Everyone,

I am having issues with my Westinghouse 32w3 lcd tv that was purchased
about 1.5 years ago. About 2 months ago, I started noticing that when
I watch tv, sometimes there is a constant very fast flicker between
bright/dim contrast. At first, because I was watching OTA tv, I
thought it might be the HD tuner...however, it even happened when I
was watching a movie through a DVD player....

Now I have two options.
(1) Send to the repair center at Westinghouse even though the warrenty
has expired after 1 year. They had indicated that this tv there are
no parts anywhere to obtain and the ONLY option is to send it in to
CA. They said that this is an exchange tv so they won't repair it,
they'll exchange it (my thoughts...a refurbished one...i've read
somewhere that sometimes they send back a bad one and you gotta send
it back). My estimate of shipping plus insurance is $150 at the
slowest shipping via UPS. The shipping cost will be on me.
(2) My credit card which I purchased the TV on has an extended
warrenty...so I am good for another 6 months. They said that I can go
to a service center and get an estimate and submit it and they will
(hopefully) approve the claim. Now, the cost for initial diagnostics
after tax is about $80, which, if I get repaired, will be applied to
the billing. However, I fear that they will either not be able to
capture the problem (it pops in from time to time but is NOT
consistent at any rate...one week it was SOOO horrible, and now, I
dont' see the problem but maybe once a week) and then I am at a loss
of the cost of the diagnostic, with the problem still there. However,
if they find a problem and fix it, I can get the cost reimbursed.
But, based on Westinghouse's comments, and based on what I read, I
fear that even if they find the error, they cannot find any
Westinghouse parts to fix it.

Has ANYONE heard of this problem and know what the problem is, and
does anyone know if Westinghouse parts can be obtained to fix the
error if found? What risk should I take, shipping in (with loss of
cost of shipment) or taking it personally in to get diagnosed?

Thanks for your help!