Mitsubishi DLP 06 - Failed light engine

This situation has now gone beyond sad/sorry...the "tech" came out yesterday to replace the lamp they lost (with a new one as I insisted on)...now mind you, this was the 3rd or 4th time out for them AFTER the light engine had been "rebuilt". When the tv first fired up, the pic was great. My wife was happy. 12 weeks and we finally have a pic....hold on......not so fast..our sat service wasn't giving us the local channels so she (my wife) called directv, so while she was going through the setup with them, the service tech told my wife all is fine, goodbye....BUT, once the TV warmed up (15-20 minutes)..guess what??....LOUSY PICTURE..CAN'T WATCH IT!!!!!!!
WARRANTECH............HELP.........(they will get back to me by Friday with a resolution decision)......Can you say "PLEASE REPLACE MY TELEVISION"..........???????????????????? 3 months is long enough.
Mitsubishi....SHAME ON YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow - that is depressing to no end...

Do you have the same original problem or a new different one?

Mits won't take the blame, they didn't rebuild the engine, a third party did per your thread.

Richard:
Same...but different!
Lots of color ghosts, poor quality. Color continually changes. While the receiver is off, just quick flickers on the screen. By my description, the tech said it is the engine.
I know Mitsu did not rebuild it, but the defective light engine is a known issue and they,(the parts) are not available.
So basically I have nowhere to go with this. Wait for Mitsu to restock their defective parts, and then have the same problem in a few months.
Or...????
I don't know what the answer is. The DLP cost me over $5,000.00. The extended warranty was around $500.00. For 12 weeks I have not been able to watch anything except dust gathering on it. We have had 5 service calls total which requires someone to be available.
I'm trying to be optimistic and not get angry at anyone in particular (except the service tech for showing up twice missing parts!!!).
What would you do?????

Extended warranties put other aspects into play. Some manufacturers have put the responsibility of your repair and satisfaction upon the insurance company. After all, they took up the responsibility of repairing your product. I don't know if there is a legal precedent for them to do that but some are and I am NOT SAYING Mits is doing that but that response may come up if you press them. The role extended warranty is playing in situations where parts are not available is another article but the quick take is the insurance company owns the problem and if there is legal action to be taken against the manufacturer it is upon the insurance company to do it...

Does your contract have a lemon clause? What is the trigger? Check your state consumer affairs, call Mits, call the insurance company, call the retailer and maybe it is time for a lawyer.

Thank you. Some of what you have suggested is already in process. I have not taken any action yet. I'm waiting on the response from the warranty company. At that point, I'll know what to do next.
As usual, watch for the next update.

This is a HUGE step in the right direction. For anyone with a defective light engine, please go to the following link:

http://www.mitsubishi-tv.com/j/i/18312/ ... mid=118709

This may not resolve my problem however, since the warranty company had my engine rebuilt. It is still defective and mitsu will not replace it until they get my engine back. The service company, Smith & Larsen, is refusing to remove it because the company that rebuilt it, PTS in Ohio, is refusing to acknowledge that it is/may be defective and will not return their money. I'm caught in the middle of all this. Legal action is around the corner.

We are currently experiencing the same problem with our model 73727 dlp. The color went out on October 1 2007 (exactly 18 months from the date we purchased it). Luckily we ordered the extended warranty through Mitsubishi. They sent out a service tech. He was literally in our house for 5 minutes. He said it is the light engine and it is on back order until the beginning of November. I called him the beginning of November to check on the status. He never called back. I called Mitsubishi extended warranty line and got nowhere with them. They keep saying they need the

Call Mits and have them send out another service center if there is one. If there is no other ASC than you have no choice but to put this on their doorstep to get the first service center to respond. If Mits can't get something done in a timely manner then threaten them with a lawyer.

I don't know what the requirements are to trigger the CA lemon law, call your consumer affairs department.

