# Lcd versus Plasma



## boman47k (Aug 25, 2006)

Which do you prefer and why? We have been told the lcd may be subject to leaking in a couple of years. Comments?


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## chris75 (Aug 25, 2007)

Both have pros and cons, but one is definitely not better than the other...


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## bofusmosby (Apr 30, 2007)

I believe that the life expectancy with the LCD will be longer. The Plasma sets have a problem with screen burn-in. If you leave a stationary image on the screen for prolonged periods of time, this image will be burned into the screen, which can NOT be repaired. Also, the warranties do not cover this.

What ever you decide to purchase, make sure you first, buy a set (brand name) where there is a factory authorized service center located in the same area you live. If the set fails in warranty, YOU would have to pay the shipping there and back to the factory, if there is not a local service center. And second, buy an extended warranty. Also, buy a warranty that will cover the replacment of the set, if it can not be repaired. We are having a difficult time trying to locate parts for some of these sets. They are being made in China, and NO parts are avaliable. This way, if parts can not be found, you'll get another set.

Both types of sets have complete assemblies that must be replaced when defective. Used to be, I would replace the bad part, and the set would be repaired. Now, there usually are not parts avaliable, only the boards. When you have to replace an entire assembly, it can get expensive.


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## Bacardi 151 (May 2, 2007)

I have a computer lcd monitor from 1999, it runs 24/7 and hasn't leaked...

The ASSUMED better choice depends on the exact application...However it won't really matter in the grand scheme of things. Either is going to be a crap shoot as far as reliablity/longetivey, you're basically getting either a FORD or a CHEVY. If you move a lot or plan on moving the tv from room to room time to time, get a LCD as a plasma will needs to be serviced if tilted.

If you plan on keeping this tv for five years or more, I'd say buy the largest 1080p tv you can afford. Make sure you get the longest warranty available. Sams club/costos/bjs typically have warranty plans at half the cost of the major retailers. I'd look their first.


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## ktkelly (Apr 7, 2007)

boman47k said:


> Which do you prefer and why? We have been told the lcd may be subject to leaking in a couple of years. Comments?


 
How about "My preference depends on the aplication"?

Each one is fine (Chris75 is correct)

1. Neither LCD or Plasma will leak. That's a laughable joke/rumor.

2. Neither LCD or Plasma will suffer from "burn in". First generation units could/would, but those days are gone.

3. Both are repairable. But repair is primarily modular these days.

*"If you move a lot or plan on moving the tv from room to room time to time, get a LCD as a plasma will needs to be serviced if tilted."*

This is so very wrong....

*"If you plan on keeping this tv for five years or more, I'd say buy the largest 1080p tv you can afford."*

Buying a 1080P flat panel is utterly useless for anything other than a HD-DVD or BluRay DVD. ALL other sources will be at 720p/1080i formats.

"*Make sure you get the longest warranty available. Sams club/costos/bjs typically have warranty plans at half the cost of the major retailers. I'd look their first."*

While I agree with buying a unit that has a longer warranty. I do not agreee with buying any additional warranty. And for what it's worth Sam's Club and Costco sell past year models (other than VIZIO which has a terrible reputation).


*Controlled light? Buy LCD.*

*Uncontrolled light? Buy PDP.*

And for sure buy a brand name! Panasonic, LG, Sony, Toshiba, JVC, etc, etc.

Buy one of those cheap Chinese units and you really are gambling.


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## mcvane (Mar 19, 2007)

I bought an LCD TV 2 years ago and it has been working quite well.

The reason I bought LCD over Plasma is that I was told by the salesperson that Plasma used a lot more energy than LCD. LCD apparently is the more efficient energy technology and generally speaking, pixel burns tend to occur less often in LCDs.

I'm not sure how accurate this is, but I believe it is the case as there is not too much heat from the LCD TVs.


