There seems to be a pattern of failure of many capacitors in this chassis series. Problems that relate to these failures are the failure to complete boot cycle (timer LED blinks continuously) and a number of startup issues including lamps not starting or shutting down. The most obvious manifestation of the failures are swollen or vented caps. We have seen sets with a dozen or more swollen capacitors. Many more are often on the way to failing, demonstrating low capacitance, high dielectric absorbtion, high ESR, or d.c. leakage. These caps are the conventional radial polar electrolytics made by Jamicon.
Additionally, some of the problems with lines in the picture may be due to problems with surface mount capacitors. We have found caps on the DM that appear to be thermally sensitive, and have high ESR.
One can speculate as to the reason for these failures, but it seems certain that all of the radial polar electrolytics made by Jamicon are suspect. Virtually all that test are marginal or test bad, even if they are not swelling. I recommend replacing all of the following caps.
The most reliable brand and supplier at the best prices that I have found seems to be the Panasonic caps from Digi-Key. Use the longest life, lowest impedance, 105 degree caps available in the right size and value.
I just wanted to let everyone know that after I sent in all my documentation they offered me a 60738 for 450 incl shipping. Im happy with this resolution and appreciate the advice.
My 5 year old 52575 had the DM board replaced two years ago. It was a three week process the first time and a 3 week process the second time when the first repair came back bad. Now it is out of warranty and the BGLOD has appeared.
This forum has given me the courage to tear into the unit. I have several Nichicon caps on the way and an engineer at work is going to install them.
Now I see that Mitsubishi may be in the mood to offer its frustrated customers a current model TV for a decent price.
Here's the question: Will Mitsubishi even consider a request from me for some love, or will they ignore my request because an unauthorized technician (me) has taken the thing apart? We haven't replaced any caps yet.
There is no way to know what they will do until you ask. If you read the many posts discussing this matter here, you will find that for quite some time I have suggested NOT attempting to repair these units because the problem goes well beyond a handful of caps. You havea low probability of a reliable repair unless you change hundreds, including many surface mount caps.
Before you attempt a repair, gather your records, call Mitsubishi consumer relations, and ask for relief. If you cannot get them to replace the set, I strongly suggest sending the chassis to them for a rebuild or sending it to Normans Electronics in Atlanta. In both cases, they know far more about the right caps to change to get a reliable repair and change many more than you are likely to want to try to change.
Hi. I paid $3500 (stupid consumer) six years ago for my WD-52725. I had one "certified"repair place tell me to just send them my proof of purchase and for $800 they would get me a new tv...I'm getting smarter. Called Mit back and told them. I can pay $800 and get a new tv myself, especially if I only get six years out of it! CR rep said that $800 was too much. If Mit deemed that the tv was irreparable it would cost about $400. They gave me two other repair people to call one said $150 just to come and look at it, but gave me good advice. Called the second and he only charged $100 to diagnose. I sent in the all required paperwork and got a call from Mit Customer Relations saying that the repair estimate was not detailed enough. Called my repair guy back and he reworked the estimate ($645 to repair), having called a Mit Tech. Tech told him that they were still repairing the chassis, even though the same Mit Tech told him last fall that they weren't repairing them any more! I really just want the truth...the whole truth. Is it worth spending all of this money with no guarantee that I won't have to do the same thing again? From what I've read so far, most are having to go through this process twice to get a replacement with no guarantee.
Just wanted to share my experience. My WD-52525 stopped working a couple of years ago, and I submitted a polite but lengthy complaint to Mits. They offered to cover half the repair costs and give me a 6 month warranty, but I just ended up fixing it myself on the cheap. It stopped working again sometime last year, and again I submitted a lengthy complaint and was about to fix it again when I received a phone call from Mits...they offered me a WD-60738 + tv stand for $350. I believe other people have received comparable deals as well. My suggestion is to write a very detailed email to Mits customer service (don't call and get stuck talking to a low-level employee). Talk about all the ongoing issues, how many times you've had it fixed, the fact that these problems are far too common in their products, etc. Ask what they are doing to help the customers who experience these repeated problems, etc. Good luck!
I agree that repairing these units is a waste of money. I just got my WD52525 replaced with an upgraded 65838 for 750.00 Shipped (with negotiation). I also opted for the matching stand which is very nice for an extra 200.00. Replacing the chassis would have been a $500.00 gamble so getting a upgraded, new TV for 40% of the new costs I thought was the safest choice. Time shall tell.
