Hi, I have a JVC compact camcorder that is giving me problems. I keep getting a "battery in safeguard mode" come up on the display/viewfinder. I can't record or do anything after that message appears.I also get a D (or E) o6 error along with that. Can someone please help, is it a faulty part that I can replace? Thanks

-- tony wayne regan (twrnlsr@yahoo.com), July 09, 2002

Answers

Hi I have the same problem. Did you find an answer to the problem? Thanks

-- Alexander (eamc@banguat.gob.gt), September 19, 2002.

I also have the same problem. Any answers would be appreciated.

-- Steve (svango@rochester.rr.com), October 15, 2002.

I have the same problem, the camcorder is not mine, but my uncle's he has the model# GR-DVL910A, means the is the mode made for Asian market. Since he's traveling in US, the Error code E03 has been come up more and more, finally it won't allow you to do anything anymore.

pleae help if someone knows what is the problem is.

Best Sean

-- Sean H. Zhang (i_mag2000@hotmail.com), November 11, 2002.

hi, i also have the same problem, the model number on mine is GR- AXM230U. if anyone can help, thanks alot.

-- alexander sandy (footbagguy3@hotmail.com), December 08, 2002.

I have the same problem with my JVC GR-DVL915U, except the code is E04. It happened 3 months after I purhcased the camera and after the labor warranty expired. I've to pay the JVC service center $100 to get it fix. I was told this problem is uncommon and it can happen if you dropped the camcorder or shake it vigorously. But I didn't drop it nor shake it!! I think it's their design problem.

Now after a little more than a year after it's been fixed, the problem re-appeared again. And this time I'm afraid I probably have to pay about $200 to get it fixed (part + labor) :-( I'll probably buy another camcorder (definitely not JVC) instead of fixing it.

-- (ethandon@hotmail.com), December 16, 2002.

Just a follow-up, I've been reading another forum and there's a guy who recommended tapping on the side of the camcorder -- I tried it and it worked like a charm. Got my camcorder working again!!

-- (ethandon@hotmail.com), December 17, 2002.

I have a GR-DVX9E and have the same and other problems. I also get all the time a message "use head cleaning device". Using a cleaning tape does not help. The JVC unit does not have a very good quality, I think. Can anybody help?

-- Klaus Madlener (klaus.madlener@gmx.at), January 02, 2003.

I too have the same problem and at great expense was told that i was using the wrong tapes (poor quality tdk!) It is a design fault and I suggest we all send this site to JVC. I certanly will.

-- Paul Shepherd (p.shepherd@virgin.net), January 20, 2003.

Hi I have a JVC gr dvx 10 for 2 years now. A year ago the problem battery in safeguard mode started to come up. When I removed the battery the camare started to work again. But after a while it did not work at all anymore. After consulting jvc I tried the cleaning tape. this helpen for a while (only few minutes recording, less than one tape!) Then I contacted JVC again and they told me that there was a problem when you use other brand tapes than jvc. So the cleaned and fixed the problem, cost 127 euro but did not need to pay although warranty periode was expired. Now less then a year leater the problem is there again. It does not work anymore. I found on the internet a consumer program here in Holland (www.trosradar.nl only Dutch!) they found out the same problem and asked jvc to do something about it in september 2002. JVC responded that they will solve the problems without cost for the users. I must say that their customer service is very good, but the product is lousy. Herrald Meijers

-- Herrald Meijers (meijersherrald@hotmail.com), February 01, 2003.

I have a GR-DVM90, which I bought in a drunken haze on bourbon Street in New Orleans last year during Mardi Gras, needless to say I spent way too much for it and I'm not really sure if it's "Hot" or on the level. At any rate, this past september, I got the good old E 01 error message which I have become quite familiar. This time, however, it would not clear or go away. I have been dreading sending the thing to the nearest JVC Service Center, in Philly, because they want $75 just to look at the damn thing. I put it off till now, since I need to use it soon. I did a search on the internet and came u with these message boards. One of the messages said to tap the camera on teh side where the tape goes in. They said it worked. I thought it was BS. Then I did it. I tapped, and the damn thing came to life. I about fell on the floor. Go figure. I hear tell it starts with using the cheaper DV tapes, like TDK. I don't know for sure about that, but I think I'll go out and buy some good old fashioned expensive JVC tapes. I figure I've got about three hundred bucks till I run out what I would have spent sending it to the service center...... P.S. dont' buy anything from those hack shops in New Orleans Ever again. Stay in the bar next time.....

-- Jeffrey S. Wettig (drdkdover@supernet.com), February 14, 2003.

I have a jvc dvm 90 and have the same problem. I had discovered that by tapping the thing on the die it would work. Now even that doesn't help. Stay away from JVC. Can anyone suggest a good place to get it repaired and an esstimate on what it should cost?

-- Kevin Lenius (kevinlenius@hotmail.com), February 18, 2003.

Hi,

Unfortunately, I'm one of the suckers who bought JVC GR-DVL300 and since then have been fighting "battery in safeguard mode" error. At times, tapping on the side of the camcorder has helped. Lately, I'm starting to get "copying error" when attempting to record and during playback mode, most of the screen is in red color. Turning off, removing tape, removing battery, etc... has not helped. On top of it, fully charged battery now only lasts 10 minutes when recording or playback and 2 minutes when light is turned on.

Obviously, I'll never, ever buy or recommned to anyone any JVC equipment. Anyone interested in launching a class action suit against JVC, please contact me.

Regards, Gurinder.

-- Gurinder S. Johar (gurinder@acrionsys.com), February 20, 2003.

Sorry no answers, just another customer with the same problem. My JVC model number is GR-SXM735, and I've been getting the "unit in safeguard mode- remove and reattach battery", "E03" message for some time, and have noticed that the battery does not last as long. I have had the camcorder for less than a year, and I've never dropped it. can anyone recommend a brand whose products last? thanx. Meanwhile I'll try the tapping thing.

-- Jessica (jesslizzie69@hotmail.com), March 07, 2003.

I havn't had the battery problem yet... But I do have the problem with the "clean head" message... bad tapes, I only use JVC now. Another problem I am having is that my LCD screen hardly ever works when I open it. I usually have to end up using the viewscreen instead. Anyone else have this problem?

-- Hipster Doofus (fly_ion_trash@yahoo.com), March 14, 2003.

Please, I use to have all the problems and signal that (tony wayne ) complained about, that never stoped me from useing my Compact camcorder. Untill last two weeks when the camera refused to POWER now I cann't use it again. I don't know if that is the end of this beautiful product since there seems to be no service center in Nigeria. Please if ther any kindly help me out. This camera was giving to me by my Auntie (Theresa M. Edu "phone 732 951 6123,609 275 5415) As a wedding Present. So you see how precious it is to me. The model No; GR-AXM230U,Serial No 175B6377. Please I'm looking forward to hearing from you soonest.

-- Enock Adolprince Ebonghor (ebonghor@yahoo.com), March 15, 2003.

I've had the same problem with my JVC unit, only the thing will eat my miniDV tape after I get this code! I've had two tapes destroyed in the last few months.

I contacted JVC and this is the response I got:

"We are sorry to hear about the problem you are having with your camera. We are aware that the indication E-01, E-02, E-05, or E-06 is an Emergency Error Code. In the event of a malfunction the unit will shut down and display a code which is to inform a technician which area of the camcorder to examine in order to ascertain the nature of the problem. Please try the following steps:

1) Remove power source for 1 minute. 2) Reattach power source. 3) Try operating the camera.

The indication E-03 or E-04 is an Emergency Error Code. In the event of a malfunction the unit will shut down and display a code. This is to inform an independent JVC authorized service center which area of the camcorder to examine in order to ascertain the nature of the problem.

The E-03 or E-04 code relates to one of the tape spindles not turning. This could be the result of too much slack on the video tape. If E-03or E- 04 is displayed it may be possible to correct the problem by removing the tape slack. In order to do this follow these steps:

1) Remove power source for 1 minute. 2) Reattach power source. 3) Press "EJECT" (DO NOT PRESS POWER) 4) Repeat above steps until tape ejects. 5) Tighten and insert a new tape."

When I asked JVC to repair or replace my camcorder, they declined to do so because it is no longer under warranty (I've had it for 18 months). So, basically, THEY KNOW THEIR PRODUCT IS DEFECTIVE, but they won't do anything about it. Amazing. I will never buy another JVC product again.

brian

-- Brian Casey (briancasey@mindspring.com), March 17, 2003.

Sorry no answers!

Just to report I've the same problem on my GR-DVM90 (error message: E04 and disconnect battery). But after changing the tape the problem went away, until now... (I didn't use the camera time enough to be shore if the problem was on the tape).

Thanks. Paulo

-- paulo daniel mendes (paulo.mendes@netc.pt), March 18, 2003.

same prob, although mine is under warranty..........wankers steveh311shoes@hotmail.com

-- steve - (remove shoes to reply) (steveh311shoes@hotmail.com), March 21, 2003.

no answer Having the same problems with our GR=DVL805. I am so tired of picking up the cam corder to get something fast and getting the battery in safe guard mode. So much for getting those cute moments on tape. You can't tell those kids or humming birds wait a few minutes while I take my battery off the camera and hope it will work when I put it back on. We get all of the ugly E=codes. I call this JVC my $1,000 mistake. NEVER AGAIN WILL I BUY JVC!!! And from reading all of the other messages JVC will NOT stand behind its product. I will have my piece of trouble for three years in July. And it only worked well the first year. However I will try the tapping thing now that I have heard about it. But sounds like the cam corder will be in the junk pile pretty soon. Sorry for all of us. Any one with a better answer please reply. WE should all go with the fellow above who wants to do a class action against JVC. Put me down.

-- nancy weber (MJWeber@cox.net), March 23, 2003.

Same thing!!! Safe Guard problem And It costed me $1000.00 too. So get the word out JVC is CHEAP. I will Never buy another JVC product and will always remind all my friends and family about my problems With TWO of there camers!! And all the poeople i interact with. They say bad nnews travels 10 times faster than good news. maybe one day when there sales are down they will look upon sites like these and try to figure it out??? Poor customer service cheap products arrigant JVC repair centers!

Jose

-- Jose (josehernandezmiami@yahoo.com), March 24, 2003.

I don;t think this is a very robust camera for it's price. I am having all the problems as mentioned above. However, like me you've spend a ton of money on it so as an engineering geek I have some recommendations that may help. This is a VERY, VERY, VERY, overly sensitive piece of equipment therefore TREAT IT WITH KIT GLOVES! Especially when loading/unloading tapes. The E-errors are in response to mechanical errors in the tape carrier and drive mechanisms. Also the heads are extremely delicate and will not operate well for very long in anything but perfect conditions, therefore:

-only, only, only use the more expensive JVC tapes. They keep their tension far better than cheaper brands. Also, they won't rub off their oxide coatings on the heads as easily, avoiding the 'clogging' of the heads (which thereby requires constant cleaning-further damaging the heads).

-when and if you do get E- errors do a complete rewind or fast forward to the end of the tape in order to pull out tape slack. Then remove battery and tape for a while. If still screwed, then yes, sharply tap (not hard!) on the closed tape door. That may reposition those tiny switches that I mentioned earlier and get you going again.

-NEVER, EVER, EVER, leave tapes in the machine when not in use....it creates problems for the heads and the mechanisms.

-Don't leave the battery on the camera when not in use for extended periods of time. It can create problems with respect to resetting the computer controlled logic.

-there are little switches and interlocks that provide electrical feedback about the mechanical status of things to the main processor of the camera (ie. tape/no tape in camera, door open/closed etc). Over time, the mechanics get out of adjustment because of usage, humidity and certainly rough handling. So: treat the mechanisms very, very, very delicately. Don't use/store the camera in humid conditions, hot conditions or very cold conditions. Certainly don't leave it in your car---ever!

-get the camera "cleaned and ajusted" regularly to avoid these problems. (I know...more $$$$)

-I keep bags of dessicant in an insulated camera bag with the camera to maintain dryness and optimal temperatures during storage.

Finally, next time buy a Sony, Cannon or Panasonic. They all build better camcorders.

Hope this helps.

-- Joe Blow (joeblow@nowhere.com), March 25, 2003.

No answer here, just adding my name to the list. My JVC GR-DVM90U gets the "E04 BATTERY IN SAFEGUARD MODE" regularly. I usually turn it off, reinsert the battery and sometimes that fixes the problem. I have to do it a few times usually before the error goes away. Mine also developed the problem after warranty period expired. Today, something new: I noticed the multimedia memory stick was not pushed in the whole way, and when I pushed it in all the way the problem went away. Let me know about the class action suit... :)

-- Juan Carrera (juancarrera@yahoo.com), March 29, 2003.

Adding to the fray just in case there is a class action suit. I have a GR-DVL805 with the dreaded E codes and clean heads messages. Headed to Hawaii for my 20th anniversary in mid April and I won't even bother bringing this POS. I will either buy or borrow one for this trip. What a waste. JVC audio is so good and this is so bad.

-- Bill Brosius (wallybob1960@comcast.net), March 30, 2003.

I bought a JVC gr-dvm90 about 16 months ago. I keep getting messages to clean my heads. Well after doing this 4 times with a cleaning tape, I understood this was not going to work. I know I will have to have it sent off, so they can work on it. The funny thing is since I've owned this thing I've only used it about 5 times. Thats about $300 per use and know its going to cost more. I love you JVC.

-- Dan Schlyer (aschlyer@hotmail.com), March 30, 2003.

No this problem seems to be common obviously. I have already sent my JVC back to get fixed 2 times due to this E04 Error, It just started up again after using it only 2 times since it was out of the shop..which took 7 weeks! I am beyond frustrated!

-- AC (yummyhoagie@netscape.net), March 30, 2003.

No answer! Like all of you I am included in this problem. I have a GR-0AXM225U, that has been in "safe mode" since September of last year. My camcorder won't allow me to do anything, not even eject the tape, which is my main concern at the moment. My friend died in February of this year,I have some footage of her that I shot last year, and I would like to share it with her family. I can always buy another camcorder, but that tape is priceless!! Please help!!! -Shayla C.

-- Shayla C. (shayla14c@aol.com), March 30, 2003.

I have the same problem... never again JVC.

-- LL (atomicsleep@yahoo.com), April 01, 2003.

I own a GR-DVL505 and I too have been getting the "battery in safeguard mode" error for about two months now. At first it happened every now and then. Now it happens with every tape. Has anyone actually has JVC fix the problem?

-- Randy Godwin (randygodwin@yahoo.com), April 02, 2003.

Unfortunately not an answer, but an additional problem. I have the JVC GR-D21EK and have had nothing but problems with it from the beginning (only about 1 month ago). I am using high quality JVC tapes but still the camera displays e06!!! Safeguard - very safe. I would love to join in teh the group suit. I have wasted my money on an inferior product.

-- Andy Ferris (andyredjackson@hotmail.com), April 02, 2003.

Well, I called JVC about my problem (see previous post). Since my GR- DVL505 is only 15 months old, the rep. said that I should send my unit in with a letter explaining the situation and request a extension of my parts warranty. She also said that Sony tapes have some kind of lubricant that adversly affects their camcorders. She recommended the use of JVC, Panasonic, and Fuji tapes. She also mentioned that of the problems with their camcorders, these are somewhat commom. So, whatever is happening is happening a lot. I live about an hour from a service center so I'll be taking my personally next Monday (Apr.7). We;ll see what happens. -Randy

-- Randy Godwin (randygodwin@yahoo.com), April 03, 2003.

I also have a JVC GR-DVX8, I have used it 3 times. I walked up a mountain slope whilst on holiday, and by the time I walked down again it was displaying the E04 message. I now have the most expensive web-cam going. I WILL NEVER BUY JVC AGAIN. If they can't make a decent product, then they should not be able to continue trading.

-- Rudi Bellows (rudi_bellows@hotmail.com), April 04, 2003.

Hi! Is anyone having problems with their JVC camcorder with digital still camera? I have a JVC GR-DVL520 bought in November 2002. About 2 mos ago the LCD begun to display "PLEASE INSERT CARD" whenever I use the still camera function. I have to turn the thing off and on and open the memory slot just to have it working properly. I am afraid that this trick might not work for a long time. I love the still camera function and would hate not to use it ever again. Can someone please share his or her thoughts on this? Thanks!

-- Kevin Estabillo (kevinestabillo@hotmail.com), April 04, 2003.

I also am a VERY unhappy JVC client. Same E04 problems with my GR-DVX 10 about a week after the 1 year guarantee. However, JVC did fix it for free, but now a year later (after hardly using the camera) the same problem has started again, and now also at times the tape will not always eject and recording is also bad at times(jittery picture). I also will NEVER buy JVC again! A class action suit would be best. Please keep me posted!

-- Bobby (bobbydixon@zonnet.nl), April 05, 2003.

Hi, I'm 15 and about a year ago I got a JVC GR-DVL520 from Sears. And about a month ago I tried to put a tape in and it said "Safeguard". It did that a couple times untill it stopoed working completely. I've also misplaced my owners manual. All I have is French and Spanish, no English! Could someone please e-mail me how to fix it, or where to get an owners manual? Thanks. Forrest G.

