TV repair

[x9200]

My 32" Sony Bravia shamelessly died after 5y of sporadic use. The set switches on but the screen remains black so it could be the lamp or something completely different. Knowing more than well the approach of big companies to fix their products I am not going even to waste my time calling Sony (esp. Sony). Does the specie of TV repairmen do still exist or it is already extinct? I can buy a brand new 32" Toshiba (probably comparable to that Sony) for ~$S350 so I am not sure whether it is worth to bother...

[Strong Eagle]

I think your best bet is the Sony repair depot. Anyone else will have to go to Sony for parts and I think the labor rates are competitive. That has been my experience with Panasonic, Altec Lansing.

[x9200]

I have only experience with Sony service for their laptops repair and their charge or used to a $150 fee just to open the case. I would expect exactly the same for the TV but I could be wrong. What I was hoping for was some small family workshop using also cannibalized parts. Labor rates are a bit strange in Singapore. I.e. motorbike mechanics are paid rather cheaply and I don't think the job they do is any less complicated than of a repairman in an authorized CE repair centre. The only difference is they are not educated.

[carteki]

The only difference is they are not educated.

Not necessarily - it could be that they're not authorised (back home a number of "unauth" mechanics started out working for the dealerships before they went alone.

[x9200]

Yep, I agree but this is what I also meant under the education - they need some kind of certification/training to be authorized.

[BillyB]

If it doesn't work after you give it a good wallop, it could be time to let it retire and get a new one. 5 years is a good shelf life these days!!

It's not like the old days when electronics used to work for 15-20 years......