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## bofusmosby (Apr 30, 2007)

I agree with Ktkelly on many points, but not all. As far as "burn-in" on the newer plasma sets, I have seen them, still under manufacturers warranty (1 year or less) with burn-in on the screens. I can not deny what I have seen. I understand that the sets can be repaired IF you can find the parts. I also see times when parts can NOT be obtained, which means the set can not be repaired. As far as the plasma sets go, I have seen many multiple board failures on the plasma sets, and without the extended warranty, the parts alone would have been over $1,000. Not including the labor. The Plasma sets burn considerably more power, compared to LCD sets. However, I believe the best picture between the two would have to be the plasma, although the LCD sets have recently made some strong improvements. 

That being said, this does NOT mean that all LCD and Plasma sets are going to give you problems. Some of these sets have been around for a number of years, and have given no problems at all. I also am not in favor of buying an extended warrany on all TVs, just the more expensive HD sets.

I totally agree, that the cheap Chinese junk, that has flooded the market are the ones to stay away from. You get what you pay for.


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## slakker (May 29, 2007)

Burn in is reduced, but not eliminated for Plasma Sets... the brightness and "blacks" on a plasma are awesome, but with LCDs getting up past 42", the price point is hard to beat....

I'm still a firm believer of seeing the product so you can judge for yourself with the sets side by side showing the same source video... I think the tech specs are simply a guide for the average consumer... keep in mind that most stores never tune the sets... they just take them out of the box and plug them in. SO things like color and contrast aren't adjusted yet. But things like refresh rates, macro blocking from rapid motion, etc. should will show up...


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## Bacardi 151 (May 2, 2007)

ktkelly said:


> *"If you move a lot or plan on moving the tv from room to room time to time, get a LCD as a plasma will needs to be serviced if tilted."*
> 
> This is so very wrong....


Please explain. I guess "tilt" wasn't the best choice of words, but if a plasma tips over it will need to be serviced. I have a friend who constantly moves a 32" lcd to his hot tub on a covered patio to his dining room. I wouldn't recommend he got a plasma due to the increased risk. That was what I was getting at.



ktkelly said:


> How about "My preference depends on the aplication"?
> 
> 
> *"If you plan on keeping this tv for five years or more, I'd say buy the largest 1080p tv you can afford."*
> ...


I do understand where you are coming from, this is a difference of opinion. Along with PS3 you are talking TODAY, that's why I said five years from now. The question is if and when incoming hdtv goes to 1080p. Will it be cable or satellite and if you have the other service will you convert? While no matter what, a tv will depreciate, a 1080p will be worth a lot more five years from now then a potential "antique" 720p. Add to the equation that the OP wanted a TV to last ten years, the scale further tips to 1080p.



ktkelly said:


> "*Make sure you get the longest warranty available. Sams club/costos/bjs typically have warranty plans at half the cost of the major retailers. I'd look their first."*
> 
> While I agree with buying a unit that has a longer warranty. I do not agreee with buying any additional warranty. And for what it's worth Sam's Club and Costco sell past year models (other than VIZIO which has a terrible reputation).


There is no unit with a longer warranty. 1 year is the industry standard, that's a fact if you go the typical stores best buy/circuit city/sears. Again if the OP is planning on keeping the unit for several years I think an extended warranty is worth the money. 



ktkelly said:


> And for sure buy a brand name! Panasonic, LG, Sony, Toshiba, JVC, etc, etc.
> 
> Buy one of those cheap Chinese units and you really are gambling.


Again all your recommended brands have a one year warranty, that's a fact. In my opinion, I think a positive reviewed Chinese brand with a long warranty is a better choice then a sony IF cost is a factor and it can save you save several hundred. Research w/positive reviews is the key.


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## bofusmosby (Apr 30, 2007)

The problem is, I am unaware of ANY Chinese televisions getting any kind of good reviews. Basically, you get what you pay for. If you can not get the parts, what good is it.


