Out Of Warranty G1S, Black Screen

My G1S went from perfect to black screen overnight. It won't light up an external display either but I don't know if that's because the bios gets angry first or not.

Two questions,

1.) If you've paid for out of warranty GPU/mobo replacement on a G1S what did it set you back.

2.) Is popping the back of the display off simple? I took the bottom as far apart as I could hoping to get a peek at the board but the base seems attached in more ways than I'd imagined.

Thanks,

Frank
One Time Satisfied Asus Customer

 

Unfortunately I think you're a victim of the faulty 8600M series. This is a common problem with the G1S and it is normally covered by warranty. If it is a faulty GPU you will need a motherboard replacement as the GPU in the G1S is not replaceable.

You can order replacement motherboards from the Asus e-Store I think.

http://estore.asus.com/shop/category.asp?catid=551

It doesn't look like that have the motherboard listed anymore. I would try to contact Asus.

Here is a link to a blog which details how to remove the motherboard from the chasis

http://serialize.wordpress.com/2008/06/21/asus-g1s-cpu-gpu-and-arctic-silver-5/

 

I heard of people out of warranty who asked nicely to replace, and asus did it for free...

You can always try

 

Frank - Hello and welcome to the forum! Sorry to hear about your troubles.

Reseller BTOTech.com does good quality out-of-warranty Asus repair. You should be able to check with him via PM/IM/Phone about price estimates.

 

Negz: Thanks for the info. I just used the contact form to ask about ordering a part.

simonov: I called the day after it happened but was told that I was out of luck by asus customer service

clearskies: I sent an email to btotech asking for an estimate. I do a fair amount of computer work myself and would not be afraid to take the notebook apart and replace the board myself if I could just lay hands on one. For claiming to not have a problem with the board Asus sure doesn't seem to have any extras laying around.

 

G1S was launch on May 2007 so it should be still under warranty.

 

wasnt it januari 2007? and its only 2 years if you registered online...

 

OP, I think my problem is similar to yours. Have you solved it?

 

It was May 23rd 2007 when we received the very first shipment and performance review on May 24th 2007:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=125246

And Asus warranty go by customers invoice date.

 

I have the same problem. Mine however works every now and then, once a few days it stops working I wait a few days and it works again. I'm typing on it right now. I don't get it either, but I already requested an RMA (mine's still in warranty) so.. I'll let you know if something changes.

 

I bought it at Best Buy and the sticker on the bottom says 12 month warranty.

I took the laptop apart tonight down to the motherboard and there is almost no thermal paste between the GPU and the heatsink, it's almost all pressed out around the edges. I'd say 25% of the chip had any still on it.

Still black screen after reassembly even with no visible signs of heat damage. need to find my allen wrench set to double check the screen connection.

 

I'm currently talking with the estore about buying a board. Unfortunately there is a 48 hour turnaround on each message. Looks like 96 on this one since nothing is here yet and the weekend is upon us.

 

5 days of waiting and I get:

Dear Frank,

I am very sorry I have not responded to you sooner.

I did receive your past two emails. And I have forwarded them to my warehouse/service manager. As I do need further assistance to push our HQ to produce more of this more, or provide an alternative solution.
Currently, they are recommending every to utilize the warranty and send the Notebook in. However, for out of warranty products, there is no alternative.

In the event, our only option is to send the product in, there will be an out of warranty charge as well as labor cost. I hope this is not the case, but this may be the only alternative to repair your G1S.


Best regards,
Amada Reyes
ASUS Online Estore - CSR

And then:

Dear Frank,

I have spoke to the RMA supervisor about your out of warranty terms.

Regretfully, until your unit is received, they will not be able to provide a quote for the repair service.

You will also have to pay shipping both ways on your Notebook.

I have started a case about the issue: 300062. Please feel free to reach ASUS Notebook RMA team to issue and RMA and send your unit it.


Best regards,
Amada Reyes
ASUS Online Estore - CSR

 

And the last two messages:

From me:

I have to say that really disappoints me. The worst part about it is that had I bought this unit at any outlet other than Best Buy it would still be under warranty. If it were your laptop would you pay to have it shipped somewhere with no idea how much it would cost to repair. A third party provider was able to offer me an estimate in advance of $450, why can't you guys at least offer me some idea of cost?


From Asus:

I really can't say that I don't sympathize with you. Because I really do believe if warranty is over, we should still help support our products as much as we can with the least amount spent by the consumer.

I can at least provide the price we have the board quoted to: $ 350.00. This can give you an idea of a rough estimate. I am not quite sure if this is sufficient enough. But if you do have any other questions on the turn around or process. Please feel free to contact ASUS RMA team for assistance.

Please do also provide the case number # 300062 I created for you.

I am very sorry I could not be of further assistance. I have also informed out tech team to not refer any more customers to the eStore.

Currently our only resolution is for RMA.

 

Apparently the issue is large enough that they can't spare even a single motherboard for non warranty repairs but not large enough to issue a recall.

 

That is unfortunate. Asus has not done the right thing here imo. I'm sure they know that this is a common fault with the G1S lineup and highly likely caused by the faulty nVidia GPU's. The fault is probably exacerbated by the badly designed heat management system in the G1S.

 

Blargh I know how you feel. My Dell m1330 (w/ 8400m) died in the exact same way due to the faulty GPU. Interestingly, I vented on the Direct2Dell blog, and they emailed me to ask me more about the problem. However, they didn't really do anything about it after that, so I had to suck it up and get a new lappy.

 

Contact the Asus estore by email will probably get you the slowest response time. I'd suggest you calling Asus's technical support hotline (510-739-3777 ext. 5110) and ask to speak to the manager directly regarding your issue.