Collar/feed melting on my M?

[ParkerBeta]

Something is amiss with what I see around the nib collar of my Montblanc M. It feels like the plastic is melting, swelling, coming out from under the collar, and flaking off. Here is a picture of the bottom of the feed and collar (situation is similar on the top part of the collar too):

 

Just for comparison, here is a picture of the same region on another Montblanc M, my Ultra Black.  Note the smooth clean area. 

 

Can anyone tell me what is happening?  I hesitate to take the pen to a boutique for service because they don’t seem to be able to offer accurate price estimates for repair anymore, and the service center’s prices are terribly high. Still, if it involves replacing the entire feed, they’ll be my best bet, I suppose. 

[vikrmbedi]

It looks like the magnet used to hold the cap is corroding...

 

the flaking could be the layer of nickel or some other coating to prevent corrosion that failed...

 

I observed something similar . flakes after washing my Visconti breeze ,the cap magnet looked duller than before... so I stopped leaving the cap / section in water for too long for cleaning... and drying them immediately afterwards

[arcfide]

Is the pen still under warranty? What inks/pen maintenance routines do you have for it? I am no expert on this pen, but that doesn't look great. 

[Dione]

It's likely the only way to get it fixed is to send it to Montblanc and they may ask you what ink and cleaning solutions you've been using. The only way to fix it will be to replace that part and you won't get it anywhere else so your choices are limited.

[ParkerBeta]

21 hours ago, vikrmbedi said:

It looks like the magnet used to hold the cap is corroding...

 

the flaking could be the layer of nickel or some other coating to prevent corrosion that failed...

 

I observed something similar . flakes after washing my Visconti breeze ,the cap magnet looked duller than before... so I stopped leaving the cap / section in water for too long for cleaning... and drying them immediately afterwards

Thanks for the tip about the magnet!  I hadn’t even thought of that. Looks like it’s a job for the company service center, then. 

[ParkerBeta]

7 hours ago, Dione said:

It's likely the only way to get it fixed is to send it to Montblanc and they may ask you what ink and cleaning solutions you've been using. The only way to fix it will be to replace that part and you won't get it anywhere else so your choices are limited.

You’re right, given that (going by what @vikrmbedisaid) it’s a very specific part that only the company service center will have. Unfortunately, I expect to pay a hefty sum for repair, as I am not the original owner and the pen is long out of warranty. 

[Heinkle]

Is it much to ask for a robust pen design proportionate to the cost? It's like Parker putting gold-plated rings around the end of Duofold sections, which gradually corrode as they become exposed to ink...

[Dione]

32 minutes ago, ParkerBeta said:

You’re right, given that (going by what @vikrmbedisaid) it’s a very specific part that only the company service center will have. Unfortunately, I expect to pay a hefty sum for repair, as I am not the original owner and the pen is long out of warranty. 

You never know. You might even be pleasantly surprised at the cost.

[CS388]

Or ... if it is an issue with the magnet corroding, it could be a widespread problem due to faulty/innapropriate materials and MB service may put a contingency warranty repair in place - which should be effective regardless of the pen's age, or ownership.

 

Hve you checked to make sure it's not just dried ink/crud which has built up?

 

Good luck.

[ParkerBeta]

@CS388I have indeed checked that it is not just dried ink crud — I wish it were so!  Anyway, yesterday I took the pen to my local boutique and they have sent it on.  Three different sales associates (one of them the manager) all agreed that this is definitely not normal. Let’s see what the service center determines. 

[ParkerBeta]

Update: yesterday I approved the “final invoice” that the service center sent me through the boutique: it’s $245. I was expecting something in this ballpark but it’s disappointing that boutiques can no longer offer accurate estimates of repair costs since the boutique’s original estimate was $150.  I suspect the repairs are more than superficial and that they will have to swap out some of the “guts” of the pen (leaving only the nib untouched).

[Dione]

That's a really high repair bill. I'm shocked at the cost. 🤯

[ParkerBeta]

4 hours ago, Dione said:

That's a really high repair bill. I'm shocked at the cost. 🤯

The last three invoices I have received have coincidentally all been for $220-$250 for issues ranging from this one to nib adjustment to cracked cap replacement. My impression is that the baseline price of repair has been raised from around $100 to around $220, but they’re not saying so explicitly. 

[CS388]

Same in the UK.

Cost seems to depend on what you have done, now - rather than flat service fees?

 

ParkerBeta: yes, I also thought that was a steep bill.

And, yes, my guess would be; a new pen around the old nib.

Could get away with just the section part replaced?

 

Still a relatively new model, in terms of longevity.

Be interested to see if magnet corrosion becomes a regular repair.

 

Good luck.

 

 

[ParkerBeta]

One final update (I hope): On November 2, I finally received a text from MB saying that my pen was back at the local boutique after repair. I had handed it in on August 3 and approved the (inflated) repair charge of $245 three weeks later. So turnaround time was 90 days total. At least one month was spent waiting for a part to arrive from Germany, according to the person at the local boutique who kept me updated via texts. 
 

So I learned that the outsourced service center does the repair themselves and does not simply ship the pens over to Germany. 
 

Secondly, the pen seems to be mostly new except for the nib and clip. I am sure the grip section and barrel are new. All that remains is to insert a cartridge and write with it, something I have not had the time to do yet (and with over a dozen inked pens on hand already, am not in a hurry to do, especially since no repairs were performed on the nib).

[meiers]

My heritage 1912 landed nib first on my living room floor. Here is the invoice for level 1 service. It’s in Canadian dollars. The pen was shipped to Hamburg for this repair. 

[Dione]

It's an $86 level one service that looks somewhere close to the regular rate but you had to pay extra for S&H. I'm not sure that always applies if it's sent to Hamburg by a Montblanc boutique.

[meiers]

I am happy to pay the shipping and handling charge because they told me about it before hand and I agreed to it.

[A1979]

On 11/4/2021 at 11:30 PM, ParkerBeta said:

One final update (I hope): On November 2, I finally received a text from MB saying that my pen was back at the local boutique after repair. I had handed it in on August 3 and approved the (inflated) repair charge of $245 three weeks later. So turnaround time was 90 days total. At least one month was spent waiting for a part to arrive from Germany, according to the person at the local boutique who kept me updated via texts. 
 

So I learned that the outsourced service center does the repair themselves and does not simply ship the pens over to Germany. 
 

Secondly, the pen seems to be mostly new except for the nib and clip. I am sure the grip section and barrel are new. All that remains is to insert a cartridge and write with it, something I have not had the time to do yet (and with over a dozen inked pens on hand already, am not in a hurry to do, especially since no repairs were performed on the nib).

 

Thank you for this accurate post. I have exactly the same problem with the same pen… The picture you’ve posted above could be mine… 🤷‍♂️ At least I know what to expect. 

[arcfide]

If anyone who has this problem would like to post a follow-up, I'd be curious to know whether the repair "sticks" and the pen no longer has issues or whether this is something that can continue to occur over time for one reason or another, such as exposure to certain inks or atmospheric conditions or something else.