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## Workaholic (Apr 1, 2007)

slakker said:


> Burn in is reduced, but not eliminated for Plasma Sets... the brightness and "blacks" on a plasma are awesome, but with LCDs getting up past 42", the price point is hard to beat....
> 
> I'm still a firm believer of seeing the product so you can judge for yourself with the sets side by side showing the same source video... I think the tech specs are simply a guide for the average consumer... keep in mind that most stores never tune the sets... they just take them out of the box and plug them in. SO things like color and contrast aren't adjusted yet. But things like refresh rates, macro blocking from rapid motion, etc. should will show up...


Yep these are the things i considered before my wife purchased me a lcd. Price was a factor. I did a bit of camparison online before deciding on the lcd. I purchased the longer extended warrantee. So i will let you all know how it works out.


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## ktkelly (Apr 7, 2007)

Bacardi 151 said:


> Please explain. I guess "tilt" wasn't the best choice of words, but if a plasma tips over it will need to be serviced. I have a friend who constantly moves a 32" lcd to his hot tub on a covered patio to his dining room. I wouldn't recommend he got a plasma due to the increased risk. That was what I was getting at.


Other than the PDP having a bit more weight, there's no reason your freind would have any more chance of damaging a PDP over a LCD by constantly moving it.

We use motorized mounts that effectively place the panel in a position similar to it being flat with the ceiling in the custom installation business all the time. And it's always been a matter of fact that PDP's can be rotated 90 degrees in commercial applications.





> I do understand where you are coming from, this is a difference of opinion. Along with PS3 you are talking TODAY, that's why I said five years from now. The question is if and when incoming hdtv goes to 1080p. Will it be cable or satellite and if you have the other service will you convert? While no matter what, a tv will depreciate, a 1080p will be worth a lot more five years from now then a potential "antique" 720p. Add to the equation that the OP wanted a TV to last ten years, the scale further tips to 1080p.


Here's an area where everyone needs to do a bit more research. Cable, satellite and off-air HDTV will NEVER be 1080p. The required bandwidth is just too much for this to happen. Upconversion is the only way that you'll get 1080p from those sources, so having a "native" 720p is actually the smart move. And that beside the fact that at 42" to 50" you simply cannot see the difference. 1080P is great if yur display is upwards of 70+. But under that it's a shameful bunch of industry hype that you're buying into.

Read up. Google HD Guru....





> There is no unit with a longer warranty. 1 year is the industry standard, that's a fact if you go the typical stores best buy/circuit city/sears. Again if the OP is planning on keeping the unit for several years I think an extended warranty is worth the money.


While I agree that 1 year is the norm, Crosley offers a 2 year OTC exchange on all their LCD's.





> Again all your recommended brands have a one year warranty, that's a fact.


That is indeed true. But most all do. And for those that wish to waste their money, there's always that industry "cash cow" called extended warranty.

While on that topic. Don't you ever wonder why BB, CC and HH Gregg push those warranties so very, very hard? Did you know that a salesperson at those companies MUST maintain a percentage of warranty sales to keep their job?

Want to know why? Those companies make MORE money on the warranties than they do on the TV's....



> In my opinion, I think a positive reviewed Chinese brand with a long warranty is a better choice then a sony IF cost is a factor and it can save you save several hundred. Research w/positive reviews is the key.


 
One major problem here.

1. As has already been pointed out, there is NO Chinese brand that has a "real" positive review.


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## Bacardi 151 (May 2, 2007)

ktkelly said:


> Other than the PDP having a bit more weight, there's no reason your freind would have any more chance of damaging a PDP over a LCD by constantly moving it.
> 
> We use motorized mounts that effectively place the panel in a position similar to it being flat with the ceiling in the custom installation business all the time. And it's always been a matter of fact that PDP's can be rotated 90 degrees in commercial applications.
> 
> ...


I'm military which translates to a lot of moving and losing and gaining friends due to moves on frequent basis. I have known a half dozen people who have personally had their plasma DOA after a move. We are currently briefed that in the event we want a flat panel, we should get a buy a lcd due to it being less senative to movement. Antoher fact, the military will not currently insure a plasma in an overseas move. That's because the military will only ship on boats and obviously there's a lot of moving. I have never actually looked into the exact tolerances a plasma will take.

