D600 service advisory

<p>Nikon USA issues service advisory on <strong>D600</strong> dust issue:<br>

<a href="http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/18180">http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/18180</a></p>

<p>Henry Posner<br /><strong>B&H Photo-Video</strong></p>

 

<p><a href="http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00bNYL">Another one?</a></p>

<p>Wow, if it's dusty, blow it off.........if that doesn't work, take it to Nikon and <em ><strong>pay</strong></em> them to do it.</p>

<p>Make something sub-standard and then charge people to have it fixed again and again....What a great money making plan....:-(</p>

<p>Really, really helpful....with no admission of responsibility or of a 'fault'. Nice!</p>

<p>Pay to service? that sucks.<br>

My d600 has dust and oil after 600 shots. I was hoping they would take responsibility for that. If they are going to charge then I probably shouldnt send it in yet, wait till all the oil comes off after more use....is this the right thing to do?<br>

After all the oil and dust havent show up in images shot at f/4 or faster...so far..</p>

<p>I did get a nice large blob on the sensor within weeks of getting my D700. Nikon seem to give one cleaning for free. I used to shot wide open a lot (on my D700, which didn't show up my lens limitations as much as my D800), so I got away with a lot of dust issues. My understanding is that a few cleanings will solve the problem, and the spot healing brush should be your friend in the meantime. It's not ideal, and Nikon are doing their usual job of not giving very good customer service, but I don't think it's a reason not to buy the camera.</p>

<p>I don't get it. If the D600 sensor is dirty and it's not enough to just blow on the sensor, do Nikon do the cleaning for free or not?</p>

<blockquote>

<p>If these measures do not remove all dust particles and you are still experiencing problems, then please consult your nearest Nikon service center. The technicians will examine the camera thoroughly, and service it as needed.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>No mention of freebies here! Sounds like a discretionary thing....:-(</p>

<p><strong>NOTICE</strong>. They are still calling it <strong>DUST</strong>. There is no <strong>OIL</strong> anywhere....!!</p>

<p>Is there anyone doubting that Nikon's refusal to address the issue properly and fix the "oil and debris"-affected cameras for free is actually costing them more in lost sales than the actual cost of repairing those units? Not to mention the loss in consumer confidence - which should directly reflect in lost or at least delayed sales. Anyone know of a survey along the lines of "are you more or less reluctant to purchase a high-end Nikon camera now than you were a year ago?"</p>

<p>But no where does it say anything about having to pay for it... I guess you would just have to take it or send it to them to find out.</p>

<p>First of all, this is not a new topic. Four days ago, <a href="/photodb/user?user_id=990544">Sergio Ortega</a> already started a thread on that same advisory: http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00bNYL</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>Wow, if it's dusty, blow it off.........if that doesn't work, take it to Nikon and <em><strong>pay</strong></em> them to do it.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Mike, exactly where does it say that you need to pay for warranty service? There must be some reason that you used a bold font for "pay."</p>

<p>Shun, so, worse case scenario, when I take my spotty D600 sensor 4 days after I get it and need it cleaned, Sensor Cleaning is a warranty issue? Where does it say that?</p>

<p>If Sensor Cleaning <em><strong>is</strong></em> a warranty issue...just say 'yes' in <strong>BOLD</strong> and I'll take it to Nikon with your name. Can I take it for <em>FREE</em> cleaning <em>EVERY</em> time spots appear until the warranty is over? Thought not.....!</p>

<p>Oil is Nikon's....Dust <em>might </em>be mine.....can you see where 'warranty' is going here when Nikon find 'impact damage' to refute their responsibility to fix stuff?</p>

<p>I wish Nikon UK would be as positive (as Nikon USA obviously must be) in '<em>What is covered by warranty</em>' as you....!</p>

<p>So, why doesn't the 'advisory' admit there might be a problem and say, clearly, they'll clean spotty D600 sensors, that are still in warranty, for free, which they all MUST be. That kind of vagueness leads to this kind of doubting of Nikon's sincerity in such things.</p>

<p>There's no mention of 'For Free' or 'At Cost' etc....kinda not-so-helpful no??</p>

