Sony GWIII Owners thread - Page 127

The tech was gonna be in the area and i think they knew it would only take a minute so they rescheduled my appointment. It was supposed to be for the 11th.

Does anyone know of any other way to enter the service menu? I can't seem to get into it via pressing "display", "5", "Volume +", "Power" consecutively. I want to change the setting of the DVI input as it's a bit dark and overscanned.

Hi new to this AVS group but have been reading posts for a while, my KDS-60a2020 bulb is about 2 go, have a new bulb just shipped from my MACK warranty, the picture is still good no globs, 4700 hours of use, lots of dust on the back, I am sure when I change the bulb I might see blobs and such, this is a June 2007 production, one the last of the KDS series, I have a MACK TV and Bulb warranty on the TV, purchased in Feb 2008 at BJ's when the were discontinuing them.

My question is, I have till June 2010 to claim the Opitcal Block correct? The TV is working ok now still, but I fear it will fail after the bulb change or after the OB extended warranty expires. I dont want to miss out on having Sony pay the bills. I am actually anticipating it to fail, or should I clean it all out and save its life? I am an electronics tech-head and this would be an easy job to take apart and clean.

billymac

So whats the best deal that anyone's been offered as a replacement?
I have a KDF-42WE655 in a spare bedroom,not being used much anymore
I contacted Sony about the light engine problems and have been offered this


Thank you for contacting the Sony Exchange Dept.,

As discussed, we provided you an offer to replace your television.

KDL55HX701 $1150.00 * + local sales tax
KDL55EX501 $950.00 + local sales tax
KDL46V5100 $480.00 + local sales tax


I see some owners of XBR sets were offered the HX for 550 and the v5100 for free
Sony claims that there are no 42" sets offered
has anyone with a WE series received any better offers?

Man, wish I knew the blue blob/cloud issue was generalized. I'm a sporadic lurker of these forums and my KF-60WE610 exibits the blue cloud, but no warped or discolored lamp cover.

I wonder what my options are...

Any Canadians who have encountered this recently? What did you managed to get out of Sony?

Has anyone with a 60" with the optical block issue gotten an offer from Sony for a deal on another 60" or is the largest they are offering the 55"?

I believe that as of yesterday they were only offering a 52" and that was the largest..........my problem is that I own 2 of these and they won't combine them and give me a better offer I spent close to 5K in 2005 and both sets have OB issues

UPDATE
The lamp/melting issue warranty has just been extended by Sony until 3/31/2011.

ATTENTION all owners of models KF-42WE610, KF-50WE610, KF-60WE610, KDF-60XBR950, KDF-70XBR950, KF-42WE620, KF-50WE620, KDF-42WE655, and KDF-50WE655:

This is a reminder that your TV has a known failure related to lamp overheating, causing warping, melting, scorching, cracking, etc. of the lamp door and other adjacent parts in the TV. This can eventually render your TV inoperable, and it could be a safety issue.

Sony USA has an extended warranty alert for the problem, and, on March 25, 2010, they extended this warranty a second time (for an additional year). It is now set to expire on March 31st, 2011:

Limited Extended Warranty for Certain 2003 and 2004 Televisions Exhibiting Warping of the Lamp Access Door And Sony Canada has an offer alert for the problem:

Notice for 2003 and 2004 Model Year Grand WEGA™ Televisions I recommend that all owners periodically take a look at their lamp doors (go through the procedure you would do to replace the lamp without actually unplugging it). If there is any sign of warping, melting, scorching, cracking, etc. on the lamp door itself or any surrounding parts, you should report it to Sony before the deadline expires. It may already have happened, but you are unaware of it.

If you find evidence of the problem, and you are concerned that there is a potential safety issue, please file an Incident Report with the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

In the US, I recommend insisting that Sony replaces your TV with one of EQUIVALENT SIZE and FEATURES WITHOUT CHARGE. Cite the following information (I am not an attorney, so this is legal information--not legal advice...consult an attorney for the latter):

The federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (Title 15 of the United States Code, Sections 2301-2312) states the following.

