# will refurbed (tivo-renewed) roamios have new HDs?



## whereiwannab (Jun 29, 2015)

Hi, 

I just ordered a refurb (tivo-renewed) base Roamio from their summer sale and it's delivering tomorrow.

Tivo's website doesn't have any documentation on what their refurbishment entails so I'm asking here:
What are the chances that their refurbished units have new hard drives? Or are they using refurbished drives from the manufacturer (WD or Seagate)? 
Should I swap in a brand new HD just to be sure? 


Thanks!


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Usually refurbs are returns from people that just decided they didn't want them. I'm sure that they have some sort of QC process and only replace the HDD if needed.


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## retiredqwest (Sep 7, 2010)

I received one of these and the drive is a WD 10EURX dated 31 Aug 2013.

I would presume it is the original drive. But it doesn't matter as I dropped a larger drive in the refurbed one anyway.....


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## skypros (May 19, 2015)

Same for me.... Roamio Plus with a WD hard drive dated 31 Aug 2013..... Tag on the back of my Roamio Plus is 18-Mar-15 And Mine came with Dust in the fan..... So I don't think Tivo does much when they "renew" these!



retiredqwest said:


> I received one of these and the drive is a WD 10EURX dated 31 Aug 2013.


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## retiredqwest (Sep 7, 2010)

skypros said:


> Same for me.... Roamio Plus with a WD hard drive dated 31 Aug 2013..... Tag on the back of my Roamio Plus is 18-Mar-15 And Mine came with Dust in the fan..... So I don't think Tivo does much when they "renew" these!


I gave up on my refurb today.... Couldn't get either of my minis to use the refurb as a DVR. Big red circle and V70 error with the refurb.

This afternoon the wife showed me the new guide: same 2 screens side-by-side. All of the other Tivo screens same scenario, makes it really difficult to select the menu items. Live TV was fine. Tried another HDMI cable and moved to a different TV, no change.

Called support and after way too many "connect to TIVO Servers" I gave up when they said "we don't support switches" since my house is 100% wired for the other TIVO's. I laughed and told him we were done and hung up.

So I reconnected the XL4 to the TV and all of my TIVO's talk just fine through all of those "unsupported switches".

And then noticed the HDMI socket on the refurb had a lot of play, the TV would lose video and audio by very little movement of the HDMI cable or the refurb.

So, it is boxed back up and I'll call and see what crap they give me about returning it. I'm done with any TIVO refurb's.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

The v70 error is common with new TiVos. You usually have to force a few calls on both the TiVo and the Minis and then reboot everything to get them to see each other. It's kind of a PITA but it usually works itself out if you're patient. 

The HDMI port is another story I would definitely not accept that.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

In the spirit of balancing bad experiences with good, my recertified Roamio Pro seems to be doing well...

I'd like to check the date on my hard drive...is there anyway to do this without opening up the case?

My recertified came with a few surface scratches on the face of the receiver, but not major... You have to look at the receiver from a certain angle to notice them.

Also, not sure if this is normal or an anomaly, but during the cablecard activation, the progress got "stuck" at 72% for about 3-5 minutes before successfully getting to 100% and has been working like a champ since...

I didn't opt for the extended warranty... If the drive goes bad, I'll likely open it up and put a 6TB drive in its place...


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

MikeekiM said:


> Also, not sure if this is normal or an anomaly, but during the cablecard activation, the progress got "stuck" at 72% for about 3-5 minutes before successfully getting to 100% and has been working like a champ since...


Normal. I read a post the other day where a guy said the same thing. Hung at 72% for a bit ... then zoomed to 100% complete.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=525293


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## retiredqwest (Sep 7, 2010)

Dan203 said:


> The v70 error is common with new TiVos. You usually have to force a few calls on both the TiVo and the Minis and then reboot everything to get them to see each other. It's kind of a PITA but it usually works itself out if you're patient.


I setup it on Wednesday..... and I must have done at least 5 forced calls yesterday alone..... and 2 today.

The screen wonky thing today was the last straw......


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## Teeps (Aug 16, 2001)

whereiwannab said:


> Hi,
> 
> I just ordered a refurb (tivo-renewed) base Roamio from their summer sale and it's delivering tomorrow.
> 
> ...


Call TiVo ask them.


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## retiredqwest (Sep 7, 2010)

Tried the Plus one more time just now.... same split-screen overlap at guided setup. Pushed the resolution button on the back and it made no difference on the screen.

Then I tried the RF remote and it did nothing to the plus. Grabbed the remote I use on the mini and was able to get through a few menus. I'm presuming it lost pairing as the batteries were good. 

So, I'm now done with this refurb..... not sure if I want another refurb. I also looked and the date on the back was 30 Dec 2014.

Hope everyone else has better luck than me with their refurbs.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

retiredqwest said:


> Tried the Plus one more time just now.... same split-screen overlap at guided setup. ... So, I'm now done with this refurb.....


Bummer. But what's the harm in giving refurbs one more chance, so long as they make shipping free?