I have seen a blu ray movie and the same movie on HD/TNT (720p cable), I noticed the difference on a 50" plasma. Perhaps I just have really good eyes.

You said in your previous post NOT to go to club-type stores...I recommended them for the very low cost warranty. I recommended against anywhere that sold an inflated warranty. One other potentially low cost option is if you have better then platium credit, you can get a signature visa credit card. Buy the tv with it and you can an extended warranty through visa. Current price is tiered by purchase price, eg: A five year warranty for a purchase price of $751-$1000 is $112.99. Five year warranty for $1501-$1999 is $189.99. To compare, I think a four year warranty by CC is $500.

Here's the visa table link:
http://usa.visa.com/personal/cards/credit/visa_signature_benefits_wm.html


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## keyser soze (May 28, 2007)

It must be a magic truck that brings our plasmas to the shop without breaking them........ We've never had a dead plasma after moving or tilting it. How would they get to the store in the first place if they broke often after being moved or tilted? Poor packing has nothing to do with it. 



> I have seen a blu ray movie and the same movie on HD/TNT (720p cable), I noticed the difference on a 50" plasma. Perhaps I just have really good eyes.


You were also probably watching with different interconnect cables, type of connection (digital vs analog), inputs, and different sources. Apples to oranges IMO. Resolution is the 4th most important stat according to most videophiles I read about.

And about burn in on plasmas... Our 2nd showroom has a couple of PDP sets. The salesman up there leaves the TVs on Fox news all day. It has that title bar at the bottom. No burn in after 2 years. I'm pretty sure any reputable brand will have pixel shift technology that virtually eliminates burn in. Now, my high school left a "analog" clock on the TVs all day and something like that would burn in because the picture is huge, simple, and constant. So if you are planning on using a plasma for a clock 22 hours a day, you will get some burn in. Otherwise, let it rip.

My preference, SED. Too bad they can't release them. SED's would have put LCD's and PDP's under in less than a year IMO. Maybe, just maybe, OLED sets will squash the LCD's and plasmas.


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## bofusmosby (Apr 30, 2007)

I have been in the TV repair business for over 30 years, and I have seen burn-ins on some plasma sets. And these are less than 1 year old. However, it could be the brand, and not the technology. I agree with you on the transporting of these sets. It is true, you are supposed to transport them in a upright position. Care needs to be taken with all sets, its just that on these sets, if too much pressure is put on the screen, it will crack the panel. However, some people fear that if they look at them wrong, they'll break, and this is not the case.


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## ktkelly (Apr 7, 2007)

I'll throw this one other thing out there.


LG PDP's (plasma display panel's) come with a *2 year warranty*. All of them....

No, you do not transport PDP's/LCD's lying face up/down.

But when installing a mounting bracket it's common practice to place the panel face down in order to install the bracket. That's been done thousands of times with no problems...


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## bofusmosby (Apr 30, 2007)

LG has had some issues with multiple board failures, so who ever buys one of these, I strongly recommend to get an extended warranty.


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## ponch37300 (Nov 27, 2007)

Interesting... I bought a 42" plasma about 1 1/2 years ago and the guy at best buy helped me load it into my truck on it's back. I had it on it's back to put the mount on it and moved once with it on it's back. Only a couple of months ago i heard that this was bad for them, after all this moving was done. It still works but guess i will be more careful with it!


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## bofusmosby (Apr 30, 2007)

The biggest problem (in my opinion) with laying them on their back, or on their front is the chance for the panel to crack. If it were laying on its back, say in a pickup, If you were to hit a decent bump, just the shear weight of the glass can crack the panel. Like wise, on its face. There are other problems that can occur as well, but in my opinion, this is the main reason. If the panel cracks, the set is toast. To give you an example, I had a customer want me to give him an est of a 50" Plasma TV panel replacement. He had cracked the panel while moving it. The set was about 8 months old, and originally cost about $2,200. The price of the panel was $1,985. at COST, but there was a dud value on the old panel of $500. Unfortunately, the original panel was cracked, so there was NO dud value. Then there would be the labor to install the panel. It would be cheaper to just buy a new TV. 