What a painful experience! IF the part was ordered, the service tech should give it to you. If he doesn't have one, then the part is not on order. I have contacted Mitsu since the service bulletin was issued and I'm waiting for a call back (they told me 2-3 business days and this is only the 2nd day....not that I'm holding my breath but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now!!). Because my light engine was supposedly rebuilt (and does not work!), I'm now trying to go through Mitsu direct. The warranty company (repairmaster/warrantech) has only authorized the service company to remove the light engine and return it to the company that "rebuilt" it...I don't a rebuilt one! So it will be interesting to see how Mitsu deals with this. I have been researching Calif. law, since that's where I'm located too, and I haven't found anything real definitive. I suggest you start with filing a complaint with consumer affairs. Here's the link for you:
http://www.bear.ca.gov/
And keep calling!!!........keep me/us posted..Good Luck

Thanks for the info. I will file a complaint. I have questioned if the service tech has ordered the part. He never calls back. Mitsubishi has told me they would contact the service tech as well, and call me back with the status. They don

I purchased an '06 WD73732 on Nov 10th.

After five days in service the television began to show signs of malfunction consistent with a failed light engine (image ghosting, halos, loss of clarity and discoloration throughout the entire picture). At first, this issue occurred only occasionally and at random intervals. However, over the course of the following five days, it worsened to the point where the television picture is no longer viewable.

The TV can be

We have always recommended buying from brick and mortar stores that offer a no questions asked refund or exchange just in case you have a problem like this.

I DID buy from a Brick and Mortar location - a reputable one too.
Problem is, they refuse to replace a defective product without first having a tech inspect it - Even then they said it would be Mitsubishi who would replace the TV and NOT them.

Apparently you do not have a no questions asked return policy. What does it say on your sales receipt? That is the part you have to check and don't assume a thing! Lot's of people in my area found out the hard way about HHGregg, they have a 15 day policy and they stick to it; lots of folks assumed it was 30 days...

Unfortunately for me, they don't have a no Qs return policy.

I read and was fully aware of their policy before I contacted them but was hoping they might give me an exchange if I complained loudly enough. No such luck.

The sales receipt states they have a "14 day return or exchange policy" but with exceptions. Specifically excluded are "All LCD/DLP rear Projection Televisions..." which "will be serviced within 30 days of purchase." If after servicing it is determined that the television "cannot be repaired, it will be exchanged for the same model only."

I'm in NJ and have already called the state board of consumer affairs who informed that that I have to follow the store's written policy before I have a valid complaint - defective or not. So I'm stuck and hoping they can come and fix the thing SOON!

My next step is to contact Mitsubishi directly and inform them of this issue and the store's response and see what kind of action I get there.

I was definitely sold a defective television - but no one seems ready to do much about it other than send a tech and make me wait.

Well.. the tech came out yesterday and of course, the TV would not act up. It was fine for over an hour while the tech was here (he was kind enough to hang around as long as he could).

After he left it was still OK for another 6 hours or so. Then it started its usual issues.

Since the tech could not see first hand what the issue was, he took down my description and agreed it sounded like a light engine problem. But said they'd probably have him replace the main board prior to a light engine. Based on his notes (my description) he was going to attempt to order parts and said he's let me know the status.

So.. here I sit.. No idea when or if the TV will be repaired. I'm going to call today to get status and possibly schedule another appnt. This time, I'll leave the TV on the day prior and all night so he can see the issue in all its glory.

I'll keep you posted.

This is pretty much my exact experience for my Mitsubishi WD-73927. We paid about $6800 in December 2005 and about a year and a half later (this past September 2007) our TV went from bad to virtually unwatchable. It was the same symptoms...TV colors were fine until the TV warmed up and then all the colors went pink, purple, hazy, etc. We HATE buying extended warranties as they are usually not necessary.

My service center, Baillios in Albuquerque, NM has been waiting for the part (I was first told it was the Optical Block...now being told it's the Optical Engine that went bad). They first said November 14th which then extended to the December 15, 2007 as others have quoted.

I too get the runaround when calling Mitsubishi. They want an ORDER NUMBER to "expedite my order." I haven't been able to procure the order number from Baillios as of yet (keep getting the parts department voice mail).

Please inform us if you are able to get Mitsubishi to provide a NEW television set as I am at my wits end!

Thanks to all who have written in and who have helped shed light on this issue!

The tech is coming out again tomorrow and hopefully the TV will act up accordingly.

I've had it on today for 3 hours and nada yet. While last night, watching football it started within 10 minutes of the set being turned on and forced me back to my 4x3 50inch in the other room after an hour of turning it off and off for another 10 minutes of clarity. Grrrrrrr...

Anyway, I'm hoping Mitsu will replace it entirely since I had it only 5 days when this started. But, I'm not keeping my hopes up. Based on what I know thus far I think the best I can hope for is for it to be repaired by next year (if I'm lucky).