<blockquote>

<p>If Sensor Cleaning <em><strong>is</strong></em> a warranty issue...just say 'yes' in <strong>BOLD</strong> and I'll take it to Nikon with your name. Can I take it for <em>FREE</em> cleaning <em>EVERY</em> time spots appear until the warranty is over? Thought not.....!</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Mike, you are more than welcome to take your D600, if you had one, to Nikon repair and invoke my name and say Shun Cheung thinks it should be covered under warranty. I have no problem with that at all, but I am afraid that my name won't carry any weight with them.</p>

<p>Can you get free cleaning every time there is one little dust spot on your D600? Probably not; in that case I would say you are abusing the warranty system. However, for anybody who has a persisting dust/oil problem that doesn't go away, after a reasonable amount of time and cleanings, I think they should demand a replacement D600 (or any other model with such issue) from Nikon. I have used a D600 for over a month with no unusual dust/oil problem, so I know that trouble-free D600 exist.</p>

<p>However, nowhere in Nikon's service advisory that says the customer has to pay for cleaning from Nikon, (provided that you are being reasonable and not abusing Nikon's warranty). That is why I have a problem with using a bold font "pay" in that earlier post. I find that misleading.</p>

<p>Consumer laws and Ts and Cs can vary amongst countries. Nikon in Singapore are very good. No question that oil will be cleaned for free under Warranty. Dust etc could be an owner issue but not when the camera has been in customer hands for a short time.<br>

The International Warranty which is used for non USA or EU sales specifically exclude cleaning the sensor. This means that the obligation is not automatic. I'd imaging the USA warranty is the same.</p>

<p>I'm told by our local Nikon dealer to not attempt to clean the sensor yourself but send it in. </p>

<p>I paid to have my camera cleaned - once. After that I bought some Eclipse and a box of sensor swabs and do it myself for my D90 and D700. While I agree that the unusually high amount of dust on the sensor seems a bit extreme, at least it's a problem the owner can fix themselves with very little effort or expense.</p>

<p>Nikon's customer relations sucks. Nikon's service record sucks. Nikon's QC seems to be sub par of late. That being said, of all the problems to encounter with a new camera, a dusty sensor is at least "owner manageable" - unless the owner is more interest in whining. This is a serious problem for Nikon wrt public relations and customer satisfaction. THEY should be worried and ashamed. D600 owners should learn how to clean the sensor.</p>

<p>I too would prefer a perfect camera for $2000. But, given the choice of possible issues to encounter, I would rather have a problem "I" can fix myself rather than something like the focus issues so many D800 owners encountered.</p>

<p>My D600, purchased from B&H on Jan3, 2013, has remained spotless. Nikon has fixed the problem.<br /> <br /> However, Nikon is terrible in not admitting to this horrendous problem. Terrible public relations - and continuing even after the feeble announcement. I expect to clean my sensor 2x a year. This is an easy task that takes 5 minutes.</p>

<p>It is a great camera with a great sensor. Just be careful when buying one!!!!!!!!!!</p>

<p>The scenario described in the Nikon advisory basically says that one should not wet clean the sensor.<br>

<br /> There were many sensors damaged by inapropriate cleaning with swabs and unapproved untested solvents.<br /> There are solutions available commercially, but yet they would not guarantee you will do it right, due to possible wrong way of cleaning, even with tested compounds and swabs.</p>

<p>There were cases of damaged sensors by photo labs that offer sensor cleaning paid service.</p>

<p>It's nice to see they seem to have stopped making them with the problem in the first place, I may now think about getting one....unless the D400 comes out first...:-) Much of my paying photography usually has 1/4>1/2 sky, so 'spotting' out is no fun.</p>

<blockquote>

<p><br /> The International Warranty which is used for non USA or EU sales specifically exclude cleaning the sensor. This means that the obligation is not automatic. I'd imagine the USA warranty is the same.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Anyone got a USA warranty to check? <br /> <br /> So, if Nikon do clean it for free, they're being nice, but not admitting any responsibility. They have every right to charge.....but no-one knows if they will.</p>