-- Forrest G. Nameniuk (ForrestNameniuk03@hotmail.com), April 06, 2003.

Sorry, yet another problem with no solution. My GR-DVP3U just started reporting E-03 and E-06 errors. However, I can't try any of the reported 'quick-fixes' as I can't even get the tape out! I can hear the gears turning, but nothing happens. I can't play, fast forward, rewind, or eject. This is really frustrating, as my son's first birthday is coming up in just a few weeks! I'm overseas (Europe), so I can't find a decent answer for the repairs, or even somebody willing to work on it. I also can't find a JVC phone number anywhere, and their Customer Service webform tells me not to expect an answer for five days. I'm about ready to eat another grand and buy a competitor's product, and smash this thing up to retrieve my tape (which has video of my son and his first steps!). Thanks for listening to my ranting, and any solutions/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

-- Frank (parccvj@yahoo.com), April 07, 2003.

Believe it or not, problem solved! My wife found a service center an hour and a half away that was willing to look at it, and it was fixed in less than five minutes!! Something about a drive lock or something engaged. Apparently, he took the camera from my wife, looked at the error message, shrugged his shoulders, stuck a small screwdriver in the tape bay, hit a button, and handed it back. What a frustrating mess over the last week or so only to be solved by the push of a button. Nice to know JVC publishes these nice little fixes. BTW, I've yet to hear back from a JVC rep from the webform I filled out yesterday...

-- Frank (parccvj@yahoo.com), April 08, 2003.

Frank, where is this shop? I have the DVM90 and have all the same problems that everyone else is having. The E04, and then into the safegard mode-remove the battery. I ejected the flash card a few times and put it back in. I also tapped (or wacked somewhat gently) on both sides and I did get it up and running. How long this will last...who knows. We are all in the same boat with poor customer service and a sub standard product. If I was a lawyer, I'd start the suit. Other than that, JVC will not be part of my audio/video collection in the future. As we all know, this has been a very expensive lesson! Good luck to all.

-- neil buchelt (buchelts@hotmail.com), April 09, 2003.

Hey Neil. I can give you directions, but unless you're in Europe they may not do much good. My wife is actually the one who took it in, so I'll describe the fix best I can. My DVP3 wouldn't play, record, fast forward, rewind, or eject. I tried all the other fixes of tapping the sides, etc with no luck. When I popped the cover, we could see several gears turning but the tape wouldn't come out. It was described to us as a 'drive lock' of sorts by the tech. There was a small metal plate just above the gears on the left side that he tapped with a screw driver and the camera became completely functional again. Not sure how that can translate to your DVM90, but good luck. I did get a response today from JVC which was completely unhelpful. They obviously didn't read my problem and just attached a form response. Example: they told me to eject the tape after I clearly stated the tape wouldn't come out.

-- Frank (parccvj@yahoo.com), April 10, 2003.

I have Thomson VMD120 and it says: Unit in safeguard mode, remove and reattach battery. So JVC is not only one which sucks=)

-- reija (reija20_00@hotmail.com), April 11, 2003.

E04 Safeguard mode RCA Model CC6364 made By JVC for RCA it maybe simular to the JVC models posted here. Had a customer bring this model to me with this symptom/Error code and had a tape stuck in it. I came here to find some answers, but turns out I found the problem, and hope this may help some of you. I took some pictures and put a little explaining of what I found and fixed it, put them on my website, hope this helps. john "http://www.brutonsupply.com/cc6364.htm"

-- john (john@brutonsupply.com), April 14, 2003.

I have the same E04 error with JVC GR-DVX90A. I thought I'm the only one... I also bought the JVC camcorder based on a good experience (reliability) with a JVC VCR. Indeed it is very frustrated. I will try the "knocks"....

-- RonR (r_rudoi@netvision.net.il), April 15, 2003.

I have a JVC DVX7 which also exhibits the E04 and the lack of side LCD panel function. I found that a few good knocks on the side generally solved the E04 as well as FF the tape and rewind, but still no luck with the LCD (the eye view does still work though) - any ideas on the LCD panel? The service here in the UK sucks - they don't seem to be able to help on the phone and they are not prepared to even look at it for anything less than £100 - I'll NEVER buy another JVC anything!

-- Andrew Cotterell (ac@southill.net), April 17, 2003.

I was having an error E04 for weeks, and I read one of the readers said to tap on the side and I did, it started working immediately.

Thanks

-- Cynthia Madison (cynthiamadidson@yahoo.com), April 18, 2003.

Well I'm in the list of SUCKERS here. $350.00 later (bought from "liquidation") which should of made me aware then. But, I didn't notice anything right away. Then the error shit started coming up, and oh boy, I had a smile on my face. WHHHHHHHHAT A POS...go JVC go. Listen, to anyone buying a Camcorder, buy a fucking Sony and spend the extra cash. JVC can lick the underside of my balls.

-muskamike , a satisfied Louisville Slugger buyer.

-- muskamike (muskamike@hotmail.com), April 19, 2003.

i am in the same situation as muska mike. Apparently JVC is a joke, i wish i would have read this group before buying a brand new camera with a malfunction error EO3. I'm waiting for parts and i'm really really really really really really hoping it's not going to cost $1,000 because if it does, you all can look on Ebay for a really cheap paperweight.

I bought a GR-DVL-725u in case you want to know. And it's already in the repair shop, only 3 weeks old. Hooray!

It's really sad that JVC says to buy the more expensive tapes, because their camcorders are picky, i have a better idea, How about they just make better cameras?? How in the hell can they sell these cameras to unknowing consumers! this is a crime.

See you all later, i'm going to buy a sony.

-- the outsider (theoutsider@shaw.ca), April 20, 2003.

I go the same error unit in safeguard mode error 03 It drove me crazy. But one of the guys in this page said to tap on the door side and the thing start working like a rock.

It worked for me; it may or may not work your you.

Give it a try !!!

-- Raskhan Kaderi (raskhan987@hotmail.com), April 21, 2003.

Just got off the phone with the service center in Aurora, IL. The technician there told me E04 problem is a sign of video head problems. It could be dirty or damaged. I have been recieving the EO4 error code on and off and now it is becoming more frequent. I also get the "dirty heads-needs cleaning" issue flashing in the display. The tecnician told me they recently discovered that using Sony DV tapes causes this problem as they put a lubricant on the tapes which causes the JVC camera heads to get dirty. Approximately a $200.00 repair if I have to take it in. I've also had problems with the tapes loading correctly or not loading and "hanging up" in the carriage. I don't think I'll buy another JVC video camera again at least not a DV. I have VHS-C and it's worked great but nothing but problems with this one...not to mention the fact that it locks up when taking it from one extreme (airconditioned envirnment to a humid one..like on a tropical vacation...this is due to some moisture sensing technology they have built in that detects moisture on the heads?). Whatever! If you miss those beautiful scenes during your vacation whats the point...

-- ken h. (khowde01@sprintspectrum.com), April 22, 2003.

Count me in too, Got same E04 error and tape head cleaning issues...

NEVER BUY A JVC... Please.... FOR YOUR OWN SANITY

Only put about 6 tapes through it.... bad image quality after a while... goes all dark...

RUBBISH!

-- Andy (Andy@Sundrum.co.uk), April 25, 2003.

Apparently I am another member of the JVC (junk very crappy) suckers club. I have a DVM80U that constantly flashes the head cleaning message. Inserting the head cleaning tape only helps for a few minutes. To make matters worse, my family just got back from a five day family reunion only to find that the stupid camera didn't even record our trip. What a piece of crap!! JVC has lost me, my family and potentially generations of future buyers. I kick myself because I almost bought a Sony, but it was about 200 bucks more than the JVC, so I bought the JVC instead. NEVER AGAIN!!

-- Brian Carty (carty@magma.ca), April 25, 2003.

And the list goes on...

Just picked up my JVC DV camcorder after not using it for a few weeks, turned it on and got an E01 error message. It's a GR-DVL 160 model. I've tried removing and replacing the battery as it advises, tapping on the side, looking for some way of removing the tape without damaging it - nothing.

I found this thread and optimistically thought someone had posted a solution - now I realise it's just a piece of sh*t.

-- Richard (rich@mousebreaker.co.uk), April 25, 2003.

I tapped on my camera and it was working for a little bit. But, I'm here to say IT DOES NOT WORK?

-- cynthia madison (ctiger4885@cox-internet.com), April 25, 2003.

I've just had a E01 problem, I don't know what to do. Is it a problem of tape? Please tell me.

-- Andrea (terrenere@tiscali.it), May 02, 2003.

Bought a new battery for the GR-DVM90, charged it up and it lasted less than five minutes...about a minute longer than the JVC original.... Does anyone know if you can 'reset' the battery?

I sometimes get the camera in safe mode message, too...it's very temporamental. I won't buy a JVC ... or a Sanyo camera again.

-- Brian (bkeiller@hotmail.com), May 03, 2003.

Hi - Have JVC compact camcorder that is just three months old and having the same problem....of course three month warranty just expired. Never will buy JVC again.

-- Liz (lilywonder330@aol.com), May 05, 2003.

Got this from Lanzarote, where all electrical goods are cheap (BS), mistake number one! Keeping it - mistake number 2! I can add to the list of complaints and I certainly won't be buying anything JVC ever again. My GR-DVX44E has just started showing 'E02 unit in safeguard mode' I'm obviously one of the lucky ones as it has lasted a whole 18 months before cocking up. I'm going back to Lanzarote in a month, so I think I'll throw it through the window of the shop, does that justify a tap on the side? Who cares, it'll make me feel a whole lot better!

-- Tanya Megaump (taz.duff@JVCRCrap.com), May 06, 2003.

I have a jvc hunk of crap gr-sxm240u with the e01 error and nothing I do will fix it. I am acutally going to take it apart tonight and see how it ticks. Guess I can't hurt it none since it doesn't work anyway. I can't even get the tape to eject. Play time with the tools.

-- glen smalley (farm78@adelphia.net), May 06, 2003.

Add me to list. I have the same error with my DVM-90. It was driving me crazy with the error and safe mode. I thought it was the battery but later found out that it was the tape. Removing the tape and reinserting it would usually solve the problem. I found out from reading here that I should be using a JVC tape.

I was really amazed that so many people had the same problems with their JVC camcorder. I know that I will not be buying JVC again.

If you need a manual, do a search on GOOGLE and use the model # and "instructions". I found a manual for the DVM-90. Also, I just had to order another battery for my camcorder. I found the battery barn (www.batterybarn.com) to have good prices.

JVC, shame on you for having a known problem and not correcting it.

Good Luck to everyone!

-- Roy Welch (fun_santa@yahoo.com), May 06, 2003.

I have the same E04 error message. It started happening right when the camera was 1 year old. Strange thing is that this problem always starts when we have a kid's birthday or special occasion coming up- how does it know???

-- sheila pasma (rspasma@hotmail.com), May 08, 2003.

Add my name to the list of frustrated JVC owners. I have a JVC GR- DVF21u and the E03 message pops up after about 5 seconds of use.

Note that the door tapping trick does not work forever. After about 6 times, it failed to work.

I have tried various tapes and the problem appears right away - even with new tapes.

Too many special family moments have been lost.

-- Mike (moghadam@trytel.com), May 11, 2003.

I have a JVC GR-DVM90u and are also experiencing this E04 errors. I have tried almost everything from tapping, rebooting, taking out the battery for a day etc.

Apparently, after some use, the drum assembly connection (I think) to the pc board comes loose and this causes the error. That is why tapping the camera usually restores life because the connection is restored. The solution is to re-solder the connections on the pc board.

For those who are adventurous can send me a donation and I will send you the schematics of the camera in .pdf format (very detailed service manual from JVC) Ian

-- Ian Louw (Ian.louw@santam.co.za), May 12, 2003.

Hi, I have a JVC GR-DVM90 and here is a great solution on fixing those problem codes that appear after you try to record or playback a tape.Go down to your local drug store and buy some rubbing alcohol and que tips.Turn your JVC camcorder on and hit the eject button. Now while its in eject mode and the tape is removed,remove the battery and all power sorces from the JVC camcorder.Dip your que tip in the alcohol,(dont soke it)look inside where your tape goes and you will see a black round opject.Thats the capsten.Rub the alcohol qu tip on that doing a up and down motion and go all the way around. After this is done your codes are gone and all you get is a clean heads message but thats easily fixed with a radio shack or any other head cleaner for this unit.E-mail me if you wish because this error code has happened to me and I have saved hundreds of dollers just by doing this. Later, Chubby

-- JediMaster (chubbyrodent@yahoo.com), May 13, 2003.

I have a JVC GR-DVP3U camera. I am having the same problem with E04 and E06 errors and my tape will not eject. I sent JVC a copy of all the posts people have put on here, to show them what a lot of their customers think. Maybe they'll change their attitude, and starting helping without want $100 first! But, just one with a problem, no answers.

-- Luke (yelruh11@att.net), May 15, 2003.

I'm also having problems.. "E04 - UNIT IN SAFEGARD MODE REMOVE AND REATTACH BATTERY". The unit is a JVC GR-DVL505 and I've treated this think like a baby. I've never dropped it or anything extreme. I plugged in the dc power cable and it still say the same error code. Also it sounds like a motor is binding up or something because it has an unusual high pitch sound when I load a tape. If someone know how to fix it will you please e-mail me.

Thanks jj

-- JJ Kropp (JJKropp@juno.com), May 15, 2003.

ha ha ha i signed the page!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA. uh, green soup is probably rotten dont eat the plastic wrapper. My mom told me to wash my undershorts, wheres the beef? its all cat food. Birdies are flying into glass windows, someone should save them. Meatloaf. doggonit, YEAOUCH MY SPLEEN!!! drink jones soda. i get 50 cents for typing that. dont touch the river of pudding. bikes go fast downhill, hold it, ok im better. My sister is a nurse. she helps dead fish. doughnuts are good with frostys for a heart attack. veal steak. x- men 2 was pretty good, but im waiting for the matrix.

-- itsuptheirstupid myemailaddress (ANDREW.SIPE@us.army.com), May 17, 2003.

Well,,, I came hear looking for answers,,, like all of you no doubt,,, but,,, I see the true exrent of the problem,,, its nice to know I am not the only one with these error codes etc,,,, I have just tried the Rubbing Alcohol solution which seems to have worked,,, for now,,, I cleaned everything in there,,, its fit for surgical opperations now,,,, I used lint cloth though so as not to get any cotton wool strands into the workings. If anyone does find a complete solution to this problem then e mail me,,, I have now started hating JVC after reading this page,,,, surely they must have a solution to all this,,, they make the damned things. For now,,, lets just hope we all dont have to suffer too much just because we all have heaps of crap.

-- Martin (martin_gregory@btopenworld.com), May 17, 2003.

Im getting the E03 error on my DVL-105. I noticed a change in sound when loading tapes, also it has destroyed 2 tapes. JVC suck.

-- Anonymous (Anon@anon.com), May 17, 2003.

hi, i also have a question. what happens when you click the "format" in the DSC mode. when i did, i think all the pictures there were erased. does the format thing do this? thanks!

-- deborah lee (debbie-anne@math.com), May 17, 2003.

I'm having problems with my JVC GR-DVF21U. I try to transfer video to my computer but it doesn't work. I get the error message that there is no DV device. Can anyone help???

-- Majid K. (betterthenu@comcast.net), May 19, 2003.

RCA CC6363 a JVC not want a be . Can't get the tape door open to load it.Displays the E01 error with no tape,can't get the door open.It is very true the company does SUCK! Let me know how the suit goes. Thanks LeRoy

-- LeRoy A. Alt (leroynshell@tds.net), May 24, 2003.

I sitting here trying to get this GRD90U to do something, and unfortunately none of the above answers are doing jack ____.

-- B Parsons (proshop@listowelgolfclub.ca), May 24, 2003.

Then buy a Sony dumbass and avoid the problem.

-- muskamike (muskamike@hotmail.com), May 25, 2003.

I am now apart of this growing club of jvc victims, E03 safeguard message,i am now tapping on the camera at weddings, at parties, on the beach, i hope that one of JVC's representatives reads and prints out the thousand page complaint web site and shoves it up there ass. JVC has the most unreliable units on the market do not buy unless you want to join this site.......

-- wish xuan le (wish_02187@hotmail.com), May 26, 2003.

Just finish fixing my camera now so I thought I should contribute to all the posting. This link "http://www.brutonsupply.com/cc6364.htm" contributed by a user above help me figure out what is causing my problem. If you can eject your tape, check your playhead to see if it's spinning freely. You can do this by using a cottin swab and rotate your playhead. If it's not spinning freely check the above link and follow the suggestion above. Though in my case I took this spring out. My camera works fine now. My question to all now is what is the function of this spring??? Thanks

-- Kenny (ladikuk@aol.com), May 27, 2003.

Just copy and paste this link http://www.brutonsupply.com/cc6364.htm

-- kenny (ladikuk@aol.com), May 27, 2003.

I have the same problem, e04, i will never more bye JVC.

-- Anna Kuhn (anna.nora@sverige.nu), May 27, 2003.

