360 DVD Drive packed in

raze

Sorry if there's already a thread about this. I'm wondering what my options are with an Xbox that needs repair.

I've an Arcade I got around Jan 08 (dunno the DVD drive type, but it has HDMI) - so out of manufacturers warranty.

For quite a while, maybe 5/6 months, the DVD drive has started to get unreliable - during some games it will give an on screen message kicking me back to the dashboard saying the disc is unreadable.

To start with I just took the disc out, put it back in and then it'd work again, and I got a 120 Gb HD to work around it by installing.

After a few months of that, the drive stopped reading that there was a disc in it at all - it makes two groaning noises, the drive doesn't spin up properly, and winds down immediately. It would eventually read the disc if I just kept hitting the eject button and putting it back in again - I kept up with this annoying habit until this weekend when after putting MW2 in about 400 times, still no joy.

Any idea on what my options are here?

I know I can request a repair from MS, but don't know what this would cost - might this be almost as much as a new Arcade?

If I try teardown and replace the drive myself, I'll void my warranty - but I'm conscious I've still a year cover left for RROD/E74.

Is there a better way? e.g. can I leave the machine on wrapped in a blanket, induce an RROD and get a replacement?

Or maybe I just need to use a lens cleaning disc? (You'd think I'd have tried this by now, but my workaround only just started letting me down - so I'll pick one up tomorrow.)

Lands Leaving

raze wrote: »

If I try teardown and replace the drive myself, I'll void my warranty - but I'm conscious I've still a year cover left for RROD/E74.

Is there a better way? e.g. can I leave the machine on wrapped in a blanket, induce an RROD and get a replacement?

Thats definitely worth a shot. If the lens cleaner doesn't work that is. I mean its not exactly a major loss if it doesn't rrod right?

raze

Guess plan B hasn't been ruled out.

The old HD DVD drives that are going the way of the dodo - would a second hand one of those work for playing a game? All I need the machine to do is register there's the right disc in it, not read everything from it - but I somehow doubt a second-hand HDDVD would be a feasible option.

RobertFoster

raze wrote: »

I know I can request a repair from MS, but don't know what this would cost - might this be almost as much as a new Arcade?

Depending on when in January 2008 you got it, you might still be within warranty and able to get a free repair. It's 3 years for RROD, and 2 years for everything else.

raze

RobertFoster wrote: »

Depending on when in January 2008 you got it, you might still be within warranty and able to get a free repair

I checked the Xbox support site - logged in with Live ID and registered serial of the machine and it said my standard warranty of 1 year had expired, and so my extended 3 year warranty only covers RROD and E74 errors.

Is it different if you look for the repair by a different method, e.g. phone?

EDIT - It says it expired a year and 4 days ago. So even it I got two years, I'd still be out of luck.

RobertFoster

I was told over the phone that Ireland get a 2 year standard warranty, and I had the same problem as you fixed into my second year.

It might be worth a shot ringing them to see what they say. The worst thing that could happen is they say no, the best is a free repair.

They never looked for proof of purchase with me, so I don't know how the site is so exact with the day for you.

TouchingVirus

raze wrote: »

Is there a better way? e.g. can I leave the machine on wrapped in a blanket, induce an RROD and get a replacement?

Jeez, what is it with people trying to force an RROD and milk the extended warranty..

First off, what you are suggesting to do is fraud. Secondly, it won't work - it will induce a 2 RROD (overheating) which will be gone the next time you power off your console.

Your DVD drive lens could be knackered - why don't you first check with Microsoft to see if you're in warranty by some loophole or whatever. Then if you're not you can ask them to tell you the cost of the repair and take it from there.

Pushtrak

TouchingVirus wrote: »

Jeez, what is it with people trying to force an RROD and milk the extended warranty..

You will find for most people, the default position is not a desire to pay for fixing of a console.

TouchingVirus

Pushtrak wrote: »

You will find for most people, the default position is not a desire to pay for fixing of a console.

Are these the same type of people who'll accidentally drop a TV in the house and claim off the house insurance because they don't just want to pay somebody to fix it?

The amount of threads I see akin to this is pretty surprising - Where have the honest people gone?

refusetolose

i had the same problem

bought a new drive off ebay

you can't do a straight swap though,you have 2 options if you get a new drive,one is to swap the pcb (green board) from the broken drive to the new drive,this involves some soldering

the other option (presuming its the laser thats broken) which doesn't involve soldering is to put the laser from the new one into the broken drive,this is what i did and its really easy to do,all you need is a small phillips screwdriver,theres a tutorial on the net somewhere,i can dig it out if ya like

TouchingVirus

refusetolose wrote: »

i had the same problem

bought a new drive off ebay

you can't do a straight swap though,you have 2 options if you get a new drive,one is to swap the pcb (green board) from the broken drive to the new drive,this involves some soldering

the other option (presuming its the laser thats broken) which doesn't involve soldering is to put the laser from the new one into the broken drive,this is what i did and its really easy to do,all you need is a small phillips screwdriver,theres a tutorial on the net somewhere,i can dig it out if ya like

Both options void your warranty

raze

TouchingVirus wrote: »

First off, what you are suggesting to do is fraud. Secondly, it won't work - it will induce a 2 RROD (overheating) which will be gone the next time you power off your console.

Genuine thanks for your comment - it was irresponsible for me to post what I did. I had no intention of leaving a little fire hazard going to break something until it was fixed, I threw out a stupid idea to start the thread off with some suggestion of lateral thinking if there might be a quick fix for my predicament.

You're quite right - milking the extended warranty would be dishonest. Though releasing and mass marketing a product which in 2007 had a 33% failure rate in sold units is no more honest, I shouldn't try to eat my cake and have it.

For everyone's reference, current repair price is €96 ordered on the phone, €75 on the web.