I'll keep you posted though. Once I have a definitive diagnosis from the tech I am going to be getting in touch with Mitsubishi North America and requesting they replace an obviously defective product that I was sold at no small expense.

If it acts up today I recommend you leave that TV on over night until they arrive!

This is a long one but it has alot of information reguarding this mitsubishi bull$#!%

I bought a wd-73727 november of last year (06) I loved the tv because its cabinet design and matching base made it look as one unit instead of tv on top and base on bottom, plus it was silver/grey, Anyhow the tv just would not turn on In the moring on AUGUST 16 2007 the lamp light came on Well the tv was still under mitsubishi reg warranty so I called them up (I also purchsed the extended 5 year warranty throuh a warranty company, but there was no need to get them involved at this point because the tv was less then 1 year old) So they said sure well send you a new bulb because that seems to be the problem, I am thinking WOW that bulb gave me no warning PLUS we dont watch that much TV I was concerned but thought maybe it was a fluke bulb who knows right?....... WRONG!

I got the new bulb put it in reset the tv and all that turned it on AND NOTHING! NOW another red light is on. Very long story short the sent a tech out he replaces the bulb yet agian still nothing NOW he comes back saying the BOARD needs to be replaced (one week later) he replaces the board still NOTHING, Now he says its the light engine and mitsu is backordered on these they will not be in unil sep 16th, now
I call mitsu give them the damn order number the tech gives me they say ok we have expedited your part youll get it next week, I CALL EVERY WEEK (as weeks go by) They say the same thing next week, next week, next week. (I kept a log of every phone call and every person whom I talked to and what was said) So Finally I am MAD I am being lied to and have no answers ( I am dealing directly with mitsu not the tech because I am not the type of person that relies on others to be aggressive for me) So I wrote a letter to the general aterneys office ( I too am in california)

Oh yes before I forget ANY WARRANTY COMPANEY INCLUDING MANUFATURES DO HAVE A TIME LIMIT IN WHICH YOUR ITEM IS TO BE REPAIRED IT IS CALIFORNIA LAW i BELIVE IT IS 60 or 90 days AND ARE REQUIERED TO HAVE A LEMON POLICY BUT IT HAS TO BE THE SAME PROBLEM MORE THAN 3 TIMES these companies know that most people dont know this and the chances of you doing anything about it are slim to none.

Ok back to the issue.... atterney general got thier attention somewhat but not entirely, By OCTOBER I was calling almost every day sometimes twice a day (I would get different answers contridicting each other sometime ON THE SAME DAY) Now I pushed and pushed and always wanted to talk to a supervisor in the "second level" Finally get a call back and I put my husband on the phone because he is far more aggressive then I, He told him he was going to contact the local news station and make this problem more public (our local news station has a PROBLEM SOLVERS program that takes care of consumers) as well as contacting the atterney generals office which they were allready aware of but we hadnt heard back from the atterney genrals office yet, We also made sure he 100% understood as if he was in this situation (its kind of like word play this takes some skill sometime, when you explain something to someone it never really hits home for them unless you put them in your shoes) So after that he says I am very sorry for this and I am going to replace your tv and tv stand that you purchased fax me your recipts for the stand and I will send you the new model wd 73733 and new stand I faxed that right after they hung up the phone

I still called everyday to check on that this happened oct 29 I believe no one never knew if the tv was shipped no one ever had a tracking number but they did acknowledge that the tv was ordered and hat I will get a call from the company that will be delivering the tv (its a 3rd party)

I called the tech and told him to come get the P.o.s. Tv out of my living room as mitsu was junking the tv. ALL BECAUSE OF THE STUPID LIGHT ENGINE what a waste!

I got the NEW TV AND STAND on NOV 16 they delivered it in its box and I told them to leave it in the living room I WAS SO EXCITED after 4 moths I FINALLY got my tv back in MY NICE living room OR SO I THOUGHT!!!!!!

