What can you change to not void ensemble warranty?

Exactly like the title says...can I change ram, hd? Say if i were to get a W7J in the near future...

 

Definitely RAM - only caveat is that you will need to swap back the factory config before you send it back in for repair.

There's not a sticker on the HD, so it's possible to do the same, but the warranty does say that modifying the HD voids the warranty.

All that said, at least one poster on the forum said he sent his in with both customized and they still fixed his computer.

 

If you're asking the question.. honestly, you shouldn't do anything. You can do anything you want to it short of removing the cpu or the wireless card, becasue both have warranty stickers on them.

However, here's what you have to deal with.... Asus only wants original parts in the system if it ever comes in for warranty repair (those are the stock specs for model number).... You can change the hard drive, you can change the ram, you can .... well there isn't much more you really can do.. but lets just say you're doing that... As long as your installation of these parts don't short out the computer or physically damage it.... you're good. If you do somehow ruin it, it's on your own bill.

Here is why we won't customize these systems in any way - at least at this time..... if you order say extra ram with your system, it's obviously very easy for us to install it for you. If we install it though, we have to list it as such on your invoice.... leagally we have to.. we did it, you didn't install it. That note right there tells Asus there was a mod made and it becomes our warranty to support - because Asus can void it right then and there..... We're working with them on these stupid issues, but Taiwan needs to approve everything......... It's really a joke in many cases, but basically to pay for the warranty regardless and then void it..... and to have a dealer cover it for you with out them making that extra warranty money is ridiculous for anyone to do. It would be one thing if Asus gave us a kickback if we were to customize the unit and therefore cover the warranty......... that way there's money there to actually back the warranty.... you can only survive so long without it and Asus certainly doesn't need the extra money..

.. the moral of the story is..... Asus wants a stock unit to warranty.... if you're remotely handy and feel safe working around your computer.... it's fairly straight forward and safe. It comes down to if they find a problem and can link that problem to something you did..... if you sent the notebook in becasue the hard drive died and you just upgraded your ram and even say you did your cpu..... they're not even looking at that and they'll replace the hard drive for you. It's really an open book if you think about it... it's nothing to worry too much about... just figure it this way... if you screw up your notebook, don't look to anyone but yourself to pay to fix it. If you can't swallow that, you shouldn't be touching your computer..... it's like modifying a new car under warranty...

 

I just got my new ASUS and was reading the manual (really!). Anyway, it says in there,

Pg 15
"WARNING! End-user removal of the CPU or hard disk drive will void the warranty."

It also says,
"The memory comparment provides expansion capabilities for additional memory. Additional memory will increase application performance by decreasing hard disk access....Visit an authorized service center or retailer for information on memory upgrades for your Notebook PC. Only purchase expansion modules from authorized retailers of this Notebook PC to ensure maximum compatibiliby and reliability."

I upgraded my RAM with an extra stick. I would think that you could take it out before getting it serviced. I would err on the side of caution however. I am certainly no expert in this like ProPortable, but even the manual seems to suggest an upgrade of RAM is not only ok but helpful.

 

Eh...that was the only thing I liked about my dell...I could have modded anything in my dell, call in and say my keyboard was busted wth a key broken and they'd ship it out for me to install myself. Also had to compltely take the computer apart to install the fan on the mobo. I guess if i did get an asus, i'll take out the drive for a 7200 but put the old one back in if warranty was required.

Thanks! I don't plan on changing anything else...

 

Let me explain something.... you mod your dell and they'll void your warranty quicker than anyone...... seriously, Asus is no different. The terms for which the warranty would be voided are basically a standard across the industry.... how you read them may be different, but it's almost not a topic worthy of conversation, because the legal terms are all the same....... whether or not doing what you did will void the warranty is going to be on a case by case basis and only if it was your mod that ruined the system.....

