MX-1 repairs

Hi, guys. The lens on my cherished MX-1 won't retract and I've had no success in finding someone to repair. I live in France, and both the official French and German repair centres say it's too old to fix. A couple of YouTube videos suggest the problem is a broken gear cog, but possibly parts are no longer available. There are also videos on DYI repair (assuming you can find a part), but I already have too much hi-tech equipment lying around the house in pieces and unlikely to work again. I'm quite attached to this little marvel and would pay a good few quid to get it back in action. It works perfectly, apart from the lens problem. I often see Pentax repair specialists mentioned on this site, so thought I'd run it past you. Any suuggestions would be much appreciated. Cheers.

I don't have an out and out solution for you, but a few ideas. I sold my MX-1 & Leica Typ 109 (LX100) because of the worry of this very thing happening, seen it so many times on retractable zooms. Firstly, it's probably not Peter's area of expertise, but worth a quick email to Asahi Photo to see if he can help.

Secondly, there's a few sellers on ebay that offer zoom repair to the LX100, may be they have the skill set and parts to tackle an MX-1 too, might be worth 'contacting seller' to ask, here's an example listing LX100 Zoom Repair

I know the MX-1 has inflated in price massively in recent years, a nice copy almost being the same cost as when it was launched. May be an alternative would be a Pentax Q, then you'd not have the retractable lens worry.

Thanks, Rick. I'll give Asahi Photo a shout. As I get older, I find I'm less inclined to lug around a DSLR kit, unless I need that versatility. I was never happy with the visibility of the MX-1's screen outdoors on a bright day, so may check out the latest (affordable) EVF offerings.