The Great Xbox 360 Repair Debacle

[MD]

i searched for new 360 heatsink, first result showed some pics, I stared through the holes and spotted what I needed to

[vc54321]

My 360 just got the 3 red lights I purchased it back in Jan 2006, took it back to hmv and they swapped it right away with a brand new one. Also told me it has a brand new 3 year warranty to

[j.o.s.h.1408]

My 360 just got the 3 red lights I purchased it back in Jan 2006, took it back to hmv and they swapped it right away with a brand new one. Also told me it has a brand new 3 year warranty to

did u present them with a receipt? i got mine from hmv but i lost my receipt for it

[vc54321]

ye, I showed them my receipt. without it, think you have no chance of getting a swap

[j.o.s.h.1408]

GOOD news(for me anyway) after nearly 3 months without a working 360(send it back twice) behold i finaly recieved a 360 that actualy works AND has the new HEATSINK. i played on it for over 2 hours and not one single crash!!

finaly i can get back into gaming has i so dearly missed this has my pc cant play none of the latest games out there. now its time to purchase bioshock hehe. good luck to the people who are waiting for a new 360.

o and btw the manifacturing date of mine is 2005 december time LOL. looks like they modded it to include the new heatsink. hope it runs fine for years to come and that i NEVER see that red ring of crap again

[patstew]

Maybe this has been mentioned already, but for anyone who has voided their warranty/lost their receipt/doesn't want to wait, it's really quite easy to fix the 3RLOD on your own, with about £6 worth of screws from B&Q. See here: htp://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=599217
I did this fix a few months ago, before the warranty was extended (I have a launch machine), and my xbox has been going strong ever since. The official stats:

Current results:

1. Fixed the 3RLOD, No issues at all now, No freezes, works fine - 634
2. Fixed the 3RLOD, still video freezes occasionally. 14
3. Mixed results, sometimes works with no 3LOD - 5
4. Didn't fix the 3LOD. - 50

Which I think is actually pretty amazing, above 90% success rate.

[Agent]

Its best to do that method and the heatgun one. Even with the new screws, there is still breaks in the solder

[j.o.s.h.1408]

cool. maybe thats what MS are using too. the x clamp method followed by the new heatsink.

[beanbandit]

Its best to do that method and the heatgun one. Even with the new screws, there is still breaks in the solder

I agree, the issue is caused by the board flexing when the unit has been on. MS should have put proper mounting points around the heatsinks, especially since the weight of the sinks would be substantial on a 1.6mm thick PCB. The above workaround is a bit of a bodge, but if it works then its a good bodge

[Hulkster316]

Just recieved my console back today and am well chuffed as rather than a dodgy refurb have got a brand new console Manufactor date of only 15 days ago , result !

[Lee H]

My mums xbox (which I gave her) was a brand new unit when it came back as well.

[Hulkster316]

Couldnt believe my luck , only 19 day turn around as well . Must be one of the first people to fill out the customer questionaire positively .

[Digerati]

Mine died on me the other day during a fantastic session on Forza, and it had lasted so long as well! Hopefully it'll be a quick turn around... I miss it already

[j.o.s.h.1408]

well my 3rd one just messed up on me after 2 weeks of playing on it without a single crash. i wonder if i have to wait another 25 days . if so i give up. im gunna just sell all my games and make do with my 4 year old pc which is more reliable then this piece of crap

[b0ned0me]

Man, after playing the PC (or rather, Xbox 380) version of Bioshock I was starting to think about swapping allegiance to consoles. But from this thread it looks like the grass isn't much greener...

[Carlh]

My mums xbox (which I gave her) was a brand new unit when it came back as well.

Correct it was a brand new console - manufacturer date of the 24th August.. however I wouldnt be surprised if Microsoft were just changing the casing and using refurbished parts inside.