 

As soon as I get my Asus, I'm putting in a faster HD, and putting the slower stock Asus one in my external USB case. Then, If I ever need to use the warranty, I will put the HD back in the Asus. Same with RAM, if I eve need to upgrade to 2GB's then I'll do that too. Just be sure to keep the old RAM / HD and NOT sell it off. And in the future, I suppose upgrading the CPU to a Core Duo 2 will void your warranty. Thats kind of scary, for all of us that want to upgrade in the future.

 

^ yup i agree, but many will be upgrading to Merom after the warranty i complete/gone, plus you can take advantage of more price drops over 1 year, since Merom will so much now, and then cheaper in a years time.

You get it, plus there's no real purpose to upgrade to Merom right now, since there are no 64bit programs that you really need, plus the 20% boost in performance is the only thing we can really use now. Even that you can wait 1 year to buy merom and get that boost.

So that's why i think its more ideal to just wait till your warranty i done, and then move to merom when you feel your ready


Thanks,

MysticGolem

 

Jason's comment really hit's this right on the nose..... do what he's suggesting and you'll guarentee your warranty (granted you don't have butter fingers and screw your system up somehow while doing so - highly unlikely)....... and in terms of going 64bit.... I wouldn't do it right away... I'd wait a year at LEAST for a few reasons.

1. warranty
2. get real..... besides upgrading to a 64bit version of Vista - it's unlikely that you're going to have a need for 64bit software in the next year or more
3. price... cpu's are expensive and buying a $500-600 cpu a few months after you just bought your computer would be one of the dumbest things ever... unless you've got money to blow. In a year or more, that same cpu will be $150-200 and will give you a great and low cost way to really upgrade your computer then instead of buying a new one...

 

He was talking about their business warranty gold overnight or whatever they charge extra for. They will crosship whatever parts you desire if you have purchased this warranty. You wont get any of that with their standard deal.

 

How does what you just said explain dell allowing you to modify your system? Are you talking about them cross shipping you hard drives when they die and having you install them without any warranty issue? If so - yeah it's cheaper for them to have you do that, but Asus would do the same thing. Typcially they wouldn't cross ship you anything without first holding a credit card number.... but with that extra warranty from dell, that effectivally holds money... you're just paying for that service ahead of time....

.. is that what you're saying, or are we on totally different pages?

 

Since this was mentioned as an option, I'd like to clearify something I'm pretty sure I already know.

If we were to take the factory installed hard drive out of anyone of these systems and use it as an external hard drive (because we upgraded/for warranty repair issues etc..)...would it still boot up like normal even if we end up filling it up with various files/data etc...?
Basically, as long as we don't touch any of the system files...we should be able to create a separate folder and put as much extra data in that as we like without affecting the drives ability to reboot apon re-installation right? I just want to be 100% sure, thanks

 

CC - I think most people who do this would probably format out that drive, but you do present a viable option...... if you're going to use it to save or backup data, you don't *need* to format it and you could just save things in a set folder........ as long as you do that, you could pop the other drive back in and send it in for repair......

 

On the same note as the original poster, can you overclock, say, the X1600 in the W3j without voiding the warranty as long as the clock speeds are at stock if it goes in for repair, or should that be avoided?

 

I'm happy if asus has the option to ship me a part to install myself. I'm just a little weary of service people with all my data on the drive in their service depot. I have a feeling they might just try to format the whole drive first as their first attempt to fix the problem.

 

This is usually the most common fix for most notebook manufacturers out there. They always suggest you backup ALL of your data before sending the notebook in for repair.

 

If you were going to change the HD and the ram would it still be logical to buy the extended warranty?

I am also wondering about Gobywan's question about overclocking the GPU using the different drivers. Would you have to reinstall the old drivers and return them to stock configurations?

 

I'm having trouble with the Intel 2915 wireless card in my W3V and so I was wondering, does the W3V have a sticker on the card that makes it so when you take the card out, the sticker breaks and the warranty is voided?

I REALLY want to replace this card with an Atheros wireless card so... can I just swap the Intel card back in after if I need to send it for warranty'd repairs?? (Like Jason said earlier this thread)

(This is a brand new laptop, so I pretty concerned about voiding my 2-year warranty!)