Got a yellow light, whats my best option?

Downlinz

I'm aware of the diy jobs and all of them appear to be temporary fixes which isn't the kind of thing I'm looking for. My realistic options appear to be to get Sony to replace it or buy a new one.

After ringing Sony up they told me a replacement would cost 120 euro, a new ps3 slim is about 230 euro.

For replacing it they suggested I might be able to get an upgrade to a slim (its a 40gb model) although they weren't committed to that so I'd imagine its a case of just having to take what I'm given. I'm not sure as well how long the replacement time is, theres a thread on boards saying its only a matter of days but thats a few years old.
Getting a new one guarantees me a slim 120gb PS3, some extras like a controller, a spare harddrive and the old ps3 to play around with.

Which do you guys think is better value?

aindriu80

i would just fix it. its cheaper and a ps4 might be out in 3 years so it would see you through. HD's are pretty cheap if you need the space.

Downlinz

Most fixes rarely more than for a few months though from what I've heard?

viclemronny

Depending on the age of the console (less that 3/4 years) you could return it to the shop you bought it once you have proof of purchase.

they'll tell you where to go

write to head office by registered post

they'll tell you where to go

Small claims court, you'll win as others have.
See the thread on this board about it.

kirving

I got a refurb in Smyths for around €140 about 2 years ago and it's been fine since. Was just out of warranty but still should have lasted since it was so expensive. Only reason I didn't go down the Small Claims Court was that the waiting list was so long.Game have got no business off me since.

Myrddin

Downlinz wrote: »

Most fixes rarely more than for a few months though from what I've heard?

Thats because proper fixes are rarely done. It's all oven/towel ****e & then badly done reflows which are no better.

A proper reball is the only way to fix, unfortunately this is not a diy fix & is quite pricey, & thats even assuming it's a solder issue in the first place.

Downlinz

Anyone know the exact cause of this problem and if its present in the slim version or just older models? I've been on to Sony and they said they'd provide a refurbished 40GB model on a 3 month warranty which sort of worries me in case the same thing is liable to happen to that in a year or two.

While I appreciate the mention of small claims court and would on principal like to do something like that in practical terms the wait and effort involved probably isn't worth the outcome. I had weeks worth of hassle just to get gamestop to replace a faulty controller 6 months old, can't imagine the problems with a 3 and a half year old playstation 3.

If it isn't an issue with the slim or is at least less likely to happen I feel like buying a new one is a better idea than repair or replacement.

Myrddin

Downlinz wrote: »

Anyone know the exact cause of this problem and if its present in the slim version or just older models? I've been on to Sony and they said they'd provide a refurbished 40GB model on a 3 month warranty which sort of worries me in case the same thing is liable to happen to that in a year or two.

If it isn't an issue with the slim or is at least less likely to happen I feel like buying a new one is a better idea than repair or replacement.

The YLOD is just a general indicator that a fault has occured. It could be a number of many different things.

In a lot of cases though, it's been observed that a combination of poor quality solder & very poor quality thermal paste has caused the cpu/gpu to break its solder joins during repeated cooling/heating/cooling/heating cycles. If this is the case, it's correctly resolved by basically replacing the solder balls/joins of the cpu/gpu with high quality leaded solder, which maintains its integrity far, far better than the stuff Sony have to use. This can only be done with highly specialized equiptment unfortunately.

People have other ways of 'fixing' this such as reflowing. This clamps the motherboard rigid, & heats the board up to a precise temp, which in turn melts the broken solder and allows it to reflow forming a new join. This can be done correctly, but it's not a permanent solution, as the same thing will happen as your just reflowing the same solder that broke in the first place.

A refurb from Sony will likely have been reballed but with factory spec lead free solder. There is no reason in the world why the same thing won't happen again, as its generally believed the lead free solder can't withstand the thermal stresses to well.

My advice? Buy a new console. A proper reball is quite expensive, probably as much if not more than a refurb console. It's not really worth bothering unless the console is worth the expense like a 60GB launch model or something. A full reball normally comes with a 12 month warranty, that's how efficient the fix is.

kkhornet

EnterNow wrote: »

The YLOD is just a general indicator that a fault has occured. It could be a number of many different things.

In a lot of cases though, it's been observed that a combination of poor quality solder & very poor quality thermal paste has caused the cpu/gpu to break its solder joins during repeated cooling/heating/cooling/heating cycles. If this is the case, it's correctly resolved by basically replacing the solder balls/joins of the cpu/gpu with high quality leaded solder, which maintains its integrity far, far better than the stuff Sony have to use. This can only be done with highly specialized equiptment unfortunately.

People have other ways of 'fixing' this such as reflowing. This clamps the motherboard rigid, & heats the board up to a precise temp, which in turn melts the broken solder and allows it to reflow forming a new join. This can be done correctly, but it's not a permanent solution, as the same thing will happen as your just reflowing the same solder that broke in the first place.

A refurb from Sony will likely have been reballed but with factory spec lead free solder. There is no reason in the world why the same thing won't happen again, as its generally believed the lead free solder can't withstand the thermal stresses to well.

My advice? Buy a new console. A proper reball is quite expensive, probably as much if not more than a refurb console. It's not really worth bothering unless the console is worth the expense like a 60GB launch model or something. A full reball normally comes with a 12 month warranty, that's how efficient the fix is.

Where would you go or send your ps3 to be "reballed".
My 60g launch model died on me the other day and im trying to suss out my options either diy or send away.

Sephiroth_dude

how much would a 60 gig launch model cost on ebay?

Downlinz

For anyone else interested, the hairdryer method works and works very well. Bought a new slim and managed to transfer everything over. Whatever about the costs, you can't put a price on 4 years worth of saved data.
A refurbished model with 3 months warranty for 125? No thanks. A fix from 3rd parties with varying results that are mostly short term at best for 80? Also not very attractive. However you look at it, its a sucky situation with no cheap way out of.

Now that I've got my old one working again I'm wondering what the resale value is on it to someplace like gamestop who'll have no idea there was a previous problem with it. :pac:

Myrddin

Downlinz wrote: »

A refurbished model with 3 months warranty for 125? No thanks. A fix from 3rd parties with varying results that are mostly short term at best for 80? Also not very attractive. However you look at it, its a sucky situation with no cheap way out of.

I'm sure you'd have gotten a reball for €125 with a 12 month warranty, but thats only preferable if your going down the repair road. If its a case of replacement console, new should be always the way to go. However, don't be surprised if you find yourself back here again in 4 years with the same problem.

4 years is a shocking amount of time to get out of a premium brand current generation expensive console. I've a 60GB launch model I'm half afraid to even turn on at this stage.

Now that I've got my old one working again I'm wondering what the resale value is on it to someplace like gamestop who'll have no idea there was a previous problem with it. :pac:

Sound, you'll make some kids day when he gets it for a present & can't return it.