BGLOD Problem on my D70s

[ben_atl_bkk]

Out of the blue, a green light next to the memory card compartment on my Nikon

D70s began to blink and I could not do anything with the camera... not even

turning it on.

 

I searched and found that this is a common problem for the D70. It is called

BGLOD (Blinking Green Light of Death). I could not find anyone having the

problem on the D70s though.

 

Will Nikon USA fix this for me free of charge still? BTW, the camera I bought

was manufacturer refurbished.

 

Thanks in advance..

[jonas_yip1]

I just had my well-out-of-warranty D70 (not D70s) with the BGLOD problem fixed for free by

Nikon.

 

j

[michael s.]

<a href=http://www.nikonusa.com/email_images/nikonusa/service_advisory/d70.html>Nikon D70 service advisory with link to repair/return form</a>. <p>

 

If it's a BGLOD failure, they ought to fix it, and I'll bet they do. My D70 was also repaired free and was, like Jonas' camera, well beyond the warranty period.<p>

 

Good luck.

[ben_atl_bkk]

Thanks for the reply, Jonas. How did initiate the service with Nikon?

[michael s.]

See my link above, Ben.

[ShunCheung]

The blinking green LED on the D70 and D70s means there is some kind of electronic fault inside the camera. For the D70, the common cause seems to be some sort of defective circuit board problem in the early D70, roughly those manufactured before November, 2004. That is the D70 problem Nikon would fix free of charge outside of the warranty period. However, Nikon has never been very specific about the exact reason and the range of D70 that can potentially be affected, e.g. manufacture date and serial numbers.

 

There are other causes for the blinking greey LED and Nikon normally would not provide free repair outside of the warranty period. So don't count on Nikon fixing any D70s for free.

[ben_atl_bkk]

Does anyone know how much it would cost to fix my D70s if Nikon refuse to fix it for free? Will I get a cheaper price if I go to local authorized Nikon repair shops instead of mailing the camera to Nikon directly?

 

Thanks

[ShunCheung]

I am not sure that you are in the US or not. If so, I would send it back to Nikon USA and ask for an estimate, as Nikon USA is equipped to make DSLR repairs. It probably doesn't hurt to ask for a free BGLOD repair, but the alleged D70 circuit board problem should have been rectified during the tail end of the D70's production cycle and should not have spilled over to the D70s.

 

If Nikon refuses to fix it for free, they'll give you a repair cost estimate. You can then decide whether to authorize the repair or not. You can always decline and Nikon will only charge you a reasonable return shipping fee.

 

Given that a used D70s is now in the $500 range, any repair bill over $400 is probably not worthwhile. I would like to think that any circuit-level repair/replacement should cost less than that.

[peter_carbajal]

For those of you that had your D70s repaired...

 

How long did the repair take? I am experiencing the same issue with my D70 and was wondering how long it will be away from me. ;)

 

Thanks.

[michael_rubin1]

Ben,

 

If you are in the U.S. and the camera is U.S. warranted, please follow the link posted by Michael S. and follow the instructions to send the camera in for service.

 

If you are outside the U.S., please check with your local distributor.

 

Please follow the instructions exactly as they are written and refer to the FAQ for more details.

 

Thank you,

 

Michael D. Rubin

Nikon Inc. (US)

mrubin (at) nikon (dot) net

[michael_rubin1]

Let me just clarify my answer-by U.S. Warranted, I mean originally under U.S. Warranty-even if expired; it is pretty rare to find a brand new D70 at a dealer today :-)

 

Michael

[ShunCheung]

I should point out that Ben's original question is about BGLOD on a D70s <- S. Nikon's service advisory is on the D70, non S.

[michael_rubin1]

Hi Sam,

 

Good catch.

 

If it is indeed a D70s, then it is a completely different problem and requires service-or it could be an incompatible card.

 

Since it was refurbished, it only carries a 90 day warranty to the original purchaser. I'd recommend contacting the dealer who sold it.

 

Best,

 

Michael

[michael_rubin1]

My apologies!

 

Michael

[ben_atl_bkk]

<P>OK, here is an update. I sent the D70s back to Nikon for a diagnosis and here is what they said.</P>

<P> </P>

<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">

<P><STRONG>Description</STRONG>:   Service Repair Rank B2<BR><STRONG>CAT</STRONG>:  B2<BR><STRONG>Problem</STRONG>:</P></BLOCKQUOTE>

<UL>

<UL>

<LI>PROBLEM POWER</LI>

<LI>TO GWO</LI></UL></UL>

<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">

<P><STRONG>Charges</STRONG>: $200</P></BLOCKQUOTE>

<P> </P>

<P>Does anyone know what those mean? How fast is a Nikon repair usually?</P>

<P>Thanks,<BR>Ben</P>

[ShunCheung]

I assume this is Nikon USA repair. If you haven't done so, you'll need to approve the repair and give them your credit card info for billing, and you might as well ask them how long the repair will take. I would imagine that it'll be 2 to 3 weeks, roughly.

[ben_atl_bkk]

Yes, it was from Nikon USA Repair Center.