I tried the rubbing alcohol and i tried tapping it and nothing happened..it still made that loud sound and then the error came up. I'm about ot go insane soon so can anyone tell me exactly where i should tab and/or where i should clean with the alcohol. lol, i'm out of it with camera terms so please put it in lamest terms. thanks and sorry for all of you with the same crap i'm goin through.

-- Nick M. (wapadoo@hotmail.com), May 28, 2003.

I have the same DVM90-u camcorder with the E04 error and believe that the fix that JVC recommends is replace the lower drum assembly. I believe that the bad connection in the servo control circuit is the problem. That is why the video head spins up to above normal speed.. I have the service manual from JVC and when I get the guts to take it apart I will advise.. Here is another link to more JVC DV camcorder problems. http://www.camcorderinfo.com/board/list.php? f=11

-- Bill Boehly (Boehly7@NetZero.Net), May 29, 2003.

I have a JVC GR-DVM70 which has only been used with JVC tapes. It is always giving me the E-04 error.

This error occurs BEFORE the tape comes into contact with the head.

No more JVC for this disgusted user!

-- Jeremy Stanton (jeremy.stanton@hotpop.com), May 30, 2003.

Did you ever contact JVC? I had a similar problem and they were quite helpful and talked me through a few troubleshooting steps. Becasue we couldn't solve the issue over the phone, they sent me a prepaid shipping container to send it back to them. A week later, a new Camcorder arrived which was a slight upgrade model from what I purchased and a letter stating it was easier to replace than wait for repairs. The upgrade was for my troubles.

-- William Michaels (billar296@yahoo.com), June 01, 2003.

Hey people,

Just to let you know that the tapping worked for my GR-DVL805 camcorder. It started happening after 1 and 1/2 years. Barely use it... I tapped on the side of the tape and it didn't work. Tried the other side it is finally working. The rebooting thing didn't do squad. Just wondering how long before it craps out again!!! Good luck to all of you!

-EG.

-- Elverth (cuyabro@yahoo.com), June 01, 2003.

I have GR-DVM90U; Just messed around it for 1 month.......then went to the U.S Marine Corps Training; now get back the product is over a year, and the problem poped up. DSC Mode - No problem Dual Mode - "Copying Failed: Unit in safeguard mode: Remove and reattach battery." Video mode - "E04 unint in safeguard mode: Remove and reattach battery." PS Mode - "E04 unint in safeguard mode: Remove and reattach battery." I found out that problem is not the battery; but it has to do with the tape 'cause DSC mode store the images, and video in the media memory; other than that mode; all the others three has to do with tape. Even though I use the same brand of the game; which is JVC, the problem is appeared in fron of my face. I tried all the solutions from online thread, however it doesn't work at all.. I also contact with JVC Customer Service; they said that I have to pay for labor and part 'cause the product is about 1 months over the warranty limits. Anyway, if I can't find any other solutions.......I am going to spend a little money, and send back to them for the present on JULY 4; or maybe used product donation....so they can film their families on vacation. I am tired of this freaking product......GOODBYE JVC.... JVC is going to be in my Comsumer Alert List

-- Henry (GormanHT@1mardiv.usmc.mil), June 01, 2003.

Well Hello again,

Just to let you all know that I have now been using my Camera for a month now since cleaning out the tape bay with Q Tips & rubbing alcohol. I have made a point of using it every day just to see how its going,,,,,, not a problem,,, appears to be fixed,,,,,, amazingly,,,, I just hope it stays that way,,,,

-- martin gregory (martin_gregory@btopenworld.com), June 04, 2003.

WE HAD E04 MESSAGE. CHANGED RECORD SPEED TO LP AND IT WORKED FINE.

-- JIM CARROLL (JIMANDCOURTNEY@EARTHLINK.NET), June 08, 2003.

Like many others, many problems with my Gr-DFV21U DV camcorder. It worked for a while then it started to show "tape not in" message even when the tape was in. Removing and reinserting the tape solved the problem at the expense of aggravation! Finally I got to Rome and, after trying this solution I found myself with a stuck open tape loading mechanism! So I was stuck in Rome with a non working camcorder and a mad wife!

Back to the US I went to the JVC service center and they wanted $ 50 deposit and an authorization to bill up to 240$ for fixing (?) the camcorder. Of course I declined and bought a new one, another JVC as I tought that it could use the same accessories. Big mistake as everything is different! It also seems to take worse quality pictures than the old one.

I tried to fix myself the broken camcorder and it come out that a tiny connector had become desoldered from the motherboard. With great difficulty I resoldered it but still the machine does not work and gives the E03 error code.

It seems that the quality of manufacture of these machines id lousy and the inside connections are weak andeasy to self break!

I think that there should be a law to prevent greedy companies from selling this kind of junk on the US or any other market!

I am sure that a class action law suit would get they ears open to make products that actually work and that can be repaired from less than the price of a new one! I know they and others use the dirty trick of planned obsolescence to keep selling junk to the unaware but this is unacceptable as it contributes to waste resources and increase pollution! Camcorderd users of the world, join and rally against these rascals!!!

Antonio

-- Antonio Moroni (moronia.geo@yahoo.com), June 11, 2003.

I Feel really really stupid about buying my JVC camcorder, GRDVL520U. If it makes you guys feel any better, i didn't even have the chance to use mine once, not once. i'll probably bring it back while i still have the chance. Thanks JVC for your quality product! NEVER AGAIN. Oh, and add my name to that list.

-- Jake Hawley (xtreme87@bellsouth.net), June 11, 2003.

Not an answer.....just another bitch! I have a JVC GRSXM920U that has an E02 error code, I have tried removing the battery and nothing. It wont even allow me to remove my tape. This unit is a repacement for one that died while under warranty. How can a company get away with sell such GARBAGE!

-- Tom Sullivan (tsully@mnsi.net), June 11, 2003.

Not an answer.....just another bitch! I have a JVC GRSXM920U that has an E02 error code, I have tried removing the battery and nothing. It wont even allow me to remove my tape. This unit is a repacement for one that died while under warranty. How can a company get away with selling such GARBAGE!

-- Tom Sullivan (tsully@mnsi.net), June 11, 2003.

now June 12,,,, after the rubbing alcohol treatment mine is still going strong,,, wow,,, still using it everyday,,,,,, perhaps I should stop for a while,,, see if its ok in a week without use,,,,,,

-- martin gregory (martin_gregory@btopenworld.com), June 12, 2003.

I too have a bad JVC DVM90. I bought the service manuals (DVM90 and DVM90U) if you need a copy just PAYPAL $10 to ebay@paradisedv.com and you will receive a pointer so can download a copy for yourself or $20 for a CDROM and $50 hard copy shipped USPS to 50 lower states.

GR-DVM90_Owners.pdf (100 Pages) GR-DVM90_Service.pdf (43 Pages) GR-DVM90_Parts.pdf (24 Pages) GR-DVM90_Schematics.pdf (47 Pages)

23.1MB total

-- ParadiseDV.com (evay@paradisedv.com), June 14, 2003.

I too have a bad JVC DVM90. I bought the service manuals (DVM90 and DVM90U) if you need a copy just PAYPAL $10 to ebay@paradisedv.com and you will receive a pointer so can download a copy for yourself or $20 for a CDROM and $50 hard copy shipped USPS to 50 lower states.

GR-DVM90_Owners.pdf (100 Pages) GR-DVM90_Service.pdf (43 Pages) GR-DVM90_Parts.pdf (24 Pages) GR-DVM90_Schematics.pdf (47 Pages)

23.1MB total

Also umm... Alcohol on rubber..? I would not do that although the metal particles do stick to it and make it gummy there is a special CAPSTAN FLUID that we use. It might even contain alcohol, who knows but I just would think that would dry out the rubber. I would take my time and use the correct fluid and just rub it until the color is all black. Notice the center of the capstan is colored like the tape.

The little rollers do come off but there is a tiny "C" clip. Get the manuals and it shows you. I would like to mention that the tapping wiggles the miniature “TAPE TENSION” sensors and is why it then works. Also I would agree to the DRUM HEAD coming loose from the solder joints. I resoldered mine.

-- ParadiseDV.com (ebay@paradisedv.com), June 14, 2003.

I have a JVC GR-DVP3EA and am getting the same message here. The tape inside the camera won't even move, fast forward etc. And even worse, I can't even eject the tape. Anyone know how to get it out?

-- fisheye (fisheye@canada.com), June 14, 2003.

I've had my jvc GRD90U for only a few months, working fine ok and dandy, and then it just up and died. I noticed right away when the fully-charged battery was in place and the redlight wasn't on... I plugged up the adapter and it still didn't work. After reading these posts, I'm guessing JVC is a shit-ass manufacturer then... I don't think I'm gonna want to spend a friggin' 300 dollars to have it serviced AND I spent 600 dollars of my hard-earned money to get it in the first place. Maybe I'm going to get a Sony next time...

-- (eastfist@hotmail.com), June 16, 2003.

I had problems with my JVC GR DVM 70 getting the o4 error code...I used it only 4 times and it was repair once before by JVC....I sent it to JVC repair here in Fla and they actually wanted $550 to repair it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I complained to JVC C.S. in Wayne,New Jersey....they did not want to repair it for me and I suspect they have NOT had a good record of sucessful repairs as it is probably a design flaw!!!!!! Pls note. Anyway, I suggest anyone pissed off, contact:

Patricia Castrucci JVC 1700 Valley Road Wayne, New Jersey 07470 tel. 973 317 5236 her fax is 973 317 5042 She is actually a reasonable person and will work with you to get a new unit or something and I suggest you all spend the long distance charge and call her and get the problem resolved. She is the Head of Customer Service there and she can make decisions.

-- Phil (misterphillip@mac.com), June 18, 2003.

no answer i have a digital camera GR-DVX70 and alwayz the sign of EO4 appears what can i do? nothing that u suggest worked

-- ron (aaa@hotmail.com), June 18, 2003.

Not a solution, JVC is a CUNT. I have the DVM90 and the sales man warned me against it, I was stupid. I will try the rubbing alcohol. FUCK JVC.

-- AHMED BADRAN (badranahmed@msn.com), June 20, 2003.

I would just like to say beware of clones. I have a Thomson VMD2S it's a JVC under the skin and cannot be used on holiday. E04 the whole time I was in Turkey and then worked fine when I returned to the UK. I didn't take any other cameras so now I have no holiday pics. I will never buy anything JVC again.

-- Gordon Rice (gordon77@ntlworld.com), June 22, 2003.

WELL im suffering a slightly different issue. GR-DVL105A i do get safemode alrts but the camera won't playback tapes. it seems the motor is running but it cant get a timecode lock, the TC just blinks empty dashes even on previously recorded tapes. While in record it seems to burn timecode but i just get the blue screen and no timecode in playback mode.

-- Tom Ben Yehuda (tom@abs.co.il), June 22, 2003.

Ugh... I found this thread by googling for a solution to my GR- DVL520U's E01 (now E03) errors... reading this *doesn't* make me feel better. If someone's colleting names for a class-action or petition, sign me up.

-- Chuck Boone (caboone@pacbell.net), June 22, 2003.

Not an answer.....just another bitch! I have a JVC G-DVL520 that has an E04 & E06 error codes, I have removed the battery and nothing. How can a company get away with sell such SHIT! I also will NEVER buy JVC again! PLEASE contact me if anyone moves forward with a class action I am behind it all the way! Please keep me posted!

-- Randy G. (rg321@nc.rr.com), June 23, 2003.

I ran into this thread about JVC DV's and E04 problems -- http://www.camcorderinfo.com/board/read.php?f=11&i=680&t=102

Someone has contacted an attorney that specializes in defective product class-actions (see entry dated 3/10/03):

***

I am interested in learning more about user experiences. Can you direct some of your group members to my email and ask them to describe their problems and what JVC has done (or not done) to address them. Thanks.

******************************************* Jonathan Shub, Esq. Sheller, Ludwig & Badey, P.C. Philadelphia, PA 215.790.7327 jshub@sheller.com www.sheller.com

***

Let's send him our stories!

-- Chuck Boone (caboone@pacbell.net), June 24, 2003.

It looks like JVC's camcorder have the same problem in the states.. I have bought my DVP7 camcorder in february and in april it broke with an insulting E03 error message... My dealer sent it to germany and it took 2 months to came back... Of course as soon as i tried it E03 reappeared. So the dealer gave me a new one and now it's working perfectly... I guess the best solution is in fact to change your camcorder...

-- romain ygnace (rygnace@cpe.fr), June 25, 2003.

I've had the same problem, I won't get into the details because it's the same thing all of you have dealt with. But can anyone recommend a good, reliable digital videocamera?

-- Timothy Compton (TimmyBoy84@aol.com), June 25, 2003.

I bought a JVC GRSXM24OU camcorder for my son and his wife last christmas. It developed the same problems by May. We put it in the shop a couple of weeks ago, they informed me today that it is the deck assembly and will run $155.00 to $165.00 to fix. I will either fix it or buy the kids a new one, due to the embarrassment of buying a gift that only lasted 5 months. If I'm embarrassed for buying it, JVC should damn well be embarrassed for selling defective products. Tomorrow I'll call the JVC number posted above and see if they can help. I'll share what ever information I get with this thread. In the meantime add me to the list of victims. Sharon Harden Newport,NC 28570

-- Sharon Harden (WHarden@ec.rr.com), June 25, 2003.

Hey everyone, guess what?? Same proublem here. JVC model # gr-axm225u. ok i feel better now knowing I'm not alone.

-- Robert Varnell (Robriverratt@aol.com), June 28, 2003.

I too have a JVC 80U and I am having the same dreaded error code problem. I even purchased an underwater housing that cost me $900 that is useless for anything else. JVC has cost me a lot of money. I will make it a point to let everyone know NOT TO BUY JVC. Sign me up for any class-action suit.

-- Lazaro R (laz217@bellsouth.net), June 28, 2003.

Well i ges i am lucky today,my cam had all the problems people talks about here and i did everithing they recomend and after 30 mins my dad droped it i opened it but just cleaned the mecanism, removed the battery, changed the tape brand for maxell and got everything together again it worked perfectly,sorry almost forgot i removed the memory card too,sometimes they have a short circuit,why do i think that it could be the problem? well sometimes power may vary in your power outlets ,like today my dad droped the camera because he got shoked by the power outlet when conecting the charger,and excuse my english im not very good whith it .

I hope this can help If it does please e mail me i will feel better for that

-- GEO (brujo010@hotmail.com), June 29, 2003.

same problem here with a e02 "battery in safeguard mode". I just bought my dvl520 today! Guess what gets retuned tomorrow.

-- scott novacek (snovarev@aol.com), July 02, 2003.

No Answer,

I bought my DVM90 18 months ago, I still remember some good days with this camcorder for the first 6 months. But it start giving me problems include E01,02,03 ... head cleaning......etc.. until now the worse .. E04 .. these code numbers scare me away from taking any picture and it took $1000 dollars off my account... i won't ever buy anything from JVC.

Since I got performace plan from circuit city, I will bring it to them and see if they could take care of the problem.

I will keep u all inform.

"JVC 2 thumbs down"

-- Drew (drew1978@hotmail.com), July 02, 2003.

If anybody wants their POS JVC camcorder repaired once and for all, e- mail me and I'll send an address to ship. These service centers seem to be inept when it comes to mechanical problems.

-- James (fvjkn@yahoo.ca), July 03, 2003.

Same deal here with a JVC GR-SXM527U, got an E06 safeguard mode error. After several attempts to re-insert battery, the unit finally shut down and wont power up now. More importantly the tape is stuck in the unit and I can't eject. This is NOT cool. JVC sucks.

-- Chris Stuber (mapsurf@midsouth.rr.com), July 06, 2003.

i have an answer for everyone........i have the same problem with my camcorder.......... u just take the thing and throw it on the face of the manufacturer or warranty/gaurantee vendor.........and buy a new other company's camcorder.....this is the best way....i tried it and i got the problem solved as...the vendor did it free for me.. ;) try it urself.. have a nice time

-- Suggestion (boogy@hell.com), July 06, 2003.

it is unfortunate that this type of problem recently started occuring w/ my gr-dvm70. No errors were showing on the screen. The symptom was that I can not see what was on the tape as I was trying to play it. Tapping the camcorder did the trick; but for how long will it work? I have enjoyed using my camcorder over the last couple years. I don't use it much; just on occassions. It is only a matter of time for this one. Reading form what people have written, JVC is not a robust product. I expected more longevity. I won't buy a JVC for fear of encountering the same quirks. Unfortunate.

-- melvyn (lushbugmel@aol.com), July 07, 2003.

I can't believe it, but tapping the camera (an 805u) did get it out of safeguard mode. It really did. Goof luck. Next time I'll buy a Canon.

-- david peck (davidpeckesq@yahoo.com), July 07, 2003.

I may get hung for this, but I've had a JVC DVL9000 for about 4 years now and it has performed flawlessly up until today, when I got a E03 error while tranferring a tape to DVD. It happened near the end of the tape (about 7 minutes from the end - Maxell tape). No matter what I tried, I couldn't get the camera to play past that part without getting a E03 error. I tried ALMOST everything in these posts, without success. Finally, I tried another tape (after shutting down) and it worked flawlessly. I tried several other tapes and they all work fine. Tried the original tape and still had problems. I examined the tape, but couldn't see anything wrong at that location in the tape. It didn't want to play anything 'past' that '7 minutes from the end' point.

