Unrepairable Nikon D7000

<p>Hello,<br>

So I have a Nikon D7000. It was in a Nikon soft camera case (large one) and a car backed over it. The camera itself is still in pretty good condition, but one side has clearly been "compressed". Even from the worst angle if I took a quickly glance I wouldn't even notice it was broken. The damage was sustained directly over the battery compartment, and the camera will not power on, although its like new, in excellent condition (non-damaged areas). So I sent it into Nikon Inc, and they gave me a quote, $200 to repair it. I approved it, they charged my card. I received it back this morning very excited that it would be repaired, sadly, when I opened it up, I discovered the camera in the condition I sent it along with a note from Nikon saying the camera was "Unrepairable" and that I had not been billed. I was kind of shocked to discover Nikon could not repair their own camera. I was wondering if anyone else had this experience and if there is a place that would repair it. Like I said the camera is like new, in excellent condition (its was less than 3 weeks old when it got damaged, less than 500 shutter count), even if it cost me $600 to get it repaired, it would be much better than having to replace it.<br>

Any suggestions?</p>

<p>Thanks in advanced!<br>

Skyler</p>

<p>You may want to contact Precision Camera in Enfield, CT - they are an Nikon authorized repair center. Maybe they are more willing to risk a repair - then again - not many things that have been "run over' by a car tend to work...do you have insurance....</p>

<p>I doubt that Nikon can't repair the camera. their reasoning behind the "unrepairable" is pretty simple - this endeavour would cost more than/similar to a new camera (and you surely wouldn't pay that amount for repair), hence - economically unfeasible, i.e. not worth the effort, etc. However, a third-party repair shop might do that - not because they are better qualified than Nikon tech, but because they have the time and motivation to play around with the thing.<br>

my friend dropped his 14-24mm Nikkor... Nikon said it was unrepairable, the local tech "fixed" it for ~250USD. No, it doesn't work 'like new', the zoom is pretty stiff, etc - but it is still better than keeping such an expensive lens as a paperweight</p>

<p>Well, if the body shape is compromised, very likely the whole camera would have to be taken apart and most parts replaced. So it's much cheaper to just buy a new camera.</p>

In aviation we have a term for this - BER which stands for Beyond Economic Repair

<p>If Nikon can't repair a camera or lens to factory specs they will always return the camera unrepaired.</p>

<p>This happened to me years ago with an F2 that to this day still works fine for me when it is used with a motor drive. It happened more recently when they didn't have parts any longer for the older lenses.</p>

<p>Like others mention, someone else might be able to fix your new compact version. Or likely not.</p>

<p>Thanks guys. It sounds like Nikon has a max price point, $200. If they can't fix it for $200, they don't fix it. Thing of it is, if it cost me twice that, at $400, it will be a whole lot better than paying $1200 (at the moment $1300+) for a new one. I'll do some checking around.</p>

<p>If anyone can recommend a good camera repair facility, I would like to hear about it (Thanks Rich, checking into Precision)</p>

<p>What Ilkka said.<br>

In a case like this, I really do doubt whether a metal body is an advantage. It bends. If it bends inwards, it will snap electronic boards inside at a given moment, while the outside may still look perfectly OK. And it's pretty crowded inside a camera. Shattered plastic would be far more obviously damaged, but also in fact might still ensure the inside is intact (Though, probably not when running a car over the camera).<br>

There's no perfect material obviously.</p>

<p>The fact that this particular D7000 is 3 weeks old with fewer than 500 actuations are totally irrelevant factors. You can pick a fresh D7000 straight out of the assembly line, and if you run it over with a car, you can still damage it beyond repair.</p>

<p>Of course Nikon could ask a repair person in the US to swap out most of the parts on that D7000 to repair it, but labor cost in the US is much higher than that in Thailand and you are essentially asking someone to tailor make a D7000 for you, in the US. It simply wouldn't make much sense to spend say $2000 to repair a D7000 that costs $1200 or even $1300. When Nikon tells you that they cannot repair it, economically, I wouldn't waste any more money trying to get it fixed. I am sure they would have been happy to charge you say $800 to fix it if they could.</p>

