[Nexus 7 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] GedBlake:
Hi, nobody_nowhere..

I will try, but I'm not quite what it is you're asking of me...

If it's concerning RMA, then I don't think I'm going to be of much help, I'm afraid... as I don't know the procedure for claiming under warranty (ie., RMA), having never done it myself.

My own Nexus 7 is just a liitle over a year old now, and I've so far been fortunate in having only had minor, and easily recoverable softbrick/bootloop type situations.

In your second post on this thread, you suggest that RMAs were time limited to just 15 days. I'm not completely sure, but I think this is incorrect. In most countries/jurisdictions, warranties usually run for 12 months. This is certainly the case here in the UK.

The thread you mention

, well, having read it yourself, you'll know that I attempted to resolve the problem experienced by the OP of that thread... and it all came to nothing in the end:(.

There seems to be two recognisable categories of 'brick'... hardbrick, typically caused by a damaged, corrupt or wholly erased bootloader... and softbrick, which can have any number of causes, but is usually always resolvable - principally by accessing fastboot mode. Fastboot mode, is a sort of a 'get-out-of-jail' free card... and I've used it many times in the past.

But if you can't access fastboot mode (apropos of your current predicament), but the bootloader still works (if it didn't, NOTHING AT ALL would happen), your technically not hardbricked.

You have an unrecoverable soft brick:(... semi-hardbrick maybe? - a third category of 'brick'??

With regard to claiming under warranty... as I've already said, I really have no idea how to go about doing this, but I assume some sort of 'phone conversation would initially start the ball rolling and some questions would be asked of the owner of the Nexus 7...

...but, if it is unambiguously clear (and it sounds like it is, with CWM boot looping), that you've installed custom software, then there's no point in being disingenuous. As soon as they receive the device, they'll know. It you're honest with them, you might have a fair chance of them fixing it. If you lie outrightly, your credibility suffers.

Your best bet, I think, is to emphasize that's it's a hardware issue - emphasize the buttons aren't working properly. Emphasize that you're a knowledgeable Android user, and you're familiar with fastboot, and flashing custom software. The idea, here, is to make it more of a hardware problem, than a software problem - because it then throws the ball back into their court. And personally, I happen to think it is a hardware problem. I have no idea if this will work or not - I'm really just guessing here.

Whether installing custom software itself is sufficient to void warranty is a discussion that could fill an entire thread many pages over, such is the ambiguity of the issue.

It's generally considered, though, that unlocking the bootloader alone, is enough to leave your warranty in tatters... but flashing a Google factory stock image requires the bootloader to be unlocked anyway. So, I'm not quite sure how that contradiction squares itself away!

Indeed the flash-all.* script, that ships with factory stock images, unlocks the bootloader as matter of course. Of course, Google recommend re-locking the bootloader afterwards.

And what of Nexus 7 Jellybean 4.2.2 users, several months ago, who could root without unlocking the bootloader at all, using the

motochopper "exploit"

.

Does rooting with an exploit count as installing custom software... you're messing with /system after all?

Ultimately though, I think that you may have to face an unpalatable truth - that tinkering with your device, does sometimes go wrong... in ways that leave even the most experienced users baffled (and I'm not even close to that level of knowledge and expertise).

There are some posters, here on XDA, who have in their sig., a list of previously owned devices... crossed out... and the word BRICKED next to them. These are the guys with thousands of posts to their name... and their 'graveyard' of dead devices are their metaphorical battlescars.

As soon as you type fastboot oem unlock, you're tacitly accepting that this may happen to you some day... you've effectively 'removed the back' of of that expensive clock/watch/HiFi system or Nexus 7... in the belief you can make it 'go' faster or perform better. Most of the time, you will be successful, and you will make it perform better, with whatever Custom ROM or kernel you've chosen to install.

But sometimes, something will go so horribly wrong... that there is no way back.:(

And all that is then left is the capriciousness of the company you have warranty with (via RMA)... and you're own negotiating skills.

I really do wish there was some button sequence, or command line I could suggest... but when dealing with the warranty people... you're on your own, sorry to say. Ultimately, and essentially... they may choose to repair it, or not. And beyond that, there's not much else I can add.

Except... best of luck.

Rgrds,

Ged.