Repair Z3200 or new P9000

[robertDthomas]

Well I have had a good run with a 6 year old 44” Z3200.  A couple years ago I started getting the fan noise then I started shutting it off when the fan started hitting whatever and making all the noise. I would turn it off then power up several days or up to a couple weeks later.  No problems with clogging.  Now the belt is shredding and has to be replaced.

So never had service on the printer up till now. I need the belt replaced and will have the fan (Power supply?) replaced and also probably other general service that is found during the call.  Have had some issues with recognizing a new roll – must be sensors need cleaning.

Well now I am wondering if after all these years should I save the money for the repairs and put it toward a new P9000 from Epson?

Thoughts?

[deanwork]

Both of the things you are having done are routine maintenance for the Z, and very minor. I think they are making better belts these days because my last one has lasted 5 years and still looks great.  I would just have them do a thorough cleaning while they are in there to save you the trouble, and have them replace the waste tank unit. Other than that there is not much to worry about with these printers. If the speed is not a problem for you I'd hold on to it. It is the cheapest printer to operate of any kind that I've ever used. It wastes no ink and the heads are durable and cheap.

 The only thing that is vulnerable is the main board like all of these printers during lighting storms. Make sure it is always plugged into a new battery backup. Actually I always unplug all my printers during storms or when I'm away, and I've never had a board problem since on any of them. With the Z you can keep it unplugged for a couple of weeks or even a month without any problems, in my experience. But other than that it should be plugged in all the time.

john'

[John Nollendorfs]

I second John's recommendations. If you've had the printer 6 years, replacing the belt, and the "service station" while the printer is torn apart should do you well. The fan noise, is common, and would recommend replacing the fan assembly on the power supply, which should only cost you $35 or so. Service men usually want to replace the whole power supply to the tune of $250, which is generally not necessary. I just replaced the drive belt on my Z3100 after 9 years. I aim to keep it running as long as I can. Very reliable printing machine, especially for someone that doesn't do a lot of printing consistently. (leaves the printer sitting unused for weeks at a time.) If a print head does go south on you, you can replace the whole set of 6 for under $400 if necessary. This is less than the cost of one printed (of two) on the Canons.

[Mark Lindquist]

+ 1 for both what Dean and John said.  IMHO I don't think you can find a better printer for the money that is so reliable and easy to maintain and actually work on.  If you want to know a little about what can be done with repairs and how to go about it, and what are the best parts to get, here is a link to a page that lays it all out for you:

REPAIRING HP Z-SERIES PRINTERS

It takes a little reading, but it really could be worth it to skim through it.

Heck, you might even decide you'll want to fix it yourself!

-Mark

[shadowblade]

Keep the Z3200 as long as you possibly can!

Epsons come and go, but the Z3200's output, ease of use (automatic profiling) and maintenance (cheap, replaceable heads) are legendary.

Repair it, maintain it and keep it until either HP releases a replacement, or Epson/Canon come up with something that matches it.

[robertDthomas]

Wow - 100% say repair and keep.  I have to admit that it has been pretty much a trouble free workhorse for 6 years even with my moving to a new location and having the printer in storage for 3 months while the new home and studio was being finished.  Replaced a few printheads and thats about it for maintenance.

Mark, thanks for the link to your videos.  I actually looked through some of those when the fan started acting up but got cold feet and found that just turning it off between printing sessions worked fine.  Will look through again but I have found a company that is local that services HP and other large format printers so may call them and see if they would be willing to give a rough estimate for repair.  http://www.merrittgraphics.com/printer-sales-service/printer-service/printer-service

So thanks to all who have posted and I would also like to see a new HP come out but this one has worked well up to this point.

[robertDthomas]

I have contacted Merritt Graphics fro repair and they wanted a list of items that I would like done to the Z3200 44" printer and part numbers for replacement. 

They indicated trouble sourcing one of the parts:The right side service station spittoon – Q5669-60667
I also listed the left side spittoon assembly: - Q5669-67049
ARE THESE THE INK WASTE TANKS??

The repair technician said he has only had to replace one of the waste tanks in all his service calls but that has been recommended here so thought best to have on hand if needed.

Also having the belt and power supply replaced - Carriage Drive Belt - P/N: Q6659-60175 & Power supply – P/N: Q6718-67005

Seem about right?

[Ernst Dinkla]

Both were never replaced on my Z3200 of the same age. On the right side it must be the service station box, there is no separate spot the ink is squirted on. I can imagine that  the container beneath the spittoon there can overflow. Cleaning and replacing the absorbent stuff there is another option. The wipers of the service station may need replacement I guess, way better engineered than Epson does it, they still may get harder in time.