Section 2304(a)(1): "{S}uch warrantor must as a minimum remedy such consumer product within a reasonable time and without charge, in the case of a defect, malfunction, or failure to conform with such written warranty..."

Section 2301(11): "The term 'replacement' means furnishing a new consumer product which is identical or reasonably equivalent to the warranted consumer product."

Section 2304(d): "Remedy without charge. For purposes of this section and of section 2302(c) of this title, the term 'without charge' means that the warrantor may not assess the consumer for any costs the warrantor or his representatives incur in connection with the required remedy of a warranted consumer product..."

Section 2304(a)(4): "{I}f the product (or a component part thereof) contains a defect or malfunction after a reasonable number of attempts by the warrantor to remedy defects or malfunctions in such product, such warrantor must permit the consumer to elect either a refund for, or replacement without charge of, such product or part (as the case may be)..."

Here are links to Sony's original Limited Warranties:

WE610 and WE655
WE620
XBR950 Also note that, if your model number is listed, it is covered, even if it was manufactured and/or purchased in a different year than its model year.

See my Sony TV problems web site (link in my signature below) for additional details.

I called Sony on Friday about the lamp door issue,a tech is coming out on the 1st..........I have 2 42WE655's
one has a melted lamp door,as a matter of fact it also has a damaged ballast from the heat(I wonder if that will be replaced too),I haven't used the tv since January because it smells like burning plastic and the OB is shot(OB is shot on both sets). I was going to just throw it out but since Sony doesn't want to treat me fairly on these two sets I guess I'll let them sink some money into it needlessly as I will never use it again,I feel is a fire hazard
The only thing I had asked them to do is give me the same "deal" that is offered to the XBR1 owners since I spent just as much or more on my 2 sets but they won't budge....I hope the repairman charges them at least $500
meanwhile my JVC HD-ILA sets still rocks as does my Panny plasma
never never never again Sony!

Jeffs386, if one of your TVs has the melting problem, Sony should fix it for free. If part of the lamp ballast was also damaged due to the excessive heat from the lamp, Sony should also replace that: "Sony will repair the lamp access door and any other components damaged as a result at no charge for any of the covered televisions."

If Sony is unwilling or unable to conduct the repair on your TV with the melted parts, based on warranty laws, they should replace it with a comparable TV free of charge (see my post above).

And, if you have not already done so, you should file an Incident Report with the CPSC, as you feel it could be a safety hazard (see the link in my above post). If they get enough reports and find the situation to be a safety problem, they could compel Sony to issue a true recall that actively informs all customers, rather than the current notice hidden on their web site.

I will file an incident report tomorrow morning
as far as the repair goes I'm going to ask the repairman to fix the ballast,the lamp door and might even try to get a new lamp,I bet there are other melted parts inside the set I haven't looked.......the funny part is all I asked Sony to do was sell me the 46"nx set for $280 instead of $780,they refused but they will sink money into a worthless WE655
I just don't get it

BTW I have a N.O.S optical block for a 42WE655 if anybody is interested in buying

My 6 1/2 year old GWIII KF-50WE610 finally died. The colors(mostly pink spots all over and a large blue streak) went all crazy which means the Optical Block went bad. The TV repair place said the repair would have cost well over $1,000 and the extended warranty people said that's too much and they won't pay so I'm expecting a call from them. 'Let's make a deal' time.

I'm betting the extended warranty company contacted Sony and Sony said don't bother fixing it. Because of all the problems with this model I get the feeling Sony just wants these models to go away.

BUT except for a couple of lamp replacements this particular set was a good set.

I tried today and there is no deal offered for a 60" replaccement, so if you have a 60" and it goes bad the best you can do is a 55". I'd rather pay $300-$400 more and go up to 65 or 73" Mits.

I have a KF-50WE610 which has given me no problems for the 5 or 6 years I have had it - haven't even had to replace a bulb. A day or so ago I turned it on only to be confronted by black & white snow and a "No Signal" display. Changing the source units (Cable, DVD) or the cable connections (Component, HDMI to DVI) makes no difference. Can anyone here suggest the cause?

