Current Rolleiflex CLA Cost?

sent my 3.5f to Krimar on Monday and got back on Wed, haven't check it yet but seem it is very smooth, $150 for cla is reasonable. no complaint about
 
Paul Ebel. He's as good or better than anyone else, and he charged me $170 plus shipping about a year ago. Excellent repairman, and great communication. He won't leave you wondering when your camera will be completed, and when it comes back it will be very smooth.
 
MC JC86 said:
Essex Camera $140.95 a couple months ago... I've had some terrible experiences with other places that charge less. OTOH, I've had multiple Rolleiflex and other TLRs done by Essex with a 0% refusal/return rate and all looking and working beautiful. Essex is one of those places that does almost EVERYTHING from digital to really esoteric Russian cameras and everything in between. I have, however, dealt with a few places with the same MO that were just butchers plain and simple, despite people extolling their virtues simply because they could fix the squeal in an A-1.
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Agree with James..... Essex has worked on 5 of my cameras over the years and very different formats.....all done well, quickly and reasonably.
 
I recall paying around 125 Euro for shutter CLA (film transport did not need it) by Jurgen Kuschnik in Germany last year. Total CLA would have been around 200 euro or so. The 125 euro included fixing a loose tripod mount some 1 or 2 small details (shutter release I guess). Jurgen also provided me measured shutter times before and after the CLA.
 
IMO the main issue is whether or not you might need parts. Mark Hansen (who does good work) has few parts and Harry Fleenor mentioned he wanted a particular model for parts. Rolleis-for-parts sell for impressive prices on xBay.

Krikor has had plenty of parts available for everything I've needed. So I send cameras to Mark if they just need a bit of cleaning & adjustment, and to Krikor if I suspect they need parts.

Krikor once put a mint crank on an F for me for free, because he did a lot of other work on it & didn't think the old one looked good enough for the rest of the camera.

Kirk
 
Matus said:
I recall paying around 125 Euro for shutter CLA (film transport did not need it) by Jurgen Kuschnik in Germany last year. Total CLA would have been around 200 euro or so. The 125 euro included fixing a loose tripod mount some 1 or 2 small details (shutter release I guess). Jurgen also provided me measured shutter times before and after the CLA.
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Harry Fleenor is quoting $134 for shutter overhaul on a 2.8F on his site so, about the same or a bit less.
 
Harry Fleenor told me he will assess my 3.5F when I shipped it out to him. Does anyone know if he give estimated quotations or he will based on current condition when received? Is Krikor faster than Fleenor in terms of a CLA overhaul and service charges-wise?

I sent out my overly modified automat to Mark Hansen. His quote is as follows:

For a Shutter CLA you are looking at 90-120 dollars, with the the above. Film transport is 120 dollars, New mirror is 20.
 
Maybe wait till your automat is back from Mark Hansen . If you like the job he did, sent the 3.5F. Just a thought. I have had Fleenor service my 3.5F and he did a great job. If you're in a hurry try Paul Ebel. I have not used him but have read nothing but good reports. I got a Maxwell screen for the 3.5F and put it in myself - what a difference!
 
Some people say that "you get what you pay for", and this often applies to camera repairs. I am an amatuer repairer myself, and I come across a lot of cameras which have been Mickey-moused by someone in the past. That said, the Rolleiflex is not that complicated of a camera, in fact, it is actually quite simple in comparison to many newer and less expensive cameras. I had no difficulty cleaning and adjusting the shutter and film transport in a couple of my Rolleis, and synchronizing the lenses was a much less complicated job than I expected it to be. I found cleaning the shutter mechanism in a Canonet QL17 to be far more challenging, but it costs far less to get a CLA for a Canonet than for a Rolleiflex.
 
I paid $600 to Harry Fleenor for overhaul of a 3.5F. That included installation of a Maxwell screen, which cost $200. It took over 4 months to get the camera back.

11 months later, I sent it to Clarence Gass of Mission KS, who had to install a new main shutter spring, and re-overhaul the camera. Cost was $200.
Clarence took 1 month, mainly because it was around Christmas, and he had to wait for the spring to come from Germany. I just got the camera back. It is silky smooth, and the shutter and self timer works reliably now.

I would recommend Clarence the first time around.
 
Interesting thread. Thanks for all the information. I have a Rolleiflex I have often thought about having CLAd/rebuilt as needed. It works, but the focus knob is a little stiff as if bent.
 
I have used Krikor Maralian. He averages about $300 for a general CLA and does excellent work. He has worked on two of my Automats and my 2.8F.
 
+1 for Krikor. About four and a half years ago I had him work on a Rolleicord Va which I had purchased on Ebay for $100. For $218 he cleaned and adjusted the shutter, adjusted the focus and front alignment, replaced the light seals, and replaced the frame counter. With luck the camera won't need service again until I pass it on to my grandchildren.
 
Paul Ebel resurrected my 2.8E in about six weeks. It was in rough shape. His charges were very reasonable, under $250 as I recall.
 
whitecat said:
Krikor is the best. Did 3 for me......but could not service my FW.
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What's an "FW"?

I agree about Krikor 100%. And his turnaround time is stunning. He cannot fix things for which he has no parts -- like the meter. But he was able to replace the selenium sensor on my 2.8F recently. Mechanical parts he's probably able to cannibalize if necessary.
 
Paul Ebel did my 2.8E and 3.5F for $188 each plus insured shipping. The cameras were rough and they came back better but wasn't exactly a gigantic difference. I'd say he's good at doing shutters and focus but he didn't improve the smoothness of the cameras as much as I had hoped (though I'm no repairman and have no idea if any more could be done).
 
Well my 3.5F has been to both coasts as well as the midwest now.
I called Krikor, and he had parts to fix the meter. He was done within a day of the camera arriving in NJ. Upon arrival, I checked it with my Gossen Luna Pro F which I know is accurate. Perfection!

Had I known, I would have gone to Krikor the first time around.

BTW - price for new selenium cell and meter movement plus installation and calibration was $250.
 
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