Should I upgrade to on-site service?

[MarcW]

My wifes T42 is having fan issues. The laptop is a little over 2 years old and came with a 3 year depot service warranty. I've had some minor issues with it in the past but all parts were user replaceable, so IBM just shipped me the part and all was well. This time however the issue is more serious. The laptop won't turn on anymore. During the BIOS POST a message displays on the screen that says 'Fan Error' and the machine just shuts itself off. I have taken off the keyboard and tried cleaning the fan with some dust off thinking the fan might just be dirty and won't spin because it is full of dust. However, the problem still persists. Now after reading all the horror stories on this board about Solectron and the depot service I am very reluctant to send it in for repair. I called Lenovo this morning and they want $299 for an on-site upgrade for one additional year, or $449 for 2 years. Now personally I feel like I shouldn't have to spend almost 300 bucks to replace a fan. I mean the thing is still under warranty. On the other hand I also don't want to send it to the depot and then be accused of 'spill damage' and be charged outrageous amounts for repair. Is it possible to have the laptop repaired at a local IBM service center instead of sending it to the depot? I think I could fix the problem myself, but I don't feel like spending $70 for a new fan and jeopardize the remaining warranty by installing it myself. What should I do here?

Thanks
-Marc

[cmarti]

What should I do here?

Replace the fan yourself it's very easy it will take just 15 minutes.

Here is one for sale on ebay for just $16.00 bucks.

[MarcW]

I need the M10 long version. It can be had for about 29 bucks used. What is the likelyhood of the problem being the fan assembly versus the embeded controller for example?

[cmarti]

What is the likelyhood of the problem being the fan assembly versus the embeded controller for example?

Very rare, you can be sure the problem lies in the fan.