[Misc] Ricoh Aficio MP 161 SPF cost of repairs vs. new machine

[Guest]

[KenB]

Re: Ricoh Aficio MP 161 SPF cost of repairs vs. new machine

The MP 161 was a great machine for its time, but I can't see putting much money into it now.

Don't pitch it just yet, though. Shop around and see what you can find out there.

There is a lot that can be had at a low cost that would outperform it.

[rthonpm]

Re: Ricoh Aficio MP 161 SPF cost of repairs vs. new machine

The life of the PCU (drum) is 45,000 by the book but I have seen them go closer to 50-60,000 before having issues. The fuser has a life expectancy of 90,000 pages but again it may go past that, and the component parts (heat tube, pressure roller, thermistor, and bearings) are replaced as opposed to purchasing an entirely new fuser. For the feed rollers in the document feeder, you may be able to find those online, but don't use any kind of sandpaper on them as you will take off the coating that allows the paper to be driven through the feeder as opposed to the roller just gliding across it: the rollers should have a slight tackiness that works like the treads of a tyre on a car.

I've always liked the 161 and the family of machines it came from: the 15, 16, and 17 page per minute machines were always quite reliable. If you're willing to keep it out of the landfill, and think of the cost you put in spread out over the next four years, is it going to be cheaper than buying a new machine and the cost of its consumables or PM parts over the same span?

[copyaction]

Re: Ricoh Aficio MP 161 SPF cost of repairs vs. new machine

Also factor in the toner cost for the 161 series is very low.
A lot of desktop machines you will find out there, the cost of the toner/drum would be more than the cost of repairing yours.

[slimslob]

Re: Ricoh Aficio MP 161 SPF cost of repairs vs. new machine

A word of warning, never use alcohol of any type to clean rollers except metal ones. It will dry out the roller and made matters worse.