On the left side I removed the absorbent stuff (felt, whatever), soaked it in warm water + ammonia and overnight let a dripping faucet reduce the ink media in it. I think it can absorb a lot of ink but a dried in crust on top may prevent absorption.


Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
July 2016 update, 700+ inkjet media white spectral plots

[deanwork]

If you can't find new waste tanks there are usually refurbished units available for both sides on Ebay.
 
Or you can do that refurbishment yourself by cleaning them out as Ernst has mentioned. I never ran into a situation where I had to replace a waste tank or the wipers either. Although a tech did replace the tanks once since he was replacing my belt and had it torn apart.  I didn't even ask him to do that. I was under warranty, as I was for like 7 years, paying annually.

And that was another great thing about HP in the US at least. I was able to renew my warranty as long as I wanted annually or for two years for about half of what Epson wanted for theirs that they ended totally in 3 years. They didn't come out and evaluate the printer, they just asked you if it was still working, then they gave you the warranty for everything. Now that is good customer service and keeps people using their inks.

Both were never replaced on my Z3200 of the same age. On the right side it must be the service station box, there is no separate spot the ink is squirted on. I can imagine that  the container beneath the spittoon there can overflow. Cleaning and replacing the absorbent stuff there is another option. The wipers of the service station may need replacement I guess, way better engineered than Epson does it, they still may get harder in time.

On the left side I removed the absorbent stuff (felt, whatever), soaked it in warm water + ammonia and overnight let a dripping faucet reduce the ink media in it. I think it can absorb a lot of ink but a dried in crust on top may prevent absorption.


Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
July 2016 update, 700+ inkjet media white spectral plots

[robertDthomas]

Dean and Ernst,
Thanks for your quick reply.I will call them on monday and say to forget the waste tanks if they haven't sourced as they are waiting to do repair till they found them.  better to clean if necessary than to hold up the necessary repair.

thanks again

[Mark Lindquist]

Service station on ebay - very reasonable

Considering the work you're having done, if I was in your position, I would get this and have them install it.  Pretty reasonable.  If they get in there and find out the service station is not that bad, you could just keep it as a spare.  Once you are into a tear down and refurb, it's a good idea to go all the way if possible, particularly as parts are still relatively plentiful. 

[robertDthomas]

good point

[robertDthomas]

Well I got the quote for the repair.  $1,567 for parts and $1,050 for labor plus $80 for the call.  Thought a bit steep so I looked at parts at http://www.partshere.com and was able to source all parts in stock at a price of $625.  The premium of over $900 seems a bit steep for the parts.  With the labor it comes to $2800 and I was pushed to consider the replacement route or try my hand on the repair myself.  So nothing to lose but get the parts myself and try the repair I guess.  If I fail at that I will replace.

I have contacted Merritt Graphics fro repair and they wanted a list of items that I would like done to the Z3200 44" printer and part numbers for replacement. 

They indicated trouble sourcing one of the parts:The right side service station spittoon – Q5669-60667
I also listed the left side spittoon assembly: - Q5669-67049
ARE THESE THE INK WASTE TANKS??

The repair technician said he has only had to replace one of the waste tanks in all his service calls but that has been recommended here so thought best to have on hand if needed.

Also having the belt and power supply replaced - Carriage Drive Belt - P/N: Q6659-60175 & Power supply – P/N: Q6718-67005

Seem about right?

[Mark Lindquist]

Robert -

The ONLY belt I can recommend is the LPS belt:

LPS Z3200 44" Carriage Belt

I have it and it's doing beautifully.  I don't trust any other belts, but YMMV.

If your technician thinks that the waste tanks are not an issue, then skip it - let him deal with it.

Mark

[robertDthomas]

Thanks again Mark,
Yes I saw this part referenced in your video.  Will look to get that one as it is constructed better and will last longer.

[svds]

Well I have had a good run with a 6 year old 44” Z3200.  A couple years ago I started getting the fan noise then I started shutting it off when the fan started hitting whatever and making all the noise. I would turn it off then power up several days or up to a couple weeks later.  No problems with clogging.  Now the belt is shredding and has to be replaced.

So never had service on the printer up till now. I need the belt replaced and will have the fan (Power supply?) replaced and also probably other general service that is found during the call.  Have had some issues with recognizing a new roll – must be sensors need cleaning.

Well now I am wondering if after all these years should I save the money for the repairs and put it toward a new P9000 from Epson?

Thoughts?

I wish I had your luck. I have a 5 year old Z3200 44" PS that has had 3 service calls that were all around the $1k amount. I think 2 times it was the full carriage assembly and all new print heads. I guess I can't complain, I only paid $2100. new in the box