Question on fixing Playstation 3.

October 6, 2009 12:50 PM

Will self-repairing my broken PS3 make it invalid for future repairs by Sony (even if it's already out of warranty)?

My Playstation 3 has the doomed YLOD (Yellow Light Of Death). I tried to contact Sony for a fix and since it is about 2 years out of their warranty, the repair cost is $150.

My alternative choices are:
Local shops that offer a repair service for $50-$70
OR
I do the fix myself by borrowing my friends PS3 repair guide (thick book which he bought for $30).

So my main question is:
If I take it to a repair shop or try to fix it myself, yet the PS3 still doesn't work, will Sony still fix/replace it for $150? Or since it's been tampered with will they just tell me to go buy a new one? (Keep in mind either way it's out of warranty and has been for a long time).

posted by ShortHairyMan to technology (4 answers total)

I'd imagine Sony would still fix it if the local repair shop can't handle it; after all, it's out of warranty so it's not like you're voiding the warranty by opening the case.

Depending on your level of technical aptitude, it might be better to have the shop do the repair, since I would assume they would be responsible if they screw something up during the repair (whereas if you do the same you're boned if something goes wrong).
posted by reptile at 1:06 PM on October 6, 2009

If the error codes are explicit enough, you could probably fix it yourself, or maybe a shop. But if it could be anything, you could easily damage it more by exploratory surgery.
posted by Napierzaza at 5:35 PM on October 6, 2009

A third alternative choice, if the deal is available in your area, is to trade it at Gamestop for a new, PS3 "slim" at $150, thus giving you a new machine for the official repair cost.

Details here.
posted by Gordion Knott at 2:49 AM on October 7, 2009

A friend of mine had an Xbox 360 which he had opened and which ended up getting the RRoD. He sent it for out-of-warranty repair and they rejected it - they returned it with a form letter basically saying "Since the warranty stickers were broken, we are returning your console unopened and unexamined." Just a data point - I know this is Sony and not MS, but their attitude could be similar.
posted by pocams at 8:38 AM on October 7, 2009