In article , af099@chebucto.ns.ca says...

>My FE2's shutter curtian recently had a close encounter with a very cold
>thumb and now it is in desparate need of major repairs. :(
>
>Estimates for NIKON factory repairs have ranged from 300 to 500 from
>differnet camera shops. Is there anyway I can minimize the cost of the
>NIKON factory repair - direct service agents or eliminate the middle man
>altogether? Any suggestions would be appreciated...

You are in Canada, so this may not be applicable, but in the US,
DO NOT send gear through a camera shop - the mark-up can be
horrendous! In the US, get the Nikon repair facility numbers
and addresses by calling 1-800-NIKONUS. Here, body minor adjusts
tend to be maybe $75, with MAJOR rebuilds under $150 (as in, "The
truck ran over it, and these are all the pieces I could find...";-).
Hope This Helps