360/EB Warranties and RROD

[Antimind]

My brother (who mind, is an idiot) bought a 360 at EB. He payed up for that "bring it in and we'll replace it" plan. The thing broke within a month. He took it back and they replaced it - with a refurb unit. That broke within a week. Attempted to take it back to find out that his "1 year" really meant "1 year with 1 replacement". All for like $100 more than the price of the console. The EB refurb was obviously repaired by complete morons. Not the morons at the official repair centre either. Called MS and they sent him out his repair box. He got it back a week later. They refused to repair (even if he paid) because EB refurbs are NOT repaired by MS.

It's fixed now, thanks to me and my evil twin brother. Not the first RROD repair we've done. Certainly won't be the last. Not hard if you aren't a total moron and/or technologically retarded. If you can repair a PC you can repair a 360. In most cases we've seen the RROD is caused by assembly. Seriously, what kind of idiot doesn't apply thermal paste to a processor? Yup. That's the cause of 80% of the units we've repaired. They're easier to repair than a Nintendo DS. Those are a no-brainer. If you're out of warranty and can't afford repair... Just fix it. If you have a warranty it's best to send it to MS. They'll give you 3 months on your repair. After that you're looking at around $100.

A note of caution: stay away from those protection plans. I have yet to see one that doesn't contain a seriously crippling loophole or two.  EB and Future Shop are famous for shoddy non-protection plans.

[Cobra]

"1 year" really meant "1 year with 1 replacement". All for like $100 more than the price of the console.

[img width=40 height=40]http://forum.daz3d.com/images/smiles/2491.gif[/img]

[logical123]

The same type of thing happend to my friend with his PS3 from GameStop. The laser died, and they refused to honor their own warranty. He ended up spending an extra $150 so they would give him a refurb unit again. This one works fine, but major companies are jerks. 

[Antimind]

What some companies do with their "return policy" is have you bring your item into the store and leave it for repair. Then they turn around and send it in for a warranty repair. Really shady business all around. I stay away from that stuff.

Most common problems with 360's are:

DVD drive died - replace it. Look at the bottom of it though. I've pulled some out that had burns on the bottom. Way too much heat generated by the unit as a whole.

Sticking laser in DVD drive - take it apart and lube it.

RROD - most of the time this is caused by lack of contact between the CPU/GPU and heatsink. The stock clamps are crap. Those need to be replaced with bolts and washers. Hand tighten, do not use tools. Use thermal paste. I've pulled off heatsinks to discover little to no thermal. Clean both the processors and heatsinks before you put the new stuff on. I've also seen obscenely small amounts of cheap thermal used that burned and caked onto the processors. If you do this remember to set the thermal before total reassembly. Put it back together - do not put the case on. Do not connect the fan. Turn it on for about 1-2 minutes. Turn it off, let it cool. Plug fans back it and put unit back together. Should be just fine.

RROD - another common cause is the above plus solder melting. You'll need to repair any broken connections.

Overheating - The fans in these things suck. Doesn't hurt to cut a hole in the case and throw in an extra fan or two. External fans can work but make sure they're externally powered. Adding more of a draw on the 360 isn't a great idea. The thing is hot enough without extra help.

[Sirgin]

  ^ Who designed this system again? There seem to be more flaws than things done right...

Antimind, a question: Is there a version (like Arcade, Elite...) of the 360 that's build better or is less likely to malfunction that fast?

[Antimind]

I'd say honestly - no. We've had better luck with arcades. Friends of mine have had better luck with elites. Of course you're aware of all the probs with the launch batch right? My 360 (bought at launch) finally broke in Dec. My hubby's boss had his finally break last month. My hubby on the other hand, has been through a replacement about every 2 months since day one. The only upside to that is that he's still in warranty.

Depending on who you talk to, some will insist that one DVD drive is better than another. Truth is there have been equal problems across the board. I think it's all luck really.

[Sirgin]

Okay, thanks for the info

Let's hope they won't malfunction so easily anymore by the time I buy one then.

[Cobra]

This is of interest to me as my younger brother wants to get one for Xmas, and definitely won't be able to fix one, he'll have to rely on warranties. Tan had said the latest models don't suffer the RROD overheating issue, but I really want to confirm this and if the newest models are just as rubbish as the older ones.

[The Metamorphosing Leon]

What a pitiful state our consoles are in. I could wear two NESs as shoes to work and still play SMB when I got home. But you get a modern dream machine for a billion dollars and it is pretty much a given that it's going to die within 6 months. These things will not hold up in the years to come.

[Cobra]

Leon does have a point.

[Tan]

This is of interest to me as my younger brother wants to get one for Xmas, and definitely won't be able to fix one, he'll have to rely on warranties. Tan had said the latest models don't suffer the RROD overheating issue, but I really want to confirm this and if the newest models are just as rubbish as the older ones.

I can attest that the new Falcon models are quieter, cooler and more reliable. I bought a Falcon Elite several months ago to replace my dead Pro and it's a marked improvement. Also I haven't heard or read of any widespread problem with the new ones, nor has anyone I know had to replace their Falcons yet. I've heard no more complaints about the new models than Wiis or PS3's breaking down. Mostly it's just the same bitter people beating a dead horse and continuing to complain loudly over the internet.

You can avoid buying a game console because of fear of it's reliability, but no system will ever have a 100% track record. I've had a harder time with my DS's than my X360's. In the first week I had to replace my DS twice. It didn't stop me from owning one and the third time was the charm. Waiting for reliability in later models doesn't guarantee it either, but what it does do is take the "new" out of all the games you missed out on. There's something to be said of enjoying a game during it's prime and being "in the moment" with your fellow gamers. Not many conversations start up about first year games for the three current systems anymore.

So as sad as it is, I suggest only buy a new console if you really, really want it and only if you can support it. Meaning you can pop out and buy a new one if the needs arises, or wait for a replacement because you've got other systems to use in the meantime. If reliability concerns stay your hand, then you probably aren't as eager for the games as you should be for a half a grand investment. No one can read the future and until we've hit the magic 5 year mark, we'll won't know how any of these systems will age.

[Cobra]

Didn't you say something about checking the voltage on the box to see if it is a newer Falcon model Tan?

[Tan]

Didn't you say something about checking the voltage on the box to see if it is a newer Falcon model Tan?

203 watt power supply is for the original boards and the Zephyrs. The 175 watt is for the Falcons. Unfortunately the stickers listing the wattage on the box are not reliable as far as determining what's inside. My Elite has 203 on the box but 175 inside which happens a lot apparently.

[Sirgin]

Didn't you say something about checking the voltage on the box to see if it is a newer Falcon model Tan?

203 watt power supply is for the original boards and the Zephyrs. The 175 watt is for the Falcons. Unfortunately the stickers listing the wattage on the box are not reliable as far as determining what's inside. My Elite has 203 on the box but 175 inside which happens a lot apparently.

This is very interesting. Is there possibly another (safer) way to determine if a console is one of the newer Falcon models? Or do you happen to know what voltage the Falcons have in the European region?

[Tan]

Didn't you say something about checking the voltage on the box to see if it is a newer Falcon model Tan?

203 watt power supply is for the original boards and the Zephyrs. The 175 watt is for the Falcons. Unfortunately the stickers listing the wattage on the box are not reliable as far as determining what's inside. My Elite has 203 on the box but 175 inside which happens a lot apparently.

This is very interesting. Is there possibly another (safer) way to determine if a console is one of the newer Falcon models? Or do you happen to know what voltage the Falcons have in the European region?

Safer? The X360 power supply is external, hence the huge brick that lays on the floor when it's plugged in. The wattage is written on the brick.