Repair Alternatives for the Xbox 360 - CPU/GPU Reflow

daphatty

daphatty

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My launch 360 failed for a second time after receiving an RRoD repair mere days before the warranty expiration. Unfortunately, the extended warranty has expired and the current failure is not an RRoD. I'm hesitant to simply throw this thing away (not very earth friendly) and have heard rumblings of online repair services that will actually re-solder the chips the way MS always should have. Has anyone used such a repair service? If so, what was your experience? Would you recommend such a service?

And before anyone tells me to just buy another one because they are so cheap... Save your breath. I already did that. I mainly want to revive this unit to use as a Media Center Extender.

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1/07/2011 Update


I just remembered the name of the service I am seeking - Reflow. It is essentially a re-soldering of the processors with all new solder. A correct reflow requires very expensive equipment but I think I have found someone who is actually performing reflows for about $30 plus shipping. Let's see what my inquiry leads to. I'll keep you guys posted.


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1/13/2011 Update

I lagged a little bit but I finally shipped out my 360 today. If all goes well, I should have my 360 back in two weeks. For those of you interested, here are my current out of pocket costs.

$40 - Repair service includes a CPU and GPU Reflow ($30) and an X-clamp install ($10).
$38.84 - Shipping costs (UPS Ground Residential 3-5 day) to and from the repair address.

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360 sent back and arrived on Jan 31.

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So the final verdict is in. I'm very satisfied with the results of my 360 Reflow. I spent a little over an hour testing my 360 with MW2, BFBC2, Netflix, ESPN. The 360 also installed the new dashboard without a problem. (The installed dashboard was ~9 months old.)

Overall, the process took about 3 weeks to complete and my out of pocket expenses were just under $80. If I had to do anything differently, I would have packed the 360 a little more securely since it was sent back to me in the exact same box with the same packing materials. I also wouldn't have lagged as much in shipping out my 360. Other than that, I would recommend this service to anyone with an out of warranty 360. If any of you are interested, hit me up via PM and I will share the contact info for the guy who does the repairs. I may post this information publicly but I need to ask Cheapy first.

- DP
 
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One tactic that I've seen some people use is to call them, tell them it's a RROD when it's not and send it in anyway. MS doesn't seem to check for anything when it's been marked as a RROD and they send back a replacement refurb system.

Again, this is what I've seen other people discuss about doing, I've not done it myself. Both of my 360s have MS extended warranties on them.
 
there are videos you can find (youtube) explaining what causes the problem and how to fix it. If you're not feeling up to the task, you could always check craigslist. You'd be surprised how many people advertise the fix and will do it for a decent price.

Either way, it will die again at some point if you play it enough.
 
There are quite a few local shops around here that fix systems, and my friend had one done, but I wouldn't recommend it without some kind of guarentee from the repair shop. My friend decided to cheap it out and just get a quick fix from them because he didn't want to wait out the 2-3 weeks of sending it in, and the thing died within 2-3 months of fixing it again, only this time out of MS warranty, and the repair shop would charge him the full amount again if he went back. So yeah, he kinda screwed himself over by going there. So me personally, I don't trust these mom and pop shops to fix things, but I guess they are an option. Also, they sell repair kits on eBay for kinda cheap to do it yourself, but I don't know how easy it is, how they hold up after you fix it, or how inclined you are to go that route.
 
It's nice to hear someone with near the same situation. My 360's DVD drive died 7 months outside the warranty (DVD drive) and Micro$oft will fix it for $100. I just went to gamestop and bought a used one with a one year warranty, now in 10-12 months I will return it claiming defective product, in turn I will get it replaced for free. Then I will buy another 1 year warranty, rinse and repeat.

I would watch out for people who will fix your 360 on craigslist, had a buddy get his drive fixed through one of these randoms and after the new update, he was no longer able to play fable 3. The guy who did it more than likely flashed a drive and M$ fable 3 security measure disabled the drive for that game. It's good he doesn't have XBL cause that could be grounds for banning.

Hope that helps!
 
I just remembered the name of the service I am seeking - Reflow. It is essentially a re-soldering of the processors with all new solder. A correct reflow requires very expensive equipment but I think I have found someone who is actually performing reflows for about $30 plus shipping. Let's see what my inquiry leads to. I'll keep you guys posted.
 
Wow I'm surprised at this thread.

Firstly Kingrodedog...no...that's just scamming Gamestop out of money when the problem is nothing on there end. Cheats are not too well respected around here, screwing Gamestop or not that is wrong. Also I would imagine the used system you buy with a 1 year warrenty is somehow marked with a console number is it not? That way they know if the system you bring back in is the same one they sold you or not.
 
as one of the dudes above said, do an online repair order and say it had an E-74 error and they should send u back a refurb for free, i did this with my last one no problem...of course i have been through 7 of these things now so i think they should keep sending me back systems for the rest of time for free anyways. Good luck bro
 
Just got a response from the guy who performs the repairs. Looks like a repair will be possible so I'll be shipping out my 360 soon. Lets see how this goes.
 
[quote name='mission42']Wow I'm surprised at this thread.

