It may be a case of "CYA"--if Nikon broke something during service and did not
have the replacement part it could cause much more bad PR that a simple
"sorry-no parts-no service". I suspect that there is a list of items that Nikon
no longer officially services and that your item has made "the list". An indy
service center will sometimes take on work that Nikon will not. If it is
fungus, haze or separation rather than dirt then you are probably out of luck
unless you can secure a replacement.

--- In NikonRepair@yahoogroups.com, "Walt Davis" <walt.l.davis@...> wrote:
>
> I sent the lens to Nikon for cleaning. They quoted me 350 then kept it for 9
weeks before returning it with a note saying it was beyond repair. All I wanted
was for it be cleaned. Not sure why they thought it needed to be repaired.
>
> Trying again I took it to a local place that quoted me 400 for a cleaning
>
> Given the complexity and cost of this lens (600mm f4) I am a bit afraid to
work on it myself.
>
> Can anybody give me an idea if 400 is a realistic cost and or why Nikon would
decide not to do any work on after they already gave a quote?