EEVblog #799 - How To Remove Warranty Void Security Stickers

How to remove those pesky Warranty Void If Removed security stickers, without voiding your warranty.
Two Minute Tech Tip

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[cogsinister]

Users in the EU should note that these stickers carry no legal power, a manufacturer can not void your warranty just for opening the case of something you own, this is only in Europe.

[mikeselectricstuff]

Warming it up with warm air can help soften the glue

[MarijnKonings]

Heating the sticker up with one of those hot air guns also works great. You can usually peel them off with a knife then if you're carefull. Around 60-80 deg c should do the trick.

[gerff]

You can see reflection lines where you shoved it in, that's why they use the reflective ones. If you heat it just a bit it should take care of that problem too, but don't heat too much.

[WingmanSR]

Learn this one WEIRD trick to bypass security stickers that crazy Aussie bloke discovered! Product return departments HATE him!

[tomvleeuwen]

The real amazing thing here is that Dave actually managed to make a short video :-)

[therealjammit]

I've just removed the stickers and any evidence they even existed (remove glue, shiny bits, etc). The warranty center just assumes (or doesn't even bother checking) that the manufacturing plant just forgot to add one.

[unpronouncable]

have you ordered your teflon Spatula from AvE?

[pinkdispatcher]

Quite useful, thank you.

In Germany, the law says that doing stuff inside "inexpertly" ("unsachgemäß") voids the warranty. Removing the sticker and taking a look alone does not fulfill that.

Messing with the sticker really moves the burden of proof from the vendor to you. If the sticker is intact, the assumption is always that you haven't done anything inside. If the sticker is damaged or removed, you may have to prove that what you did was not "inexpertly" or improperly, and did not cause the malfunction that you are trying to get fixed under warranty.

Of course, IANAL, and other countries' laws are different.

[dcheverie]

I use a heat gun to get stickers like that off, and Windows serial number stickers, etc. Heat gun plus a razor works great.

[Cephalon_Shade]

That one weird trick, manufactures hate him for!

[dudenamedclem]

I was totally expecting you to just cut/rip or otherwise do your best to destroy it and say who cares, but this was actually pretty useful, now to find some piece of technology to try it out on.

[TravisTerrell]

Update due to latest United States precedent. These stickers are no longer considered legal in the United States! (I suspect one could still run into issues with companies not specifically mentioned in the recent court order, though I'd certainly be interested in one's attempts to try.)

Major milestone reached, though!

[xxxxx]

I never did film the "warranty void if opened" prank on my doctor when I was going in for surgery. I don't remember his reaction but I heard it was great.

Oh and heating the sticker also helps.

[oler]

It also helps to Heat it up with a hair dryer

[robertd]

Been using this method for years.. it does take patience, skill and the right prying tool.

[vehasmaa]

So basicly those stickers are useless against professionals... Only there to keep out normal people..

[Daniel]

You've just voided every warranty in existence by making this video. Way to go!

[frollard]

many of these have multilayer glue with 'void' written in a not-very-adhesive font then the glue applied; when you peel it in any way even cleverly with a knife it separates the non-sticky words from the rest of the glue and you can never get them back together; only try this on stuff you aren't truly worried about the sticker on!

[JacGoudsmit]

Well done! If you can't open it, you don't own it.
(Where "can't" could mean either "aren't allowed to", "are prevented from", or "are not smart enough to").