Memory Failure on Sony Vaio PCG-GRX316SP (UK Model)

[gruuvebot]

Hi All,

My VAIO: Sony VAIO PCG-GRX316SP, 1.7 GHz Pentium M, 512 MB Ram

I have been noticing over time my Vaio getting slower/sluggish and some unusual 'minor errors' at boot up, and in the general the system being a little shaky.

Recently, I notcied that the system was reporting only 256MB of RAM ( !!!). More unfortunately my VAIO has passed its one year warranty.

I have tried reseating the memory modules, and I have also tried exchanging them from their original slots to see if there was a particular chip that was dead. But it boots up either way and reports 512MB ram.

I understand that their are other threads for the MP model, but I thought that I would start one for SPers.

Has anyone found a fix for this memory slot problem other than wedging something in between the cover and the chips? Sony Support is really expensive and often completely unhelpful. If anything it seems from all the posts that I have read that it may even be something engineered into the laptop - like the use of low quality solder or components for chip seats.

If you have any advice it would be much appreciated.

Damian

[e_scourboutis]

Dear troubled vaio owners,

I have owned a GRX316 MP for 20 months now. Worked really well but then started slowing down. After "restoring to origininally shipped state" I discovered that the problem was that the system recognised only half of the RAM [256MB]. Moving the modules around produced no results so I suspect I am one of the lucky ones with the faulty motherboard...

I am not sure what to do but I am obviously disappointed given that I payed dearly for the machine and intended to keep it.

So here are my questions to those who are knowledgeable:

1. Has there been any collective action to contact sony about the problem? I would gladly support such an endeavour, although realistically speaking it sounds optimistic that Sony would respond favourably.

2. Is it possible to use one 512MB module insted of two 256MB with the 316MP?

3. If indeed some sort of spacer is used to press the modules on their slots, even if it solves the problem does it not introduce cooling problems for the modules?

By the way, I have also occasionally observed this creepy red tint on the monitor during the first minute or so of operation and was horrified to discover that this could point to backlight problems.

When I bought my Vaio everybody said Sony's are unreliable. But I loved the spec [especially the monitor] and the design so I reached deep in my pocket. 20 months down the line with motherboard and potential monitor problems doesn't make me a happy bunny. A messy, accident prone friend has had a poor Toshiba for more than 5 years and it is running like new.

Thanks,
and Good Luck!

[kee-lo_]

Hi,

Yeah it's bad news, how they can sell a machine which doesn't perform before 2 years isn't right.

As for any legal action, don't think anyone's won in the States, nevermind Europe

[gruuvebot]

You might remember me as they guy who started this poll.

We'll I am back after a lot of talking with Sony about my PCG-GRX316MP and the memory failure problem.

I have finally had to give in to Sony and send my PCG-GRX316SP laptop away for repair in France. I called the eSupport hotline and spoke at length with a consultant and the call centre manager. I also sent emails away to customer service and management.

The outcome? I gotta pay. After much explaining to Sony that the failure of my laptop after 20-21 months is unsatisfactory,poor, crap (however you care to describe it) they said a number of things:

1. It's not our problem, you should have either extended your warranty or been more careful with your laptop
2. A laptop breaking after almost two years of use is totally acceptable
3. They do not acknowledge that any other users are having the same problem, and they do not acknowledge the exisitence of the complaints about this particular model on this website or others.

So I was left with the problem of: Do I try and find another motherboard and processor myself? Do I just bin the laptop and not be able to sell it on because it's broken? Or, do I take a deep breath and pay to get it fixed.

Well I have sent it off to get it fixed.

I also spoke to Consumer Affairs in England and they said that the case would be difficult to prove in my favour, and if I lost I would have to pay court costs if I took it to small claims or further. The motherboard is cheaper than a lawyer.

I am waiting for them to get back to me with the final price but they have quoted me from between £300 and £1000. They can take between 6-10 working days to notify you of how much it will cost once they receive the unit.

I will keep you posted on the final outcome when I receive my email from the repair centre this week.

The only thing I can recommend to all users who are still in warranty or considering buying a new Sony is that you absolutely must pay for the extra warranty cover. The price they gave me for a extended cover to three years was £189, but you cannot do this to an exisiting system that is out of warranty or has been repaired.

I am definitely shy of buying another laptop from Sony after this, and I would advise all to think very carefully about considering to purchase from them as parts and labour are extremely expensive with Sony and many models in their range seem to fail just or soon after warranty. Buyer beware.

Regards,

Damian

[kee-lo_]

Hi Damian

Thanks for letting us know the price - I know if they quoted me £1000 I would say no and get another brand of notebook - this is a disgrace.

20 months is no where near 2 years, so Sony's wrong there. Anyway 2 years isn't a very long time in notebook time really, I know people who go for an average of 3 years. This is again a cop out, and it's sickening, how the law can let them get away with charging extortonate prices for a repair of a unit which is it's third year of product lifespan is just cheeky to say the least. As Joe B would say "feels like I'm being bent over by Sony"

I guess if it was £300 then it would be a hell of a lot more reasonable, as you can't get a GRX316MP on eBay for that price, but a grand, nah, that's not on.