Firstly Kingrodedog...no...that's just scamming Gamestop out of money when the problem is nothing on there end. Cheats are not too well respected around here, screwing Gamestop or not that is wrong. Also I would imagine the used system you buy with a 1 year warrenty is somehow marked with a console number is it not? That way they know if the system you bring back in is the same one they sold you or not.[/QUOTE]

I don't think it would be "scamming" I had said that I BOUGHT a used 360 AND a warranty, so I've spent $140 already. Now in a year when the xbox normally craps out (I game HARD, 8-12 hours a day consecutive) I will return it, just like anyone else and still have to pay $20 for a new warranty and GS will replace the defective product. They will send it to their people to go through and it will be re-sold as a refurb, everybody wins. I get my Xbox replaced, GS gets my money, GS will re-sell my old 360 and M$ numbers will go up. How is this a scam?
 
[quote name='Kingrodedog']It's nice to hear someone with near the same situation. My 360's DVD drive died 7 months outside the warranty (DVD drive) and Micro$oft will fix it for $100. I just went to gamestop and bought a used one with a one year warranty, now in 10-12 months I will return it claiming defective product, in turn I will get it replaced for free. Then I will buy another 1 year warranty, rinse and repeat.

I would watch out for people who will fix your 360 on craigslist, had a buddy get his drive fixed through one of these randoms and after the new update, he was no longer able to play fable 3. The guy who did it more than likely flashed a drive and M$ fable 3 security measure disabled the drive for that game. It's good he doesn't have XBL cause that could be grounds for banning.

Hope that helps![/QUOTE]

Pretty sure you can't buy a new warranty on a Gamestop used system without buying another, separate, used system.
 
[quote name='Kingrodedog']I don't think it would be "scamming" I had said that I BOUGHT a used 360 AND a warranty, so I've spent $140 already. Now in a year when the xbox normally craps out (I game HARD, 8-12 hours a day consecutive) I will return it, just like anyone else and still have to pay $20 for a new warranty and GS will replace the defective product. They will send it to their people to go through and it will be re-sold as a refurb, everybody wins. I get my Xbox replaced, GS gets my money, GS will re-sell my old 360 and M$ numbers will go up. How is this a scam?[/QUOTE]

Because the way I read it, it sure sounds like your going to buy a used 360 from gamestop with a 1 year warranty then when it's about 10 months in return your old broken 360, not the one you bought used with the warranty, to gamestop to get it replaced. The warranty is on the used one you bought from them, not some previous used system you had, be it from them or walmart or anywhere else. Thus making it a scam, that's how.
 
I lagged a little bit but I finally shipped out my 360 today. If all goes well, I should have my 360 back in two weeks. For those of you interested, here are my current out of pocket costs.

$40 - Repair service includes a CPU and GPU Reflow and an X-clamp install.
$38.84 - Shipping costs (UPS Ground Residential 3-5 day) to and from the repair address.
 
[quote name='daphatty']I lagged a little bit but I finally shipped out my 360 today. If all goes well, I should have my 360 back in two weeks. For those of you interested, here are my current out of pocket costs.

$40 - Repair service includes a CPU and GPU Reflow and an X-clamp install.
$38.84 - Shipping costs (UPS Ground Residential 3-5 day) to and from the repair address.[/QUOTE]

Hmm kinda expensive. Is the service a 100% sure thing it will work? For 80.00 i'd probably just buy a new 360...

EDIT: Read your OP. Realized you already bought a new one... :D
 
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[quote name='OblivionScamp']as one of the dudes above said, do an online repair order and say it had an E-74 error and they should send u back a refurb for free, i did this with my last one no problem...of course i have been through 7 of these things now so i think they should keep sending me back systems for the rest of time for free anyways. Good luck bro[/QUOTE]

Would this work 100% though? I had a RRoD just before thanksgiving and when I sent mine in, they actually repaired my unit and sent it back (or they moved the sticker because the serial numbers on the back of my "new" 360 matched identically the ones on my old one).

Then again it is possible they just do the same repair on all E74 units and don't bother to check what is actually wrong with them.

Ruahrc
 
[quote name='pimpinc333']Is the service a 100% sure thing it will work?

EDIT: Read your OP. Realized you already bought a new one... :D[/QUOTE]

[quote name='Ruahrc']Would this work 100% though? Ruahrc[/QUOTE]

Both of the Reflow services I found claim a 95% success rate for previously RRoD'd units. Since my 360 wasn't technically a red ring, I emailed the service I chose to use and outlined my symptoms before sending my console. They verified the repair would work on my issue. Granted, this won't permanently fix the problem since the issue is a design defect of the Xbox 360 but...

If a Reflow will breath some extra life into my console then the $80 seems like a worthy investment. Plus, I'm not the only one who has experienced a Red Ring so if my $80 proves to be helpful to others then so be it. :) Also, keep in mind that I chose to ship via UPS. I could have found a less expensive way to ship my console which would have certainly brought down the total cost even further. From a financial perspective, this alternative is much more appealing than paying Microsoft to repair an out of warranty console.
 