It doesn't seem to be one of the usual problems these models suffer from ...

John Breton, not affiliated with Mr TV, I am located in Haddam, CT. I do repairs on Sony Grand Wega optical blocks/ Light engines. I say this because many people have been directed somehow to MR TV. I can be reached at cabledude0461@yahoo.com. Im not trying to advertize, im trying to correct a problem for anyone trying to get their part repaired and have found the wrong path. Thanks, John

My 42we610 bit the dust last Friday. The lamp might have blown. It was fading in and out without any sound. It also needed a cleaning as the smudges were starting to accumulate. It was very good for its day, but the Sony 52ex700 is a noticable improvement.
I'd like to thank the contributors of this thread for their knowledge and help they have given me over the years.

That sound's like what happened to my 50.

I bought a 60" LCD to replace it in my family room and then took it completely apart, cleaned the optical unit, replaced the lamp, blew out all the accumulated dust, cleaned the reflective mirrors, etc etc. And now it plays like new.

Cost me about $100 and some personal labor time and now it sits in my bedroom in place of an older 32" tube tv that I gave to my son.

Money well spent.

After 7 years of faithful service and only one bulb change, my 2003 Sony KF42WE610 started having a severe color shift, where the entire screen looked like red was pushed up all the way. The problem was intermittent, but eventually happened every time we turned on the tv.
I was just going to chalk it up to the risks of trying a new technology - besides, new 42" tvs are not that expensive nowadays. Luckily, I did some web research beforehand and discovered it was a known issue and Sony was offering help, even well beyond an expired warranty.
Here is the web page outlining the issues (it has been posted here before). Interestingly, my particular issue is not detailed.
http://sites.google.com/site/sonylcdrptvproblems/#TOC

Below is the offer I received after contacting Sony. Understandably, others are very upset, especially those with larger screens (and therefore more expensive replacement costs). Personally, I was thrilled as I was expecting nothing and wanted to upgrade anyway. As this is a secondary display for the kids, I went with the 46". Sony gave me no hassle at all, as soon as I explained the issue and said "optical block problem", all I had to do was send in the serial # sticker from the back and a picture of my tv displaying the problem.

Thank you for contacting the Sony Exchange Dept.,

As discussed, we provided you an offer to replace your television.

KDL52NX800 $1175.00 + local sales tax
KDL55EX500 $825.00 + local sales tax
KDL46EX700 $550.00 + local sales tax
KDL40EX500 $275.00 + local sales tax

If you decide to accept the offer, please contact Sony at 888-993-7669 within 1 week.


Hopefully, other owners who are having problems will contact Sony first.

Wow, thanks to everyone on this thread for posting your experience with this issue. It has helped me upgrade via Sony's support. I bought the KDF-42WE655 in 2005 and it is now exhibiting the optical block blue dot and swirly hue issue. Using the info on this thread I received the following offer from Sony. Hope this helps others out there with the same craptastic quality control issue.

-----------------------------------------------------
Thank you for contacting the Sony Exchange Dept.,

As discussed, we provided you an offer to replace your television.

KDL52NX800 $975.00 + local sales tax
KDL55EX500 $625.00 + local sales tax
KDL46EX700 $350.00 + local sales tax
KDL40EX500 $75.00 + local sales tax

If you decide to accept the offer, please contact Sony at 888-993-7669 within 1 week.
-----------------------------------------------------

Just for everyone's FYI, I have to take a picture of the TV showing clearly the malfunction with an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper with the serial and offer number from Sony taped to the bottom of the TV clearly visible. Have to send that along with another piece of paper with the offer number and the tag from the back of the TV attached to a Florida address. Once they receive it, they will place my order (I had to give them a credit card number and shipping address). No charge is made until the paperwork is received and approved.