So, it looks like it has something to do with the tape and not necessarily with the camera. Of course, I have only tried 5 tapes so far, but they all seem to work without problem.

I would like to add that this camera has seen some very rough treatment in those four years. It's been underwater in a special case up to 300 feet several times. It's been taken on many dive trips around the world. It has been climbing on mountains where it has fallen numerous times. And finally, while at DisneyWorld last year, it fell on the hard cement from a height of 12 feet and broke into a lot of pieces. The internal battery went flying about 50 feet in one direction, the tape went 50 feet in another direction, etc.

I felt sure that it was a gonner. But, I gathered up all the pieces, sat under a tree and prety much 'stuffed' it all back together again. To my surpeise, it worked. I have used it very much since that time. The camera looks like it's been through a was. Nothing fits together on the camera. There are big gaps in the case where it should be tightly together. The only thing that didn't work after that terrible fall, was the Y/C output. Everything else works fine to this day.

So, Maybe JVC built these old MiniDV camera better than the newer ones, but I've got to tell you that I was very impressed with what this camera has been through.

Before this camera, I had a Panasonic AG456 S-VHS full size camera that I also did the same kinds of things with, and it would have to go into the shop at least once a year for repair. It died once in about 60 feet of water. Another time, because of sand inside it. Another while sailing and I guess salt water got into it. To me, that was normal due to the wear and tear that I place on cameras.

This JVC DVL9000 has never been in the shop for repair, only adjustment of the colors (I'm a stickler for accurate colors).

I also have another JVC MiniDV camera, AGDV1, that I also use as a backup camera. This camera goes the same places that the DVL9000 goes, and has never failed on me.

So, in summary, I've got say that I'm very impressed so far with these two cameras. I've noticed that people are complaining about many different cameras on this forum, not just one model. When you mass produce camcorders, as small and dellicate as MiniDV, you're bound to have some problems. If all these complaints were with one model, I could see a class action lawsuit, but with all these different model camcorders, and so few bad ones for each model, I don't believe you would have a chance. Look through this forum and find the model with the greates number of complaints. Now, how many of those cameras do you think JVC made? What percentage of the total do you think the bad ones make up? Realize that .5 to 1% is acceptable for defective units.

Sorry for going on and on. I'm not in any way affiliated with JVC. As I mentioned, I found this forum because I also got a E03 error and was looking for answers. I was a little shocked at how mad people were getting over unrelated issues, seemingly grouping them all into the 'same' problem, with the 'same' model camera. In case you haven't checked lately, MOST companies have very poor customer support these days, including Philips, Sony, Panasonic, Hitachi, Sanyo, Samsung, Zinith, RCA, etc. I know, I dealt with all of them during the past several years.

-- Jeff Jordan (jjordan@650dialup.com), July 08, 2003.

MY SOLUTION! I have a JVC GR-DVL20. I got the E04 error, I tried tapping it etc etc. What worked for me was to turn the Camcorder on, (Automatic) then open the tape door, all of a sudden to my surprise the tape ejected. These cameras (mine at least) seem to be tempermental little bitches. I don't think there's one sure fire way to fix em (besides pay money) you just gotta go through every single option then hopefully (its worked for me) it'll do the right thing. Good luck to anyone else tryna fix these little bastards!

-- -=Kriz=- (awesomehive@hotmail.com), July 10, 2003.

I have a JVC GRDVL9800. It had E04 "Unit in safeguard mode" long ago. I had to remove and reattach the battery several times before it came back to working condition. Recently, it does not work anymore no matter how many times I remove and reattach the battery. It always shows the E04 error and locks the device. The DV was rarely used and is the only electronic products giving troubles. NEVER BUY JVC AGAIN!

-- PT (pingtiantx@yahoo.com), July 11, 2003.

Fuck fuck fuck!! I had same problem with my Thomson VMD-120 and I have it fixed in Sweden. I got 700€ bill (approx.700§)!! Yeah 700€. I could buy a new one! Fucking mother fuckers...ARGH!! Even it says 'remove and reattach battery' the problem is in cassette system...

-- Reija, Finland (reija20_00@hotmail.com), July 16, 2003.

Hi, I bought a camera JVC GRDVL 310U, made in Japan, and I had the same problem: E04 - UNIT IN SAFEGARD MODE REMOVE AND REATTACH BATTERY. However I had some problems before this happen. 1 - I put battery in charger and the life's battery run out in five minutes. 2 - Some months later I put the battery in charger and the led didn't light. So I thought it was a problem in the battery. 3 - Finally, I've seen this error, E04, some months later. 4 - Almost 8 months later, I turn on the camera e it works fine. Attached the battery, started to record, put the battery in charger, record again and again and, I saw the same error.

Is seems to be a Bug. Try remove your battery when you are not using. Never let your battery attached for a long time. Thats my advice. I'd appreciate some help. Thanks.

Santerre

-- Santerre C. M. Batalha (santerre@embratel.net.br), July 16, 2003.

I bought a camcorder JVC GR-AX777UM. I got the E02 problem, "The camera is in safe mode", someone has an awnser for that trouble.

I'll apreciate to get help.

-- Carlos A Lopez (carld81@hotmail.com), July 17, 2003.

IF YOUR CAR BREAKS DOWN, DO YOU NOT TAKE IT TO THE REPAIRED? THEN WHY IS IT THAT THE PEOPLE ON THE SITE DO NOT TAKE THEIR CAMERA TO A TECHNICIAN TO LOOK AT IT. DOES ANY ONE EVEN BOTHER TO READ ALL THE COMMENTS ON THE SITE...IF YOU DID THEN MAYBE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO GET THE HELP THAT IS NEEDED. SOME PEOPLE DO NOT HANDLE THESE UNIT WITH THE CARE IN WHICH THEY DESERVE..THEY TREAT IS LIKE JUST ANOTHER TOY LIKE A CHILD WOULD. TAKE THE TIME OUT TO LEARN ABOUT THE CARE THAT IS NEED TO ENSURE THAT YOU UNIT LAST.

-- not everthing last forever (stopbitc*@getreal.com), July 18, 2003.

I've got my JVC DVL for over 5 years. Never had any problems with it until last year when I used a new sony tape and the dreaded EO3 showed up and would not play or FF/RW. It worked initially by tightening the tape and doing a full FF/RW but after sometime it stopped working. Just beware when tightening the tape. I got so frustfrated at one stage that I overtightened and snapped a tape. I took it to a JVC service place over here in Melbourne Australia and they demanded a ransom of $70 just for a look. If it cost more than a $100 to fix it I'll probably ditch it and get a new one. Most definitely not a JVC (don't like the poor quality indoor shots apart from the obvious EO problems). I'm very surprised that the recent models are even worse and less reliable than mine. They never learn. I think JVC have very poor quality control in their factory (maybe super cheap labour from 3rd world contries.) Just my 2 cents.

-- Charles L (lordjarjar@hotmail.com), July 18, 2003.

Hola Soy español de LAS PALMAS (Islas Canarias) 1º Todos los errores de que hablais son averias de la mecanica. a- cabeza no gira drumm motor b- capasta motor c- reel cambado y no gira d- humedad en el sensor del mecanismo e- sensores del reel mal. Siempre es lo mismo, el PROBLEMA ES QUE HACE FALTA UN SOFTWARE PARA ANULAR EL CODIGO DE EMERGENCYA QUE QUEDA DENTRO DE LA CAMARA, DESPUES DE REPARLA, ULTIMAMENTE LOS CASPTAN MOTR DE GR-DVL160 , 167 360 367 ETC TIENEN EL EJE FUERA, DEBEN DE REVISARLO. LAS CAMARAS ODIAN EL AGUA LA ARENA Y LA HUMEDAD. ESPERO QUE LA CAMARA NO LA COMPRARAN EN CANARIAS YA QUE ESTOY QUEMADO DE REPARAR VIDEO CAMARAS UN SALUDO...

-- Juan Luis (reparaciones@telefonica.net), July 21, 2003.

Hi, i got the same problem as some of you... E03 on the lcd.

This problem occured when i was viewing my recorded summer vacation video through the lcd and the video just froze. WhatTheFuck? I investigated it and came up that, changing the brand of dv-tapes from expensive n´ 'reliable' JVC, to cheaper n´ crappier maxell, where the strip has turned clockwise, and ruined the whole memory of my summer vacation in northern Sweden.

The sollution? I cleaned inside my camera, (like a surgeon=) and stocked up a big pile of expensive n´ 'reliable' JVC-tapes, for my future use. Seems like they want us to buy THEIR, and OLNY their tapes.

Im pretty pissed at JVC. And going to tell everybody i know on the internet (about 1500 trusted ppl, and they know a lot of people, the snowball.efx) that JVC may have a salestrick, fooling their customers. And Maxell should be making Door-mats instead 'Welcome To Max-hell'

-JVC- Just a Vacation Crusher...or Japanese Victor Cu*t...or Jävla Vanskapta Camera! (FRIGGIN' RETARDED CAMERA! in swedish)

Mr.Arvidsson - A happy SONY fan.

-- Mr.Arvidsson (walp86@hotmail.com), July 22, 2003.

Wow...I just got this problem tonight, 12 hours before I'm about to go leave for the beach. So there goes that whole Idea of videotaping my vacation. I thought by searching on the internet I'd find a simple solution to a simple problem. However now I just feel stupid for not reading up on JVC products before I bought my Digital Camcorder a little over a month ago. I think it's complete bullsh*t. I will never buy any JVC poroduct ever again, and I highly reccomend any human being i ever come in contact with to buy a canon or panasonic instead. If anyone associated with JVC is reading this right now, lick my scrotum, and take your DV camcorders and shove them up your ass. That's all I have to say

-- Dan Young (IHaveABelyButon@aol.com), July 24, 2003.

What an absolute piece of SHIT camera. We have a GR-DVL100 and it has been really good for about 12 months - went on holidays recently and taped everything - got home to connect to the PC to download to the PC and put onto CD's and the dv in/out did not work. I tried a couple of firewire cards and cables and no go. Took the camera to an authorised JVC centre and they fixed it - NOT. Still did not work for DV in/out. Well, took it back and picked it up today and what do you know - the DV in/out works - but the samera now shows this E06 SafeGuard Mode error and it ate our holiday tapes. What a piece of shit camera. I have sent a message to JVC Australia concerning the faulty camera and the shonky service centre. Looks like we have also joined the Just Very Crappy (JVC) Video Camera Club - yee fucking haw.

I will keep you posted as to what happens - the camera is currently under extended warranty - and in the future I will utter these famous words = IT'S A SONY...!!!!!!

Paul & Caz

-- Paul & Carol Featherstonhaugh (feathersclan@optusnet.com.au), July 25, 2003.

I've had a JVC GRL9000 for the last 3 or 4 years - what a disaster! Cost £1700 at the time and last year had to spend an extra £270 having it fixed as the error E03 kept coming up - no matter what I did or which tapes were being use. The camcorder is shit. Should definitely have bought a Sony instead. Nadia

-- Nadia Awolesi (nadiaawolesi@hotmail.com), July 26, 2003.

I too have been getting an E04 on and off for about a year now. I tried everything in the past prior to finding this forum tonite but nothing worked. My camera has been showing the E04 continously for about a week now but when I tried the 'tapping on the side' solution everything started to work again. Thanks to the person who initially suggested that.

Nevertheless the JVC is still a piece of junk. I just bought a SONY replacement on eBay just a week ago.

I would never buy any JVC product again!

-- Nept Tiglao (nept_tiglao@yahoo.com), July 26, 2003.

Ok guys. I got it. We have been all f... by JVC. I have the same E01 error message. And guess what : just after one year (like it was programmed to do so ...).

Let's go to the next level now : Class action suit againt JVC. I'm back in Europe now. So if one of you can contact a lawyer, put me in your list and keep me posted.

Thanks Selim

-- Selim (skellou@yahoo.com), July 29, 2003.

Im all for the class action suit. My camera stopped working on my trip to mexico so now i have nothin to look back on. i have a GR- SXM320 and its a piece of crap. tried everything and nothin worked. keep me posted on the calss action suit

-- Saul Mendoza (saulmendoza@mail.com), July 29, 2003.

OMG same thing I'm sitting around transferring tapes using my jvc dvl- 100 fresh back from the shop for dirty head cleaning when i get the infamous eo3 disconnect battery warning. I try all suggestions ..clean head wth alcohol..tap side..to no avail. I put in cleaning tape and rewind..presto chango it works but for how long, I was going to take it on florida vacation but of course it broke 3 weeks before trip......it was "fixed" when i got back at least tech was honest said he dint know how long it would work a week a month a year..he didnt sound to supportive , Hey if there is a class action let me know..god knows there is enough of them going around.

-- T Carapella (tcarape1@twcny.rr.com), July 30, 2003.

Its the Feathers again, well we called JVC in Oz and they said that my problems (and those of 90% of people here) is not a fault with the camera - cough cough bullshit. Well they have said to take it back to their Repair Centre again (the same mob that have failed to fix the camera twice now)so they can try again. I will play their game for one more attempted fix and then I will be seeking legal advice on getting a refund on a defective product - will keep you posted OK - Cheers

-- Paul & Carol Featherstonhaugh (feathersclan@optusnet.com.au), July 30, 2003.

Same problem E06 error on my JVC DVM90 camcorder! It is now in Aurora repair for a week and I haven't heard a word from them that they even got it. I will call today ...not open til 9:00 am ...nice job. I sent the 50.00 by check so they probab;y wait 10 days to contact me for the rest of my money and the "bad news". I hadn't seen these postings till today and now I know "the rest of the story." Great, just great.

-- Charles Williams (tuna7@comcast.net), July 31, 2003.

Hello.. I regret to say that I have a problem in my JVC GR-DVM90 camcorder. The colors pictures in the viewfinder and the LDC is totally distorted. For instance, the colors are reversed (i.e. blue appears to be red, red appears to be blue.. etc.). This problem has really been annoying me, and it has actually been like this for a while. Does anyone know how to prevent this from happening and possibly fix it so that it won't occur in the future? Thanks ... (e- mail me if you have any help please.)

-- jesse garcia zablan (yetzelspretzels@hotmail.com), August 03, 2003.

I have had to send my unit in, It was under warranty that time, The screen just went blank and would not work. Also it got to where it would not eject a tape.Now after it is out of warranty i am having problems which hundreds of other people are having. It flashes codes,reinsert battery, clean heads and the picture has lines or bars on it during playback. I have contacted jvc and told them i have researched this problem and recognize they do have a problem with this. The lady SHAYLA was her name said i needed to get a cost estimste sheet from a jvc service center and they MIGHT see what they could do for me. Called the center i got the work the first time they said minimum $75 sarvice call and repair could run up to $600 for this problem and due to it not being under warranty, I am responsible. I am ready for the CLASS ACTION SUIT how do we get it started. I saved my money for a long time to get this hyped up very expensive camera and i am very stressed out over it. ANY SUGGESTIONS? Because i am afraid when i send it off they are gonna want a mint to fix it. Shoot i'll just save up for another. I will keep my $200 battery that i bought for it because that is THE ONLY THING i have not had a problem with since i replaced it.

-- Darren w.Bridgers (sooners@swnm.com), August 04, 2003.

In addition to tmy response above, i have had every problem all these other people are having.hey know they have a problem(jvc) they could fix it how do we get the letters going??????? I have missed so many wonderful things because of this and i am ready fo actio. Iwill pay th 100 dollar check ou but if they don't want to do anything anout it then i will take out my 200$ battery and run it over and over again with my truck.

-- Darren W Bridgers (sooners@swnm.com), August 04, 2003.

No Answer.....Just more PROBLEMS... JVC GR-DVL355E....Spent today at a Safari Park, battery went flat....left unit for a while, tried it later.....nothing...got home and tried it with 240v AC adaptor....NOTHING, DEAD AS A DODO. Tapes stuck in, no lights come on, totally useless....I WANT MY TAPE OUT!! JVC will be contacted tomorrow, I'll keep my fingers crossed for some help!!

-- Tim Bevington (tim.bev@breathe.com), August 04, 2003.

Same damn problem, no solutions! I have a GR-DVL805 that has started up with the E04 message. I have had the camera for about a year with light use and now it is giving me this error message a lot. Previously, it has had a bad pixel on the lcd screen which seems to transfer to the video as well, even if I don't use the lcd and use only the view finder. Never again will I purchase a JVC product. JVC - DO YOU HEAR WHAT YOUR (EX)CUSTOMERS ARE TELLING YOU?????????????????????????????

-- Robert Dennis (rob1stlook@yahoo.com), August 05, 2003.

SOLOUTION. I did what I read on one of the posts here, and guess what ? It works now. Thank Allah.

Cleaning the pinch rollers does the trick. Rubbing Alcohol. all is good. Dont remember to read this line before starting :

BESM ALLAH AL RAHMAN AL RAHIM. ; )

-- AHMED BADRAN (badranahmed@msn.com), August 05, 2003.

