Craigslist RROD Fix - Did I get Scammed?

twa318

twa318

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My Xbox 360 was giving me the 3 RROD. It sat unused for about 5 months until I decided this week to have it repaired.

I called all the local Trade N Play stores as well as Comp U Zone, and none repaired xbox 360s.

I found a guy on craiglist, I dropped my xbox 360 off at his house, he called me an hour later, said it was fixed. We turned it on, ran fine, so I paid him $40 and went on my way.


The fix lasted all of 30 minutes. The Xbox 360 will freeze after a minute of playtime. No red rings thought.

I called the guy, and he says its a video card issue, that I have to call MS, and he cant fix it.

What should I do?
 
Damn. At this point the only thing you can really do is buy another 360, or try to find somebody else that can fix it. MS won't repair an Xbox if the seal inside is broken.
 
OR just as easily, fix it your self. It's not that hard and once you've done it, you'll have the experience and know how in case a buddies gets a RROD
 
Sounds like he may have used the X-Clamp fix on the box, which is a very temporary solution for RRoD. I would say that you didn't get "scammed" so much because the problem was fixed, but really you did get screwed.

One reason why I think it may have been an X-Clamp fix is because that fix doesn't last forever and when it has problems again, which it usually does, it causes serious damage to the console I think. If you really have a video card problem now, it may be because the removal of the X-Clamps and the eventual overheat fried the video card.
 
[quote name='twa318']I found a guy on craiglist[/QUOTE]
Well there's your problem right there.

You've got nobody to blame for this but yourself. Should've just ponied up the extra cash and sent it to MS.
 
[quote name='Thekrakrabbit']Sounds like he may have used the X-Clamp fix on the box, which is a very temporary solution for RRoD. I would say that you didn't get "scammed" so much because the problem was fixed, but really you did get screwed.

One reason why I think it may have been an X-Clamp fix is because that fix doesn't last forever and when it has problems again, which it usually does, it causes serious damage to the console I think. If you really have a video card problem now, it may be because the removal of the X-Clamps and the eventual overheat fried the video card.[/QUOTE]

I think the poster above telling me its two different issues is on the right track. When the game freezes now AFTER the repair, it glitches graphically just like it did before. still no red rings, just frozen xbox

[quote name='Pirate331']Well there's your problem right there.

You've got nobody to blame for this but yourself. Should've just ponied up the extra cash and sent it to MS.[/QUOTE]

This is true. I wish I could buy a new arcade console, but I dont think they sell those anymore.

I'll call 1800 4MY XBOX and see what MS has to say.

My console was made in 2005 so I guess I should be blessed that it lasted this long!
 
[quote name='twa318']I think the poster above telling me its two different issues is on the right track. When the game freezes now AFTER the repair, it glitches graphically just like it did before. still no red rings, just frozen xbox[/QUOTE]

Like I said it could have been the way the guy fixed it that caused the video card to fry, if that is the problem. Sorry to hear you got screwed here buddy.
 
[quote name='twa318']I wish I could buy a new arcade console, but I dont think they sell those anymore.[/QUOTE]

They do. It's called the 4GB model linky and best buy has it with 3 free games. If your worried about not being able to use your existing hard drive, you can remove it from it's case and insert it into the new consoles for use...
 
IMHO, if you used to use your system a lot and it was constantly getting warm from hours of use, your board may be warped. I had a system that did the same thing... I would "fix" it (after replacing faulty x-clamp, etc. - doing it proper...), then shortly after (about a hour) it would freeze and eventually red ring again... I remember looking at the board from the side and it was bowed down (ever so slightly) in the middle, so I physically took the board and (as gently as I could) bent it straight, and it worked great afterwards.

Dont know how long it lasted since I offed it to someone for $50 with all the cords and controller, but I used it for a few days to make sure it was ok.

My recommendation would be to get it working ok and off it on ebay for cheap and buy a new one (just dont be a douche and try to pass it off as fully working and ask like $120 :p). Let someone more experienced fix it. That is what I would do anyway...

If the video is really shot though, the only thing you can try is a reflow as a last ditch effort and hope it is the soldering points or something like that, and not a fried video chip... I would definitely invest in a new xbox though. Sorry to hear about your woes, Im on my 3rd unit myself (and I have had to repair this one). :p


EDIT:

Just as a side note, xbox repairs can be quite reliable if done properly...provided the unit is not totally screwed to begin with. The last and final time I fixed my latest unit, I also bought and installed an upgraded fan. Its slightly louder, but the outside of the thing literally never gets warm when I feel it after hours of continuous play. I have been using it straight for about a year now and have never had a problem since. I definitely recommend a fan upgrade to anyone with an older unit, if not to install it during a repair, but for preventative maintenance as well if your unit is out of warranty, or if the seal is already broken...the cooler you can keep your xbox, the better.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
[quote name='RedRingOfDeath']IMHO, if you used to use your system a lot and it was constantly getting warm from hours of use, your board may be warped. I had a system that did the same thing... I would "fix" it (after replacing faulty x-clamp, etc. - doing it proper...), then shortly after (about a hour) it would freeze and eventually red ring again... I remember looking at the board from the side and it was bowed down (ever so slightly) in the middle, so I physically took the board and (as gently as I could) bent it straight, and it worked great afterwards.

Dont know how long it lasted since I offed it to someone for $50 with all the cords and controller, but I used it for a few days to make sure it was ok.

My recommendation would be to get it working ok and off it on ebay for cheap and buy a new one (just dont be a douche and try to pass it off as fully working and ask like $120 :p). Let someone more experienced fix it. That is what I would do anyway...

If the video is really shot though, the only thing you can try is a reflow as a last ditch effort and hope it is the soldering points or something like that, and not a fried video chip... I would definitely invest in a new xbox though. Sorry to hear about your woes, Im on my 3rd unit myself (and I have had to repair this one). :p


EDIT:

Just as a side note, xbox repairs can be quite reliable if done properly...provided the unit is not totally screwed to begin with. The last and final time I fixed my latest unit, I also bought and installed an upgraded fan. Its slightly louder, but the outside of the thing literally never gets warm when I feel it after hours of continuous play. I have been using it straight for about a year now and have never had a problem since. I definitely recommend a fan upgrade to anyone with an older unit, if not to install it during a repair, but for preventative maintenance as well if your unit is out of warranty, or if the seal is already broken...the cooler you can keep your xbox, the better.[/QUOTE]

What fan did you use? Most of the fans that actually attach to the Xbox make the console hotter :rofl: Or did you install a custom one?
 
The problem is that you don't know if you got scammed. He may have made a good faith effort to fix the problem. He may have simply taken your $40 and done nothing. The red ring of death doesn't necessarily mean your console will never boot again. There are tricks that will allow you to get the thing working temporarily to transfer saved games and such. I've done that a couple times.

This is the risk of going with Craigslist. There is simply no quality control, not even a simple review system such as Amazon has. Whether or not you got scammed, you made a very poor decision.
 
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