I opened the TV BOX after cutting the tie straps and GUESS WHAT, THEIR WAS A F'ING HOLE IN THE SCREEN I run outside and the shippers have drove off already ( I know that they are not the ones whom caused the damage) I looked like a damn forklift went right through the screen afterwards I looked at the box and noticed the whole in the front NOT extreamly noticeable on the box I was SO PISSED It was not funny! it was 505 pm so by this time mitsu was not answering the phones and the shipping company was not either to make matters worse it was friday so I would not be able to talk to anyone until monday. AS OF TODAY DECEMBER 4TH 2007 I still have the tv with a whole in it! It works but we are thinking that this tv was man handled and who knows what eles was damaged so mitsubishi says ok we will repair it my husband says NO we did not agree on getting a broken tv that needs to be fixed we agreed on a NEW tv, Someone came out to look at the tvto asses the damage ( SHE HAD A HUGE ATTITUDE) I felt like she thinks we caused this damage because mitsubishi one guy said well its funny how...... my husband cut him off immeditaly and had very stong words for him and then told me NOW tell me whats funny, he promptly apologized. I am not sure what they are planning to do. I have not been calling everyday like I used to. They did say If we keep this tv and get it repaired that they will give us an extended warranty for free. We have a 5 year extended warranty, But We want a NEW tv my we old them we will go pick it up in irvine CA so that we know it will make it home with us without forklifts!


NOW TODAY I get a letter saying that they have been experiance a large number of problems on thier light engines and they are going to extend the warranty on the tvs effect by this light engine problem and their are about 6 tv models on this list and my OLD models WD 73727 is one of them MY NEW model TV is not on the list so I guess it have a different light engine I dont know WD 73733

I will post with the final outcome if we get it replaced yet agian or the screen replaced on this one they sent us.

Sorry its so long but this is how it went................ There is even more but I am tiered of typing
[email protected] If you have any questions I can help with.....

This is the exact same problem we are having. We have been going through this since Oct. 1, 2007. Mitsu keeps requesting an order number so they can "expedite" my order. The service tech won't call back with the order number. I think it's funny they think they can expedite this since their own parts depts. informed me that the part won't be able to get the part until middle od December. I have requested them to replace my tv. They gave me a number to a person to speak with about this, but all I get is voice mail. All I am getting is the run around.

Do you know the exact time limit for warrenty repairs in California? We are well into being over 60 days. I requested they replace the tv sewveral weeks ago, but nothing had happened as of yet. Do you have a name and numer to someone I can speak with in the attorney general office?

Well.. I left the TV on all night. It was doing its usual "flaking out" through the entire football game last night. I had to turn it off during almost every commercial break and it would last about 10 minutes before starting again. When I went to bed, it was all red/green and flashing/flickering (as usual). As I said... I left it on all night.

Then, I woke up this morning to find it was fine!! Grrrrrrr... the tech shows up a few hours later to see my beautiful 73" HD image in all it's perfect glory. I was soo pissed...

But, I fooled the damn TV this time. Last night while it was flaking out, I made a video of it - including the power down/reset and through the flaking again (all of 3 minutes before it happened again). So, I showed THAT to the tech.

He immediately said, "Yep, that's the light engine." He then explained to me how Mitsubishi doesn't like to replace them, that they always try to get techs to replace the main board first (even knowing full well that the board is not the issue) and constantly give consumers the run-around before actually agreeing to replace a light engine.

He said he would call the order center but not to worry; No matter what, he WOULD get me a new light engine.

How long it will take is another matter. The tech said that the last 2 light engines he's ordered (in the last 2 weeks) were placed on backorder and would not be shipped until mid-december. But, since it's already Dec. 4, this may not effect my order since it will come in right before they are set to ship others (hopefully).

This entire process is really crazy. I can say this much; If you are buying a new TV (larger than 36"), be sure to purchase from a store that will replace a defective product no questions asked, versus having to go through this garbage.

In my area there are 2 store chains that have policies basically stating: You buy it, it's yours. We have no further involvement. If you get it home and it's broken - too bad for you - it's the manufacturer's problem once it leaves our store. Unfortunately, I bought from one of these places (based on price comparisons of the same model). I can honestly say now, I would have happily paid 700$ more for a broken TV that I could have returned. Of course, THAT set would have been fine.

IMHO these store policies are total BS and should be illegal. Unfortunately, I discovered that here in NJ, if a store has such a policy in writing and you have agreed to it by by singing ANYTHING (even a credit card slip for the purchase) - you're screwed. No legal recourse, no basis for a valid consumer complaint, nada.

Anyway.. at least I will have some parts ordered now. So, I'll keep you posted as that happens and we move into the next level of this fun.
I'm still going to call Mitsubishi and bitch about this defective product and see what happens. I'm just waiting for my parts to be ordered first so I have a valid order number and such to refer them to proving the thing is in fact broken.