Your experience is similar to mine, only with dozens of clients who bought these sets from one of the dealers that I serviced. Mitsubishi made what I consider quite reasonable offers to move them to new products after having these problems. The vast majority were left satisfied. Over 30 years of working with many vendors, I can easily say that among their competitors Mitsubishi has gone far beyond others in accomodating customers that have problems that stem from design errors or batches of bad parts. They never officially acknowledge that they have problems, and they insist that each case is handled individually, but they generally do a good job of keeping their customers happy if they go through the process with patience and dignity. It also helps to have a dealer who is sensitive to the matter. Going through independent servicers is less likely to be effective because they don't come out well on products that they can't repair.
Good News. I submitted all of my paperwork to Mitsubishi on the second chassis failure in my WD-52825 and they offered me a WD-65838 for just the cost of shipping ($200). Problem is that the 65" is really to big for me. They said I could also have a WD-60738, however that does not have as many features and it would still cost me $200.
I hate to decline the offer for the better, more exensive TV. THe 65" would not be impossible for me to take, it might just look a little large in the current space I have it.
Is the 838 series a lot better than the 738 series? I already have a great hometheater system to use with the TV, so I am not sure the extra speakers on the 838 are that much value to me? Is the picture any better on the 838?
This really cracks me up! I got a call from Mitsubishi last Tuesday offering me the WD-60738 for $800. I called back and said that I was seeing much better offers to people through postings on the internet. The CSR said that the best she could do was $700. Why such discrepancies with the amounts that they are offering. No answer. The WD-60738 is going for $1100-1200 retail...$800 doesn't seem like such a great offer, especially after I see what they offered you. Did you do anything different? I sent in the proof-of-purchase, an estimate from a certified repair person and told them that I had also paid $100 to have the set diagnosed. I re-faxed my request asked them to please reconsider and offer a fair amount. Ideas?
At 5+ years old, how much do you think your set is worth? Have you had multiple problems? What was the estimate?
My experience with Mitsubishi is that they will not discuss what they are doing with others, nor the criteria they use for determining if or how they will accomodate a customer. Generally, on the first problem, they offer to cover the parts cost and the customer pays the labor. If there have been multiple repairs they are usually more generous.
Hawkfan8
Sorry, but I followed the same process as you. I would think they take into account the model TV you own and the original price, how many times it has broken and how much you have already spent on repairs. I have had multiple chassis issues with my set and have spent over $500 of my own cash on previous repairs. Also, was your set an 800 series or 700 series? Maybe they give better deals to 800 Platinum series owners. I know some have written letters directly to the CEO of Mitsubishi Electronics with a copy to customer service. That seems to light a fire under customer service if they know the CEO got a copy. You might try that approach next. I hope that works better for you.
I originally paid $3401.69 for the set...plus four replacement bulbs...I know, cost of owning the set, but the bulb price is exorbitant and we had to replace it about once a year. The first time we paid someone, so it was more, then I just decided to learn how to do it myself. That aside, I had a repair person come out two years ago when we first got the extended GLOD. I don't have a copy of the estimate, because we have been able to coax the tv to come back on...until November 2010. The estimate for repair two years ago was ridiculous and we weren't aware of the negotiations that Mitsubishi was making until I called Mitsubishi CR and complained...they aren't advertising replacement! When I gained "knowledge" I followed the requested protocol and had a certified repair person come out for $100. They estimated the cost for repair at $645 (including diagnostic fee). Mitsubishi called me back and said that they no longer make the parts to repair the tv, but they would replace it for $800. I was able to negotiate that down to $700. Got a reply to my post a couple of days ago that the consumer got a WD-65838 for the cost of shipping ($200). I guess I just want consistency and a set to last for more than 5+ years, especially if Mitsubishi knows that this series of DLP were problematic. I could have spent about $570 a year for a new tv each year over the last five years, or two nicer tvs for $1200 that I could have thrown away when they quit working. I wouldn't be any worse off than I am now. Besides, the WD-60738 that they offered is retailing right now for around $1100-$1200. Am I getting a deal or am I better off looking elsewhere?
