one that came loose on my 8x32 LX L and I fixed it with a couple of drops of glue.

It's getting confirmation from Nikon that they can or will do it which will be the problem. Maybe they can send you the rubber sleeves?

I am skeptical that they can replace the armour on it and surprised that it even needs replacement.

Bob

Cheers Bob

The armour is ok - just that the there are signs of wear on the badges which make them look a bit 'tatty'. No idea whether they can re-armour them and, like I say, not entirely sure its worth it.
Regarding the eyecups - Yes, I should've been more clear, its the rubber sleeves rather than the whole eyecup that needs replacing. Its basically degraded so they do need replacing. Nikon have given a ball park figure for these but I'm thinking a full service might make them a bit more attractive.
 
I had new eyepiece rubber sleeves provided free of charge a few years ago, and could do with some new ones again as one of them is showing signs of splitting. Nikon wanted me to send them in for replacement as part of a 'service' but I refused as I didn't want to be without them for too long. I requested extra spares (didn't mind paying) but was told they were in short supply. I also requested new badges but was sent the wrong ones! (8×42 instead of 8×32) but they were also free.

I didn't bother using glue to attach the eyecup sleeves as I like to remove them for cleaning.

Someone I follow on Twitter was complaining he'd been stung for over £30 for a pair of eye cups earlier this year. I think it worked out at £16 each.
None of this inspires confidence in Nikon's after sales service here in the UK, though I have read a few glowing accounts on BF over the years. Fortunately my pair have proved to be durable and haven't needed anything more serious doing in the 13 years I've been using them.
I would be interested in how you get on with Nikon service as I have also considered getting mine serviced at some point.
 
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Agree that asking for the parts is the best and my 'new' Nikon 8x42 HG LX has been the closest to perfect from the start, but I did notice how easily the eyecup rubbers were to take off, in my case just for repositioning.

Interesting topic because like most things now it could now be considered too 'expensive' to set up the facilities to do anything, even if that could be feasible at all, and it's ironic that perhaps the expense would mainly be for installing the computer programmes and the departments to handle the admin! Also I wonder if there are many engineers available who can really do any repairs.

I usually get them second hand and when occasionally things weren't right I have guessed that original owners did not want the hassle of trying to exercise the 'warranties', so sold them to me instead!

Apart from rubber, the uncorrectable defects might perhaps include any to do with collimation, which the original owners/suppliers could certainly have been expected to mention so they would have been unacceptable. This could also be claimed by mfg's as 'damage resulting from misuse', i.e. dropping the binoculars, but I think this is a bit dubious because this is bound to happen, but has caused no problems so far :t:

The main things have indeed been excessive focussing play, presumably due to the quality of the parts themselves, rather than by the process of hand assembly. Even with such relatively expensive hand made items, in this respect I can only suppose there might still be 'friday night' examples. When they were new, at Q.C. it might even have been quite hard to tell how much play were really there, and then exactly where to draw the line.

In my experience Bushnell UK just made things worse and ended up with replacement, but after a huge hassle. Cley Spy checked the play in my (Vanguard?) and said 'they are all like that' so accepted the return. Vortex replaced Fury 6.5x32 free of postage to USA, and Meopta replaced 12x50 HD case, and then the binoculars themselves (but still a bit of play), f.o.c.

With the latest, a Zeiss 8x42 Victory FL, it has just had 'to go through a Zeiss dealer', which added another layer of admin, and I am waiting to see what the answer to excessive play might eventually be...wish the Zeiss problem had just been with its rubber eyecups!
 
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I don't own a Nikon, so can't offer any first hand experience, but I have spoken to a few retailers about Nikon and their after sales support over here. Clearly they are not popular with some. Mostly there are grumbles about things like their price structure, high minimum charges and less than helpful personnel. However, Bruce at In Focus defended them, saying their policies and cost structures were quite transparent and he'd found them highly efficient. Might be worth giving them a call?

David
 
I don't own a Nikon, so can't offer any first hand experience, but I have spoken to a few retailers about Nikon and their after sales support over here. Clearly they are not popular with some. Mostly there are grumbles about things like their price structure, high minimum charges and less than helpful personnel. However, Bruce at In Focus defended them, saying their policies and cost structures were quite transparent and he'd found them highly efficient. Might be worth giving them a call?

David

That might be worth a shout. Thanks David
 
In Focus has enjoyed a very good relationship with Nikon Sports Optics from the very early days when they opened the first shop in Barnet that I visited a long, long time ago. Perhaps 30 years ago or more.
 
nikon spares cost

I have a pair of 8x32 HG that I'm considering sending in for a service and possible re-armour. Nikon can't give me an estimate and as I'm looking to sell I cant decide whether it will be worth the investment (I know they need new eyecups and maybe, at a push, a re-armour). Any idea of what Nikon charge would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

This morning, received the four sleeves I ordered from Nikon UK, that go under the twist-up rubber eyecups on a Monarch 10x42.
They did not come with the 6 tiny rubber buffers or the 6 tiny screws but the invoice with postage and VAT totaled £69.89 .
It's good that they are able to supply them as many other makes don't seem to care about or stock spare parts but the price is out of proportion to the cost of a new binocular ( and does not include fitting ) !
 
Nikon UK Spares Cost

I lost the rubber lens cap from my Nikon MCII 13-40x zoom eyepiece. Nikon wanted to charge me £8.70 + £2.00 shipping + VAT = £12.84 for a new one. I told them where to get off, and bought 2 off eBay for £5.80, including postage and VAT that fitted perfectly.
 
I lost the rubber lens cap from my Nikon MCII 13-40x zoom eyepiece. Nikon wanted to charge me £8.70 + £2.00 shipping + VAT = £12.84 for a new one. I told them where to get off, and bought 2 off eBay for £5.80, including postage and VAT that fitted perfectly.

Funny, isn't it. If you buy a Swarovski, they'll gladly send you these kind of bits for free. Mind you, you can buy one hell of a lot of Nikon spare parts for the extra that a Swarovski costs... ;)
 
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