You should also check for the lamp overheating/melting issue, as this is another known defect in your WE655 model that is still under warranty. If you have it, it could further improve your offers, including a free comparable replacement TV.

I'll have to pry into it and see. Amazingly enough I've never had to change the bulb in this thing.

I've been out of the loop for a while because I haven't had any issues with my 42WE610. It still works fine. Now after catching up on recent posts here, I'm a little nervous since it sounds like my set will inevitably melt down/fail. I don't watch it as often as most--usually a movie a week (plus a game or two during football season). I probably haven't had it on long enough to induce the issues the rest of you had or melt anything.

Since the "secret extended warranty" is only good for a few more months, I'm wondering if I shouldn't leave it on for a week straight (or longer?) so that if it fails it will be during the warranty period. I'm afraid if I don't accelerate the issue, it will die just past the warranty extension and I'll be SOL.

The secret extended warranty on the WE610 models expired back in June of 2008.

Understood. I was thinking of the lamp overheating issue which I thought was covered until March of next year.

Oh, sorry, you're absolutely correct. The overheating issue secret warranty does not expire until next March. Since you mentioned leaving it on continuously for a week, I thought you misinterpreted the August expiration of another set of optical block secret extended warranties on other models. My bad.

I have a kdf60xbr950 manufacturer date of November 2004. I have taken the block out about 15 times in hopes of figuring out the issue. I found that is you take the lid off case you will hear all the mirrors drop. I felt that I had just lost all the convergence. However to my surprise i had not. If you leave the screws that are set in place,that are covered in red glue type stuff all will be fine during reassemble.

My question is “ WHY HAS NO ONE FOUND A PLACE TO BUY THE Mirrors. Its 2010 and I have spent over 6 hours online looking for a source and there is no one making theses things. I can see that the first mirror from the light source is starting to bleach a little. Thue giving me a little discoloration.

My questions.
Do either John the cabledude from CT or Tri State in Indiana replace the Mirrors that are bleached during the rebuild?

Has anyone replaced a bad LCD panel if so what is the cost? I have a pattern on the LCD with the part number lcx043and4 GR This has been with the tv since i bought it on ebay in 2007.


On a separate note I took the Sony offer of $425 for a new Ex50 which is a 55 inch. My TV did not have the Warped door issue. They replaced it on the bad block alone.

DJART

How did you go about getting them to offer you the EX500 55 for $425?

I called the sony number and told them I had a KDf60xbr950 with color issues and wanted options to get the set repaired and was wondering what sony was doing to repair the set I paid over $5000 for just 5 years back. He then asked me about the TV if I had done any work on the set. I said no. Then he wanted to know its purch date. He then said that sony cared about customer service and that they where not offering repair for the set. He then offered me 4 options.

I took the one that my wife would not like, thus the set is still sitting behind my desk. the offers where 46 for $125 a 52 with internet for $750 and a 55 for $425.

The 55 I took, I did see at target and I have to say it does not even come close to the picture quality of the 2004 xbr. I can not believe people are happy with the quality of picture that the large LCD have. I'm speaking of SD playback which is in fact still over 50% of the programing in any household watches. When will the up-converting get better!! WHEN!!

I think the most important thing to do on your call is to be polite while showing disappointment that you spent $5k on a set that only lasted 5 years.

I was offered the 55ex500 for $825 (plus tax) under the optical upgrade program, for my KF-50WE610, which is a little older. It "only" cost me $3500! Although it seems like a good price for a new 55", it's not that great a deal. It's been reported that they are now selling in the $1200/$1300 price range.

Technically, it's not the "mirrors" that go bad, and it is unlikely that lenses close to the lamp contribute much to the problem. It is typically the input polarizer filter in the blue light path (orange in color) and the blue LCD panel that are the problems. John Breton (CT) and Tri-State Module (IN) are able to replace these parts, but they are not sharing the sources. They charge $200 and $300, respectively for the rebuild.

Replacing an LCD panel requires that precise convergence adjustments are made, which apparently necessitates special equipment, so you may not be able to do the replacement yourself anyway.