Alright, guys. I brought my eMac into the store yesterday. I explained the problem, and the guys didn't immediately believe that I knew exactly what it was. One questioned if I tried reinstalling OS X, and I told him that I knew it wouldn't help. I then told them to look in the hatch. They did, and saw the leaking capacitors.
After one of them looked at something on his PowerBook, he told me that "it wouldn't make finacial sense to have the computer repaired". He then told me the cost would be around $700. I replied by mentioning that some of the guys from this topic getting their logic boards replaced for free. He didn't seem to trust the validity of the users posting in this topic; he told me these were only claims, mentioning that this was only the second time in five years that he's seen this problem in an eMac.
After a bit of fact passing between us (talking about the similar situation with the iMac G5s, and how they had an extended repair opportunity, which the eMacs do not have), he checked something else on his PowerBook and told me that I would not have to pay for the part. The price of the labor, however, would be $143.10. I found this reasonable and accepted. He also told me that if he finds certain information on the subject, I might not have to pay for the labor either.
I'll update you guys when I receive the eMac again. Even if I must pay for the labor, $143.10 is not bad. I was rather pleased by the Genius Bar service. I did set up an appointment in advance, and even though I was rather late, they still accomodated me.
If you are going to take your machines in, make sure you set an appoitment in advance, and mention some of the information from this topic.
