Does an ISF calibration void the Mfr. Warranty? (1 Viewer)

[Stu Rosen]

I have a new Mitsubishi I want calibrated, and I haven't seen this question definitively answered. I see a lot of opinions stating that the calibration shouldn't void the manufacturer's warranty (or extended warranty), or others saying, "who'll be able to tell," but I just wondering, from a strictly legal and literal viewpoint, will my upcoming calibration void the warranty?

 

[David Abrams]

Stu,

A calibration will NOT void the warranty unless you have the set physically altered where a service tech would be able to tell. Then that service tech needs to complain about it.

Now, if you call the company and tell them you had the set calibrated they may say your warranty is voided to get out of paying for repair - this has been done before. If you do not tell them and you did not have the set physically altered there is no way for them to tell, meaning they cannot void your warranty.

Things like duvetyne, lens striping, ect...could be a warranty voider but the majority of a calibration is not.

Hope this helps,

 

[Ron-P]

90% of an ISF will not void the warrenty, like David said. Even with lens striping, it can be removed if need, very easily. Duvetyne I have not done.

Your safe, get the ISF calibration.


Peace Out~

 

[Stu Rosen]

Thanks for the info (and if anyone else has thoughts, please let me know). I'm a little more comfortable after reading these posts.

In any event, what is lens striping?

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings

It's easy to remove the lens striping if needed and put it right back later. A couple of white ticks on the crt frame and you are good to go when it comes to putting the tape back in place.

In most cases, the tech won't notice it anyway and if they ask ... you simply shrug your shoulders.

Lens STriping evens out the colour temperature from the left to the center to the right edge of the screen. Without it, some sets have grayscale variations of 2500K or more between the edges and the center.

Regards

 

[BruceSpielbauer]

Even on the above replies, it is easy to get into a game of semantics with this issue.

The most accurate answers:
1.) Technically, if a manufacturer finds out that anyone other than a factory authorized tech has has entered the service menus, then they have the right to try to refuse you warranty work, on that basis. You could then counter that the ISF cal had nothing to do with the "problem" you are experiencing. However, you would techhnically be at their mercy.
2.) The truth is, most service techs are not able to tell, unless you volunteer this information. Mots have no idea what a properly calibrated set looks like, and most have no way of telling whether someone has changes a few parameters in the service menu, or not. These guys are trained only to try to use process of elimination to diagnose a problem, and narrow where that problem is occuring.
3.) Even if you do volunteer this information, then it becomes a matter of whether the particular service tech cares, and whether he wishes to pass that info along to the manufacturer, or not.
4.) Then, it becomes a matter of whether the person handling it at the manufacturer's end wishes to make an issue of it.

Most ISF calibrators are NOT factory trained service techs. And, most factory trained service techs are not ISF calibrators. In fact, there are probably many factory trained service techs who could not tell you what ISF stands for.

So, the best answer is, YES, technically, an ISF calibration CAN POTENTIALLY give a manufacturer some ammunition to try to deny you warranty. However, this would be a rare case, indeed. since so many things would have to occur prior to that happening. The odds are against it.

The best way to avoid this occurrence is to simply decide you will never volunteer that you had a calibrator drop by and pay you a visit.

Morally, if I screw up my set, I expect to pay to put it right again.

Morally, if an ISF calibrator screws up my set, I expect him to pay to put it right again.

Morally, if the problem is a flaw, a failed part, a design problem, etc., then I expect the manufacturer / warrantor to pay to "put it right again," assuming it is under that warranty.

As I often say, the mantra of ISF customers should be that used by the military: "Don't ask, don't tell."

-Bruce in Chi-Town

 

[JohnnyG]

I like to use the car audio 'wars' of the past as a benchmark. Car companies started telling customers that having aftermarket electronics installed into their cars would void the vehicle's warranty, so the Consumer Electronics Association took the case to court, and won.

It's YOUR TV and you have the right to do certain modifications to it. The TV manufacturers know this and that's why not a single one of them will put in writing that an ISF calibration will void the warranty. Of course, they won't put in writing that it WON'T void the warranty either.

 

[Stu Rosen]

Well, I'm comforted that so many people get calibrations and live to tell the story, but what I'm hearing are a lot of arguments that the warranty shouldn't be voided. That's a little different from knowing for sure that it won't void the warranty. When I just (begrudgingly, going against my instincts) bought an extended warranty, it becomes a real issue.

But, based on the comments here, as well as the raves about the benefits of calibration, I'll be taking the plunge. Thanks.

 

[Ken Custodio]

My biggest fear is that my TV will need to be repaired under warranty and the tech will come out and mess up what was done during isf calibration when trying to "fix" it.

 

[John-Miles]

Ah Ken that is a huge fear, what if you had an industrious tech who decided the crts needed to be replaced, blam gone is the ISF work.

Stu, what Bruce said is completly correct. entering the service menu does void your warranty, whether that would stand up in court i really dont know. but that dosent really matter since if they dont ask and you dont tell you are fine. I ahd a service tech in to fix the geometry on my tv and when he left he "forgot" his service manual instructions, and said basically yes if i were to use those instructions it would void my warranty, but he also added how would anyone knwo if i did use them?

speaking of which i think this weekend i will try to adjust my geometry a little more, closer to perfect is always better

 

[Jim Stegbauer]

I can only speak from my personal experience with Pioneer, ISF calibration does VOID the Mfr. warranty on Pioneer sets, with one exception the ISF technician must also be a Pioneer Authorized Service Company.

 

[JohnnyG]

Jim, try to get that in writing from Pioneer.

Lawyers would fall over themselves to fight this issue in court. Think about cars (again). Why do think there's an order form for the shop manuals in the owner's manual? Because GM *wants* you to service your own vehicle? Because they make lots of money on selling the manuals?

ANYBODY can buy the service manuals and service parts for their TV and I'm pretty certain that this is by law. Actually servicing their own set while under warranty is obviously a different issue.

If anybody has anything in writing from a manufacturer regarding ISF work and the impact on the product's warranty, I'd love to see it. Third party extended warranties might be a different issue though.

 

[Stu Rosen]

JohnnyG:

Re: 3rd party extended warranties -- how might it be different?

 

[BruceSpielbauer]

Again (at the risk of being overly redundant), technically, if you have your set ISF calibrated, and the manufacturer or the warrantor ever found out, yes, they can and might deny you warranty work. Why? Because someone accessed the service menus who was not factory authorized to do so.

Yes, if an ISF calibratopr were a factory authorized service technician for your particular manufacturer, then you would be fine. However, very, very few factory authorized techs are ISF calibrators, and very, very few ISF calibrators are factory authorized techs.

Regarding third party warrantors... no difference. Since these tend to simply extend the exact same coverage as the manufacturer's own warranty. Since the original warranty states in fine print that no one outside of a factory trained tech can access the service menus, then this proviso simply gets extended.

And, as I said above, the reality is that no one will know unless YOU volunteer this.

-Bruce in Chi-Town

 

[Stu Rosen]

Thanks -- I'm really not interested in volunteering this info to a manufacturer...I just wanted to know, technically, what the answer was to my question, so I could make an informed decision. As usual, you folks came through and gave me the info I needed.

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings

I don't know what a manufacturer's reaction would be to their own people going into the TV to perform "unauthorized" work under their banner. The letter of the warranty would still be voided here.

Regards

 

[JohnnyG]

Because someone accessed the service menus who was not factory authorized to do so.

So where does it say that you must be factory authorised to go into the service menu? Again, show me in writing.