<p>But if you want to check with someone for a second opinion, try Authorized Photo Service in the Chicago area: <a href="http://nikoncamerarepair.com/">http://nikoncamerarepair.com/</a></p>

<p>The perfect material is what the replacement value insurance policy is written on. Don't fault Nikon. Being run over by a car is almost certainly fatal for cameras.</p>

<p>I'll tell you an incredible story. I had a disposable camera that was part of a project, and bought a twin to it sans film from the local lab. I was going to do a gag picture of it squashed under my Audi, so I put the dummy on the ground and gently drove so that a front tire was directly on/over it, the car tilting. It held. Nothing broke!</p>

<p> </p>

<blockquote>

<p>although its like new, in excellent condition (non-damaged areas).</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Those two statements are mutually exclusive. When you run over it is NOT like new, it is like SERIOUSLY DAMAGED. You can pay $20,000 and drive a brand new car off the lot have a truck hit it and if nobody will repair it even if you pay them $19,999 what do you do? Buy a new car or new camera.</p>

<p>Actually if you give me $2000 I will repair your camera. Secretly I will just buy you a new one and pocket the difference in cash but you seem to really want your camera repaired rather than buying a new one so I thought I would offer.</p>

 

<p>It's not the price that Nikon caps the repair at, but the work needed. My Nikon D200 underwent a Class B2 - Minor parts replaced for $250 last summer. Class C repair is major parts replaced, and is probably upwards of $500 on a D7000. If they look at the camera and decide that 90% of the camera needs to be replaced, from the body itself to the sensor, to most of the circuit boards, then they won't fix it. I don't know why they quoted you $200 for a crushed camera, as that is probably a B1 repair, which indicates a general adjustment and cleaning. Maybe some lazy tech didn't actually look at the camera and assumed it was a standard, "My D7000 isn't taking good pictures" nonsense repair (i.e. someone that bought a camera that was too much for them, and there was an issue with the camera being "defective," which was actually just someone that doesn't understand how the camera works. I am sure they're getting a bunch of those right now).</p>

<p>Here's a decent post about how it works.<br>

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1039&message=10746644</p>

<p>If you bought it using a credit card, then have a look wether its insured... , if so just use the camera as an expensive paper weight , and get a new one on the insurance...</p>

<p>If it was run over by a car, then there is a 99% probability that the metal chassis has been distorted, even if you can't see evidence from the outside. If that's the case, it is simply not economically to repair. It would require a rebuild from the ground (chassis) up. A DSLR is a precise optical instrument that requires tight tolerances and very precise alignments to deliver sharp images. If the very foundation of the camera is damaged and misaligned, it makes no sense to attempt a repair as the cost of parts and labour would approach or exceed the cost of a brand new unit. Just as a uni-body car is often written off after what appears to be only a minor collision, this one too is also sadly toast. :(</p>

A bit off-topic, but I have to ask...how did your camera get run over by a car? It was obviously not hanging around your

neck:)

<p>Insurance? Your homeowner's all risk policy might cover this loss with deductible.</p>

<p>I dropped and smashed my D7000 and had the entire top piece replaced, it came in at $226 with tax, before I sent it off I emailed them to get a rough price with a picture of the damage. I'm sorry to hear this Skylar i know how you feel.</p>

<p>Thanks for all the input. However the camera was not mine, I picked it up cheap for the accessories (battery, charger) and figured I would give a shot at having it repaired.<br>