I have a problem with my JVC gr-d70u. I don't know if anyone can help. The LCD and view finder only display white. No images once so ever. Has anyone else had a problem such as this? Any information would be appriecated. Thanks!

-- Sheri (sherilee28@bis.midco.net), August 05, 2003.

i had the same problem as i posted earlier. the tape wouldn't eject. i just took the camera apart myself until i could tape the tape out. when i put it back together it worked perfectly. a repair shop wouldve charged 100 bucks for what i did myself. its not that hard. it worked for me. that tapping thing didnt work for me. it was risky though you have to do it carefully or you can screw up the tape or even worse the camcorder

-- Saul Mendoza (saulmendoza@mail.com), August 05, 2003.

Add my name to the list. What a piece of junk. Just out of warranty and getting the dreaded E04 error code. No solution from above works. Camera does nothing, can't even eject the tape.

JVC should own up to this issue and make good on all the units they have sold. I will never buy anything from JVC ever again and I will make sure I let everyone I know, how bad these products are !!!!!

-- Neil Adams (nadams493@aol.com), August 06, 2003.

Hi, my name is tim and i got boned by jvc. Have a DVM90 with the E04 code. Please let me know if anyone goes class action on jvc's ass. I want in!

-- tim clark (timnheidic@hotmail.com), August 06, 2003.

My GR-DVP7U stopped working, on powering up the unit the LED is on regardless of the mode switch setting, and if I open the LCD the fast-forward motor start going. Cannot eject the tape. On closing the LCD the LED starts flashing. Sometimes there is a garbled pattern on the LCD, kind of an out of sync system display, sometimes nothing on the display. Help...

-- J Becker (jon00@hotmail.com), August 09, 2003.

I tried changing the record mode from SP to LP and it seems to work for now. Hopefully this will work for a while and keep me from slamming the damn thing to the wall.

-- (casey_vu@netzero.com), August 12, 2003.

Same problems as all of you, guess I feel fortunate it worked for a year. I thought I was lucky purchasing the Mack Extended Warranty, but just sent it back twice now and returned with same problem, no fixes. If these cameras were so touchy on which tape to use it should have been in the manual NEVER use anything but JVC? Come On! What a gimmick. Anyway I would love a Class Action Suit against JVC as this is surely a crime, they have recalls on cars why not defective merchandise and have JVC fix all our cameras FOR FREE! It is the American thing to do! Please let me know if someone ever gets this suit going and whom I should contact, or if by some miracle JVC fesses up to they responsibility!!!! jotter@peoplepc.com Michigan Resident

-- Walter J. Gould (jotter@peoplepc.com), August 12, 2003.

Hello discruntled JVC owners.

I aswell have had all of these problems after heavy use on my dvl-505. I used it for about 3 years untill this problem occured. I then contacted a local repair shop who charged me $390.00 cdn to replace the video head. This did not work so I returned it to them and they said the entire mechanics had to be replaced so I demanded they do it free of charge and they did.

So now it works I have had no problems for about 8 months although I have rarely used it. I am now runnning into a problem where I have a diff. brand name of tape that I recorded using a differnt camera and on the JVC it plays back all choppy and demands to be cleaned. Stupid camera, its like its a diff format or something.

oh and PS. Before this occured I had never had a problem with other brand tapes and I had been running aa digital tv station where we used tons of other ones.

If anything goes down please contact me and if anyone can help with the tape playback issue I would be very thankfull.

-- Jonathon Corbiere (Corbs@yorku.ca), August 13, 2003.

Hi.. GR-DVP7 camcorder is in the shop with a broken inductor, JVC part #NQLZ010-390X. They are having trouble getting the part, it's backordered with a long delay. Does anyone have any info on some other JVC-aware supplier I could get this from on short notice. thanks, J. Becker

-- J Becker (jon00@hotmail.com), August 13, 2003.

Actually, I have a question. I have the jvc GR-SXM527u, and I am trying to get video into my pc. I'm looking for a JLIP cable, since that seems to be the only way to connect it up, but I cannot find one. Can anyone offer suggestions? other ways? anything? I've got a nice new dell, plenty of memory and speed, and i'm ready to go, but i just cant get it together. thanks. brad

-- Brad Pounders (restech@bellsouth.net), August 16, 2003.

I have E04 as well! JUST happened today. Messed around with battery pulling, etc., then it sort of worked. If they don' t send me a new cam tomorrow when I call, I'm going to buy a $800 sony and send them a nasty letter. I'm really pissed off, but I've calmed down a little now. :)

- smash

-- smash (smashm22@aol.com), August 18, 2003.

Hey !

Where shall I start ??? I bought my JVC GR-DVP7 for 1000 euros in France 4 months ago. It has been working fine since yesterday, I went to the X GAMES in Los Angeles and when I got home I wanted to take a look at what I filmed, but unfortunetly I got the "Unit in safeguard mode" error message when turning on my cam. I ejected my tape ands realized that the cam ate it !!! I hate JVC I spent 1000 euros in this Mother Fuckin' cam and now when i read all these messages I really think it'll never work perfectly again !

I will try all the solutions tonight and buy new tapes but I really don't think it'll last forever. Maybe i'll get it replaced when i'll go back to France because of course their warrenty is limited to Europe in my case.

I'm going to Vegas next week end to end my trip to the USA and I'm so frustrated that I won't be able to film that last week end !

Any lawsuit or whatever send me an email ...

Fuck YOU JVC ;-)

-- Nicolas "Fuck JVC" Hannick (nicolas@mediaconcepts.net), August 18, 2003.

I tried all the above for my DVX707 when it gave a 04 error to no avail, fortunately it was only 6 weeks old so I took it back for a full refund.... Now which Sony will I buy?

-- Robert Anderson (robert.anderson@no.spam.zoom.co.uk), August 19, 2003.

Yup, chalk up another GR-DVL-805. Several error messages. Pretty amazed to see that tapping on the tape door a couple of time, after removing the battery for a full min. worked.

Yeah, class action, and free repairs for all. count me in.

- ian

-- ian ulibarri (ian@bananas.com), August 19, 2003.

it might sound crazy but tapp the hell out of ur camra that shit really works lol

-- robert b (vgripss@aol.com), August 21, 2003.

SOLUTION (PEACE OF SOME...) I've had the E03 error message (short message !) and found out that it was depending on the tape inserted. So I tried to work on the tape instead of working on the camcorder and it worked. First I've tried to move the tape forward manually, I needed to press the lock in the middle of the casette to unlock the tape and allow it to move forward and then a pair of scisors to turn the wheel and Bingo, after less than a complete turn I put the tape back into the camcorder and it worked !!!

A longer term solution would be appreciated but I thing the little rolling parts into the camcorder are weak and have difficulties to deal with long and heavy tapes (90mn or 60mn) so use only 30 mn tapes and be find. Yan.

-- yan (yan_uk@yahoo.com), August 22, 2003.

Not an answer,again.I have the same problem with my jvc camera GR-DVL107E .It's 2 years old.It keeps displaying error E04-UNIT IN SAFEGUARD MODE-REMOVE AND REATTACH BATTERY. Regards, Matej

-- Matej (matejcigon@volja.net), August 24, 2003.

Was going to by JVC's GR-DVP-7 tomorrow. Good that I found this site. Changed my mind now. Means more research - but will buy something other than JVC.

-- Rahul Jaiswal (jaiswalrm@bigpond.com.au), August 24, 2003.

I've got seven of these JVC camcorders I bought on wholesale for a "bargain" price. I knew they weren’t working though so I'm here, not to complain, but to find a workable, long term) solution. (i.e. Not a $300 rip off "repair" guy who maybe yes/no can fix it.)

Buried quietly in this long diatribe of whines, superstitious rituals (always use JVC tape, tap, clean, etc.), stories of personal emotional loss, excuses for artistic "camcording" block, well composed pleas, moral, business and legal advice for the manufacturer, is a post that looks like it might solve the problem.

The web page www.brutonsupply.com/cc6364.htm shows a little spring that has to be seated correctly. Looks like it could get easily pushed out of place too, causing a lot of the other symptoms I read here - noise (as the spring scrapes), fast power usage (if it sticks against the wheel too hard), tape seemingly jammed (because head can't spin normally so computer doesn’t think tape is in safe position to release).

I had a tape stuck in a different JVC model (GR-SXM740U) with similar E03/4, "replace battery" problems. Removed 2 screws, opened as described, found wheel (in slightly different place) and with a screwdriver moved it a little bit. Magic, now eject button worked.

My spring was in a different place, found it by comparing to another one that did work. I bent it back but tape still would not go into position. Finally took it off. No telling what it does - seems to hold cassette door up.

Now tape insert/eject works fine and it even plays the tape a little, but it keeps saying "Tape End", even if I rewind to middle of tape with other camcorder. Tape plays/records fine in good camcorder so it's not the tape. (JVC brand incidentally.)

Next step is to figure out how end of tape is detected.

Have both camcorders open and other than spring, find no differences.

So hard to find a service manual. Even one on camcorders in general. There's only 3 books at Amazon.com, the newest is dated 1999. (On other hand maybe JVC has been making the same mistake in it's designs since before then!)

Now it's your turn. Take out some more screws and figure out the next step. Report back. I'll do same.

Sign me up for class action suit too.

-- John Kaufman (robbinseyeguy@hotmail.com), August 30, 2003.

Sorry, no answers, just that I have the same problem on a DVL505, unit is of course like 14 months old and out of warranty. Oddly, mine worked perfectly until I lent it to someone and this is how it was returned. Dont know if JVC sucks or my friends.. Will try the tapping thing.

-- Joe La Valle (joe@2rivercapital.com), August 30, 2003.

Hi, my JVC camcorder GR-D-VL100 type cannot be put in operation due to the E02 error: I tried to dry the circuits utilizing the dessiccant salts but without positive results.Can someone give me suggestions how to proceede? Thanks

-- franco amicucci (franco_enel@hotmail.com), September 01, 2003.

Same prob 'E04: Remove and reattach de battery', Cannot insert a tape, I always used JVC tapes, I can hear a tikking noice for 2 seconds. My camera is exactly 1 year old.

-- Jo Van den Berghe (jo_vdb@hotmail.com), September 01, 2003.

I have been getting the E04 problem for about a year and a half now. I'm using a JVC GR-DVL300. I was wondering.....is everybody elses camera making a loud "WEEEEEEEEE!!!" sound? Mine does it everytime. I have found that tapping on the tape door works temporarily. Sign me up for that suit.

-- Michael Paul Dunlap (petitewiener@centurytel.net), September 01, 2003.

I bought my DVX9 about two years ago and only just recently started to have the "battery in safeguard mode" problem. Tapping the side of the unit helped for a while....also useing the head cleaner....then it packed up altogether!!!!!Every time I tried to record - "battery in safeguard mode" I lost count of how many times that blasted battery came off and on! Then I thought about the tape...I knew that JVC only recommends their own (well they would, wouldn't they) and how they said that JVC tapes keep the tension for longer. So I took out the tape, and using a pencil with an eraser I ratcheted up the slack. CAREFUL! Just enough to get rid of the slack. And yes, you guessed it, it worked. Oh bliss..................

-- Clive Halliday (cfhalliday@aol.com), September 02, 2003.

I had the E04 error on a GR-DVM70 and slapping the side worked for me!

-- Robert Byrd (rlb@truewater.com), September 04, 2003.

Similar problem with the GR-DVF31. Received the E01 error, hit the eject and now the tape door cannot be close (the tape holder that has the red "push here" sticker will not "latch".

Curiously the Off setting no longer seems to work...the camera stays on (with the blue screen) no matter if Off, Play, Manual or Automatic)

Anyone hear of or have this problem?

-- d (Mattf@aol.com), September 04, 2003.

***NOT AN ANSWER***

Just adding myself to the list of people suffering from "remove battery - unit is safeguard mode" and having my valuable video footage 'chewed-up', and becoming very stressed and disillusioned with JVC.

I have some footage which I need to transfer to my pc and the friggin thing keeps mangling my tapes and then shutting down.

I always though JVC were good and I have much equipment from them..

NEVER AGAIN..... AVOID JVC... Just pay the extra a get a Sony (although I have a friend who used to work for Sony on their camcorders and he tells some interesting stories about their quality control - but still better than JVC.)

Andy

-- andrew henry (andy@futuretechsource.co.uk), September 05, 2003.

the E03 error: fix: perdonen que escriba en español, pero creo q les ayudara esto: en el modelo gr-dvm70, apenas abren la tapa donde esta el casette, hay una banda de goma, donde seguramente el castete da vueltas o hace girar la cinta, pues como sea, por alguna razon esta goma tiende a moverse, la solucion limpiarla bien y con mucho cuidado con un poco de alcohol, y luego presionarla suavemente contra la otra pieza de acero q esta a su lado, magicamente el puto error E03 desaparecio de mi camara.(si la presionan mucho se daran cuenta de que hace que la imagen parpadee, asi q no lo hagan demasiado fuerte, en todo caso pueden volver a ponerla mas alejada de la pieza de acero

saludos

carlos

-- carlos (caramba@cantv.net), September 06, 2003.

I've had a GR-DVL 805 for 2 years now with minimal probs.. but today when I attempt to turn it on.. E04 (Remove Battery...?) So I read on here and figured "what the hey" I tapped it, smacked, and whacked it a few times.. and lo and behold.. it started working again!!!

Could it be the JVC models are slightly masochistic??? Well, the one thing I've learned from this fiasco is: never underestimate the healing powers of "percussive maintenance" =)

-- Woooha (jvc_geek@hotmail.com), September 06, 2003.

Not an answer, but to be amongst the JVC victims. I bought a brand new GR-D70US the first time I used it I got E03/E06 error messages that make the device unsuable. Does anybody get an answer from JVC customer support and find a solution to this problem ? Please assist ! Thanks PS.: No JVC anymore !!!

-- Yerima (yerima@yahoo.com), September 07, 2003.

The story continues.... Since 3 months I experience the same problem with the E04 error. I was using sony tapes and still got this problem. After reading some remarks in the list I tried a panasonic tape (unable to find JVC) and remarkably it started working immediately. I keep my fingers crossed. And to our friends at JVC co. I would like to say: next time I buy a Sony.

-- Paul van Lankveld (paulvanlankveld@hotmail.com), September 10, 2003.

I received the E04 message for the first time the other day, right after I had removed and replaced the tape (JVC by the way). All I did was remove the tape, tighten it by turning the reels in opposite directions, and replaced the tape. Worked like a charm. Who knows, but I believe this error is a result in slack in the tape.

-- Bill Breda (wbreda@hotmail.com), September 10, 2003.

I received the E04 message for the first time the other day, right after I had removed and replaced the tape (a JVC by the way). All I did was remove the tape, tighten it by turning the reels in opposite directions, and replaced the tape. Worked like a charm. Who knows, but I believe this error is a result in slack in the tape.

-- Bill Breda (wbreda@hotmail.com), September 10, 2003.

Add me to the list of JVC haters. I have the DVL505 with the E03 message. Non of the solutions seem to work. It just seems to come and go as it pleases. Just what you need when your trying to capture a moment. Thanks for the memories JVC!

-- Tony Q (cue4632@netscape.com), September 13, 2003.

My problem with jvc camcorder is flashing blue screen, showing none of the footage I filmed. When I use TDK cassettes then I get the problem. Put in a Panasonic cassette and it works fine.

I have had the eo4 problem. Don't know what causes that. Maybe its related to the tapes as well.

To hell with jvc.

-- Daron Kruse (daronkruse@hotmail.com), September 13, 2003.

I HATE JVC Hello All I have a GR-DVL805, Which I bought less than three years ago. I used the product for maybe a total recording time of 20 hours tops, and now it showing the same E04 error. Its working now (god knows for how long). I had bough a JVC sound system last week, which I am glad to say I returned today. Never again I would buy any JVC products and if there is any class action going on please count me in as well. As my vedio camera I try it one more time if the problem consisted I would'nt even bother trying to have it fixed because that would only mean waisting even more money on JVC!

-- LOTFALI ZAND (ltzand@sympatico.ca), September 15, 2003.

I got this from some service site. Good luck

Author: Steve Beeching I.Eng. M.R.T.S. 1. Ensure that the owner gives a full description of the problem plus any information apertaining to the actions being taken when the problem occurs. 2. Determine if the problem is a record or playback defect, does the product play previously recorded tapes? 3. In the case of a picture defect, ask for a sample tape illustrating the problem. 4. Quite a number of problems are tape based, has the owner tried a different size tape or brand. 5. Long Play speed and Long play tapes are for convenience NOT performance and often give rise to problems. 6. The error codes given below can often be traced to tape based problems or adverse environmental conditions.

