[Leica] HELP PLEASE W/QUESTIONS ABOUT THE INFAMOUS R4

["michael a. marcus" <mamarcus@home.com>]

HELLO!  I have just acquired an R4 but don't have the manual.  I have
looked up some of the issues about this camera in the LUG archive, and
sort of understand the history of past problems.  QUESTION 1: I have a
late 159xxxx inscribed on the edge of the base (but not the rear edge,
it's at the front edge! so is that supposed to be different from "on the
base?"  I ask because I read that R4's from about late #159xxxx were
more or less OK if the number was inscribed not "on the base but on the
rear edge of the base."  ANYWAY MORE IMPORTANT QUESTION, QUESTION #2:  I
shot a couple rolls indoors on manual with autoflash and the pix came
out OK.  Today I shot a roll outdoors on "PROGRAM" mode, but for some
reason I thought that I had to set the shutter speed to 1/30.  The whole
roll came out with an orange band of light leak on left side of prints,
which I suspect is because I had set the shutter speed so slow.  OR is
that PERHAPS A KNOWN PROBLEM because of the finicky electronics?   AND
FINALLY QUESTION #3:  If I ascertain that I have a dog of an R4, should
I exchange it (w/Leica) for an R6.2 or an R8?  I'm asking more with
respect to known problems with the cameras, rather than with regard to
my own preferences on picture taking.  THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ANY
RESPONSES!