Have you taken your NW-A3000 apart/know how to?

[Olz]

I got an NW-A3000 for Christmas, and am very happy with it, apart from one thing (no its not the software), the bottom of the front plastic panel. On my NWA this is slightly loose, and as a result there is about a one millimetre gap between the metal band and the edge of the plastic cover (position shown in picture). I might be able to put up with this if it was fixed there, but instead every time I press the 'Back' button, the plastic makes a small creek noise and bends to sit flush on the metal band. When I let go it bends back again. At night you can see the light from the buttons shining through this gap. I find this quite annoying and think it is probably uncommon with NWA's.

Now to the point. I was thinking that if I could take the back cover of the NWA off, then I might be able to secure the front cover down properly. There might be (I wish) a loose screw, but more likely I may have to glue it down. I have read the manual saying how the back cover is supposed to come off, but have no luck using tweezers to remove the Walkman logo metal disc on the back. Does anyone know how to open the back up, or can anyone think how to solve the loose front cover problem? Any advice would be appriciated.

[sumguy_]

I think you would be better of trying to get a replacement.

Save opening it as a last resort.

I replaced an iPod for the same reason. In my case it was about 1/8th of a MM (I am VERY obsessed over such things), and despite the fact that they couldnt see the problem, they swapped it over anyway.

In your case with the creacking, Im sure they wont hesitate to give u a new one.

[Olz]

Thanks for the reply. It seems I like you, sumguy_, must have similar obsessiveness, as I like my products to be perfect, especially, when I pay £160 for them. For that sort of money you should get a properly made product. It might just be down to some glue that isnt there, and is supposed to be, but its annoying.

I bought mine from Amazon.co.uk, do you think they will replace it? Should I ask? Or would it have to be Sony themselves that I contact?

Edited December 31, 2005 by Olz

[sh33p]

yeah i find the gap between the front panel and the metal band alarmingly wide on the side.... i bought mine from the local sonystyle shop, do you think i will be able to replace it easily?

[Olz]

Well all I have to say sh33p is that you won't loose anything in trying to get it replaced, so you might as well try. Ive just e-mailed Amazon to see if they will replace my one. The problems dont stop the player from working, its just annoying. Ill post up when I get the outcome.

[Olz]

I am very happy right now as I have just received a reply from Amazon, and it is a good one:

Dear Customer

Thank you for contacting Amazon.co.uk.

Firstly, please allow me to apologise for the issues you have

experienced with this item.

I have placed a new order #202-0079804-1091028 for "Sony NWA3000B 20

GB HDD Walkman - Black", and it will be dispatched as soon as

possible to the same address.

To view the availability time and an estimation of the dispatch date

of the replacement order, please visit "Your Account" at the top of

any page on our website or use the following URL:

------

There will of course be no additional charge for the replacement

order. However, as set out in our returns policy, you must return the

original item to Amazon.co.uk within 30 days of the date of this e-

mail. If you do not return the original item to us within 30 days,

Amazon.co.uk reserves the right to charge an amount equal to the

price of your original order to the payment card you used for the

order. This returns policy does not affect your statutory rights:

------

For your protection, we recommend that you use a recorded-delivery

service if the value of the item is more than 50 GBP. To track your

recorded item, please use your carrier's online tracking service.

Enclose the packing slip in the carton, wrap the package securely and

post it to the address below, using the original packaging if

possible. Any postage charges that you incur for this return will be

refunded back to you.

Doesn't sound bad to me. They will pay for the postage for me to send the old one back, and I can check out the new one before doing so to check it is an improvement (hopefully perfect). Just checked 'Your Account' on Amazon, and sure enough they have dispatched another one to me...1st class. I think Amazon deserve a pat on the back as they did all of this at 8:24 last night on New Years Eve. Amazing (no pun intended).

So anyone else thinking of returing their NWA shouldnt have many problems, especially if it is from Amazon. One question, should I remove all of the songs before returning it?

[sh33p]

my problem is i was allowed to inspect the unit before i bought it and the size of the crack never struck me at the time.. still the player is in pristine condition. can you get an exchange for something so 'trivial'?

[Guest Stuge]

.So anyone else thinking of returing their NWA shouldnt have many problems, especially if it is from Amazon. One question, should I remove all of the songs before returning it?

←

You can do one thing Just copy past the folders of the new NWM to the old one.

[Guest Stuge]

my problem is i was allowed to inspect the unit before i bought it and the size of the crack never struck me at the time.. still the player is in pristine condition. can you get an exchange for something so 'trivial'?

←

If you think you are not satisfied with the Network Walkman you bought ..Just go to the shop & they will definately exchange it .

[Olz]

You can do one thing Just copy past the folders of the new NWM to the old one.