<p>I think the variation and inconsistency of what the various Nikon 'Countries' says and does that makes the whole process tiresome. As others have said, their customer relations are not the best in the World any more.</p>

<p>Shun, maybe a thread asking who has paid for D600 sensor cleaning and who got it for free would give a better sample number? My <strong>bold</strong> text may be unjustified....then again, it may not.</p>

<p>With both my D700 and D800E, the first time I took them in to Nikon UK for a sensor clean, it was free. (I'm reasonably sure that was the case for the D700, though it was a while back; it's certainly true of the D800E.) All subsequent cleanings - and I've always got Nikon UK to do it - they've charged, although not ridiculously much (except the time I asked them to remove some fluff from the ground glass and, due to careful phrasing, they charged me for completely dismantling the prism assembly). It's annoying that they take a few days to get around to it so I lose my camera for a week.<br />

<br />

I'm sure cleaning in general is not a warranty issue - it's wear and tear, and Nikon can't be expected to deal with users who decide to change lenses in a sand storm. Whether they pay enough attention to notice that what's on the sensor is lubricant rather than something from outside the camera is another matter. I suspect they'd spend longer trying to do an analysis than they would doing the cleaning. If you take a dirty sensor to Nikon and they say "oops, that looks like oil" and don't charge, that would be good; I don't buy some arguments that they should be doing all their sensor cleanings for the D600 for free just in case (which would compete with third party cleaning services...), though as a good will gesture offering a few extra freebies might not come amiss.</p>

<p>The Nikon (U..SA.) warranty for Digital Imaging product may be found here:</p>

<p><a href="http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/333">http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/333</a></p>

<p>The warranty states"<br /> "During this period [1 year] if this product is found to be defective in material or workmanship, Nikon Inc, or one its authorized service facilities will at its option, either repair or replace this Product without charge, subject to the following conditions, limitations and exclusions:"</p>

<p>You may read the warranty for exclusions, but they should not affect most people who purchased a new U.S.A. version.</p>

<p>The question is whether Nikon considers the dust and oil as "defective in material or workmanship". If they do, it is covered; if they do not, it is not.</p>

<p>The service advisory is poorly writen. Nikon could have stated "take the product for service <strong>under warranty</strong>, if indeed the cleaning is covered. Issuing a service advisory, however, suggests Nikon considers the problem a manufacturing defect rather than normal maintenance.</p>

<p>and this is why i am delaying my upgrade to the d7100. i am waiting to see if any issues arise, and, knowing nikon of late, they surely will.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>and this is why i am delaying my upgrade to the d7100. i am waiting to see if any issues arise, and, knowing nikon of late, they surely will.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I am less concerned about early defects than all that pre-order headache and fiasco with the D800 a year ago. Since there is no cost for pre-ordering, people just ordered from multiple stores and see who could deliver first, and then there would be massive cancellations.</p>

<p>I hope people still remember all that headache.</p>

<p>The problem for Nikon is; if they make a general admission to the problem, then the Internet will amplify the problem to an extreme, and then tons of the darn things will get sent in for cleaning, wether they need it or not. While that may sound fine, I think the problem is that Nikon would have problems cleaning them. Some percentage would be damage during handling and all, and then Nikon would get stuck for that.</p>

<p>I worked for a Japanese consumer electronics company for a decade. The illusion of an army of highly skilled technicians carefully repairing and calibrating equipment is a complete joke. Most are 20-something kids working for next to nothing, and having very little actual skills. There is a very high rate of employee turn-over because the jobs suck, and, they screw up as much stuff as they fix. It is a constant struggle for management.</p>

<p>I bought a D600 on Feb 9th and on the 14th I started seeing dark spots (circular) in the upper left quadrant of every image. I immediately contacted Nikon and they said to send it in for service. When I contacted them a few days later to check the status their tech representative said "oh yeah, it was sent it for the oil spots on the sensor". This leads me to believe that they are fully aware of the issue. I'm very irritated that a $2k camera body has issues after 400 or so shots. Nikon should be paying for the return shipping to fix these issues and should also extend the warranty period for this specific issue. I was told that if I cleaned the sensor or had a camera shop clean it the warranty would be voided. This really is BS for a camera of this price.</p>