Hacking Will Nintendo repair accidently damaged consoles?

[Harsky]

At work today and my colleage brought in a DSlite that he bought from Play Asia a year ago but spilt coke on it. He managed to clean everything up as possible but unfortunately when turning it on it flashes a white screen for a second then switches off.

I have no skills to open it up to have a look inside to try and fix and so the only thing I suggested was, "how about if I try and send it to Nintendo?"

Now, will Nintendo bother repairing import DSlites even though on the Nintendo Repair Centre site it had an option for "non-european" DSlites but the downside is that it involves having to send emails instead of the usual way. Also, is proof of purchase still essential to getting it fixed or will I get charged a lot for it to get fixed?

 

[Kittymat]

A lot of sites will repair it in the Uk - including Nintendo - but be prepared for a big bill £50 + P&P is a usual figure. As it is liquid damaged most will just change the board. May be worth selling on eBay, list as suffering from liquid spill, inc as much info as possible flashing screen etc should make £30-40 + P&P and then get another

 

[kevenka]

Well...I am pretty sure they'll fix it, but warrenty probably won't cover it. (they'll ask for the serial code for proof of purchase). Now, as to what I suggest, check how much it costs to fix it and compare it to how much it cost for a new one instead aswell.

 

[zidane_genome]

Was it ever registered?

Go to the Nintendo website, and try typing in the serial number to see if it's in warranty, or call their toll free number (not sure what the equivalent of 1-800 is in Europe), and ask a rep to see if it's still in warranty status.

If all else fails, you'll have to buy new screens and replace them yourself, which isn't really that hard.

 

[Lily]

They will fix it, but at your expense -- even if it's not a Euro DS.

The fixing usually involves receiving your old unit, and sending you another one (same type & colour). Rarely do they replace the parts in your own machine and send it back -- they usually only do that when they don't have an equal unit available to send out right away.

If your DS is under warranty, that warranty still doesn't cover accidental damage.

Now, don't spill coke on your DS in the future!

 

[kobykaan]

They will know when its opened like all hardware /pcb boards they have tiny stickers on them that change color (White to Red) when in contact with water this is how they can tell!

same thing with mobile phones and mp3 playersetc if its been soaked or got really wet the stickers will change and often result in them refusing repair under warrenty!

 

[Harsky]

Just checked the website for repair price list that Nintendo charges. £30-£60 is the region but I don't think that any amount of lying would help get this replaced if they do find out with the stickers if it got water damaged