The most expensive 5D ever??

Well I just got off the phone with Canon.....and now I need to rant!!!!!!!!! I sent in my 4 month old 5D to get repaired. It had totally died one day: first the LCD screen went blank, got an Err 99, then it went completely kaput. So I sent it off to the Canon repair facility ($40 there for fedex with insurance). Get an e-mail back today saying that there's liquid damage....which they kept saying in all their disclaimers that is not covered in any way with the waranty. So I get a bill of $785 this morning


So explaining to the rep that I had never poured any liquid and kept good care of this camera......I am extremely concerned about this. What could have possibly done this????? And if we don't know what did this, how can I be certain that this wouldn't happen again. I stressed that since I didn't do anything to the camera: I want re-assurances that it's going to be properly sealed so that this won't happen again. She put me on hold to talk with the actual repair technician, and then came back to say that she's told him to check out all the seals. And then she took my credit card info.....(sigh)....

So now I'm left with being mad and frustrated: mad that I could have bought a 1DmkIII with what the 5D is going to wind up costing me. Frustrated that if my camera ever breaks down again, I'm going to be furious with Canon and I'll just have to switch to Nikon

I had a repair bill of $1200, $250, $240 then they FINALLY fixed it (free) and told me it was "impact damage" (1Ds Mk.I). FOUR times it went to them. They replaced everything BUT what was wrong with it and WOULD NOT refund me. Bastards.

What a crock. The shipping, two country's repair depots, customs, shipping form a third world country for repair. It was a nightmare.

Canon's repair facilities are a serious cash grab and I think you need to call them up and **** to a manager. Immediately. Tell them you want photographic proof of the damage and that you will be sending a notarized statement that there has never been liquid damage on your camera.

You'll either get a deal or they will stonewall you. Try your best to make them play fair.

did you try and clean the sensor by chance?

seems a little over the top to me, I would call back and ask to talk to a manager or something, especially if they have no explanation on why there was liquid damage

That sucks. Did they tell you what kind of liquid was in there? Condensed moisture?

Man, I can see Canon could use that excused for almost all non-sealed cameras now.

thats quite a hefty repair bill and can understand you not been to happy hopefully it will be ok and never happen again .
good luck with it.
Rob.

So where did the liquid come from? Condensation? Low in the cargo hold? I mean liquid damage needs to have some liquid from somewhere? There is a pic of a 20D dissection where the owner of the 20D states that the camera took a partial dip in tidal pool but was never fully immersed. The thing is that the metal inside the camera looks as if it has been sitting in a junk yard for years. I find it hard to believe that that small amount of water could have done the damage shown.

4x4rock wrote in post #3774355
That sucks. Did they tell you what kind of liquid was in there? Condensed moisture?

Man, I can see Canon could use that excused for almost all non-sealed cameras now.

Only the metal frame ones.

Here is the pic I was talking about.

http://www.pbase.com/g​mr2048/image/69559224

Seems like excessive corrosion for a partial dip, no? You might ask for the parts bas as well just to make sure someone there isn’t scamming you.

cosworth wrote in post #3774345
I had a repair bill of $1200, $250, $240 then they FINALLY fixed it (free) and told me it was "impact damage" (1Ds Mk.I). FOUR times it went to them. They replaced everything BUT what was wrong with it and WOULD NOT refund me. Bastards.

Man.....that's awful to hear Now I do wonder how the Nikon service is.....you can be sure I'm going to switch if I continue to have problems with the 5D after paying $800 in repairs of a new camera

cosworth wrote in post #3774345
You'll either get a deal or they will stonewall you. Try your best to make them play fair.

Well getting photographs might help: thanks for the idea!......I have a feeling it's going to be moot to try to get any break on this one incident: but having enough backup documentation if this crap happens again is what I'll need!

tekkie wrote in post #3774345
did you try and clean the sensor by chance?

I've done one wet clean with PS kit (using the actual sensor swabs and E2 fluid). So no, I don't think it's that.....I mean you just use a couple drops and it evaporates as soon as you touch that sensor.

I was inside an aircraft carier when it happened. Actually, the LCD screen has gone blank once before. That time it was during a hot day....and I think it could have been my sweat might have gotten in. I was sweating inside the aircraft carrier too......so maybe somehow a tiny bit of sweat got in the viewfinder or something. For all I know.....the blasted camera might have had some excess oil spilled on it at the factory!!

gjl711 wrote in post #3774396
Here is the pic I was talking about.

http://www.pbase.com/g​mr2048/image/69559224

Seems like excessive corrosion for a partial dip, no? You might ask for the parts bas as well just to make sure someone there isn’t scamming you.

Right....good ideas guys. I'll try getting some photos and parts list with the repair. You can be sure that I'll be covering all bases if this happens again: Canon should warranty this....since it's their fault that the camera had some sort of breech somewhere.

Man, that's terrible. If you know that it's never been wet (beyond a light drizzle, that shouldn't harm any camera), you should raise he!!. I'd be inclined to switch brands as well in your case, except that nobody else offers a full frame camera.

gjl711 wrote in post #3774396
Here is the pic I was talking about.

http://www.pbase.com/g​mr2048/image/69559224

Seems like excessive corrosion for a partial dip, no? You might ask for the parts bas as well just to make sure someone there isn’t scamming you.

I can believe this, bare metal and salt water corrode like mad, just look at the muzzle of a rifle where the bluing fades, that can go orange with rust inside of 24 hours.

Tom W wrote in post #3774453
Man, that's terrible. If you know that it's never been wet (beyond a light drizzle, that shouldn't harm any camera), you should raise he!!. I'd be inclined to switch brands as well in your case, except that nobody else offers a full frame camera.

I know....tell me about it! I love the PQ and interface of the 5D.....is it enough to have spent this much money on the body, lenses....AND NOW REPAIR COSTS???

Nikon's rumor mill says that the D3X will be FF...

Well I just got off the phone with them again. The are sending me a detailed list of parts as well as photographs. It obviously must have been some defect with the camera, because the only liquid that's been close to it is my sweat. But what can I do when their legal documents say in bold letters that they're not responsible for liquid damage. Well you can be sure that I will give them hell once I have all this documentation, and if the camera ever needs to be repaired again. Maybe I can find some technician around here who could look at the photos, and as an expert, say that this damage was from an improperly sealed camera body. Well if I weren't closing on a house.....I would be spending the time on that to try to get a refund as well. Why does crap always have to happen all at once??

It'll be interesting to see the images.

Did you ever put your camera in someone else's custody (airline cargo hold, etc.)?

That's absolutely B.S.

Maybe the guy trying to fix the camera poured some coffee on it and didn't want to own up to it!

It's ridiculous. That's the last thing Canon needs...a bunch of people complaining about service.

Ridiculous...