Black display on 1 week old SVZ

Hi

Today, I had my SVZ showing a web page. It was more or less idling and on battery. After a while, the screen went dark to save battery, but when I tried to wake it up again using the shift key, it didn't work. I tried the return button but nothing. I tried the power button to toggle sleep/unsleep, still dark. I pressed the power button for a few seconds to power off, and then power back on, black. I powered off and detached the battery for 10-15 minutes with no change.

Everything else works fine except the display. I'm typing this using an external VGA monitor.

I read in another thread about a driver problem causing something like this, but how do I light up the display again? Or is it dead?

 

If it shows the BIOS POST screen, it's probably a software / driver issue.

If not, try to read from your LCD in very bright light. If you can see something, the backlight does not work -> most probably the LED fuse is blown. In that case, you might want to have your machine replaced.

 

No BIOS POST screen, even after disabling fast BIOS startup. And I do see a faint ghost of the windows on the display, impossible to see the mouse cursor so it's not usable, but it verifies the blown fuse diagnosis. Thanks!

I'll call Sony when they open. Why would you say they need to replace it? Is it because it's so new or because it's hard to fix? I mean a fuse doesn't *sound* very hard to fix, but I'm not sure I've seen it anywhere on disassembly pics.

Again, thanks!

 

No, actually it is an easy fix (a new $0.10 fuse has to be soldered onto your motherboard) but I know sony, they will probably replace the entire motherboard. As it is very new, they might not have the motherboard replacement part on stock and it will take weeks. If you return your notebook and purchase a new one you *might* get a working machine faster. *This is just my personal opinion from what I have read in the forums in the last 1.5 yrs*

You can also fix it yourself, too. More info here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/622168-vpc-z13-lcd-panel-upgrade-big-problem-2.html#post8046137

 

I’m not familiar with consumer laws in Sweden. But in the UK, if the device is faulty within 21 days, the consumer have the right to ask for a replacement rather than waiting for the broken item to be repaired by the manufacture.

I’d ask either for a new machine ASAP, or a full refund so you can buy another one.

 

I had previously booked a repair but started to get a bad feeling, so I called again and spoke to a seemingly well-informed guy who said they need to exchange an inverter and some cable. He would also make sure the repair shop had the parts in store when it arrived so I'm still hoping they may keep their 5-8 work days return policy. We'll see.

And yes, I could probably return it with a full refund but it would take 2-3 weeks to get a new one. A repair in 5-8 work days *should* be faster.

 

Don't forget to make backups and wipe your disks if you have sensitive data on them.

A Z has LED backlighting so it does not have any inverter. Like I mentioned, it is most likely just a SMD fuse. I hope that they will fix it quickly, but it does not sound promising what he tells. Either they unsolder/solder a new fuse (unlikely, I guess most repair shops don't solder at all) or they have to exchange the whole $1000 motherboard. You will see if they really have a 3612QM motherboard on stock. Keep us informed.

BTW: Take pictures of your machine in case they scratch it - I have the feeling that the majority of Z owners that sent in their machine for repair got it back scratched or missing SSDs and stuff. Really crazy stories out there in the forums.

 

Ditto the 'take pictures' warning

 

Like pyr0 said, take photos! My Z13 came back after repair with a huge scratch on the top panel, right under the VAIO logo, I have polished that part so many times to get it look decent again. Also the keyboard ribbon was not hooked in so I had to open it up and connect it. So much for Sony support Sweden....

 

A little status update:

A UPS guy with a fitting box came monday (25/6) and fetched the SVZ.

3 days later (28/6), I got a mail and SMS saying that it had arrived, (to Prauge).

I called Sony this monday (2/7) and asked how the repair was going. I thought if they claim a 5-8 day return policy, and a one-way trip took 3 days, the repair must take max 2 days. But it turns out it's not a 5-8 days *return* policy, rather a 5-8 days *repair* policy and that was very badly explained to me before shipping it away. She also said they would exchange 3-4 parts, including the LCD but she didn't know what the others were.