I would dig up all the receipts you can for the lamps and original estimate to support your case. The simple fact is that NO manufacturer of consumer electronics like this is going to advertise that they have problems. It is also a fact that even if you had never had a problem, the sets were perfectly reliable, and the set was working perfectly, it would not be worth more than a few hundred dollars. It is just the nature of the market. I would negotiate for the best deal that you can get, then decide whether it is sufficient when comparing it to purchasing a replacement using the same criteria that you would use for any other offer.
I bought a WD-62725 for $4,000 in March 2005--purchased the extended warranty for $400--I NEVER buy the extended warranty on anything, but something told me to do it with this setup (must have been my guardian angel!) Long story, but after my first set was replaced, and following numerous valiant attempts by very knowledgeable service techs, finally culminating in the blinking green light of death, Mitsu bought my set back--including tax! They did not buy it back until after the extended warranty had expired, but my local retailer stuck with me until it happened. They did not want the set back (gee--I wonder why?), so it has been sitting in my closet for almost 3 years--anybody want it?
I have been kicking around the idea of buying the current 73838, but cannot seem to determine if Mitsu has learned from their mistakes regarding overall design, sub-standard suppliers for capacitors and other components, etc. If I could reassure myself that this is the case, I might be able to pull the trigger on the new series of sets--anyone have any definitive info on this? If I cannot satisfy myself that Mitsu's situation has improved, it will be a 65" Panasonic plasma for me.
In general, Mitsubishi sets have been quite reliable, IME, as a servicer for two dealers that sold hundreds of them. That is, except for the V26 chassis that your original set was one of. They have, apparently, never learned the lesson about bad batches of caps, as most other vendors have not, since this is by far the most common failure point in all sets of all technologies.
lcaillo--Thanks for the reply--that doesn't make me feel too good about springing for another DLP set. However, it sounds like you are saying that the same problems can be expected with a plasma! I had tried to contact someone in Mitsu's engineering/design group, but have had no success in doing so. They have a very effective filtering system of people very well trained in the standard "we are not aware of any problems with any of our products" response!
I wonder if Mitsu has at least made their sets easier to work on? After mine was declared dead, and I was reimbursed for it, I pulled the chassis to see if I wanted to attempt replacement of the faulty capacitors--what a pain! After looking into the cost, and realizing that I would still have the possibility (probability?) of future failures, I decided not to go down that road--besides, I get nervous fooling around with devices that store voltage difference:=o
In your opinion, is the current series of Mitsu DLP's significantly improved over the ones with the V26 chassis?
Awsum list, Thanks so much.
I'm helping a friend fix his TV its a wd 62525
I've learned a few things about these tv in the last couple weeks.
i picked up a WD73727 for practically nothing that wasn't working and fixed with the help of Google and another HD forum, it was the dirty light engine problem. it works great now.
Any who i was wondering of you could tell me which type of caps these are. I know they are polar but i don't know what type they are for example.
Film,///super caps///ultra caps///elect double layer//// tantalum etc.
I don't know what they do ..... but i do have a nice soldering station and i can solder.
so i just need to know the type.
And Thanks So Much, you guys are Great
Tinner105
Tony
Unless you are going to replace hundreds of caps, including many surface mount caps, you are not likely to get a reliable repair. The risk of damaging a board, particularly if you are not experienced with surface mount devices and have the right tools and skills, is quite high.
I recommend getting an estimate from a Mitsubishi ASC, then talking to Mits customer relations about an accomodation on a new set. If you do want it fixed you can send the chassis to Norman's Electronics in Atlanta. Other than Mitsubishi, this is the only place that I know of that has had verified success in these repairs on a large scale.
Hi am working on a wd52725 v26 chassis. I have replace all of the electrolytic cap on all of the boards and still have the green light of death does anyone have any suggestion on what to look for.
Joe:scratch:
You do realize that the surface mount caps are electrolytics as well, right? There are many dozens of them and many of them are bad as well as the through-hole mounted caps.
The tech didn't open it up. He gave an opinion from my description. What happened was the TV went out and the red light came on. I then heard a clicking sound for a short time. I replaced the bulb. Put the assembly back in. Same thing. I pulled it out and put it back in. Same thing only this time after the clicking sound, a loud buzz. Same thing when the tech checked it out at the house. Said it was probably the color wheel and replacement would be $400!
I had him haul it away.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Home Theater Forum and Systems
742.3K posts
170.9K members
Since 2006
A forum community dedicated to home theater owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about home audio/video, home theaters, troubleshooting, projects, DIY’s, product reviews and more!