this little trick requires u to initially BUY an XBOX360 or PS3 UNMODDED and purchased within the US....
1) Buy a PS3(80gb=$599 60gb=$499) or XBOX360(Core/Arcade=$279 Pro=$349 Elite=$449)
2) PAY the EXTENDED WARRANTY extra $60 for 1yr(at Gamestop/EB games) $80 for 2yrs(at BestBuy)... il try to get the prices for other stores if any, electronics and gaming stores in the US RARELY suggest u get the extended warranty , good thing i ask a lot of questions when i buy stuff specially warranty issues
3) this extended warranty covers ur SYSTEM for 1 or 2 yrs fro any(power surge,BRICK,water damage) kind of damage except intentional damage that heavily damages the console such as 2 story drop or explosive detonation and such
4) depending on how much u pay based on the coverage period u want but prior to the expiration of coverage take ur system where u buy it, even without the box, just the console and whatever was with the console just tell them any kind of reason/excuse that its "malfunctioning", heres one that i used: it randomly shuts off when u play, sometimes a couple of minutes after u start playing, sometimes after hours of playing, the store cannot exactly test ur unit coz as u said the shut off is random, it may not shutoff immediately or it my and they will not spend hours testing ur unit but just GIVE U A NEW UNIT in replacement of ur old unit that is "malfuctioning"
most if not all of the time they only check if the box contents are complete and do not test the unit for defect
5) pay for a new $60(1yr) and $80(2yr) extended warranty for ur new BRAND NEW CONSOLES, nd get the newer verions of whatever units u have and give u anther 2 yrs f protection from any real problems u may get with ur unit
*note will only work if u care enough for ur console to last 2 yrs
this will work well with xbox360 since current units are higher risk for BRICKING or 3 Red Rings having 90nm chips, if u cant make ur system last until the newer 65nm chips come out that are cheaper to make and are more relible with less heat output
