Well, just got done installing that ribbon cable, it's tricky, but not too bad - the thing was designed by a psychotic zen origami master (fold here, then here, then...), and you've got to be handy with small tools and know a few tricks about how these cameras are built. I'd estimate about 2 hours labor... and that's if you haven't done it before, probably would depend on the camera a bit, but if you're handy...

The tech never called. I have no idea what they did to the camera but it did end up costing 800 bucks. All the invoice says is "replaced parts, cleaned and returned to Sony specs."

The very worst part is that I remembered (too late) that I had bought an extended warranty when I bought the camera. The warranty is still valid but it wasn't through Sony.

At least the camera is back and working.