Well, hope it all goes well for you and everyone else.

[hindlek]

I have experienced the same problems with my laptop and sent it off to the European repair centre. I received a quote to replace the processor for my PCG-GRX416SP for £750+ VAT. I too have spent a long time trying to get an explanation from Sony why they are charging this much for the part when I can buy a replacement processor from the internet for £178. I emailed Customer Service 3 or 4 times over the 6-8 weeks and spoke to a Vaio technician on the Vaio-Link line who agreed that it is a ridiculous price for the 'stated' repair.

Eventually I got a letter from Sony offering no explanation for the huge price of the repair but offering me 10% as compensation for the inconvience of the delay. I rang the person named on the letter who eventually passed me to her colleague when she couldn't get rid of me. They say it is against company policy to discuss the price of replacement parts. They also say that they have never heard of this problem and that they would know if it was a common fault with any of the VAIO laptops. It is a big problem in the US too - follow link for more details: : <<a href="http://hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/5449/>" target="_blank">http://hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/5449/>

They have now offered me 20% discount on the repair or a refurbished higher spec newer model for £728.50
which they say is 'cost' price. I did ask why a newer model would already need to be refurbished and they said something about factory failure rates. I live in England and the model they have offered me seems only to be available in Germany or France. I think I would rather just cost my losses, get the old PC back and buy a Dell. There is no guarantee that the refurbished laptop will be any more reliable.

I have reported the problem with Sony products and customer service to BBC Watchdog I have heard that if enough people complain about the same problem they are more inclined to investigate. I even sent the complaint that I registered with the BBC to Sony to keep them in the loop. So meanwhile I am still without laptop and definitely not recommending Sony laptops to colleagues, friends or family.

[e_scourboutis]

hi all,

i am not surprised to read about your brush with sony damien, i hope that the cost is closer to £300. maybe the people in sony should realise that if you want to create a winning classic of a laptop you need to make it last. toshiba can do it, apple can do it why can't sony?

anyways i just placed a spacer between the ram door and the modules. for those who are curius it is a plastic card [similar to a thin credit card] which i have cut and folded in two to act as a spring. i located it above the faulty module and made sure there is no excessive force.

it has been working fine so far, the system recognises 512MB but i need to monitor the temperature of the module. so far it has been ok.

nevertheless the idea of fixing a high tech problem with such a low tech solution doesn't appeal to me. at the end of the day it is [used to be] a state of the art piece of technology with a piece of plastic wedged into it's heart to make it work. so if anyone comes up with a better solution, other than paying an arm and a leg to sony please let me know.

cheers,

eugene

[kee-lo_]

Apparently there have been people on VAIO Village who were going to have a lawsuit, but nothing else was ever said.

I think at the moment this is the only solution, and if like me, you're broke, then it's the only thing you can do.

It's a shame really, the GRX316MP is an amazing piece of kit, and I think it was probably the turning point in desktop replacements back in 2002, long live the GRX316MP.

It's a good unit Sony, don't forget it's power!

[gruuvebot]

Hi All,

Back again just to give you a follow up on what happened with my PCG-GRX316SP and the memory slot failure issue. In my last post I let you know that I gave in and had it sent away to Sony ITE to get repaired.

I waited for the ominous phone call when they would let me know how much it was going to cost. Well, to tell you the turth I was stunned.

It only cost 895DKK, including shipping back to me. About £79! Cheap!

I have had a look at what they have done to my laptop in order to repair the slot failure, and it looks like they have replaced the actual slots. They are a different colour then they used to be (light grey now, instead of light cream colour), but it definitely looks like the same motherboard. So go figure? How they actually soldered those things back onto the motherboard by hand I don't really understand? From what I understand the slots are attached and soldered to the motherboard by robot arm in the production facility. If anyone knows more about this let me know.

The haven't wiped my hard drive or anything like that to a fresh install... so I can't see that it ended up being a software issue.

Why quote up to £1000 for repair and then it comes in at £80 with shipping included???

Why it was this cheap, I can't really explain. I hope some of the other people who have had the same problem as me will be able to get their VAIO reparied at the same or near to cheap price.

I'll keep my fingers crossed that this laptop holds together long enough for me to get some more use out of it and maybe be able to sell it on.

Regards,

Damian (gruuvebot)

[hindlek]

Damian

Did they originally send you a quote of £1000 and then repair it for £79? If so, that is more promising.

As you may have seen they have quoted £900+ inc transport and VAT to repair my PCG-GRX416SP including replacing the motherboard. (Maybe my quote is what you are referring to.)

Regards

Kate

[kee-lo_]

They should give you a final quote before doing anything anyway, it's not good practice to do work on a notebook when you simply asked for a quote.

£80 is acceptable, but £1000 is stupid.