Vaio Z screen did something strange last night....should I return?

Hi everyone,

I purchased a Vaio Z about 2 weeks ago. Last night, I brought the notebook out of standby and after a few minutes of working with it, I noticed a vertical region on the right side of the screen that would dim and comeback on again, just like you see with florescent lights when they are faulty. There was no specific pattern to it, just random. I turned the notebook on and off, and the problem seems to be gone. I was wondering if anyone has ever had this problem before or know what it is.

Thank you in advance

 

The LED backlight array is probably faulty. I had the same issue occur on the Z that I bought from Costco, except mine started on the left and eventually burnt out completely. Contact tech support and they'll arrange for either onsite repair or for you to ship the unit to Sony for service.

 

I got mine from costco too. how long did it take for it completely crap out?

 

It went completely black within 24 hours, but would light back up on a sporadic basis...I think it's just a short.

I considered asking Costco to take it back and send me a replacement, but it appears that they no long have that laptop in their inventory...not surprising, given the low price.

 

yeah, costcos price was outstanding!
Did you already get the problem resolved? How long did it take sony to fix it?

 

Oh, by the way...The Costco Z is eligible for the free win 7 upgrade, even though the Sony website suggests otherwise. I had a conversation with one of their second line support people; and he was able to confirm eligibility and set me up to receive it after it's released.

 

Did you already get the problem resolved? How long did it take sony to fix it?

Not yet. I received the laptop on Tuesday and Fedex'd it out to Sony this morning. They quote a 9 to 14 business day turnaround, but suggested that I would likely get it back before then.

If your schedule allows it, opt for onsite repair instead of sending it back.

 

excellent! I chatted online with one of the sony tech people, and he said they can't confirm it until its released. I guess you have to get lucky with who you talk to. Thanks for the tip!

 

is onsite free?

 

is onsite free?

Yes, it's part of the standard warranty. The catch is that they're available only during the week, so you'll have to meet them somewhere (home, work, etc.) so they can perform the fix. I was told that it takes about 30 minutes to do the work.

 

thanks for your help man, you answered all my questions and then some much props

 

Thanks for the info. Didn't know that Sony is now providing free on-site repair with the standard warranty. That's really good of Sony to do that.

 

Just an update, its been about 36 hours and the problem has not come back. One thing though that I would like to add, right before the the problem with the screen occurred, I put the laptop, while it was asleep, in a new sleeve that I had just purchased. It was an "Incase" sleeve made for 13in macbooks. It was kinda of a tight fit, and the interior of the case is lined with a faux fur material. I wonder if the tight fit and the furry material caused static electricity buildup which caused the problem. I returned the case so I can't recreate that scenario.

Cheers!

 

uci2ci, it's great to read that you've got your issue resolved. Congrats on your Vaio Z purchase & enjoy your notebook.