How durable are Sony Vaio notebooks?

Mine only lasted about 2 1/2 years

 

my experience is not very, at least on the pricier, lighter models. I had an SZ and I had it repaired at least six times in three years, and then it broke again (screen damage) from a light jolt (still held in my hand) against a kitchen counter.

My Z Series I've had for one year and have had two warranty repairs and now it's broken due to accidental damage.

I think you need to price a three year warranty AND accidental damage cover into the cost of buying one of these things.

If you buy a heavier, more clunky laptop, they are more durable.

 

The SZ160 in my sig lasted me about 1 1/2 yrs before the cam died, then the USB ports, then wireless.

Even though I love and still use the SZ (as my DL machine on the network via Ethernet cable for file transfer) I would have to say it was a delicate flower (^_^). Not only did I have probs with hardware but software also. It was a pain in the booty to do clean install getting drivers to work properly compared to other machines I've had in the past. Despite these pitfalls the flagship VAIO computers always have what I want and need so I keep cuming back for more.

I just hope my new Z last much longer than 2-3yrs. For the 1st time ever I got a 3 yr warranty this time. So far so great, but I've only had it for 4 months now.

I hope they become bomb proof eventually at the military spec level like the Panasonic Toughbooks I work with.

 

Maybe this indicates you're just to rough on your laptops.
Ive owned 8 laptops over the last 5 years and I've only had physical damage once, irrespective of the build quality.

 

Which one would last longer? Z series or E series?

 

I think the Z should last longer.

 

I don't get that "how long will it last" stuff. You can never know in advance which electric parts fail after what amount of time. With the faulty nvidia chips (can be found as sticky in this forum), even expensive, top line Macs died massively. Other than that, I agree in quality facts like hinges. I saw some very cheap laptops with screen issues due to breaking display cables which are bending in the hinges when opening or closing the laptop. How a Z or an E is behaving there, you never know.

In all other respects, certainly there are differences of the build and material quality (casing etc). But however - it just depends on how you care when handling the device. A cheap plastic case won't break or crack sooner than a solid aluminium case when you handle it with care.

 

I forgot to add that I was a victim of the mouse pad/grounding issue where the pointer would go crazy/not respond on the SZ. I had to do that electrical tape mod which help a lot but not acceptable IMO because it's a vital part of the interface.

 

I've had my FW for about 2 years and 4 months and *knock on wood... still running like brand new. Except for some fading on the palm-rest and few scratches here and there, looks fine as well.. no broken or loose barrel here.

I had to take it twice to repairs in the first year under warranty. Once, I had to get my screen replaced, factory defect... The second time, my right click button stopped working, they repaired it (they didn't replace it though) and works fine now though I do use a mouse most of the time.

Considering the heavy usage of the laptop, I expect the hard-drive to fail within the next year but I backup my data about once every other month to make sure.

 

Let's see...
I have a X505SX
It's 10 years old, runs fine (I've owned it for 9). I replaced the HD (bigger faster), and after my brother bounced it around in an ambulance for a few weeks recently, it needs another and it has gone through one factory battery and an aftermarket. It has been dropped onto pavement once or twice protected by a thin fabric only, all that required was a $5 peice of plastic from Ebay.

I have a V505BCK,
Currently 7 years old. I gave this to my mom after I upgraded. I bought it missing the battery and HD. I have had it for 5 years and replaced the battery a second time (both were aftermarket). She uses it almost daily for surfing and such. It too was dropped onto pavement, but with no visible damage of any kind.

My current is an SZ,
It's now 3 years old approximately. It spent several months or more as a demo unit at Best Buy. It too was dropped onto pavement (twice). It suffered a dent in the base, which I managed to pull back out (it was on the pcmcia slot) and damaged a bit of side trim.


All have had OS, hard drive, memory upgrades and wireless upgrades. While all HD's have been replaced (soem more than once), only one drive actually failed and it was abused. I'm very careful with my laptops, but they still get knocked off desks and dropped. I put a lot of miles on them going from office to office and traveling on occasion. All 3 have been halfway across the country more than one on planes and in cars, I would say probably 30k miles for the Z505, 40k for the V505, and 20k for the SZ with 90% of that being in cars locally. So lots of time being carried from place to place and being used there.


Compare that to the random HP, Dell, Gateway and Compaqs I have inherited and worked on for customers... The Sony's look new, the others, look ancient due to wear and abuse. Many are broken, need new mainboards, power packs, hard drives, etc. I may not like Sony's support, or policies, but they do make good laptops.

Buy light, buy thin, buy upper end and treat it well, works for me.

The Z
I'm not sure it's even fair to compare the two really.

The E series is low end for a Sony, which is still better than mid grade for some companies, but still low end for Sony. The Z is considered one of the highest and best in the industry.

 

how come so many people voted for 5+ years

 

So many? 3 people?

Wishful thinking? I bet that at least one of those three who voted 5+ hasn't had their Vaio for long, but think it will last that long. In which case they have no business voting at all.

Or have a Vaio they used for two years, replaced it, and it has now spent several years in a closet not being used, and not realizing that this counts as two years, not five+.

 

I voted 4-5 years, though I had to sent my old S4 for repair every year since year 1.

I got my S4 in 2005; had 4 fan-related problems (2006-2009), 1 HDD failure (2010). Actually, it could be used for another 2 years or more if I could find a part for fan replacement. Last time I sent my S4 for service (Jan 2010), Sony told me that they no longer have repair parts for my model. The fan that they replaced for me in 2009 was the last one they had (They had to ordered from Sony Singapore).