Im not quite sure what you mean. I have no problem copying the songs to the new player from my computer, I was just wondering if I should return the old player to Amazon with my songs on it. Ahhhh wait I might understand you now, you think I should put the two songs that the player comes with back on to the old one right? As it happens I haven't actually deleted them from it, so all I have to do is remove the ones I added.

If you think you are not satisfied with the Network Walkman you bought ..Just go to the shop & they will definately exchange it .

You know this from past experience do you? Thats cool. Sony must be getting a hell of a lot of NWA's sent back, either due to software or poor build quality. Im amazed they are so casual about it.

[Guest Stuge]

Ahhhh wait I might understand you now, you think I should put the two songs that the player comes with back on to the old one right? As it happens I haven't actually deleted them from it, so all I have to do is remove the ones I added.

Yes, Remove them when you get the New A3000

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You know this from past experience do you? Thats cool.

My Last experiance is not good with Sony ...Especially in Servicing ..In mY country retailers don`t exchange easily(except When you know the shopkeeper very well )

[RegularJohn]

Allo new member here, been looking round the web and found here! i got a new NW-A3000 and didnt notice at first but mine has the creaky thing too......its really annoying, basically happens everytime i press any of the buttons and its quite loud too! Has anybody found a way to fix it??

Thanks very much

[Guest Stuge]

RegularJohn,

Welcome to "AtracLife"

I think you are taking about the Beep sound ..You can turn that off .In

Setting menu in A3000 by selecting "beep" you can turn that off or Please read page no 48 of Pdf manual of A3000

[RegularJohn]

Hiya, thanks for the welcome.

i turned off the beep off within 5 mins of getting it lol.

The 'noise' im getting is from the bottom of the player, under the buttons. It can be heard when the buttons are pressed and when you hold it near the bottom. Its like the front is not secured to the bottom, im gonna hazard a guess and say its not going to get better so im not sure where to go! Iv already got 7 Gb of music on it!

Thanks

[chriswyatt]

That reminds me of a radio I once bought. The LCD screen developed a darker colour in the corner, like something had peeled off at the back so I bought it back to Comet but the guy couldn't see it. It was obvious (to me) with the lighting in my bedroom but quite embarrasing in the store. The guy tried looking at it outside in the car park to no avail.

Although the main reason I bought it back was because I accidentally scratched the screen whilst I was cleaning it (soft damp cloth), it was just annoying me so much I had to take it back to the store. I get quite obsessive about these things .

Yeah, my A3000's a bit creaky too.

Thanks-a-lot for bringing it to my attention,

Edited January 3, 2006 by chriswyatt

[Chris J]

My A3000 also 'creaks' but only when I press firmly on the small Walkman logo in the bottom right, which I obviously don't need to press!

But seriously, it can't be good if it makes a loud creak when pressing the buttons! Mine feels very solid when pressing them, and all I hear is a nice soft click of the button popping back up.

PS: I love the picture of a rubbish bin with a cross through it on the back of my player. As if I'd throw it away!

Edited January 3, 2006 by Chris J

[sh33p]

shit I just got off the phone with the local SonyStyle store who told me they only do product exchanges within seven days of purchase. Now I'm supposed to bring it to their customer service center and discuss maintenance options... meh.

Still at least I think I've got it better than the rest of you, I'm not hearing any creaks. My only concern is the cracks look big enough for stuff to actually get inside, like dust, water, small children, etc.

Could this be the A3000's equivalent of the HD5 d-pad? =0

Edited January 3, 2006 by sh33p

[Ascariss]

I only have this small crack near the top of my A3000 and the A1000 seems to be more or less good on build quality, the gap around is less than half a mm.

[sh33p]

i have large gaps on both sides of the player.. the widest it gets is about 2mm.

massive.

even lint could float in....

[Guest Stuge]

I think gap you all are taking about might be normal for these player .Even when i was having HD3 it was having half mm gap at the bottom & about HD5 does have small gaps on the sides & top .

[sh33p]

no it's definitely not normal because the gap spacing isn't consistent. around the corners it will be perfectly flush fit but as you move up the sides on the left side the gap widens then closes, same on the right but not as much.

and it's definitely not normal if it's causing a creak.

Edited January 3, 2006 by sh33p

[Nova]

I'm really finnicky about small details, for instance, i will only use a lint free cloth to clean my A3000 - to avoid scratches. My family really take the pi** out of this behavior. On my player, the light under the buttons shine aound the ring instead of just the play, up, down, left, right icons lighting up, but i don't thank this is bad enough to warrant tsking it back.

[Olz]

I do exactly the same as you Nova using my PSP cloth to clean my NWA. My NWA has the same problem of light shining around the buttons. I think this is quite common and probably unavoidable. My replacement should be coming today or tomorrow...yay, I hope its better.