Just remember, the glass on a panel TV is thin, and can break easily.


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## Bacardi 151 (May 2, 2007)

ktkelly said:


> LG PDP's (plasma display panel's) come with a *2 year warranty*. All of them...


First LG I pulled up at best buy says ONE year warranty...Your comment "all of them" is null and void...Perhaps if you buy the tv directly from LG, you'll get a two year warranty, but I'm sure the cost of the warranty will be included in the price. Here's the link:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...=product&tab=2&id=1169857827582#productdetail

I'm not trying to agrue here. I stand firm on including the cost of an extended warranty with the TV purchase. Again, my suggestion is to use a visa signature card to get the lowest cost warranty available (obviously pay the card off in full prior to accruing interest). If you do not have a signature card, look into club stores as the warranties are cheaper.


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## ktkelly (Apr 7, 2007)

Bacardi,

I'm not here to argue either.

The item you link to is a LCD panel. 

Perhaps it didn't register when you read what I posted?



As to the warranty issue?

There are far more people who recommend against extended warranties than those who recommend them.

Here's something from the Clark Howard show:

Aug 22, 2007 -- Sales of extended warranties are down
Minneapolis' _Star Tribune_ reports that sales of extended electronics warranties at Best Buy and Circuit City are down 12 percent and eight percent, respectively. Clark really rejoices in these stats because he hates when these warranties are crammed down your throat by salespeople. Speaking of that, Clark recently bought an LCD TV (on sale) at a major electronics retailer. When the salesperson started his spiel about the warranty and Clark declined, the salesperson dropped him like a hot potato. He actually left Clark by himself to lift the TV onto his cart and didn't even fill out a customer ticket! Clark thinks the man probably acted this way because he may have needed a certain close rate on the customer tickets he writes up. So rather than risk being penalized for not selling the warranty, the sales associate didn't even bother writing up a ticket. At Circuit City, for example, the only way they survive is through warranty sales. Best Buy, meanwhile, reported some $100 million -- more than half of their $1.38 billion in profits -- came from the sale of extended warranties.

Clark says the payback on warranties is worse than on a Vegas slot-machine. In fact, he jokingly advises people to get a quote on a warranty and then go drop that chunk of change in a one-armed bandit. At least then you'll get flashing lights, racket and noise, plus have some fun taking in the atmosphere! But seriously, for every dollar you pay on an electronics warranty, you only get back about eight to15 cents, after you account for depreciation and how quickly technology becomes outdated. Clark thinks you should never buy an extended warranty on computers and electronics. You're a little bit safer with a warranty on your appliances. Finally, keep in mind that credit cards will sometimes double the manufacturer's warranty on electronics. It's like getting an extended warranty for free! 


The basics are this. It's smart to use a credit card to get the extended warranty, when available, but foolish to buy one.


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## Bacardi 151 (May 2, 2007)

KtKelly, I stand corrected. You found the 1% of all flat panel TVs that doesn't have a 1 year warrranty, the LG plamsa. Was your point just to prove me wrong or do you actually recommend LGs over all other tv based on the 2 year warranty? I dug a little deeper with LG. I looked up the 50" 1080p plasma that's on sale for $2699 at best buy, it's ranked 6.9 out of 10 by CNET. There's several, all name brands you mentioned in a previous post 50"/1080p ranked higher at a cheaper price. In fact with some, adding a circuit city/best buy "cash cow" warranty would still be cheaper than the LG.

