Topic: My PS3 "died" tonight...any way to fix it short of sending it in for repair?

[BranDonk Kong]

May I ask how much you paid? Also, the fans should not be louder than they were before (unless he modified them to run at full speed constantly). If they're really running faster (and no modification has been done) that means your system is running hotter. Anyway, if it was less than say $80, then I'd really doubt that he reballed the RSX, then again, I could be wrong. Try to find out as much info as you can (model of equipment used, leaded or lead free solder, etc) - does this shop have a website?

[broodwars]

May I ask how much you paid? Also, the fans should not be louder than they were before (unless he modified them to run at full speed constantly). If they're really running faster (and no modification has been done) that means your system is running hotter. Anyway, if it was less than say $80, then I'd really doubt that he reballed the RSX, then again, I could be wrong. Try to find out as much info as you can (model of equipment used, leaded or lead free solder, etc) - does this shop have a website?

It cost me $90, actually.  Yeah, the shop (which is primarily a laptop repair shop) has a website, but it's the kind of website I could have put out as an assignment in my high school web design class.  The only reason I even considered the place is because it was less than 15 minutes from home and I could inspect the place myself.  The shop itself looked on the up-and-up.

And like I said, I think I just haven't used my PS3 in so long I've forgotten how loud it was (and in the meantime, I've been using my 360, which is whisper-quiet).  Apparently, the PS3s from the era mine came from just were that loud.  I have a 30-day warantee on the repair, so in that time I'm pretty much stress testing the thing to see if it really was fixed.  So far, so good.

[BranDonk Kong]

I saw you live in Florida - where did you take your system? If I was doing a reball (which I can't do, currently), I would offer a 1 year warranty (on the same issue), 30 days is kind of weak if they replaced the lead free solder with lead solder.

[broodwars]

I saw you live in Florida - where did you take your system? If I was doing a reball (which I can't do, currently), I would offer a 1 year warranty (on the same issue), 30 days is kind of weak if they replaced the lead free solder with lead solder.

It's a local laptop repair shop on 434 in Longwood (with apparently a partner shop in Orlando proper), creatively named "Laptop Repair."

[Chozo Ghost]

What happens if it breaks 31 days from now?

[broodwars]

What happens if it breaks 31 days from now?

What do you think happens?      It was a calculated risk, and I knew it would be beforehand so whatever happens...happens.  I didn't want to take a chance on a $150 repair with Sony that would probably result in me getting an entirely different PS3 (without backwards compatibility) because Sony is focused on the Slim now, and I think Sony only offers a 90-day guarantee on its repairs so it's not that much better.

[Louieturkey]

You are correct, they only offer a 90 day warranty on any repair, no matter what they do.  Of course, you can buy their protection plan and add 2 years for $60 or something like that.  My guess is they would not accept a PS3 that was fixed by a third party though.

[ymeegod]

Try cleaning the fans/vents.  Either that or maybe it's time to replace the fans.

When I repaired mine I ended up with a similar issue and found out the fan had a small ding in it.  Barely noticeable but made it sound like one of those hand dryers. 

[BranDonk Kong]

For real man, PS3's failure rate has to be much, much higher than has been reported, or assumed at least. The shop gets probably 20 a week, and this is just local people in a relatively small town (Melboune, FL). Most of the time it's YLOD, though quite often it's the Blu Ray laser too. We hardly get any 360s, and Wiis are few and far between.