mengm@homxa.UUCP (P.MENG) (03/01/84)
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A WORD OF CAUTION!!
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I year ago I purchased a head cleaning tape for my VHS VCR
and used it. One week later I had to bring the VCR to the shop
(authorized RCA service center) for problems with the picture.
The cause: (You guessed it) the stupid head cleaning tape.
The repairman scolded me for using those cleaning tapes and
told me of others who suffered from the same problem. He then had to
clean the heads properly with a swab and some kind of solvent.
Since that time I have never attempted to clean the
VCR heads and have had no problems.( approx 300 hours playing
time ). I would therefore recommend that U do not mess with
the heads at all (expensive to replace) and if you really must,
then contact a service center and find out the proper method
for cleaning heads!
Video stores should not sell or recommend those tapes!!!
Peter Meng (homxa!mengm BCR Holmdel,NJ)rfg@hound.UUCP (R.GRANTGES) (03/01/84)
<><><><><<><><><><><><> On the other hand, I had a VCR that developed Terrible snow and other awful stuff. I took it to the local Video Repair Store and they said,"Hmm. $15 in advance and we'll look at it and maybe give you an estimate." I didn't have $15 at that moment and was mad as hell (they hadn't mentioned the $15 when they invited me to bring in the set over the phone - a 15 minute drive). So I took it apart myself, cleaned it up a bit, bought a cleaning tape, Zip, good as new. I still have the cleaning tape, the VCR was borrowed. Moral: Never say Never. -Dick Grantges hound!rfg
dw@rocks34.UUCP (03/08/84)
When I bought by Beta deck the salesman tried to push a head cleaning tape pretty hard. He said that if I ever sent the unit in for service and the heads were dirty the warrenty would be invalid due to abuse of the machine. That seems silly to me, and at any rate wouldn't use one of those tapes on anything (except maybe the salesman's personal machine). Don Wegeng (dw) rocks34!dw (UUCP) Wegeng.Henr@Parc-Maxc.ARPA (ARPA)