The story you posted confirmed what's already been posted. CC/BB/HH warranties are the worst deals. A credit card and costco (which you didn't recommend) is the best deal. In the middle is the other clubs, sams, BJs, etc. Do you think ANY extended warranty is a total rip-off or is there a dollar amount/per year that you consider a good deal? Would you consider $50/year a good deal? I personally do.


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## bofusmosby (Apr 30, 2007)

Her is the problem with NOT buying an extended warranty. Most of these sets that fail, will do so because of a bad board. Most of these boards can NOT be repaired, so a complete assembly will have to be replaced. Some of these boards are Hundreds of dollars, and the labor will be in the $125-$225 range, so do the math yourself. I am NOT saying that every extended warranty is good, but what I am saying....If you buy a good Panel TV, and you plan on keeping it for 4-5 years, you may regret not getting one. 

To give you an example. I bought my wife for Christmas one of those auto GPS navigators. One place wanted $179 for a 2 year warranty, and another store had a four year extended warranty for only $49.. Now thats a hugh difference.

I am seeing panel TVs come into the shop that are maybe 2 years old, and with the labor and parts, it may cost the customer about $450 to repair the set. Most of this is for the part. The set originally cost the customer about $700, but can be replace now for about $475. It all depends how much the warranty costs, and how long you plan to keep the set. If you do buy an extended warranty, make sure that it will cover "replacment" if TV can NOT be repaired because the parts can not be obtained (A big problem with some of the Chinese TVs)


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## Bacardi 151 (May 2, 2007)

bofusmosby said:


> Her is the problem with NOT buying an extended warranty. Most of these sets that fail, will do so because of a bad board. Most of these boards can NOT be repaired, so a complete assembly will have to be replaced. Some of these boards are Hundreds of dollars, and the labor will be in the $125-$225 range, so do the math yourself. I am NOT saying that every extended warranty is good, but what I am saying....If you buy a good Panel TV, and you plan on keeping it for 4-5 years, you may regret not getting one.
> 
> To give you an example. I bought my wife for Christmas one of those auto GPS navigators. One place wanted $179 for a 2 year warranty, and another store had a four year extended warranty for only $49.. Now thats a hugh difference.
> 
> I am seeing panel TVs come into the shop that are maybe 2 years old, and with the labor and parts, it may cost the customer about $450 to repair the set. Most of this is for the part. The set originally cost the customer about $700, but can be replace now for about $475. It all depends how much the warranty costs, and how long you plan to keep the set. If you do buy an extended warranty, make sure that it will cover "replacment" if TV can NOT be repaired because the parts can not be obtained (A big problem with some of the Chinese TVs)


Seems like the consensus (I'm the minority) of this board is to trust the branding....Buy the most expensive NON-Chinese TV as long as you recognize the brand. Apparently, if it's a name brand, it's Chinese free and will last for years, saving you hundreds in warranty costs...

After reading this whole DYNAMIC thread, I'm tempted to invest into best buys warranties as they are so profitable.

To add something relevant to your post, as I'm sure you know, 2 years is a terrible indicator. HOURS is the key. Is the TV on for 2 hours a day or 12?


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## bofusmosby (Apr 30, 2007)

Bacardi 151

Good point. A lot of the chinese sets that are failing have had a limited amount of use. A number of them have been bad right out of the box. My opinion is that they are turning loose of these sets before they work the "bugs" out. And, you can not go by just the brand name. For example, RCA used to be one of the best. NOW, it is one of the worse ones out there. All Chinese. On the RCA LCD sets 32" and smaller, there are NO parts avaliable, and I have been told by those that should know, that parts will NEVER be avaliable. If the set fails in warranty, they swap it out. When the set is out of warranty, good luck on getting the parts. Now, this may change in the future, but as of now, this is the way it is. There are some parts for these avaliable, but only because the larger LCD sets use some of the same boards, and the parts can be obtained for these, as long as the parts are not on a factory B/O.

This is the very reason why I strongly suggest to anyone to buy an extended warranty with the replacment option of the set, if the parts can not be obtained.


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