Have you even *asked* the factory how long it would take for them to
repair it?

I sent my LX5000 to them in June 2004 and had it back in time for the
Region 9 contest a month later. The unit I got back had the same
serial number but appeared to be a brand new unit. I was very pleased
with that service and have stuck with the LX line ever since.

~ted/2NO