Thanks Isaac for that very full reply. It seems possible to buy these cameras for parts very inexpensively on ebay at the moment and with August approaching, prices will go even lower. How difficult is it to switch out the whole lens assembly mechanism itself like Nikon would do if they did the repair?

Back in the days when smartphones were a rarity, I replaced screens on Wings, 8525s and Wizards and that involved taking the whole phone down to the last screw! What I discovered was that everything is pretty modular and designed to let only semi-skilled third world workers compile these SORTS of things from modules.

Or would the camera never focus to infinity any more if not adjusted with minuscule accuracy when completed? (or does that theory date from the days when film planes were fixed and no longer apply now that intricuate electronics designates when the camera is properly focused?)