Yesterday (3/7), she called me back and told me they were waiting for a cable which should arrive next monday (9/7). If all goes well after that, I should have it back sometime next week.

I did take photos and also the serial numbers of the SSD. I'll run some benchmarks when it comes back to verify it's as fast as it was.

 

Good. Crossing fingers that you will get it back in a good shape. If not, don't hesitate to complain.

 

Did UPS contact you before knocking on your door? I also need to send my to repair some uneven keys.

Hope you get your machine back soon and in good condition.

P.S. Why would you take a picture of serial numbers of the SSD.

Here is a part of email Sony Repair sent to me.

"We aim to return your computer within 5 working days from the time of collection, depending on part availability."

It looks to me the 5 days window start as soon as the UPS pick up the laptop.

 

I don't remember a call, but I could track the empty box on its way to me so I knew which day it would arrive beforehand.

I've read nasty stories about stolen SSDs in high-end laptops while on repair. :-/ Most people might not notice if the storage is slower, so if they exchange it for a slower/cheaper SSD, I'll have a good case against them.

You're absolutely right! Thanks for the heads up. I have that same email in Swedish and it leaves no room for interpretation. It's 5 days from collection to returned, not repair.

 

So did you receive an email from UPS with tracking number? I have not had any contact from them since booking a repair with Sony, and don't fancy stay home for 2 days wait for UPS to turn up.

I have the cheapest 2X64GB ssd in my machine, if some one at Sony repair want to exchanged for a higher spec version, I'd not mind. Joke aside, I'll save few ssd banckmark tests.

 

I can't find a mail with the numbers, but I did get it somehow. Probably SMS. If you haven't got any, you can probably ask Sony repair.

They're still pretty fast. Just open the Intel Rapid Storage app and hover over each device with the mouse pointer to show the numbers, then take a screen snapshot of each one.

I also called Sony repair again and .....ed (why can't I write b-i-t-c-h-e-d?? American double standards... ) about the return/repair policy discrepancy. I had to explain it 2-3 times before (I think) he understood what I meant. He would note my complaint in the records but I doubt anything will happen. I guess I would rather call Sony, because the repair service is handled by another company, so perhaps Sony thinks it's buying a 5 day return service, but they deliver a 5 day repair service.

 

Ep3...

Since the said the spare part would arrive Monday, I called Tuesday p.m. and asked what was going on. The part had arrived on Tuesday and they had installed it and were checking if it worked ok. I asked if I would get a message when they shipped it, and I would.

On Wednesday p.m. I called again and they were *still* checking it! I asked, rather agitated, why it took a whole day to check if it worked and if I got last in line after waiting for spare parts. She replied that she would escalate the issue.

This morning, I got an SMS stating it was ready and would ship with UPS. I also got a tracking ID and it would arrive in 1-2 days. With my usual luck, that's 2 days, i.e. Monday.

And just as I was writing this, she called again to tell me it was ready and on its way. I asked if she had any more info about the repair and she told me they had *also* changed the motherboard and updated the BIOS!?

So, if pyr0 is correct, it would probably have been sufficient to exchange the fuse and I would have had it back in 5 days. In-f---ing-competence!

 

No wonder that sony struggles with their low revenue. They are simply stupid and it's their own fault. I would enjoy buying the *broken* motherboard from the repair center for a few bucks and sell it on ebay for a grand.

Hope you get your laptop back in good shape, if not, let them fully refund you!

 

Got it back today. Filmed the unpacking in case I would find any visible scratches but it was clean. A plastic cover in the battery compartment was a bit loose, but I think it's supposed to be held down by the battery and the battery fitted nicely so I don't think it was a problem.

I had to edit the new BIOS to enable VT-x. I saw some setting about being able to emulate USB2 with the USB3 port that I didn't recognize, but I might have missed that before.

I can't find any problems at all. The SSD is as fast as before. The service protocol showed only MB changed and BIOS updated, but the LCD looked extremely new, so I think they changed that too. It seems strange they would first change it and then change it back.

All in all, a nice repair except it took them an obscenely long time to do it (14 work days). And they probably could have done it 2 in weeks shorter time if they knew what they were doing.