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## Anotherpyr (May 6, 2015)

retiredqwest said:


> Tried the Plus one more time just now.... same split-screen overlap at guided setup. Pushed the resolution button on the back and it made no difference on the screen.
> 
> Then I tried the RF remote and it did nothing to the plus. Grabbed the remote I use on the mini and was able to get through a few menus. I'm presuming it lost pairing as the batteries were good.
> 
> ...


We will see. I went ahead and bought the 3 year plan since it's a refurb and still less than buying a code. If you get 30 days on the replacement, I'd give them another shot. It's not unusual for a bad one to slip through every now and then.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

I didn't buy an extended warranty on my recertified TiVo Roamio Pro...

Apparently you can add an extended warranty within 90 days of purchase... I am going to wait it out and see if it gives me the confidence to keep it around "self-insured"...

90 days of it churning away 24x7 should give it the proper burn-in test...


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## Series3Sub (Mar 14, 2010)

I know an individual you had gotten TiVo Premiere XL direct from TiVo, probably a refurb. Could not get beyond Startup screen; it would not boot up. Most likely HDD. He called TiVo and they sent a replacement, at a PRICE. When he got the replacement, he connected it and AGAIN, stuck on Startup screen. He was PO'd, so he paid Weaknees to replace HDD. Never a problem since. Also, another TiVo user had a similar experience where TiVo kept sending units to her with HDD's that would not boot up. eventually, she had Weaknees replace her HDD and no problem ever since. 

It sure seems like TiVo has old HDD's in some of those refurbs, now that at least two here have confirmed old HDD's are, indeed, in those "replacement" TiVo's, it is no wonder that Weaknees "fixes" the problem because they probably use NEW HDD's. Duh, TiVo, that simple.

It is sad because those two were about ready to just dump TiVo, and ironically it would have been TiVo cheapskate approach that would have lost them 2 long-time customers. The people I mentioned were not tech inclined and just could not perform the HDD change-out themselves pre-Roamio days. They really wanted the TiVo and loved the product and that is why they went the Weaknees route, but felt they could not trust TiVo to provide them with a WORKING replacement. So, the paid the $$, but Weeknees delivered on a working TiVo, and saved TiVo 2 subscribers.

I think all the DVR provided by MVPD's also re-use HDD's if they pass some QC, but it is not all that uncommon for "replacement" DVR's to had HDD problems and cease functioning soon after being put into service. I think Dish likely does the same thing as there are some people who report their "replacement" Hoppers with Sling HDD dies after only a few months, and so does the subsequent replacement Hopper with Sling. What a headache.

Dang, it sure saves TiVo, Dish, and whoever else some money to re-use HDD's, but it sure sours the customer and seriously makes them consider leaving the MVPD or TiVo. Look, TiVo, and all you MVPD's, put a priority on sending your customers WORKING DVR's that will last at least a few years. Keep the customer happy with a promised working DVR that lasts a reasonable period.

I know Weaknees is expensive compared to DYI, and WK gets beat up on this forum, but if someone is not tech capable to do the work--even the simple Roamio HDD replacement almost any monkey can do--then I do recommend Weaknees to people because they are reputable and seem to do good jobs with all sorts of repairs and I've never heard of them doing any less than good work from those who use them, just that the prices are bit tough to swallow, but they know they will do it right and the TiVo works for years with no problems.


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## retiredqwest (Sep 7, 2010)

Well, I sent the refurb back yesterday under the exchange option. We'll see what happens when the other one gets here.


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## whereiwannab (Jun 29, 2015)

thanks for all the responses everyone. i went ahead and installed a brand new hard drive in my refurb and it's been working flawlessly. I guess it should be known for future customers, if it's a refurb, just take account into buying a new hard drive along with the unit and swap one in yourself for peace of mind.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

whereiwannab said:


> thanks for all the responses everyone. i went ahead and installed a brand new hard drive in my refurb and it's been working flawlessly. I guess it should be known for future customers, if it's a refurb, just take account into buying a new hard drive along with the unit and swap one in yourself for peace of mind.


Are you saying that the original hard drive gave you problems, and you were able to solve the problem by swapping with a new hard drive?

Or are you saying that you had no problems with the original hard drive, but that proactively replacing the drive has caused no problems?


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## whereiwannab (Jun 29, 2015)

MikeekiM said:


> Are you saying that the original hard drive gave you problems, and you were able to solve the problem by swapping with a new hard drive?
> 
> Or are you saying that you had no problems with the original hard drive, but that proactively replacing the drive has caused no problems?


I can't say zero problems with the original hard drive because I never gave it a chance. I ordered a new hard drive from newegg and as soon as this refurbished tivo was delivered, I opened the case and swapped in the new hard drive, and went thru setup. So, sort of yes, proactively replacing the drive has caused no problems 

My refurbished roamio (base) was $49. New WD 1tb HD was another $60. So, the cost of this refurb'd unit plus a new HD for a total cost of ~$110, was a still an awesome deal.


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## Anotherpyr (May 6, 2015)

My refurb unit arrived Friday. It looks brand new, and other than the usual cable card pairing fun I've come to enjoy, it is working wonderfully. It has a June 2015 date on the back. Do they replace that when they refurb them?


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