Would you repair before sale or sell it "as seen"?

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Jeremy Moore
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I've been using a 5d3 for about four years now and although it still produces excellent images it has picked up a couple of minor faults.

1. Rust around the hot shoe

2. A crack in the top lcd panel. (sellotaped up)

Neither affects performance at all (although the flash could) Would you sell it with those faults or get it repaired first?
 
Depends on the cost you would get for it sold in its current state or whether the cost of repair would increase the value enough to offset the cost of fixing it. I

I might suggest just to continue to use it until it dies or use it for jobs that are higher risk ( stormy seascapes etc). I have an old D800 that's faulty, its fine but it lags a bit and jams/freezes occassionally after having a bath in Loch Achray. I could fix it at mega cost (£700 and get £800-£900 for it so a net gain of £100 to £200) I but I use it as a 3rd camera for more nasty stuff that I wouldn't want to risk a newish body on.
 
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Depends if you can sell it for more if its fixed than the sale price as is plus the cost of repair.
A phone call to Canon , MPB and a bit of ebay research should give you the answer
 
Depends on the cost of repair.
Having faults gives a buyer the opportunity to demand a low price, no faults enables market value.
 
Depends on the cost of repair.
Having faults gives a buyer the opportunity to demand a low price, no faults enables market value.

Depends on the cost of the repair - depending on labour/parts it can rack up really quickly - and the difference in price for the camera as is vs good condition.

I'd ask - how high is the shutter count - high count bodies are less desirable and harder to sell and do you have a use for a 2nd/3rd body.

My old D800 has been a life saver, I can loan it to workshop clients who turn up under equipped without a huge worry about them damaging it (its 5yrs old, highish count and already a bit damaged) or use it on a stormy seascape or dangle it off a ledge near a certain waterfall or take it into a city center less woried about getting jumped for it. Depends if you have a need for a camera like that.
 
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I think you could probably replace both parts yourself, so either do that or sell it with a note to say it’s a cheap simple repair job.
 
Well I got three quotes for repairs (and a service in one case); this is what Colchester cameras offered -

Parts - hotshoe and LCD cover : £15.

Labour £40,

plus a service : £75

Interestingly one of them said that there's not much to a service on a modern DSLR. It either works or it doesn't and if not you replace a module (or something like that) .

Does anyone bother with servicing theirs, and do you think it's money well spent?
 
Does anyone bother with servicing theirs, and do you think it's money well spent?

It's a "no" here ... home maintenance of occasional wipe down, blow-out if I notice any dust bunnies and wet clean of sensor if necessary.
Not sure what other servicing they would do really, so I suspect it would just be a 'top-end' wet clean.
 
Interestingly one of them said that there's not much to a service on a modern DSLR. It either works or it doesn't and if not you replace a module (or something like that) .

With the exception of oil and filter changes, it sounds like a modern car! :D
 
Well I got three quotes for repairs (and a service in one case); this is what Colchester cameras offered -

Parts - hotshoe and LCD cover : £15.

Labour £40,

plus a service : £75

Interestingly one of them said that there's not much to a service on a modern DSLR. It either works or it doesn't and if not you replace a module (or something like that) .

Does anyone bother with servicing theirs, and do you think it's money well spent?

I'd buy and fit the parts myself rather than pay someone else to do it, they're both really simple jobs.
The LCD cover is only held in with double-sided adhesive and the hotshoe by 4 little screws.
 
I'd buy and fit the parts myself rather than pay someone else to do it, they're both really simple jobs.
The LCD cover is only held in with double-sided adhesive and the hotshoe by 4 little screws.

Thanks for the reply but I've already sent it off to colchester cameras for a repair.
 
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