. Error Codes Panasonic JVC Description F01 . No Take-Up reel rotation F02 E03 No Supply Reel rotation F03 E02 Mechanism has not unloaded to the Eject position F04 E01 Mechanism has not fully loaded up to the stop position F05 E04 Rotation of the video head has stalled or too fast . E06 Tape drive motor is not rotating or stalled F31 . Data Transmission error F51 . Focus drive motor is not functioning, no focus. Color F52 . Zoom drive motor is not functioning, no zoom U10 . Dew Sensor has detected condensation or failed U11 . Video Heads have been detected as clogged failed

Digital Camcorders Due to the very small, lightweight mechanisms and very thin tape used, digital camcorders are more susceptible to adverse conditions of temperature change and humidity.Particularly when taken from cold conditions into a hot or humid climate or room. The video heads are in fact digital data heads.The limits of the digital compression system are coping with high definition, fast moving scenes. Something in the picture with lots of detail moving fast stretches the system to its limits. Therefore when the heads are partially clogged or dirty with loose tape oxide dust and the efficiency of the heads are impaired then small error blocks occur in playback. These are called MACRO blocks. The video (data) heads record and playback alternately in bands across the screen, ten bands in total, five each. During playback the picture viewed is NOT directly off of the tape, it is the output of a memory chip (IC). If the data from a head is corrupted then it does not refresh the memory chip. If one of the heads is clogged picture defects vary from small Macro blocks scattered in bands and only visible on movement, up to complete bands. Sometimes black, mostly with fragments of other pictures remaining in the memory because it has not been updated. If both heads are clogged there is no picture at all, black for Panasonic, perhaps with an odd message ?Unplayable Format? and blue screen for JVC. Cleaning tapes may not be fully effective in serious cases of clogged heads but it is worth a couple of tries.

-- Rey Magana (reymagana@myfamily.com), September 17, 2003.

I get the safeguard error eject and reinsert tape! This out of no where just started happening, and reinserting any tape doesnt work! This problem happened to me early, but reinserting the tape did fix it now it doesnt. This will be the second time ive had to bring in my GR-DVL820, and the first problem was just another random thing, all of a sudden playback was all scratchy, and recording was also, i got that fixed but now i got this stupid problem. Hey JVC fuck you!

-- James (p@p.com), September 19, 2003.

Had my GR-DVM96 for over a year and it's been pretty much flawless but now my recorded video comes out garbled when using a battery. It comes out perfect with the AC adapter. I have three batteries and it does it with all of them :(

Going to try JVC tapes and see if that helps (been using cheap sony and tdk tapes)

-- readneck jones (eatme@readneck.com), September 20, 2003.

Same problems as everyone else. Model GR-D90. Will never buy JVC again.

-- RippedOff (twrnlsr@yahoo.com), September 21, 2003.

Same problems here. I bought a JVC GR-DVL500 3 years ago. About 60 hours of use later I started getting "head cleaning required" messages. I would try to fast forward the tape and then rewind all the way and that would work sometimes. Eventually, I had to clean the heads/capstan ~every 15 hours of use. You could see the rust- colored oxid bands on the capstan. I used mainly Sony tapes, but now and then would use a JVC or panasonic tape. Now I know that JVCs can't handle different tapes well, and that the Sony tapes can be major problems. Funny, no other camcorders seem to have this sensitivity. This really sucked. Eventually the camera stopped working and I just bought a Sony which is the way I should have gone to begin with!

One thing important. I would NOT use Q-tips to clean my capstan/heads. Too much of a risk to leave a cotton fiber in the camera and make problems worse. Instead, go to Radio Shack and get the foam or chanille head cleaning swaps. Also use their head cleaner to clena the head and "non-slip fluid" to clean the capstan. Try not to clean the system too much or too harshly.

I hope JVC gets their problems solved. For me, I doubt I'll ever buy another JVC product...too much wasted already

-- AC (monga@mich.com), September 22, 2003.

Can any of you help me to get a manual for GR-DVX44E JVC Camcord? pmvelu

-- pmvelu (pmvelu_2k@yahoo.com), September 23, 2003.

well, i solved my problem... seems my GR-DVM96 does not charge the batterly properly and i get badly recorded video when using the battery. bought a battery charger from batterytopia.com and now recorded video is perfect.

-- readneck jones (eatme@readneck.com), September 25, 2003.

i have a gr-dvl505u and get the same problem. so far it's intermittant and happens with or without JVC brand tapes

-- Ken Kopacki (ken@kopacki.com), September 29, 2003.

Borrowed my friend's JVC GR-DVP3 to transfer tapes (various brands) to my computer, and suddenly I get the "E01 Unit in safeguard mode" error! Tape will not eject or even move, tapping sides and removing battery does not work - what a POS. Thanks for nothing, JVC.

-- C Sundblad (Do.not.send.me.any@mail.com), September 30, 2003.

I have had only two times in the life of my JVC camera where I've needed it to perform reliably. Sadly, it's failed both times. The first time I tested the camera in my hotel room in Sedona, AZ to make sure everything was working before climbing a moutain to film at the summit. Everything worked great on the ground. At the top, though, the battery wouldn't power it. I hiked back down the mountain and have run it from the main power supply running of the wall jack ever since. The battery's never worked again. I've switched batteries, recharged, cleaned the contacts, and just about anything else I could think of.

Today, I ventured up another mountain with a car battery to power the camera's wall jack attachment (which has worked like a charm for a year). After getting everything set up for the shoot, the camera displayed a E04 Safeguard Mode message, rendering it useless. Tape or no tape, it made no difference.

Our final solution worked perfectly, though. Drive to your nearest electronics store and buy a Canon camera. No more JVC. Let's get this class action thing going.

-- Sad Filmmaker (towncentersucks@yahoo.com), October 01, 2003.

I have a GR-DVL300 which I purchased new in Sept 2000. During this time I have used a total of four TDK tapes, one panasonic and two JVC's. Then in Sept 2003 when I bought my first Sony tape. Half way through the Sony (and while at dreamworld on the Gold Coast near Brisbane in the land of Oz), I got the dirty tape message followed by E04 error. After reading the above posts, I feel the problem with the E04 error is due to the tape (Crappy Sony). Seems the Sony tapes internals locked (the lever in the tape body that unlocks the tape reals when is pushed in by the camcorder during loading is not as well made on the Sony tape compared to others)and consequently the tape jammed. I was not able to tape for the rest of the day even though I had a spare panasonic tape handy.

After a few days I mamanged to get the camcorder going with the panasonic tape and then the Sony tape after manually winding it on for a few turns.

JCV must be sensitive with tape brands. Stay away from Sony tapes + JVC camcorders. My next camcorder will probably not be a JVC. However I not too crash hot on Sony if their tapes are of poor quality. I will do some checking on the net before I buy my next camcorder

-- Jacques du Preez (jjdupreez@optusnet.com.au), October 02, 2003.

I just did some more searching and found this article which suggests the JCV problem may be caused in part by the wet lubricant on Sony tapes (only on Sony tapes)

http://www.hosannaproductions.com/tips/minidv_lubricants.html

So stick to one brand of tape (or dry tape if you own a JVC)

-- Jacques (jjdupreez@optusnet.com.au), October 02, 2003.

E04 error constantly on brand new tapes....then I found this site and as per one suggestion above I tapped the side of the camcorder about 6 times (not too hard - just a firm tap) ....amazingly it worked !!! bizarre ! cheers

-- dave r (thelawman999@hotmail.com), October 08, 2003.

Sorry, no answer, just another disappointed customer with an "EO3" error. I will try some of the suggestions posted here and post another reply if any work.

-- (sullivank2@wit.edu), October 13, 2003.

GR-DVM90, Same Crap! E04 Safeguard Mode! IF there is a Class action suit I want in! What a complete waste of 1000.00 worked for a year and then this crap! It's now a $1000.00 digital still camera, because that's the only thing that still works correctly. After using some of JVD audio products with no problem I bought this camcorder, and then getting this camera I am shocked that a company like JVC would put out such bad quality products.

JVC, never again.

-- Brett Hooper (Raiderblack@aol.com), October 17, 2003.

OK, I have read over and over the same problems. First let me tell you that I teach underwater videography and areobatics photography and put the JVC Cameras thru things you would never dream of. About the error messages. They are there to tell you that something is wrong. Many times the error messages report that the camera is malfunctioning when in fact it is the tape that is messing up. Let me ask you this, are you always closing the mechanism where it says to press or are you pressing anywhere? If you press any other place that the marked spot you run the risk of bending the tape mechanisim. If bent the tape will not load properly! By the way there is no battery safe guard mode. Read it again! It says in safe guard mode! Any Qualified repair shop knows that there is a way to reset the camcorder back to the factory setting. I read at least one post that said a repair man schrugged and open the camcorder and reset it. It is a simple proceedure to do. As for the tape head warning I can assure you that is has nothing to do at all with (lube) on the tapes. Every manufacutrer has what is called an error signiature on the tapes they make. This signiature is is messure by drop outs on the tape. A cheap tape or damaged one will have a lot more drop outs than a new one or better one. I can say that there are two particular brands that have higher or different dropout rates than others. I cannot give you then name because of legal issues. Let us just say that the main tape begins with a T.If you want to use cheap tape then please send the tape in along with the camcorder and they can adjust the JVC to work on that brand of tape! Dew warnings are there so that the camcorder does not burn up. When a camcorder has been in an airconditioned place or goes thru a rapid temp change there is always a possiblity for the temp difference to cause a dew warning. If you add the fact that the DA and AD converters inside produce heat then you further complicate the problem. One suggestion is to let the camcorder come up to the outside temp before trying to use it. Take this little mental test for just one moment, If the drink you are holding at the place you are going to video tape is sweating on the outside of the glass then humidty can be a problem. The glass represents the inside of the camcorder being cold and the water that gathers on the outside of the glass is what could gather on the inside of the camcorde causing an electrical short and totally destroying the camcorder. Should the dew warning appear open the camcorder and let it evaporate. If you are where you have access to a hair dryer then use it to warm the inside of the camcorder. In closing as I would like to point out that every camcorder has the same problems (not just JVC). You may not get the same error messages or you may not get one at all because the manufacturer has not included the message sensor to help the repairman find the problem. All camcorders from all companies have these issues.I know that sounds like a bad excuse but I assure you that I agree with you that if it is your hard earned money that has stoped working that no matter the brand it sucks. Thanks for giving me the time to explain some of the issues. Oh and if you call the JVC 800 number that is really not for service advice. Please call the JVC branch nearest you and get the straight word on what is going on.

-- John Hinerman (Jhinerman@JVC.com), October 20, 2003.

Camcorder GR-DVL510U here.... same story. The infamous E04 code appears very often. In a lot of cases, after the error appeared and the camera starts "working" again, the video is choppy and there is no sound!!!

Include my name also for the class action lawsuit....

-- Alejandro Ruiz (larrp@msn.com), October 21, 2003.

I have been watching all the posts on various sites about the problems that people have been having in regards to error codes on their JVC Camcorders. I have posted some myself. I have a GRDVM90U that I have been very careful in using the same brand tape, "Panasonic" have rewound the tapes in a rewinder before use and have cleaned the heads with a Panasonic cleaner when needed. I still get the E04 Error quite often. It seems to happen more when removing and inserting a tape. It does sometimes happen when I start the machine to camera mode. I believe that it is a poor connection somewhere in the drum servo control section. The drum motor spins up much higher than the normal speed and the camera senses this which causes the E04 error. I have been able to catch this before the code is sent by listening to the drum motor as the unit it booted up. If I hear that it is starting to spin too high, I tap the camera on the tape side till I hear the motor return to normal speed. So far I have used the camera for two years sucessfully using this method. I do have the service manual and will take it apart to try and find what is the problem. Has anyone had luck in pinpointing the problem with this camera? Thank You!

-- William Boehly (Wboehly@AIM-MFG.com), October 22, 2003.

Not an answer, Just another really pissed JVC victim. What horrible workmanship! My gr-dvm70 just drops parts off for no reason at all. All the connector covers and the selecter wheel just fell off. I took very good care of it. After all it cost me $1300. JVC pretends they never have any complaints but we know better. CLASS ACTION!!!

-- jerry mcmillan (jerry@digitalsignworks.com), October 24, 2003.

Not an answer. I was thinking about buying a JVC camcorder, but after reading all your problems, I will stay away from JVC. Just want to let you know that all your postings do have impact on the JVC sales!

-- H Wong (hycwong@hotmail.com), October 28, 2003.

My Mamma alway said.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Dont' buy JVC

And when your ready to get screwed always use a CONDOM.

JVC is LIKE AIDS. So someone find a cure for that!

-- not important (DonotbuyJVC@jvc.com), October 28, 2003.

Para los que habla espanol que localizen facilmente esta pagina: NO COMPREIS NUNCA UNA CAMARA DIGITAL JVC SON UNA PORQUERIA. Soy otro sufridor mas de la lista. Un amigo.

-- JGL (jlg@hotmail.com), October 29, 2003.

i started to experience all the things everyone on this board is talking about.... garbled video, head clog message and finally an E03 error. after alot of troubleshooting i solved all my problems. problems were due to:

using sony tapes then switching to crappy TDK tapes weak batteries

it took several tape cleanings and a couple of times through good clean JVC tapes to get rid of the head clog errors and bad video and I also realized that the batteries I was using on my dvm96 were not carrying enough voltage to the camera. do not let your Li-Ion batteries run all the way down before charging and do not charge them fully and let them sit idle. both of these things kill these types of batteries.

new batteries, several tape head cleanings, and good JVC brand tapes have solved all of my problems.

-- jey jey (jey@jey.jey), October 29, 2003.

I have a different problem. The no cassette Icon flashes in the view finder even though there is a tape inside of the camera.

-- cynthia (threezenuff@sbcglobal.net), October 29, 2003.

I have a GR-DVL805 that gives me tons of problems. I get the E04 message along with the requires head cleaning. I love spending all this money and then having to "tap" on the side to get it to work. I am having my first child in 6 weeks and I am thinking about buying a new camcorder before the baby comes. If I take this piece of junk to the hospital and I get an error message I will throw this thing against the wall. Please put me in the class action suit. Thanks, Franco

-- Franco Antidormi (fantidormi@yahoo.com), October 29, 2003.

Im one more sucker that bought a GR-DVL300. I hhave the error-01 safe guard mode message. My little girl is growing and the piece of junk JVC will not work.....I will share my story with evevryone I know and keep them from making my mistake....anyone have any fixes please e- mail.

-- Jesse (bugarinjesse@hotmail.com), October 29, 2003.

FUCK JVC !

-- ! (same@problem.here), November 04, 2003.

I have read every response to the original question. I have personally owned a GR-DVL505U camcorder for 3 years. I have only used JVC tapes. Yes they are expensive but most of you as you say have used your hard earned money to purchase these "expensive" pieces of equipment. Why then would you want to put the cheapest quality tapes in your expensive equipment? People are so driven by the best discounted price on tapes or how many can we get for $5.00 bucks we fail to remember that crappy accessories don't make good equipment run right. How many of you have discussed your problem with a JVC representative in a timely manner? Don't you realize that some of you are saying you have had your cameras 2-5 years with no problems and now you have one problem you see negative comments and assume your situation is exactly the same? Now all of a sudden JVC sucks and you will never buy it again? If you camcorder sucked, it would not have lasted you 1 minute much less several years. Most of the models listed on this site are 1999 to 2000 model or earlier model camcorders. I know because I monitor JVC products for my friends and family who also own allot of JVC products with no problems.

In addition, buy extended warranties no matter what brand camcorder you purchase. Think of it as a "medical policy" for your product. Protect your investment. If you think Sony or any other brand does not break down, your un-realistic. Most companies have service centers because (THINGS FAIL). Communicate with the manufacturer the first sign of a problem don't wait. All companies have the same warranties 1 year parts/90 days labor. Don't wait a year or two to say something if you are having a problem. You cannot expect a manufacturer to hand you a free repair forever or because you have used it 3 times in two years.

Remember, all tapes are not created equal. If you are knowledgeable that certain tapes like TDK and Maxell are not working great then don't use them. You have control over your decisions. If you decide to use them and not JVC or like quality tapes like Panasonic tapes, then you just might miss that special moment. All my moments are captured and with great quality on JVC tapes.

I WILL ALWAYS BUY JVC....REGARDLESS!!

P.S. CHECK OUT OTHER SITES THAT SAY GOOD THINGS AS WELL AS CONSUMER REPORTS...YOU MAY CHANGE YOUR MIND.

Happy Customer

-- Happy with JVC (Hawkjaw065_1@excite.com), November 07, 2003.

Happy Customer must work for JVC.

I have always used JVC tapes, and have had a terrible EO3 problem.

You are right about one think, Happy Customer, if you buy a JVC product, a long term warranty at extra expense is a must.

-M

-- Michael Ronan (MRonan@aol.com), November 08, 2003.

Ronan,

What model do you have? Did you ever have your camcorder checked by JVC from the first sign of a problem. If so, what did JVC say?

-- S. Esponde (Hawkjaw065_1@excite.com), November 08, 2003.

Dear JVC customers,

I am sorry to see so many unhappy customers, but I think I may be able to help most of you in one way or the other. Please understand the only way JVC can help is to contact us. Every customers situation is different and I will listen to your specific situation and try to come up with a resolution.

I recently ran across this site and welcome anyone to contact me if they have a service questions. My e-mail is Ssample@jvc.com. I am in the Houston,Texas Factory Service Center.

My job is to assist our customers, so please let me assist you. All I can do is try to make things better for you.

If you e-mail me, please let me know if you got my contact info off this site.

