Nikon lens broken AF-S worth repair?

[Jim B]

The AF-S on my Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 G ED lens has stopped working. No surprise because the same thing happened to the 18-55 kit lens about a year after I bought it with the camera! :thumbsdown:

Anyway I bought the 18-70 about a year ago as a replacement for the 18-55. I shoot mostly rallies and I think that on some of the dustier events, dust has got inside the lens and has damaged the AF-S motor. It doesn't get a lock, just hunts backwards and forwards and makes a sort of squeeking sound. There is also a faint grating sound inside when you twist the zoom ring. :shake:

Basically I was wondering if its economic to send away to get fixed? I've looked at the Nikon UK repairs site (http://www.europe-nikon.com/home/en_GB/local/broad/86/1.html), and it says if I send it away and get an estimate but refuse it, the charge is £6.50 and VAT and return charges of £5.95 = £12.45.

They also have a list of repair centres (http://www.europe-nikon.com/home/en_GB/local_content/broad/186/1.html), does anyone have any experience or recommendations of any? From what I've seen after a quick Google, Fixation (http://www.fixationuk.com/Fixation/Repairs.html) seems a good place to go for, and according to their site if I email them, they'll offer an idea of the possibility and costs of repairs, so I think I'll try that first...

Thank you in advance,

[reddeathdrinker]

Is it not worth the £12.45 to see if it's fixable at an economic price?

[puddleduck]

It won't be economical to repair an AF-S motor for a lens on this.

Just buy a used one for £90-£100, a repair bill will almost certainly be more than the cost of a replacement.

If you decide to get it repaired, Fixation will be able to do this easily, and quickly, and cheaper than Nikon UK.

(I'm assuming your lens is out of warranty)

[Jim B]

Alasdair thats what I thought, but I thought it was worth checking here, and from what puddleduck has said its not worth it.

Puddleduck, as far as I could tell from the Nikon site, they contract out the repairs to companys and Fixation was one of them. The lens must be out of warranty, I bought it from eBay without a receipt or warranty card. :(

[puddleduck]

You can ask Fixation for a quote, but I'm pretty confident you'll be looking at £80-£100 minimum.

You might get lucky and they have a spare AF-S motor from a "written off" lens they could fit, but if they need to order a motor from Nikon, the repair bill will be uneconomical.

[Flash In The Pan]

You'd be as well putting the lens up on Ebay - it'll probably still do £50 or so as it is and buy another one...