A reader sent me some more details on the Nikon Free Maintenance Service Initiative that was offered to selected D800/D800E, D700 and D7100 owners:
I received the Nikon Free Maintenance Service Offer. I shipped my D800 to Nikon in Melville, NY and received an acknowledgement email from Nikon Customer Service and an Estimate Acknowledgement.
The stated “Reason for Service” is: “Check & Clean Maintenance Liquid Damage”
Now, this D800 has only seen rain once and not to the degree it would cause a problem. It has never been subject to spills, drops into any sort of liquid, or left open through lens mount or any other access point where liquids could enter. So, I don’t know if Nikon is checking for a problem, assessing the frequency of a reported problem, or if they are aware of a potential weather sealing issue. This D800 has never been serviced, has never had any of the known problems of early D800s, and has functioned flawlessly. It is a low serial number: 301XXXX
The initial acknowledgment service order indicated as a Reason for Service “CLEAN AND CHECK MAINTENANCE, LIQUID DAMAGE”.
The Invoice Repair document states: CKD Communication, CLN CCD, FIRMWARE UPGRADE, GENERAL CHECK AND CLEAN”
Another interesting note: The UPS email advising me of the impending delivery showed Nikon/CamTech as the shipper. CamTech is apparently a contractor that provides service and repair for Nikon products. None of the Nikon documents indicates CamTech anywhere.
This entire situation has been interesting and I remain unsure of what the driving force was behind the free service of a 3+ year-old camera.
Here is the list of parts replaced on one specific Nikon D750 camera (all without a charge) as a part of the latest D750 service advisory:
