[quote name='D_Icon']ott
Is it expensive and worth fixing a 40GB PS3? I got one for cheap $$$ but it doesn't load up the discs.[/QUOTE]
You could probably do it for $150. I can't remember the name of the guy, but there was a poster in the GGT who knew a lot about this. Did his own repair -- there's a difference in what kind of drive you would have to order from eBay... I think the installation is pretty straightforward, though. The other option would be to send it in for repair, which I think Sony charges ~$150 for... I can't remember how much they charged my friend while he was working to prove he was under warranty (it was a gift, so providing the purchase receipt 8 months later was a hassle).
Still cheaper than a new one, I suppose, but that extra $150 would've gotten you a DS3, a 3x larger HDD, and a much smaller unit.