Will Leupold service a scope that they have discontinued?
I'm looking at a couple of Mk 4 scopes on the used market.  
Obviously I'm not thinking of warranty work or looking for freebies but I am going to be hesitant if they would not service a scope that they no longer produce.

Theoretical question:  How long would you expect a manufacturer to maintain an inventory of parts for a product they no longer produce?  

I think that any parts availability beyond about 10 years after the date of last production is based on luck.  Sometimes they might be able to cannibalize parts from non-functional products that they have not been able to repair and worked out a replacement with the customer and then kept their broken optic... If you count cannibalized parts, you might be able to get an optic successfully repaired maybe 25(?) years after the date of last production...  This kind of thing happens with the watch industry all the time.  I have a 40 year old paper weight that was my favorite watch until I accidentally dropped it on a tile floor about 15 years ago... .  Obviously, some manufacturers are better than others...  I know a watch company that inventories parts for pretty much every watch they ever made - the company is over 150 old!  I also know a watch repair company that can repair pretty much any watch of any age.  If they can't get a part, they will fabricate it!  Yes, it can be a very expensive service - not something you would do for just any old watch...   but I digress...

P.S.: Give Leupold a call and see what they have to say on the topic...  

they will fix it or send you a new scope, period

This is my experience

I had a similar issue and Leupold sent me a comparable replacement.  Exceptional customer service!

If it is really important to you why not contact Leupold directly? They have a pretty good rep for honoring their stuff.

Thanks everyone

I just got off the phone with Leupold, sent an old VX-IIc 3-9x40 in that has a scratch on the occular lens, I had never noticed it until I had it sold on the EE and went to ship it out, happened to look at a white wall and noticed the scratch. Spoke with the buyer and refunded his money, then sent the scope to see how much it would be to fix if possible, $63 for a new occular assembly.

 Told the guy it probably wasn’t worth the repair, as it’s maybe a $150 scope, he said they’d go through it all and it would be like a new scope basically. I get it, and didn’t expect it to free of course, but still wondering if I shouldn’t have just has them send it back unrepaired, after all it’s m still a 30 year old scope.

In any case, they did have parts to repair it, and the scope always worked fine, so it will probably keep working fine. Was just cleaning house, probably just throw it on the shelf for a future rifle now I guess.

ETA: No charge to replace the lens, they thought i was talking about an exterior scratch, not a lens scratch. Props to Leupold!

Many thanks!

I contacted Leupold about changing the reticle on a scope that they no longer manufacture.  This was the response I got, I'm not going to quote the whole thing just the first line or two.

"Thank you for your interest, but unfortunately the Leupold Custom Shop is closed indefinitely and we are unable to offer any retrofit or custom build services".

"We do not yet have a timeline on when customization services will be resumed but we greatly appreciate your patience. Please know we are working hard to restore this unique service to you and value your support."

I got the implication that warranty issues will still be taken care of, but that's that's the extent of what they'll do.

An update on my Leupold repair that made me quite happy: they called to verify the $63 charges to repair my old Vx-II, to replace the occular assembly, as it was scratched. In our conversation, I asked if it was possible to just replace the scratched lens, and not the whole assembly—
 
 The tech replied “oh, I thought you were talking about the outer finish scratch by the magnification ring.” I told him “no, there’s just a small scratch on the rear lens that shows up on a light background, I wasn’t worried about the outer cosmetics.”

He apologized, and said there’s no cost to me to replace the lens. I said I didn’t expect a free repair for something I damaged, And he said nope, we’ll take care of you. Big thumbs up to Leupold!

My dad died in 2020 and I inherited his rifle that had the original Vari-X 3-9 scope. Not Vari-XI, II, or III, but the original from when he bought it in 1960. The scope was cloudy so I called Leupold and they said they could fix it and to send it in. When they got it, they called and apologized saying they didn't have the parts to fix it. But they offered to send me a new Vari-X III 3.5-10. I knew Leupold was awesome,  but that was a 60 year old scope they warranted with a brand new replacement of higher quality.