Hi and Happy New Year from Sydney!

Im hoping I can obtain some advice on my TX-33V2X currently awaiting repair with a local repairer. Ive been waiting 3 weeks now and these are the problems.

The set has been fantastic until recently, when a fault seemed to develop with the front pop-open Control Drawer on the lower front of the set. The problem was when this control panel was poped open and being used to say, change channel, the volume control was actually changing! The solution was not to touch this control panel, and just use the remote control as the main control unit. Ok and forget about problem and repair cost...

Next problem which started recently was a delay in start up. It went like this. Switch on by remote, no action, then after a few seconds a 'white screen' appears with a thin black horrizontal line. Strange. Push channel selection, program appears and is bright and sharp as normal. But this start up delay was getting progressively slower to appear over the past month also. Last time it was about 5 minutes before it would turn on.

Then, you guessed it, no action next time. Turned on.... Waiting waiting waiting... no white screen, nothing. So OK, its repair shop time, and backed up the 4WD to back door, and tried to work out how the hell you lift these 80kg sets. Get the wife! he he. So between 2 of us we got it in. (How do you service guys do that???)

The good part was the servicemans TV repair table on wheels was the matching height to the rear of the 4WD, so that was an easy slide out at his end. Into his garage it goes. Yep, he works from home and had a recommendation from the local Betta Electrical retailer. (Bit worried about the sight of lots of dead TVs in the carport though!)

The repair technician has so far advised me:
1. The front panel is a spare part which is no longer available. Ribbon cable might be breaking down???
Q - Is this fixable?
The panel ribbon cable looks ok but it feeds into the control panel under some plastic welded lugs. Might destroy control panel getting apart?

2. Techy suggested the TV start up delay problem might just be old power supply Caps needing replacing. Last report was warming them up started the set OK...but the white screen then appears. Is this delay related to the white screen?

3. Black Line/White Screen - Bad news... Techy said not seen that before!
Q- HELP anyone???

4. Left Channel sound problem also - have had for years - slightly distorted higher frequencies, like SSS ing sounds, but only when using the TV's tuner. Mono seems to help eliminate it. But when using VCR's tuner, no distortion at all from left channel, so definately not speaker or amplifier circuits. My techy Repairer said this is bad news if its in the tuner.
Q - Any ideas while its apart?

The repair man has now been sick and says has been unable to phone around for maybe a spare part (control panel) which maybe lurking in someones old parts stock.

So, Help!!! anyone on the above?
Or does anyone know the control panel spare part and where I can get one mailed out maybe?

Many thanks for any time and trouble. Great tech site!

Regards

Bruce