<br /><br />While I understand that it may not be repairable what gets me is how could Nikon quote $200 and go from $200 to unrepairable. I mean if it had went from $800 to unrepairable, that makes more sense. I know, I'm rationalizing about something I have no clue about. I'll get a second opinion from several other repair shops just to cover my bases, not expecting anything though.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>The fact that this particular D7000 is 3 weeks old with fewer than 500 actuations are totally irrelevant factors.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>They are relevant factors because if the camera was beat up, the LCD was all scratched up, it had 200,000 shutter count, and the cost of repair was $1000, then it wouldn't make sense at all now would it? Just go buy a new one. However if the camera is brand spanking new off the assembly line, damaged and it costs $1000 to fix it, to return it to brand new state, then that's $200 (or at the very moment $300) less than a brand new one.</p>

<p>Last summer my SB-800 flash fell out of my pocket and got run over by an Oliver Row Crop 66 at an antique tractor show. It looked pretty smooshed. I sent it in to Nikon, and they sent it back saying it too was unrepairable. I found a used SB-900 on e Bay for $350. I keep it in its pouch, fastened to my belt. I've learned my lesson.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

<p>I have appox. $25k worth of equipment and the insurance cost for repair or replacement value no deductible costs me $90.00 a year. Bodies, glass, lighting and filters. You might want to think about it. Pretty cheap considering.</p>

<p>Skyler, as Michael Freeman points out, when a camera is rolled over by a car, the chance is that the frame is deformed. The shutter is such a delicate part that it will need a new shutter anyway. Therefore, whether the original shutter has 0, 500, or 150K actuations makes no real difference. In fact, it will require so many new parts that the original, pre accident condition makes little difference.</p>

<p>Personally, I wouldn't bother to fix a D7000 if the repair cost is as high as $800. I don't believe that a camera that requires such an extensive repair will ever be as good as new. In the US auto insurance industry, if a car is damaged in an accident such that the repair cost is over 80% of the value of the (undamaged) car, they'll consider it a total loss beyond repair.</p>

<p>I hate to say this, but IMO any further attempts to get more repair opinions will only be more waste of money for shipping cost or driving cost as well as your time. I just hope that you didn't spend a whole lot to pick up someone else's damaged camera.</p>

<p>The body has been "compressed" around the battery compartment plus it won't power up. Replacing the chassis if it's crushed and whatever broken electronics inside it, see pictures here:<br>

http://mansurovs.com/nikon-d7000-review<br>

is a wee bit expensive.</p>

<p>You can sell it on ebay as a spare parts camera. Or if you're handy, disassemble the top and back LCD and other parts that are 100% OK and sell those.</p>

<p>Before you do anything else, run the camera past an independent repairman. His charges will be lower and indies will usually at least consider things like straightening a bent chassis instead of fitting a new one. In general, it is not at all mysterious that a camera is pronounced unrepairable - most repairpeople will flatly refuse to give any estimate before they see the camera in question.</p>

<p>David, I am sorry but Shun is correct. Bending a chassis back comes with a whole host of other issues. First, you have to make sure the lens mount is completely parallel, and still directly in front of the sensor plane. Plus, you have to make sure that all of the compartments such as the battery compartment, the flash area, the areas that house the top and rear LCDs, etc. are all true. This is impossible for a camera repairman to feasibly do. You could strip the body down, build a large skeleton system around it, and put it on a chassis bender for a motorcycle, but it would be cheaper to just buy a new chassis. Then, the shutter, despite it being a low shutter count, is probably crushed or broken by the bending of the chassis, along with whatever damage came to the sensor. So, replace those as well. No way are the LCDs and the circuit boards not cracked, so replace those as well. The flash is probably gone, so let's get rid of that one too. What mechanical and electrical parts do you still assume are not destroyed inside the camera? By now, you've already replaced at least 80% of the D7000, plus the labor costs. As mentioned already, there is no way that it will cost less than $2,000 to fix this $1,300 camera, so why even try? The OP took a gamble on a crushed camera and lost out. Chalk it up as a lesson and move on. Pete's idea is the best one; he might as well see if a local repair shop will buy the camera from him for parts, or sell it on eBay as such. What little of it still functions can go to band-aid a mildly hurt D7000, but the OP's camera won't make another photo.</p>