Sending my 3DS in for repair =(

[justin8301]

I have a Red Pokemon X/Y XL Special edition and I started to notice some dust under the screen. It seems to be covered under the warranty, but I'm a little nervous sending it in. Has anyone had any experience with Nintendo's repair center? You think I have anything to be worried about?


Update: I just got my 3DS back today and everything is perfect. I'm extra careful with my things and will notice even the smallest scratch or imperfection; they sent the unit back to me exactly how I sent it to them, not a mark on the thing. They even tightened up the hinge a bit. Over all they did amazing work and could not be happier.

[karyann]

The only thing I would be worried about is that if they decide to change your system because the repair isn't possible, they will send you back a regular edition 3DS XL instead. This happened to my friend, his old Zelda edition had a loose touchscreen, and when he sent it they called him to say they had to replace the whole system, and ask if he wanted a black or aqua blue replacement, because they don't keep special editions in there.

Otherwise, I really have no complaint, on the contrary. Service is fast, doesn't cost a thing, and is pretty great. But yeah, I would probably call them first to ask if that's a problem that requires changing the whole system, if you want to make sure you keep your special edition 

[justin8301]

Thats kinda what i was afraid of. I'll give them a call before i drop the package off at ups. I'm kinda hoping if they do replace it they just swap the shell... it really doesn't seem too difficult.

[maximo310]

They usually replace the special shell with a regular if they can't fix the system's problems and if they don't have the parts, so good luck with your repair. I've had to send two of my regular 3ds's to get repaired because of the flaw in the original system design where the two screens will hit each other when closed, causing dead pixel lines to repair. They offer some pretty good service and managed to fix both of my system's problems for no cost, and it will take about 2-3 weeks to repair the system but it's worth it.

[badATchaos]

The last issue I had was a GameCube in late 2003. As it turned out my system had a bad motherboard. They switched it out and I got my original system back. It's been a long time so their practices might be different now. -That and I'm sure it's different between consoles and handhelds.

I had this issue with the original big DS. The glue seal around the the edges of the screen protector/lens was bad and dust would somehow work its way in. For that particular issue Nintendo actually mailed me a tool to take off the lens and clean the LCD my self. Once the lens was off they recommenced using plain old scotch tape to tap the display with and remove the dust.

The 3DS is a different beast of course. If you're really concerned call them up! They'll probably let you know what the deal is. If you're system is out of its warranty it would probably be cheaper to do it yourself. There are aftermarket tools you can get to pry the protector off.

[SmartSped]

The only time I've ever dealt with them was when the disc eject went out on my Wii. It was covered by the warranty but they didn't switch out the part. They just sent me another system (it had a different serial number). I honestly can't remember if all my data was moved over to the new system or not though.

[karyann]

The only time I've ever dealt with them was when the disc eject went out on my Wii. It was covered by the warranty but they didn't switch out the part. They just sent me another system (it had a different serial number). I honestly can't remember if all my data was moved over to the new system or not though.

From my experience, when they change the system, they always transferred data to the new system! The only time they didn't was when my Wii U bricked and they couldn't access anything at all on the hard drive.

[justin8301]

Well I did it, I sent it in today. I called Nintendo this morning and they just told me to include a not asking not to replace the unit if they are unable to repair it. All I can do is just cross my fingers and wait.

[karyann]

Well I did it, I sent it in today. I called Nintendo this morning and they just told me to include a not asking not to replace the unit if they are unable to repair it. All I can do is just cross my fingers and wait.

Nice! I hope it goes well in the end. Please give us your feedback when it comes back, I'm curious to know!

[badATchaos]

Sweet! Good luck.

[justin8301]

added an update to my initial post.

[Warmsignal]

Surprised they didn't send you a generic one back.

[maximo310]

Congrats to your successful 3DS repair!

[karyann]

Awesome!