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By Blackwalt - Posted on 01 December 2009

So I found a repair guy...

When my Xbox 360 core died it was inches from the trash can. I had picked up the Halo 3 Special Edition Xbox 360 as a replacement and I didn't need the core anymore.

Once I discovered that it was no longer under the RROD extended warranty and MS wouldn't be fixing it for free it was all but done for. It wasn't worth $150 bucks for a backup, backup console. Essentially a LAN box that would sit in my Halo 3 Sling bag waiting for the next LAN party. Slap on my 360 HD and I am ready to go. Yes my LAN bag is already prepped with a controller, power supply, vga and HDMI cables, as well as network cables and a wireless adapter. I am prepped baby! Prepped!

However...

One quick web search to find out if a cheap repair was possible or even a do it yourself option.

Well. All sorts of possibilities. Google spat out thousands of options including much discussion of the different methods. The towel method was often debunked and many stated you should do it yourself. But all of them listed the Xbox 360 heatsink X clamps as the most common problem.

As for anyone local. Well, I found a guy who lived near Q-Bert. In the boonies. I could drop off and pick up my Xbox 360 core for a $40 repair. Hmmm... plus 60 minutes drive time. Pass. What else do we have?

Then I found the ad on the right. Xbox 360 Core repair based in the west end. For $50. Hey! I'm in the west end. But $50? Is it worth the extra $10 bucks to not drive for an hour? Let's find out where he is.

So I sent him an email. He sent back a list of quotes and procedures within 5 minutes. Okay, $50 looks good if he's close. Where is he? Another quick email and...

Holy crap that's close! Just the other side of the highway! Five minute drive door to door! Yes, I timed it.

So I dropped it off Sunday night and picked it up (working) Monday afternoon. I played Borderlands and Modern Warfare 2 for a couple of hours last night with no issues other than the normal Modern Warfare 2 severe glitchness.

So I now have a backup Xbox 360 core for a $50 repair cost. Two things to note. If he didn't fix it, I didn't have to pay anything and he offers a 30 day warranty.

He didn't rush me in and out. We spent a lot of time chatting about the Xbox and Xbox games as well as the repair procedure. He works out of his house which is obviously a family home and we spoke about our kids as well as gaming.

He did the repair fast and chatted about the different issues with my core. He was surprised at how clean it was inside, one of the heatsinks was actually warped and there were burn marks on the bottom plastic chassis. Not bad ones but they were there. He also put in a adapter that would automatically increase the fan speed if the Xbox got too hot.

Good work and fast.

Ha also suggested that I use the Core Console for the next week or so, at least for a hour a day (sorry Guba, but I have to play) to confirm that it is working and to have it fail, if it's going to, within the 30 day warranty period.

One other thing. He told me that it was a bad idea to have an Xbox 360 just sitting around in my LAN bag waiting to use it. Apparently the internal plastic will get (more) brittle if it isn't used regularly and become more prone to failure. He suggested using it at least once a month. Something I probably wouldn't have done if he hadn't mentioned it.

So I am happy with the repair, happy with the experience and will pass on his information to anyone else who has an RROD outside of warranty and doesn't mind spending $50 for a repair.

fungster88's picture

Does he repair other type of consoles?

Just wondering.

Blackwalt's picture

I know he does Wii firmware.

Not sure about Playstations. All my info on him is at home. Will check later.

Stormblade's picture

I might as well get this done as well.

I always wanted three XBoxes.

Coxxorz's picture

I only have three working ones.

fungster88's picture

Acutally, if you feel left out, you can leave one on 24/7.

BTW, I only has one Xbox and no RROD yet. No plan to get a backup one, unless it drops below $100 (everyday retail price and not some kind of Coxxorz's deal).

Coxxorz's picture

I was going to post about an Elite with 250GB hard drive for $99 on sale, but that clearly doesn't meet your criteria.

Actually, since my wife's nephew has been staying with us, one of them HAS been on 24/7.

Akuf's picture

Apparently the internal plastic will get (more) brittle if it isn't used regularly and become more prone to failure.

Could explain what happened to mine....who knew?!

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