Getting DIY Repair help

[lcaillo]

I have found that many people do not have a good understanding of what is involved in troubleshooting and repairing problems with electronics. Most of the regular DIYers seem to, but the novice who comes to a forum like this often seems to think that repair is simply a matter of giving a symptom and some generous tech telling them the secret part to replace to fix the set. The truth of the matter is that many repairs are much more complex than this.

I have received some private messages and emails lately that indicate that some people think that they have some right to expect me or some other tech to hold their hand and lead them through the steps to repairing their product. Not only is this inconsiderate and, IMO, lazy, it is simply impractical and unreasonable.

There are some types of repairs that are what I consider, as an experienced technician, to be trivial symptom repair situations. In these cases, a novice may be able to fix a problem as described above. Beyond those common and easy repairs, however, experienced troubleshooting is often required. In these cases, there is often a lot of information that an experienced tech acquires by examining the set that a novice might not. There is also a great deal of value in the experience that directs where to look for a problem. It is usually nearly impossible to talk someone through the process of troubleshooting via the internet if that person does not have that experience.

The bottom line is this. Don't expect a tech to talk you through the troubleshooting and repair of a problem that is not a simple symptom-repair situation. It would likely take far more time than doing it himself, which he gets paid to do. I provide lots of advice for many repairs online. I am criticized severely by many techs for doing so, but am happy to be able to help with basic problems. I cannot afford the time to sit down with a service manual and figure out problems for people online who lack the skills to do so for themselves. If a fix is obvious and all of the info is there to be able to provide effective advice, I will do so. Just don't expect skilled troubleshooting online for free. There are lots of resources online that I am happy to point people to and lots of other people who might have a simple solution to a problem that I may not have handy. Do the homework and research, you might find the solution. If you don't, then you have to decide whether you are going to scrap the product or hire a professional.