Canon ipf 6100 L Print head replacement - is it worth it?

[Bullfrog]

I have a 6100 which is about 4.5 years old - no problems to date and recently I  have been printing a LOT, (so its not lack of use)...anyway just tonight as I tried to print another, I got the dreaded print head replacement error (yes, I wasted the ink and tried cleaning it 3 times so don't go there :-0)


My question:  Has anyone here with a 6100 replaced print heads - and if yes, can you tell me how things worked out ?  I am happy with the printer and it suits my needs so I would rather invest in it and replace the heads IF I can reasonably expect to get another 4 years.

Also, error is stating L print head - should I assume the R print head is on its way out too?

The only other maintenance cost was the ink supply cartridge which I replaced last year.


FYI - I live in Ontario canada - the price at B&H is $427 + about $70 shipping and duty which is $500 before exchange rate which will bring it to about $550 for one head.  I don't know of a better price .

Thanks

[neile]

I've replaced print heads several times on my ipf5100. Once they're replaced the printer is as good as new.

And yes, if the L is on the way out after 4.5 years I suspect the R won't be far behind.

Neil

[Bullfrog]

Thanks for the reply - I ordered it.

[mstevensphoto]

+1 for printer like new with replacement and the likely need to replace the R head soon. I'm not so sure about 4 years from a replacement. It should be an OEM part just like the one you got the first 4 years from, but my experience has been more like 1-2 years on a replacement head.

[Bullfrog]

thanks for vote  - I cannot figure out where in the menu it tells me how many sq feet I've printed - but my sense is my usage has been very light in 4.5 years and based on what I read I assumed life of print head was tied to that.  

What I don't know and hope isn't a big problem is wear and tear on other working parts which would require replacement in addition to print head.  With the cost of printers coming down, it doesn't seem to make sense to keep repairing if the costs are high - so here's hoping I made the right decision.  Yes, I expect R Print head will go sooner than later so I can manage that - but beyond that it would get really depressing.

In my case, I've not had any problems with printing beyond this very abrupt problem but again according to what I've read, that isn't unusual.

Waiting for B&H to deliver and hope to be back printing by the weekend.

[neile]

The only other "wear" part I can think of that'll be coming up soon is the maintenance tank, but that's (relatively) inexpensive.

Neil

[Bullfrog]

The only other "wear" part I can think of that'll be coming up soon is the maintenance tank, but that's (relatively) inexpensive.

Neil

Yup - did that last year. 

[Bullfrog]

the maintenance cartridge dropped from 80% to 20% with the head replacement (I forgot about all that ink) so yes, its another thing to do sooner than later, but otherwise, printing now and everything is working well  Thanks for your tips and advice.
 

[Landscapes]

Did you also know you can reset the maintenance cart?  You could probably easily get away with doing it twice before it really starts to fill up.  The instructions are on the iPF wiki site, and its a 2 minute job.   I have just taken mine apart and drained out the ink manually since I have probably reset mine at least 5 times.  There is no point in spending $50 for an empty plastic container.

[neile]

I knew about the resetting (I've done it once) but not about the take apart process. Tell us more

Neil

[Bullfrog]

Did you also know you can reset the maintenance cart?  You could probably easily get away with doing it twice before it really starts to fill up.  The instructions are on the iPF wiki site, and its a 2 minute job.   I have just taken mine apart and drained out the ink manually since I have probably reset mine at least 5 times.  There is no point in spending $50 for an empty plastic container.

Well, kinda, maybe, I think I read it somewhere but since it hasn't sunk in - no.  And $50 - I spent $80 last year.  (ouch).  Of course, I figured it was a once every few years thing until now ...and didn't bother checking other places (Where did you buy yours for $50 if I might ask?)

Anyway, Do you mean the canon wiki?
Can you provide a link to us ?
Thanks for your advice in advance.

Edit to add:  found the link thanks

[Pete Berry]

I knew about the resetting (I've done it once) but not about the take apart process. Tell us more

Neil

Here's the link that includes both the resetting and the nasty part, which I've done several times (and wrote the Wiki tear-down/cleaning/re-assembly) part). Not mentioned, a deep laundry-type sink or bathtub much preferable to bathroom or small kitchen sink. A wooden rolling pin will be stained, and the replacement was half the cost of a new tank! A tall glass bottle should work fine for a roller.

http://canonipf.wikispaces.com/Reset+Maintenance+Tank

Pete