I'm hoping for the best, but with the amount of horror stories I've been reading, I'm certainly prepared for the worst, fingers crossed!

MY 73" hasn't worked since August!!!!!!........The light engine was supposedly "rebuilt" by PTS in Ohio...the picture is semi good for about 20 minutes and then..WHAM....ghosts, pink pic..etc...etc....etc...etc.....what a crock....I'm just back from vacation and am now going to attempt to address this issue once again............I feel everyone's frustration....!!!!!!
MITSUBISHI.....you almost stepped up to the plate with extending the warranty for this issue......but.............what good is that without the parts to resolve this?????
Anyone interested in some kind of joint "attack" via the legal process in california may contact me offline at [email protected]
sheldon

You have to write a letter to the atterney generals office I did it online google search attorney general of california and go to the website.

EXACTALY what good is a warranty when thier are NO PARTS avialible HOWEVER we do have in california a time limit in which they have in order to repair the warranted item. I am not sure 100% the exact legal time limit is. When you talk to someone at mitsubishi Just make sure you sound like you are correct and you know what you are talking about worked for me. Otherwise try looking it up I am sure you can find it somewhere or ask the attorney genral he will know the legalities of it.

IF ENOUGH PEOPLE WRITE TO THIER ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE they will be forced to recall these tvs thats how it is done with other recalled items, ENOUGH people have to make the same complaints to a higher sorce NOT JUST MITSUBISHI I.E. Attorney generals office..........


ALSO go the the better busniess buerua website and also file a complaint thier as well. FOR ANY CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT there has to be proof that we tried to have the problem resolved........

Thanks for the info.

A quick message to Richard, the moderator of this forum; (and anyone else interested in the ongoing saga!)

If you will go back and review all of my posts, you will note that I made a point of posting my dissatisfaction with the outsourced call centers. Your reply was that Mitsu is in Irvine and their customer service center is not outsourced (not exact words, but your view none the less).....I have just gotten off the phone with Mitsu customer "service" for the 12th time and have once again requested that this replacement part be escalated..I've been waiting since August!!......Before I hung up, I questioned the lady about where the svc center is located. She said "Mistubishi headquarters are in Irvine"..I told her that was not what I asked, "where are you located"....her answer; "we are a support group for Mitsubishi"...evasive?..I told her "I know that"..."where, specifically are YOU located?"...
Answer:
The Phillipines.
So, go figure.

I filed a complaint about Mitsubishi with the Better Business Bureau. Go to their web site:

http://welcome.bbb.org/

You can file the complaint ONLINE

When they ask on the online form what resolution you want, tell they you want a NEW TV.

Sheldon,

Well now we know and I stand corrected.

I can tell you from experience that where a CSR center is located is irrelevant. If you get what you want you won't care and if you don't the location is attacked as the source of the problem. Manufacturers can also out source CSR services state side and they are no worse or better. Your experience with any CSR is a reflection of the policies and procedures the manufacturer has created which the CSR is required to follow. That said there are also situations in which the left brain is out looking for the right creating a disconnect between departments where one department says one thing and one department says another. It is frustrating for all of us!

Hey RTHVZB, did you happen to pay for that with a credit card? If so call them and file a complaint that you want your money back! Credit cards can give you extra ammo you didn't know you had. Due to your situation, less than 30 days purchase, you may have something there...

Richard:

I believe you were defending the fact that Mitsu has/had their CS Centers in the U.S...Anyone that has ever had to deal with a service rep located outside of the United States knows how poor the quality of service is, and I stand by that. In my numerous experiences with outsourced service centers, there isn't one instance where I can honestly say I was pleased with a feeling of adequacy. This is more of a reflection on the Company that has outsourced the department than it is on the people at/in the service centers. Yes..they always come across as trying to be as helpful as they are allowed to be, but any resemblance of a problem resolution ends there as far as I'm concerned and I'm not speaking specifically of this particular Mitsu situation. The "location" of a service center is not irrelevant any more than the inability of one to escalate problem resolution is irrelevant. Outsourcing call centers to reduce cost only diminishes the ability of the company doing the outsourcing to retain satisfied customers.
That said..........my light engine is now on a "priority" status with Mitsu and they have told me it will be shipped to the service tech within 2 weeks. Expect a follow up.