Am I being unreasonable being annoyed with Nikon over this 500 f/4 repair history?
I hope this is an appropriate post for the subreddit, long-time reader/subscriber here.
Original owner of a Nikon 500mm f/4E FL, bought new in 2016 from an authorized dealer. I love the lens, but the AF history is getting old:
- 2020: AF motor replaced under warranty
- 2023: AF motor replaced again, about $700 out of pocket
- 2026: now making a loud high-pitched screech during AF travel, and Nikon quoted about $600 to repair it
The last motor actually failed on me during a trip to the Everglades, so reliability matters here.
I asked Nikon for some goodwill consideration given the history, and after escalating it, corporate offered 10% off the repair.
Am I out of line for being pretty disappointed by that? For a lens this expensive, needing major AF work about every three years seems kind of ridiculous. I'm not expecting a free repair forever, but I was hoping for something more meaningful than 10%.
If you all think I'm being unreasonable, happy to take the 10% and keep it moving. But at this point I'm also wondering whether I repair it and then move on from the lens rather than keep worrying about the next AF issue.