[RegularJohn]

One of my worries is, that due to the fact that there is a gap around the bottom of the player, what are the chances of the gap spreading around the sides and maybe to the top? Would the whole front fall off?

Iv never dropped mine and its spent all its life (around 3wks) in a case so it wasnt caused through misuse.

Thanks Adam

[sh33p]

I'm pretty sure the front and back faceplates won't fall off any time soon, they must be attached together some how, probably with screws. Like the first few posts have said, the gaps may only be a result of the device not being put together well and if it were possible, it would be much simpler to simply take the player apart and reassemble it to see if it fits better. unfortunately the instructions on taking it apart are rather vague and afaic taking apart new hardware has never ended happily. sooo i'm going to pursue a replacement because it's not my fault the gaps are so large.

[nebs]

hey, mine has started to creak when i press the bottom of the player... should i send it back or will i just get the same problem? (i brought it from amazon)

chris

[sh33p]

GREAAAAT. mine creaks at the bottom too now. ffs.

i'm going to sony tomorrow.

[Nova]

Seems i must be quite lucky to have an un-creajky one. Anyone wanna buy it off me for a hugely inflated price?

[sh33p]

i'll take my chances at returning it. i dropped it today which makes me want to return it even more.

thank goodness for the soft black lycra carry bag, it's not scratched or dinged.

[Olz]

Yesterday I got my NWA 'replacement'. It turns out that its just as bad as the one I already have. As a result I am sending the new one back and keeping the old one...its starting to grow on me now. As a result any of you guys wanting to replace your current NWA will probably be able to no problem, especially if its from Amazon, as long as its within 30 days of purchase. However do not be surpised if the new one has the same problem, its seems like it is more common than I thought. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to live with it. Still an amazing player!

[Jonny333]

Can I open the case for getting the dust out of the surface? I've also got this 'creaky' problem.

I think i can't get a replacement from where i've got it...

baybay byebye

[ub_]

Alas, I too seem to have a creaky bottom to my a3000, is there no end to the dysfunction of this device

[Guest Stuge]

Service manual of A1000 might help you to open your A3000 but I don`t recommed you to do that .

[Jonny333]

Okay Thanx, ive just got the problem, that im not able to open the pdf-data ^^

bye

[Guest Stuge]

Dowmload the Sevice manual of A1000 from here ..There some problem with that link i don`t know .

http://rapidshare.de/files/14423418/A3000.zip.html

[alfablue]

I don't really see the problem, when you buy stuff and it is not in perfect condition, the vendor should replace it. Most reputable companies will do this with little or no hassle, if there is hassle, give them hell. I don't believe gaps are acceptable, even if they don't bother you cosmetically, they must make the unit vulnerable to ingress of dirt and subsequent malfaunction.

If the vendor is not helpful you can get Sony to replace it, though normally this will be a bit slower, and also you are giving up the rights you have with the vendor (with whom you have the contract).

Gaps and creaks are not normal, mine is perfect, don't accept them.

Edited March 4, 2006 by alfablue

[Jonny333]

So, i'm not sure if i should open my NWA1000 to clean it, and i'm also not sure how i could get my NWa replaced, i bought the Walkman over a friend who works for Sony and whos gettin those Sony-things cheaper.

I think this might be a problem, but i will try..

Thanx

[Jonny333]

i asked my friend to get the walkman replaced now... i'll report if it works

greets

[Seán]

Hi everyone. I bought an A3000 about a month ago and up until now I've been extremely pleased with it. One problem I do have is the amount of dirt there is under the cover. Unlike some other reports in this thread, I don't have a problem with big gaps in the case, but still there is a fair amount of dirt getting in (as can bee seen in the pic below) Does anyone think Sony will replace the player of fix this problem for me?

Here is an example of some of the dirt that has got it. There is now some over the screen too which really bugs me every time I look at it

[Jonny333]

Now my Walkman returned. Nearly 2 months to wait. They did NOTHING. It returned after 2MONTHs without any change.

Result: Player looks like before (nearly like the picture above)

I'm disappointed of Sony.

I'll try to open it now. But im to stupid to do the first step -.-

Edited May 8, 2006 by Jonny333

[xJestersx`]

Thanks a ton for the service guide helped a ton! My friend had the same problem with his, he was quick to use "caveman tactics" and just pried off the cover. He broke a couple of clips, and has double sided tape under his now. Thanks to the guide I was able to get mine open Everything went perfect. I now got a sweet case on order from the UK. I'm going to give a thorough cleaning before putting it back together, just waiting on the case , I wanna prevent any further dust. Hate to take it apart again if not needed, I was scared outta my mind that i might break something.

If any of you guys need any tips on gettings urs open lemme know,

Jon