Stacy Sample Service Coordinator JVC Factory Service Center

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), November 08, 2003.

JVC is a suck! I got my DVM90 two months ago. Just two days late I got everything you guys mentioned. Also, sometimes u taping something and everything is normal, timecode is running, you think is recording everything to the tape, but when you playback, there is nothing, so you are going to kill youself. Even so I still use it every day. I found out how to deal with it. -----The most important is THE TAPE IS NOT IN THE RIGHT POSITION!!!--- -SO U CAN USE ANY WAY YOU could TO MAKE IT GET INTO THE RIGHT POSITION. ---- 1. Never mind what brand tape you use. Don't think jvc would do anything better. 2. If you see "E04....", turn unit power off, take out the tape and reinsert. sometimes u need tap it a little bit. 3. If "clean the head....", same way as above. 4. Whenever u want to tape, do a blank search ( you have to set the time code on, of cause, the you have taped a little bit thing in it), if you see the time code is running, then the tape is in correct track. then change the switch to camera to begin tape things and ensure u got what u want is there. i wish this will help.

-- Ken (hongyin62@cs.com), November 09, 2003.

Hello Ken,

If you got the camcorder 2 months ago, present your proof of purchase from your dealer to your nearest JVC Factory Service Center for a repair. What you are going thru can be evaluated. Just being upset when you are in warranty is not needed. You have a 1 year parts/90 days labor warranty if purchased new and a 90 day parts/30 days labor warranty if you purchased a refurbished item.

I am also interested in where you purchased your camcorder. The GR- DVM90 camcorder was made in the 2000 model year, so it is 3+ years old now. You don't find too many of these being sold anylonger by dealers due to its age. Did you purchase it from an individual or a dealer? I urge you to use your warranty if you did indeed purchase it from a dealer. Your user manual should direct you to the nearest Factory Service Center or you are welcome to contact me at my e-mail address.

I hope this helps you.

Stacy

-- Stacy Sample (SSample@jvc.com), November 10, 2003.

More Links here. http://www.pcphotoreview.com/Digital% 20Camcorders/JVC/PRD_83115_3100crx.aspx

http://www.pcphotoreview.com/Digital% 20Camcorders/JVC/PRD_83115_3100crx.aspx#reviews

http://www.dmnforums.com/cgi-bin/disppost.cgi?forum=jvc- dv&filename=021007224206.htm

http://www.i-depth.com/P/o/ow00412.frm.camcorder.msg/18468.html

http://www.i-depth.com/P/o/ow00412.frm.camcorder.msg/18467.html

http://www.i-depth.com/P/o/ow00412.frm.camcorder.msg/19016.html

http://www.pechorin.com/m/2001/09/28/IMPORTANT_GRDVX8_E04_safeguard_mo de-46228.html

Thanks

-- Ken (hongyin62@yahoo.com), November 10, 2003.

Subject: JVC DVL-505 is a piece

Have owned for about two years - has given me trouble most of that time. Had "Use Cleaning Cassette" error message about 3 months into ownership. Have also had the 03 and 04 errors. Somehow, always found a way around these problems and they seemed to magically disappear for months at a time - only to reappear at inconvenient times, like when my son was riding a bike for the first time, etc. Frustrating.

Latest problem is that we got it out of our camera bag to take video a couple days ago - camera turned on, viewfinder works, tape rewinds and fast-forwards, record light comes on, but nothing goes on the tape when you record. Also won't play tapes that have footage on them.

Have to be honest - have had JVC products in the past and generally have been satisfied with the quality - especially for the price. This camera, however, has changed all that. My brother in law has the exact same camera and is a semi-professional videographer - he had similar problems and he takes very good care of his camera. I think my days of buying JVC (at least DV-cams) are over.

Good luck, Stinky

-- Stinky (dgrisham42@hotmail.com), November 12, 2003.

Stinky,

Have you ever contacted JVC on your problem? Before you make your decision on JVC, give us a chance to see what the problem is. If your camcorder was truly defective, I doubt it would be as intermittent as you say it is. It very well could be certain tapes you are using at certain times. IF a tape is defective, the camera will not responde properly. Don't assume it is always the camcorder, it might be and it might not be.

If you wish to contact me, we can discuss your personal situation and see if we can get you up and running. I welcome your communication, my e-mail is available.

Take Care!

Stacy Sample Service Coordinator

-- Stacy (Ssample@jvc.com), November 12, 2003.

The answer is...DONT BUY any JVC Camcorders next time.. better yet, don't buy ANY JVC equipment until a RECALL of these defective units is done....

I used my GR-DVX9EA for just a couple of months and according to the SPECS...and yet i got this error. I AM SO PISSED OFF!!!

I have a new sony DVD camera right now.

-- SCOTT MAKINLEY (jong2028@yahoo.com), November 14, 2003.

Hi I am Chris I am the lucky owner of two JVC GR-DVL510 Mini DV units the firs one is excellent the other WELLLL. The unit has been in several times for cleaning but no luck I keep getting the HEAD CLEANING REQUIRED MESSAGE! Just got back from Niagra Falls sure glad I had my old unit this new unit was exchanged for a new unit two days after purchase I have always used JVC tapes and nothing else. I have decided nothing to lose and I am going in the service tech I just got it back from told me to toss it. I am to tight to do that I E-mailed that Stacs Sample person we will see if JVC is concerned about their customers I have a good feeling CAUSE I WILL send an E-mail very day untill I get the info I reqiure to fix this problem. There is no sence being all suckkkkey lets get the info on how to service this thing properly and get at her. I am sick of this it's the other guys problem world. Good luck on your problems. Chris

-- Chris ledingham (ledingc@telusplanet.net), November 17, 2003.

Hey All,

I, too, am having problems with my JVC camera - an older GR-DVF-21. I found this site Googling the error code, and also found Stacy Sample's email address. So I emailed her, and she was most helpful with giving me information. I even teased her about the deluge of email I expected her to get from this, and she took it in good spirit. So I would highly recommend emailing her your questions.

-- Shawn (shawn12345@54321newnanutilities.org), November 18, 2003.

No answers, Just another problem! My lcd viewfinder won't go back to displaying the image the right way up after flipping it over to use in mirror mode (when you can film yourself & see the display). Now, unless I use the small viewfinder & walk about with one eye closed, I can only look at an upside-down version of what I'm filming. I'd be grateful for any suggestions (that don't involve buying sony, cos I'm broke) Cheers

-- Craig Robertson (robbowski@hotmail.com), November 19, 2003.

E05 error, battery not working more than 3 minutes, red playback on the tapes. Is there any way to make jvc take notice? Paid way too much for the camera too.

-- Theresa Hoskins (terme34@hotmail.com), November 19, 2003.

Another sucker, first it was the tape head needs to be cleaned and now the E04 error. I was this close to buying a panasonic.

-- tony scorcia (tscorcia@yahoo.com), November 21, 2003.

GR-DVL805/505 E04 problem: I have had the E04 message for about 8 months after owning the camera for almost 3 yrs. A conversation with a JVC repair shop says it's a mechanical (as opposed to electrical) malfunction. I began examining the internal parts and discovered that the piece that displays the most movement is the cassette carriage (the piece that you load the cassette into which then retracts into the body of the camera and receives the tape head). After gently giving the cassette carriage a wiggle from side to side and forward and back I reinserted the cassette and have had no problems since. This also may account for why banging the side of thing gets it to work briefly. It has only been a week but that is better than the last 8 months though I don't think this is a permanent fix. There may be an adjustment internally that realigns the cassette carriage with the tape head. Let me know if this works for anyone.

-- DV Hoy (dhoy@lanset.com), November 26, 2003.

I am receiving the E06 warning indication: error: "Remove & reattach battery. But, after I removed the battery & waited (1 hour ) still getting the warning. Do you have an idea what is wrong. The unit was working fine a few minutes earlier.

-- Dennis (dqkidd@texas.net), December 01, 2003.

Thanks folks. I saw a pretty model Gr-dvm80u for a nice price and thought one more day wouldn't hurt while I researched the product. I can't remember if I saw the gr-dvm80 discussed but I read through all the e-mails and think I don't want to take a chance. I am in sympathy with all your troubles but just wanted to express my gratitude for your open and passive comments. I think I will research different camera lines to replace my old but reliable cam I bought some 14 years ago. Well, thanks again and good luck with the representative from JVC. Del

-- Del J ried (dpr@pacific.net), December 02, 2003.

Have anyone had problems with MiniDV videokamera JVC GR-DVL367? I have it now for 1 year, and it's working well; I use Maxell tapes. Thanks.

-- Johnny (pan@siol.com), December 04, 2003.

For all of you frustrated with JVC gear and conflicting advice, I'd recommend that you take up Stacy Sample (the JVC service rep who posted above) on her offer of direct assistance. Her email is SSample@JVC.com.

I just went through a round of emails with her and she was quick, knowledgable and helpful in coming up with a possible solution and arranging for a repair. It might still cost a bit for the work, but you'll at least feel confident that it's going to pay off.

-chris

-- Chris Anderson (gca2@earthlink.net), December 08, 2003.

What is happening? There are hundreds of folks out there with the same problem and we are not doing anything about it? Is there not a Lawyer among us? JVC gear is not suppose to suck like this.

-- craig wade (craigwade@yahoo.com), December 11, 2003.

Add another one to the list, my JVC (after appearing the Exx errors) has mutted for ever, also using sony tapes so take care and avoid buying this shitty camera

-- pix_ (mi3mbros_pix@hotmail.com), December 12, 2003.

Remember all, I am available for any questions you may have on your camcorders. I have helped many people so far. Not everyone has needed service to resolve their problem. You're problem may be simple and it may not...but let's find out for sure.

Please allow me to assist you before you give up on your product.

Stacy Sample Service Coordinator

-- Stacy Sample (SSample@jvc.com), December 12, 2003.

I don't have any answer, I am just one of the VICTIM who bought a JVC DVM90 and have all sort of problems. :(

Any class action law suit against JVC?

Alan

-- Alan Su (alansu@yahoo.com), December 12, 2003.

I had the very same problem with my GR-DVM90. I paid $200.00 to this service tech, got the camera back home and it worked a whopping 20 minutes before the exact same error code came back up and went into safeguard mode. Well, I took it right back to the tech and he had it for almost two months (he claimed he was waiting on a part from JVC). I just got it back last night. It works like new right now but I haven't tested it fully yet. I think I should sell it right now while it's working and let the next sucker have it,lol.

-- JP (jp2time@comcast.net), December 16, 2003.

I had the very same problem. My wife and I were on our vacation with our daughter Sierra who's 11 months old. She's been showing signs all night of Walking for the first time. I've had the camera out all night with no problem. My Daughter takes her first steps and I press the on button to record.....and this error "UNIT IN SAFEGAURD MODE" - "REMOVE AND REATTACH THE BATTERY" One of the reason's I purchased this camera was to record special events such as this and instead I've lost my daughters first steps forever. I want to sue this company.

-- Lance Hollandsworth (lxholla@mathnet.com), December 17, 2003.

I have a JVC GR-DVM80U digital camcorder that has been giving me various error messages and head cleaning messages for two years now. I've posted here before, but last night was the last straw for me.

My daughter played in a school Christmas concert last night and I lost yet another one of life's precious memories. During the space of half an hour the camera gave me three "head cleaning messages" and several error message. I cleaned the heads (with a JVC head cleaning tape), I removed the battery several times, I tapped, I jiggled, I prayed, but the camera failed to record most of her performance. And to top it all off, the bits that I did manage to record were so garbled during playback, that they weren't worth keeping.

I was using a new JVC tape, a new fully charged battery, and I had run the head cleaning cassette before we left for the concert, but still, nothing but grief and dissappointment.

I am very frustrated and angry with JVC. This camera cost me $1300. It worked reasonably well for the first year, then it started to go down hill from there.

I have emailed JVC US and Canada several times, but still no response. I have visited several JVC repair centers, but they claim they have never heard of the problems I'm having.

At the very minimum, JVC should offer to buy these defective cameras back from us, exchange them for something that works, or at least give us vouchers for some free JVC service.

-- Brian Carty (carty@magma.ca), December 17, 2003.

No Answers... Just another unsatisfied JVC user. I have had this camcorder about a year and a half GRDVL210U. I has eaten a few tapes along the way, but today I taped my daughters xmas play. Tonight we started watching it and, as it ate the tape, the eo3 error popped up. I cleaned the heads, took out the bad part of tape, spliced it, and it ate it again. Took batt. off, cleaned it, put in new tape, and it ate that one too. VERY disappointed. I think it's time to spend a few more dollars and get a far superior SONY!

-- Tom Emmendorfer (ktemmen@charter.net), December 19, 2003.

Now that I've gotten my frustration out, I have taken the time to email JVC. Maybe I shouldn't have been so harsh about the SONY remark. Let's see how they handle it and I'll post again after that. I was mistaken on how long I owned it. It has been 14 months.

-- Tom Emmendorfer (ktemmen@charter.net), December 20, 2003.

GR-DVM90 This camcorder was purchased 3years ago this week and I started getting the "battery in safeguard mode" E04 error message soon after purchase and always thought it had to do with humidity/condensation problems if I took it outside in temp. extremes. The problem has steadily become worse. I just started looking last week for a JVC service center to take it to, although I guess the closest one to me is Houston. It doesn't sound like anyone has had much luck with "mom and pop"camera repair shop work. After reading some of these posts I am going to try the genuine JVC head cleaner, JVC tapes and new JVC battery - total spent about $110.00. I'll email stacy above after trying these out this weekend (no camcorder for xmas)and see what ideas she may have but I'm not spending hundreds of $$ for repairs that don't work. This is the first and only JVC product I've owned and possibly the last. If it is this tempermental with tape brand they should make that very clear in the documentation when purchased.

-- Bob Donovan (rfd80@ev1.net), December 23, 2003.

Hi everyone, I have recently purchased a JVC GR-D21EK digi. vid. cam. However, fortunately I have not had the same misfortune that some of you have had. BUT, I must say, the quality of the JVC is no comparison yo the Cannon. I am a law graduate and I will be practicing very shortly....SO if I get any problems with this item I will make it my personal goal to pursue JVC with all my energy. PS. If any of you need any legal advice just post it on here.

-- NEDGE (NEDGE2@AOL.COM), December 25, 2003.

I rented a jvc camcorder mod. #grsxm740u from RENT-A-CENTER, INC. in tupelo,ms. on fri. dec. 19-03 to use on christmas day,guest what i turned it on it would not work message kept showing E04 ERRoR Battery in safegaurd mode, O how embarrassed i was all the family were here and the grands also, i will never buy or rent a jvc product again.

-- vurel l. mabry sr. (vurel45@aol.com), December 25, 2003.

I MIGHT HAVE THE ANSWER YOU NEED!!!!!!!!! Upon getting our usually perfect acting camcorder ready to record our family open our Christmas gifts this morning... A blue screen of death appeared. Reading: ERO4 Camera in safeguard mode, remove and replace battery... the same problem as most of you... WELL... upon getting very frustrated, and upset.. I FOUND A WAY TO FIX OURS, AND IT IS NOW WORKING PERFECTLY!!!! Right as we would turn it into M mode (manual I believe..?)... the mode where it records... anyways.. that is when we would get the error.. but RIGHT before that would happen.. it would seemingly be working for about 1 second. I thought perhaps you could try to eject the tape in this short window of time. As soon as you remove the battery (or unplug the power cord), and plug it back in, be pushing the eject button at the same time (after you've turned it to the M mode) and PRESTO.. it should eject.. we found out our problem was that it had started to eat the tape. We simply pulled it all out, popped in a new vhs-c, and BOOM: OUR CHRISTMAS CAN BE RECORDED!!!! I hope this helps you!!!! YAYYYYYY

MERRY Christmas!!

Please email me and let me know if this helped you!!

-- Tabitha Greer (robandtabgreer@aol.com), December 25, 2003.

Ihave a gr-d90u with a CONDENSATION PAUSE prompt any solutions? This is my second JVC and my last.

REGRETS FROM THE VERY STUPID

TBarr

-- thomas barr (tbarr@i2semi.com), December 25, 2003.

I have a JVC GR-DVM90, i went to the moster truck show with my kids got home and the JVC wouldnt power up at all. I charged the battery again and hooked it up to the power cord and it wont power up or ejectthe tape. It sems its not getting any juice. Please help

-- Andre Brewer (dredayyy@aol.com), December 25, 2003.

Mine is a JVC9800EA (i.e. PAL) and had the E04 message after the unit had beed dropped. After reading this and other forums a firm whack just over the recording head w/o tape loaded and battery connected - This will work if the problem is because of servo sensor problem in the camera. (thanks Anil)

Mfhau

-- Mark Harrison (markfharrison@bigpond.com), December 25, 2003.

