Nvidia 8400m faulty graphics card, Sony vaio fixing through sony ?!

mils

Advice needed please!
I’m hoping there’s someone out there that may have experienced the same problem and could put my mind at rest.
Basically the scenario is; I have a Sony VGN FZ11s laptop which is about 3 years old now, at the time I paid £899 for it. A few weeks back I occurred a problem where my screen would freeze on me and be impaled with lines of multiply colours making the laptop have no use, requiring holding down the reset off button to turn off. I’ve have since turned it on a few more times to back up data, but it doesn’t the take long for the fault to occur disabling any further play.
After some research I found that the same characteristics my laptop was showing was that of a problem with the graphics card ‘Nvidia 8400 m'that Nvidia and Sony openly admitted there being fault to
http://genesis.sony-europe.com/instranet/ccil_sony/selfservice/search.jsp?DocId=35880&l=en_GB&m=VGN-FZ11S

After contacting them they have arranged to pick my laptop up tomorrow, lovely. I received a later call from Sony confirming tomorrows arrangement and informing me that they would fix it IF they find it’s the graphic card, if not they will be in contact BUT (this is the kick in the n..ts) IF it’s not the graphic card for them to deliver it back I would still have to pay £153 (with no work done on it) to pay for logistics, time, bla bla bla .
Now I’m sure it is the graphic card (going by the screen symptoms), but for a long time now the laptop when on gets extremely dangerously hot underneath, with the fan working overtime, which I’m now thinking they will use for the cause of blame if in doing so will cost me £153 IF I want my laptop back, still not working lol.
Im not IT fluent here, and would question whether having a faulty graphics card from the start would be a knock on effect to the heat/fan problem??
Could anyone shed some advice, before i have to dispose of my laptop and possibly £153 lol, should i take it to a computer specialist to get them to have a quick look over to see if it definitely the graphics card at fault here?!

Pics on this page of what i have been occurring http://club.vaio.sony.co.uk/clubvaio/gb/en/forum/printthread?thread=55888&offset=220

Gallstones

Have you tried a can of compressed air on the fan vents to give it a clean?

Mayflower10cat

I might be able to help here, even though I'm not a 'techie! Our 5 yr old desktop has an Nvidia graphics card. Two years ago we had exactly the fault you describe; pixilated vivid dancing colours when you boot up. We rang around a few local repair shops and in the end a nice lad came out to the house, replaced the card. It cost about £60. He asked if the PC had been very noisy & we said yes, the fan comes on a lot. He said that this particular graphics card has a little built in fan & when that gets all gunged up & stops, the main fan works overtime. He cleaned out all the fluff & dust & replaced the card.

mils

have tried the conpressed air idea

interesting mayflower, makes me wonder i shoud chance it and have it done via an independant local company