I have exactly the same fault on my 2 year old Kdl-40w4500. Currently awaiting a new screen ordered by the engineer sent by John Lewis who guaranteed it for 5 years.

Edited to add pictures.

Message was edited by: sonyjim77

I have a 46 inch x3000 which I paid rather a lot of money for in 2008. This problem started a few weeks back and has been getting steadily worse.

I have been  a Sony fan for over 30 years and this is the first time one of their products has let me down.

If Sony refuse to acknowledge it's a manufacturing fault then they are going to have to prepare themselves for some pretty rough publicity.

Me too.

Just registered to this Sony Forum solely to note that I have the same problem with my TV.

My KDL-40X3500 has been ghosting' when I switch it on for about 3 months now and it is getting steadily worse.

I haven't contacted Sony yet and didn't take out an extended guarantee. I payed 2-grand for my X3500 back in '08 and can't afford to just go out and replace it.

I bought it based on a 5-star recomended What HiFi review. Has anyone contacted What HiFi, or other similar mag? Obviously there is no doubt that this is an inherant fault and Sony should recognize it and sort accordingly. We need to get as much public attention about this as we can, there must be hundreds/thousands of customers who have this problem.

I've always bought Sony like most others in this discussion and this has certainly put doubt in my mind that I would by any Sony product again... (a digital camera and a video camera have developed their own imaging faults over the years too - with only costly repairs offered by Sony in response). Never thought I'd say it but Samsung is really starting to appeal!

Add me to the list as well - KDL40w4500 with exactly the same problem.

It appears that Sony in Australia acknowledge the problem and say that a new screen is required - they are prepared to pay for the screeen but I'm up for the labour - 22% of the TV cost -  a bit rich me thinks!

This does not seem to be an isolated issue eaither - I have counted 65 member of the AV forum with exactly the same problem.

After haveing owned quite a few Sony products I must say I'm disappointed and when next I require a new product, Sony will be at the bottom of my list!

Cheers,

Franz

Almost all of the screen faults described in this thread are REPAIRABLE. Sony and almost all tv repair shops will tell you the screen will need to be replaced. The screen should be replaced, but since Sony seem reluctant to acknowledge that some of their sourced screens are junk and break down after a year or twos use, you have two choices. Repair it, or chuck it & buy new. The 1st option will cost you nothing more than 30-45 minutes of your time.

The fault on all of these models (V, W & X series, e.g. KDL40X****, KDL46X****, KDL40W4***, KDL46W4*** etc) is with sleeves that connect the screen to screen boards. When facing the tv, the fault is almost always with the sleeve on the extreme left, or extreme right. Basically these sleeves are very thin plastic sheets that contain minute circuitry that connects the screen to the matrix boards. With the screens being subjected to significant heat over the months/years, the bond between the sleeve and the screen breaks down, which results in a bad contact.

The fix is fairly simple. You need to remove the frame that surrounds the screen (usually an aluminium frame held in place with some small but longish screws.) When the frame is removed, you will see the long retangular boards at the top of the tv, two of them, one on the left side of the screen, one on the right. You will also see the sleeves that connect these boards to the screen.

With the tv on and showing a picture (which should be distorted, dark, shadowed, with horizontal lines etc), lightly press the sleeve on the extreme left of the screen. Press the sleeve towards the frame, or downwards. You will note the picture miraculously works!!!

So the cure? You need to put some padding between the frame and the sleeve so that when the frame is screwed back into position, the padding presses down on the sleeve and corrects the issue with the bad contact. Job done, it is that simple! The hardest part is taking the tv apart, but that should only take 20 minutes. 10 minutes to use some padding, 10 minutes to put the tv back together again.

To clarify, the fault is almost always with the 1st or last sleeve, i.e. extreme left or right. It is usually the left sleeve that creates the problem.

Try this, it works. Alternatively, stick your tv on ebay so I can buy it, fix it and make some pocket money.

I have the exact same problem on my 2 year old 40X3500

What a disgrace Sony UK won't step up to this problem!

I've never owned a non-Sony TV.  No more.   That's the last Sony I ever buy.

Spoke to Sony UK today.  I explained the fault & they said it wasn't a know fault!

I said that there were dozens of people with the same fault on their own website & that Sony USA & Australia have acknowledged it.

They said they have nothing to do with Sony USA or Australia, so I would have to pay for the repair.

I requested to escalate the complaint & was given this address to write to.

Customer Info Centre

Sony UK ltd

Jays close

Viables

Basingstoke

RG22 4SB