I'm About to send a 3ROD Modded box to MS for repair. And was wanting to get some input on what you might think my chances are of getting a new or refurbished one back. Here us the deal. After a year of great use it finnaly 3Rod'd on me. So I read about reballing the CPU and GPU. So I took it to the techs at my work and they attempted to remove the first chip(CPU) Well I guess the chip did not get hot enough because we most likley was not using the right heat gun. But when we pulled the chip up most of it came off ok but some of the pads on the chip were removed. So now there is nothing solder to because they stayed on the board when removing the chip...Well Ain't that a daisy. Anyways we just put the chip back on without soldering it and put the heatsink back on to hold the chip down. So its obvisouly trashed.
Microsoft sent me my RMA box and I'm about to pack this thing up. The warranty sticker is still in tact even though you can tell by looking clasly at the sticker that it has been partially taken off at one time. The back where you pop the clamps one at a time has some scratches from the screwdriver. Nothing crazy but obvious if you looking.
Well I guess my questions is do you think they will actually open the unit or just send it through and send a refurbished one out. Anyone know how they process these? Or does it fluxuate from one person to the next there. Send it back to them or is it a waste of time?
Sadly i wondered the same thing, i sent in a opened xbox 360 and the only thing wrong with it was the rrod obviously and that it didn't have the ms heat sink paste. Well it was assembled carefully paying close attention to detail, wiped off every part with a lint free cloth, and finished with a fully intact sticker and still rejected. So sorry to tell you but you're sol as far as ms goes.
In your case i would buy another xbox 360 off of ebay. I just got a dirty disc error 360 console+av+power for 96 shipped. So hope isn't lost, but next time you think you can fix that 360 you better think again. Most xbox products have pads that lift right off. If you think i'm lying try to desolder the leds on the original xbox power/eject board. I've ruined 2 of those, even with a 15 watt soldering iron. Of course there's a pretty risk free way to do it now, but those pads shouldnt lift so easily.
I was wondering is it possible to use a trace pen to fix the pads that are removed.You will need some wax and a layout of the pads that are removed,but it would work right.I'm sure it can be fixed without salvaging it,but I would take my chances of fixing it myself instead of MS.
I suppose it depends on which pads, and whether they hide through board connections. Kynar wire and a steady hand and it is possible to replace broken tracks and missing pads with point to point wiring. A PS2 chipper should be able to manage it, or somebody with very good soldering skills.
I have been repairing electronics for 30 years, and I have killed modern boards. They seem far more sensitive to heat damage than even say 10 years ago. I flat refuse to even look at unopened 360's with any fault. I advise to return unopened consoles to MS.. because we know once they go wrong the possibility of repair for any other than a limited time is a pipedream. If they have been visibly opened then I will take their money for my time with no guarantee that it can be fixed, even for a few days.
MS have got wise to all the methods used to trick them with previously opened equipment. Sad but true, and they are well within their rights to refuse to replace/repair equipment which has been tampered with.
They may not notice, and as you have the box there is no harm sending it in I suppose.
All in all I think it is a shoddy piece of kit.. bad manufacturing standards or it is deliberately built in a way which just about guarantees it will not last for more than 2 years regardless of how careful you are with it.
Well, I'm just gonna send it in and the worst that can happen is they send it back the way it is. then I will look into buying a 3rod system on ebay and try again to reball the chip but this time applying the right amount of heat for the right amount of time to be sure it will come off smooth. I got in a hurry last time. I do hope they send me another unit. I did open it and I did flash the drive but that is not the cause of the 3ROD. The 3ROD is MS fault and I do beleive I am deserving of another console. They should last longer than a year.
Sent one in last year with no warranty sticker and it had been opened and they sent me another one.Now today i sent that one in with no warranty sticker and a flashed drive.I hope i get a working one but if not oh well....at least ill have more time to bboy and work on my car
LOL Yeah! Got a refurb in today and I'm back gaming! The turn over after I shipped it out was about a week and half total....really not what i expected. Gonna keep this one untampered with this time to enjoy the new update and worry free xbox live and warranty.
I have already posted same reply to another thread on same subject..
I got 3rrod, Xbox less than a year old and had been opened and flashed, I got it back from MS in germany with new board and complete new seal sticker, box was still flashed.. I now have a flashed box which has a new fully intact seal..
send it back, whats he worse that can happen... I landed very lucky
