Expert: cleggsan - 12/15/2004

Question
I have a Phillips 13" TV/VCR Combo, model CCC130AT01, made in 2001.  It's had a minor (to me) problem since I bought the set--it would occasionally and randomly change channels or turn the set on or off all by itself.  However, yesterday it turned off by itself and now it will not stay on.  If I hit power it will turn on, but the set automatically turns off after 10 seconds.  If I hit power again it will turn on right away, but again and always turn off after 10 seconds.  

I hate to throw away a TV that's relatively new (and hate that I didn't return it 3 years ago!), but I'm afraid that it will be more expensive to diagnose and/or fix than to replace.  Any help or advice is much appreciated!

Answer
Brigid,

I don't like combo units of any size or kind or make.  They are all troublesome and they are all difficult to diagnose and they are all very expensive to repair.   Please do not buy another one.  You are always better off purchasing separate units; you will get better quality AND the total cost will be less for comparable units.  The vcr used in combos is inferior and the tv is overheated because of the extra electronics in the box.  So, please stay away from then.

Now, to your problem. The reason is shuts off is the protection circuit that is detecting too much current being drawn from somewhere inside the tv.  Probably, the trip level of the protection circuit was set too close the limit at the factory and you really should have taken it back while it was in warranty.  Now, due to some aging or component failure it is drawing more current and trips the protection every time.  

I would judge the repairs to be quite expensive, relative to the cost of the unit.  This is because techs don't like to work on them and they are harder to get inside and probe around to do the diagnostics.  So, you are probably looking at a repair bill of $100 plus or minus.  

Now, here is the really bad news. YOu can buy a pretty good 13 inch set for $49 and up.  You can buy a  pretty good vcr for $35 and up.  So, you can probably get some good merchandise (at least compared to the 13 inch combo you now have) for less than the repair bill.

However, don't take my word for it and call a couple of shops and ask them to give you some estimate or guesstimate over the phone and whether it is worth fixing.  It won't cost anything and you might get lucky by finding some shop that is hurting for business and wants to fix it just to make a few dollars on it.  But, normal cost would be a couple of hours of labor and parts, so $75 minimum would be my strongest opinion.

So, your decision may be an economic one rather than a technical one at this stage.

Last comment; I like Philips products, but they have not been a reliable brand of late. If you buy another inexpensive tv, choose a Sanyo, maybe. They are very reliable, generally, according to most rating services and are very inexpensive.  Their 13 inch set sells for $59 and is a good set. You can get them at Walmart last I looked.  Walmart now sells about 20% of all home electronics sold in the USA so they must choose products that last good because they don't have afterservice like Best Buy and Circuit City and others.  Kmart sells Sharp brand which is pretty good, also, but not as reliable as Sanyo.  Panasonic and Sony are good on the high end, but much more expensive, too.

Let me know if you would like to ask any further questions, whatsoever.

Have a happy holiday season.

Cleggsan