[quote name='daphatty']Both of the Reflow services I found claim a 95% success rate for previously RRoD'd units. Since my 360 wasn't technically a red ring, I emailed the service I chose to use and outlined my symptoms before sending my console. They verified the repair would work on my issue. Granted, this won't permanently fix the problem since the issue is a design defect of the Xbox 360 but...

If a Reflow will breath some extra life into my console then the $80 seems like a worthy investment. Plus, I'm not the only one who has experienced a Red Ring so if my $80 proves to be helpful to others then so be it. :) Also, keep in mind that I chose to ship via UPS. I could have found a less expensive way to ship my console which would have certainly brought down the total cost even further. From a financial perspective, this alternative is much more appealing than paying Microsoft to repair an out of warranty console.[/QUOTE]

I agree that this is good decision to send in your console to get it reflowed and extend the life of your system. If done correctly, and if cooling/heating precautions are taken, it should work how it should have in the first place :D

I remember shipping my Xbox 1 to a shop out in Florida to repair a trace on the bottom of the mobo (I failed installing a modchip on my cousin's box :dunce:) and got it fixed the proper way instead of doing a DIY fix. I know it is a different issue but what I'm trying to say is that there are some places you can trust to send your Xbox to get it fixed. I believe I looked around Llama and Xbox-scene forums to find the shop.

Keep us updated :D I have one in need of some repair too (X-clamp fix gone wrong :dunce:). I never learn :wall:
 
[quote name='daphatty']Both of the Reflow services I found claim a 95% success rate for previously RRoD'd units. Since my 360 wasn't technically a red ring, I emailed the service I chose to use and outlined my symptoms before sending my console. They verified the repair would work on my issue. Granted, this won't permanently fix the problem since the issue is a design defect of the Xbox 360 but...

If a Reflow will breath some extra life into my console then the $80 seems like a worthy investment. Plus, I'm not the only one who has experienced a Red Ring so if my $80 proves to be helpful to others then so be it. :) Also, keep in mind that I chose to ship via UPS. I could have found a less expensive way to ship my console which would have certainly brought down the total cost even further. From a financial perspective, this alternative is much more appealing than paying Microsoft to repair an out of warranty console.[/QUOTE]

How much is it these days for MS to do it? Last I knew it was like 129ish? I see what you are saying though. As long as it holds up its money well spent.
 
[quote name='pimpinc333']How much is it these days for MS to do it? Last I knew it was like 129ish? I see what you are saying though. As long as it holds up its money well spent.[/QUOTE]

Last I checked the cost was $129, not including shipping. If Microsoft actually fixed the problem (mobo/chip swap with a redesigned version) then I probably would have ponied up the cash. Instead, they are giving out ticking time bombs.
 
East Syracuse, NY, United States 01/20/2011 5:29 A.M. Out For Delivery
01/20/2011 12:31 A.M. Arrival Scan
Click to expand...

Looks like my 360 is almost at its destination. I was told that the turn around time is typically two days so I'm guessing the 360 will be headed back sometime early next week.
 
After my last repair I just traded in to GS to be done with the launch era crap forever. It will break again like almost every refurb from that era likely does. Too scary to have someone else besides MS mess with it for me because of the threat the offical channels will balk if you ever end up going back to them for support.

Not as big of a deal now with the ability to transfer licenses, but what a fiasco that was for years. MS is damn lucky they (gaming division at least) survived the bad PR.
 
figured id post here. heres my problem, earlier today im playing my xbox no probs what so ever. i just got out of work and wanted to play some 2k11 and guess what....my dvd drive seems to have failed. i put a disc in and it spins once and stops and the xbox says "insert disc". what should i do. should i buy a replacement dvd drive and rip open my xbox and plug it in? im kicking myself now for throwing out my old RRoD xbox with a perfectly fine working dvd drive.
 
My 360 arrived today. I'll be hooking it up shortly and will have an update soon.

Edit: So far so good. My 360 booted right up and immediately began downloading the dashboard updates. I just popped in BFBC2 to put the GPU through its paces. More to come.

Edit 2: Jesus these controls are complete ass! I'm grabbing MW2... On a related note, aside from a couple of green glitches that occurred during a transition between the publisher and developer opening video sequences, i haven't seen any sort of graphical anomalies. I'm not sure if the glitches were due to the game or the workmanship of the reflow.
 
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So the final verdict is in. I'm very satisfied with the results of my 360 Reflow. I spent a little over an hour testing my 360 with MW2, BFBC2, Netflix, ESPN. The 360 also installed the new dashboard without a problem. (The installed dashboard was ~9 months old.)

Overall, the process took about 3 weeks to complete and my out of pocket expenses were just under $80. If I had to do anything differently, I would have packed the 360 a little more securely since it was sent back to me in the exact same box with the same packing materials. I also wouldn't have lagged as much in shipping out my 360. Other than that, I would recommend this service to anyone with an out of warranty 360. If any of you are interested, hit me up via PM and I will share the contact info for the guy who does the repairs. I may post this information publicly but I need to ask Cheapy first.

- DP
 
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