Repair bill: What should I expect?

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matamoros · #1 Post by **matamoros** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 1:22 am

Hi, all. Matamoros posting for the first time: Please be gentle.

My personal T42 is 9 months out of warranty. From last weekend, the video card seems to have gone on the blink (literally).

The machine's going in for a formal diagnosis tomorrow; I'm fairly confident they're going to tell me the system needs a new system board put in.

(Symptoms, by the way: As the machine heats up, the screen gets corrupted and intermittently blanks out whenever the laptop is moved, even slightly. I know that it's not a problem with the cable leading to the LCD, because I replicated the problem with an external monitor.)

Assuming it is the system board, does anyone have any idea at all what I should expect this repair to cost?

(Edit) Related question: This is being repaired under extended warranty. Can I justify demanding that the repair shop use a brand-new board from Lenovo, or can I be forced to settle for whatever a cheap repair shop wants to use (i.e., something they've bought off eBay). With my extended warranty nearing its end, I'd rather have the most reliable possible parts put in, especially if it's on AmEx's dime.

Thanks for any insights!

-m

lithium726 · #2 Post by **lithium726** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 1:28 am

I think a teir-2 repair like that is going to run you ~600

would probably be better to get a board off ebay and do it yourself.

matamoros · #3 Post by **matamoros** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 1:38 am

Unless I'm misunderstanding (entirely possible), this is a Tier >2 repair.

Lenovo's parts page lists the system board as non-CRU.

You guys probably already know Lenovo's T4x parts page, but I provide it just in case. It's a fun read.

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-46474

-m

lithium726 · #4 Post by **lithium726** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 1:44 am

erm....

just cause its not a CRU doenst mean you cant do it yourself...

matamoros · #5 Post by **matamoros** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 2:48 am

>just cause its not a CRU doenst mean you cant do it yourself...

Sorry--I wasn't clear until I added the edit that I'm not paying for this myself.

My time's in unbelievably short supply for the next few weeks. The last thing I have time for is performing surgery on my ThinkPad. (Don't get me wrong...under other circumstances, it would be my idea of a fun afternoon, but the timing right now is lousy.)

cmarti · #6 Post by **cmarti** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 7:50 am

I replace the motherboard of my T40 and it was easy!!

Print the manual, read it and follow it it will take you like two hours.

Hey! You can even upgrade your motherboard to Fire GL T2!

Good luck!

lithium726 · #7 Post by **lithium726** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 9:21 am

matamoros wrote:
My time's in unbelievably short supply for the next few weeks. The last thing I have time for is performing surgery on my ThinkPad. (Don't get me wrong...under other circumstances, it would be my idea of a fun afternoon, but the timing right now is lousy.)

Ah, gotcha. Yeah, in that case, itll probably run around 600 bucks, maybe more.

matamoros · #8 Post by **matamoros** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 3:20 pm

Well, I spoke with Lenovo today.

The support guy said that motherboard replacement is--flat rate--$450. If there's anything else at all, though, that needs work, the price can top out at $590 (I'm assuming that the "anything else at all" means that the repair goes up a tier). This includes shipping.

Not bad at all, really...

Thanks for your help, all!

-m

Repair bill: What should I expect?

Repair bill: What should I expect?

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