JVC DVL505 and the infamous E04 Unit in safeguard mode. I've had this a few times and been able to work around it most times so far. First few times, it was a combination of unplugging/replugging the power cord/battery (sorry for the vagueness of this resolution) but more recently, we were able to get the tape to eject (as noted a few responses above) and made sure we inserted a JVC tape (the tape that was causing us grief was a Panasonic - however, we had tried switching tapes one previous time with no success). So far so good (until next time :-(. I found one of the triggers for this problem seems to be going from Play to Auto/Manual without pausing at Off first. My brother found that switching between digital and video with the power on also causes this problem - then again, it might be just coincidence. I wish you luck and patience (maybe I can purchase some of that on Ebay!) with your device! Valérie

-- Valérie (kittycoz@hotmail.com), December 25, 2003.

I am not in the office for the holidays but I am monitoring the forum.

I have a response to Thomas on his condensation error.

Thomas, when the error occured, had you by chance been in a warm environment and went into a cold one or visa-versa? Think back to the environment you were in. Our camcorders are made to let you know that moisture is building inside the unit and it will communicate with you with the icon.

I am sure you understand that moisture and electricity don't mix very well. The camcorder will shut down on you if the icon comes up. Sometimes you have to acclimate the unit to the environments you are in. Here is a thought...have you ever had your glasses fog up or has your windshield ever fogged up? That is moisture building up due to warm and cold air mixing. The moisture can build in a camcorder with metal parts. This is a protection device...not a deliberate hinderance to upset you.

If the icon appears again...remove the power source from the unit and allow it to sit and air out. Use a blow dryer on it if available. Try it then and see if that helps.

Take Care.

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), December 25, 2003.

This response is for Mr. Mabry.

I am sorry sir if you had a problem with the VHS camcorder. My concern is that your situation is with product that has been used/rented/handled by several other poeple prior to you. Most product that is sold usually has one owner and therefore the owner has control over the handling of the product from day one as well as control over service issues. The problems you have had may have manifested prior to your rental of this piece of equipment by another renter/handler which may not have been handled or serviced properly.

Since I cannot assist you as the owner of the unit, I wanted a chance to have this situation seen from both angles and hope you do not base your sole opinion on this experience.

The information available on this site is not always correct and or written in anger. I am available to assist anyone who wants the truth on what they are experiencing, troubleshooting if applicable and options that are available. Again, all people have to do is ask instead of assume.

I am sorry if this experience has left you with a bad taste in your mouth about our company. I hope that will change somehow in the future. Take care and feel free to contact me with any questions you may ever have.

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), December 25, 2003.

i have the same JVC compact camcorder. Same problem. Battery in safeguard mode. This happened in the summer. It was great and i stored it properly and one day i went to film something inside and i got the dreaded message. Now it wont stay on for more then 3 seconds before fliping to that error. Ive tryed everythign. New tape, battery and the tappping. Nothing worked. Sign me up. This camera is a waiste

-- Eric Wilson (ewilson32@yahoo.com), December 28, 2003.

Wow... I knew from searching on the internet that the JVC “Safeguard Mode” issue was out there but I had no idea it was this common. I TOO... Have the error!!! I have the JVC DVL300 Camcorder and I only used it for maybe 18 months (15+ times) before it gave me this error. I purchased a new camcorder last week (not a JVC) and decided to get the extended warranty this time. It cost an extra $150.00 but at least I will have a camcorder for the next five years and I won't have to spend more money to fix odd error messages. JVC really needs to take action on this issue. I loved my camcorder. In fact, I would have got one exactly like it if JVC would have recalled the product and fixed the issue. Since JVC does not stand by there product. I have lost all confidence in their products/service/support. I will never buy a JVC product again.

-- Lucinda Hayes (loubindy@yahoo.com), December 29, 2003.

Lucinda,

I saw your posting and had to respond. May I ask if you ever contact JVC to see if you could troubleshoot your problem? If so, who did you call and what did they say? Believe it or not, it may not be your camcorder.

What brand tapes were you using in your camcorder when the problem occured? A bad tape or tapes can cause the “safeguard mode” to engage. You said you had it for quite awhile before it failed. Mechanical or electrical issues can arise with any electronic product. Let me explain more on “Safeguard”.

The “safeguard mode” is engineered into every camcorder JVC has ever made. It is put there to communicate to the owner that it is sensing a problem. Finding out what made the icon appear is the next step. You may or may not have a real problem or even a very big problem. The assumption that “Safeguard” is a huge problem that JVC has with their product is not a correct assumption. Since JVC has sold millions of camcorders for years and all of them have this icon…odds are good that some of those will get the safeguard icon if a problem occurs in the unit. “Safeguard” is just what it means. When this icon appears the unit will shut down and not allow the customer to use it until the problem is found. If this icon did not come up, then the customer would continue to use the product and possibly cause more problems or damage it further. This icon is not put there to annoy you but to notify you there is a problem….just like a child running a fever…you would not know they are sick until you felt their forehead or if they told you. Communication is key and that is what “safeguard” mode is…communication.

Let’s chat a bit about your problem and find out if your camcorder indeed has a problem. Maybe it will be a simple fix..maybe not..but we will know for sure.

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), December 29, 2003.

I have a JVC GRD-90U. I bought it in June 2003 and like everyone above with the same model, my camera won't start up. I changed the battery and tried to recharge it, but there isn't any power to it. The red light won't go on when it is plugged. I have gone to Best Buy and used their power outlet and it doesn't work either. Because of the holidays, the JVC authorized service centers are closed. Does anyone have any suggestions or know what the problem is? I am leaving for Europe in a few weeks and I don't have time to leave it with someone. Thanks.

-- Katherine (kangel18@aol.com), December 30, 2003.

I am having problems with my DVL720 I just inherited the camera from a cousin they had it for a year. the first 4 times that I used it it worked fine. I now wne t to use it and it is giving me the E04 message. I am trying to Eject the tape, but nothing happens. I take the battery off, then put it back on an open the door to eject the tape and nothing. then I try to turn it on and do the same, and still nothing. any suggestions. I am hoping to get the tape out and put in a different one. I am using JVC tapes and there is no movement when I try to eject the tape

-- Nathan Hammersley (nathanhammersley@yahoo.com), December 30, 2003.

Good that JVC is monitoring the forum. Maybe JVC should consodidate the whole lot into a FAQ.

If it is the design fault admit it.. everybody made mistake don't we? As consumers we want the true and immdeiate action taken to retified the faults as it is very frustrating to have a defective product when you need to use it. At time it can be very embrassing.

Yap TS

-- TS Yap (ts_yap@yahoo.com), December 30, 2003.

I have no answers but I also happen to be one of the suckers who bought JVC aganist popular advice.

I have GR-DVF21U which has been giving me E03 problem for little over an year now. I exchanged quite a few emails with Stacy Sample, service coordinator, JVC and this is her final response,

Puneet,

I am sorry you feel the way you do. There is no conspiracy against our customers and there are no tricks up our sleeves. You have a consumer electronic piece of equipment. Anything can have a problem at any time. Any company, even Sony has service issues arise. My boss was with Sony for 18 years and in the service department, he said they had different things come up with their product too and customers faced service decisions as well. To think that your friend’s camcorders may never need service is unreasonable. JVC remains in the top three of consumer products consistently. I have many customers who never have had problems and love their product and I have customers that have had service issues who still love their product.

As far as mentioning not leaving the tape in the camcorder is a suggestion that may potentially keep someone from having a problem. It is not a rule….but a suggestion.

Using Panasonic or JVC tapes is fine…again not a rule but a suggestion. All I am trying to do is help people troubleshoot their problems. Some people never need repair or service and some do. Some people have changed tape brands and had no further problems.

Service on digital equipment is going to be over $50.00. You cannot even service a VHS camcorder for $50.00. IF that is more than you wish to spend you may wish to buy a new camcorder. I do suggest… regardless of brand you buy…purchase an extended warranty. If you don’t want worries on service, get a 4-5 year extended warranty with your product. Most companies have the 1 year parts 90 days labor (standard) warranty.

Your camcorder is a 1999 model. It is 5 years old and you may wish to upgrade to something new. There is a site called BuyDig.com, they have great prices on all brands. No matter which brand you purchase, don’t overspend your needs. Buy something you will use. If you only use the camcorder for birthdays and holidays…don’t spend allot of money one something. IF you will use it allot and want to do fancy stuff…buy something that will do all the things you want. Again….these are suggestions.

Puneet, I may not be able to make you feel different about our company but I can educate you on things to help you in the future.

I hope whatever you decide to do work’s out in your best interest and I wish you and your family a wonderful New Year.

Take Care!

Bottom line is, folks, JVC seems like a company that does not care for the customers and is not going to help unless it makes money in the process.

Here are my thoughts on what we can do (In no particular order),

1. Take up on Gurinder's suggestion and start a class action suit on JVC for pedalling inferior quality products. 2. Send this site to the consumer reports and magazines so they get a feel for what it is to be a JVC owner. 3. Contact consumer advocates and see if they can do something here. 4. Advise friends and relatives aganist the pitfalls for owning JVC, regardless how cheap the price is - because the prodct is cheap.

I am also open to other suggestions,

Puneet

-- Puneet Jain (puneet_jain.NOSPAM@hotmail.com), December 31, 2003.

In response to Puneet and his feelings that JVC does not care. I spend as much time as possible helping my customers on the phone, over the counter or on line. Although I try, I cannot make everyone happy. I do all I can to assist people so they do not have to spend money on a repair. The many e-mails and troubleshooting issues he and I went thru apparently did not help his 4+ year old camcorder. After inquiring on his operation of the unit, I gave him some suggestions regarding operations to cut down on potential problems.

I have helped most of my customers in the last 2 months since my first posting. The small handfull that have had repairs have spent less than $220.00 total if a repair was done. I have assisted over 40-50 people since I have posted from all over the world. Most of them did not have a service issue at all.

Again, I recommend anyone getting with me first before assuming they have a problem. I welcome your questions anytime.

Stacy Sample Service Coordinator

Everyone have a safe and Happy New Year!

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), December 31, 2003.

Puneet,

My offer of a free evaluation so I can test it myself and confirm if you need service or not is still open. You never responded to my offer and I wanted to make sure you still understand the offer is still on the table. See e-mails below.

----- Original Message -----

From: Sample, Stacy

To: Puneet Jain

Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2003 11:15 AM

Subject: RE: Error EO3 with my camcorder

On the issue of leaving the tape in…my boss who was with Sony Service for 18 years brought that issue to our attention, just as a helpful hint to tell digital camcorder owners. He said that if that tape remains wound around the metal in the unit for long periods of time, the temperature/humidity/weather changes can cause the tape to stick to the metal. When the customer goes to use it, the tape can hesitate/stick or even allow small shreds of the tape material to come off onto the heads. This can cause the eating of tapes or error icons to engage because the camcorder senses the problem.

We offer a 90 days parts and 30 days labor warranty from the shop. Keep in mind that we do always consider past repairs and time frames if future repairs are needed. We try to be as fair as possible in any repair we do.

Let me know what you wish to do. IF you want to send it to me, I can test it at no charge to you first before logging it in for repair just to make sure it needs it. We can go over service procedures if you are interested.

Stacy Sample

Service Coordinator

JVC Service & Engineering

10700 Hammerly, suite 110

Houston, Texas 77043

(713) 935-9331 Ext. 101

-----Original Message----- From: Puneet Jain [mailto:puneet_jain@hotmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2003 9:52 AM To: Sample, Stacy Subject: Re: Error EO3 with my camcorder

Hello Stacy

Wewere overseas during my daughters b'day last year and I had only one tape with me at that time. It did not eat that tape at that time and even now that tape shows EO3 but does not get stuck.

And yes, I did leave tape in the unit last year. As a matter of fact, I always have. I do not remember reading any information in the user manuals to the contrary.

Also, do you provide any warranties on the repair, should I ever need one.

Thanks,

Puneet

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), December 31, 2003.

hello. my name is bob liao.

well i just bought this new jvc dvl720u camcorder. i had it now for months now and i only used it 10 times and it doesnt work now!!! im really upset at it because when i bought it it cost me 780$ i never dropped it or never had it get dirty. it still looks new and i want it to work like new. i contacted jvc about this and they have given me a hassle so im trying my options. well what happened was first the little screen came up error 2. and i wouldnt take the tape. i had to take the battery out and retry it. then it worked. well i recorded some stuff on it and after a while it came up error 2 and 1.... now it worked one more time after that. and now nothing!!!!! i open the little door up to put in a tape and it pops up and then that dam error thing comes up. so i take the battery out and put it back in with the little door still open and it goes shut with out me pressing it in. so you know what happends then. well the little thing i had to press in jams up because you have to press it in then it is supose to go closed. well now that has happened and i herd a gear noise. i think the gear is ok because it only happened once. if there is any way you can tell me what this problem is and how much it would cost to fix i would be very very happy!! i really need some kinda estimate so i can save so i can send it out to you? if you have any questions please email me!!!!

well this is what i just typed to a repair shop. if anyone could help me i would be very happy. thanks to all

thanks bob liao

-- bob liao (lial@suscom.net), December 31, 2003.

Bob,

Get with me Friday and well see what we can do for you. E-mail me at my work address SSample@jvc.com. I am out for New Years but back Friday. Let me know when you bought it and we'll chat. Take care! Stacy

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), December 31, 2003.

I plugged in my gr-dvl510 this morning and got the E03 error. I really hope this is not a serious error because I just bought a DVD writer to make movies of my newborn daughter. If there is fix I hope someone comes up with it quick!!

-- David Johnston (davidandamy@comcast.net), January 01, 2004.

Same problem with JVC DVL805u. During recording, everything seems fine (except some cleaning tape message from time to time) but when playing, sometimes everything is fine for 10-15 minutes and then, the sound becomes kind of metallic, going on and off. It had been fixed twice(free the first time under warranty but it costs me $200 the last time). I really don't know what to do with it. I thought I had bad luck when I purchased mine but it seems to be a common problem among JVC camcorders. So, I will buy an other camcorder. And never in my life, I will buy a JVC product again.

-- Cyril (cyril@type3usa.com), January 02, 2004.

Hello, I am from Germany.. I have the same problem, i bought the GR- DVX9E. Sure, it was really expensive - and now I have the problem with the error-messages and all the time the "use headcleaning .." it drives me insane!

-- Ufuk A. (ufuk01@web.de), January 02, 2004.

Let's hear it for Tracy.I went on line and found this site. I read it all and decided to contact Stacy. I E-Mailed her at 2:00am and she responded that morning.We went back & forth a couple of times and later that same day the problem was solved.I have a DVL-520 it had bars on the LCD playback,the head cleaning message came up. Using a cleaning cassette was all that was needed but I was reluctant to use it without being reassured it would be alright. She really wants to help,so why not take advantage of her expertise.Prompt and efficient service is rare these days. Thank You, Stacy Tom Kline

-- Tom Kline (takn153@aol.com), January 03, 2004.

I have the SOLUTION for my gr-dvx10. Well, when the camera show the error "e04 unit is in safeguard mode, remove and reattach battery" you must to turn off, and knocking with one finger on the side of the camera where are the heads. The problem is the rotation speed of the head, when you knock it the problem is result.

Sorry everyboby my english is very, very bad.

Bye

-- Joaquin (jaguileg@yahoo.es), January 03, 2004.

Try the following. It has worked for me and I hope this will work for you too. Take out the battery. Tap strongly on the casing of camera near the recording head. Replace the battery and pray GOD. This will work if the problem is because of servo sensor problem in the camera.

-- Joaquin (jaguileg@yahoo.es), January 03, 2004.

About JVC Camera DVL-805U. I've been having the problem of E04 (Battery in Safeguard Mode-Remove the Battery) on and off for nearly a year but I could somehow to get by and use it. But until now I'm unable to use my camera completely. I followed the instruction from this Post an Answer (Thanks greatly for this helpful web site and the information provided from ethandon@hotmail.com). I tried to do some gentle tappings on the side of the tape cover just for 5 minutes and somehow it happened to work again perfectly. I don't know how long it's going to be working normally like this.

My recommendation is to be patient to find the way to fix it yourself. It's not worth spending more than $100 for this camera and it might happen again. Invest your money for new camera with flash card.

Good Luck!! -- (phutvuong@hotmail.com), Jan 2, 2004.

-- Phu T Vuong (phutvuong@hotmail.com), January 03, 2004.

An update on issue I posted earlier regarding my E03 error,

I purchased a new set of JVC tapes and then tapped strongly on the casing. It has now started working again. I do not know what the heck was wrong and what went right by tapping the sides.

Just to set the record straight, Stacy has in fact tried to be very helpful but I guess she is limited to what she can offer which has to be in JVC's policies and framework. That is what I have issue with - To pay and get a digital camcorder fixed for about $220 sounds obscence when new digital camcorders with better quality and reliability record than JVC can be had for less than $400. And it more aggravating when the problems stem from the underlying poor quality of the product.

Stacy, I think I am okay for now since it has started working again. I will decide on your offer next time it breaks.

Thanks, Puneet

-- Puneet Jain (puneet_jain.NOSPAM@hotmail.com), January 05, 2004.

I agree Puneet on not spending too much on repairs. Some digital camcorders can be replaced for as little as $280 and go up to over $1000, depending on what you want in a model. That is where people have to determine what is in their best interest...repair or replacement.

Camcorders go down in price every year...all brands. If repairs are ever needed, we try our hardest to keep it as economical for the customer. IF we cannot, we are the first ones to urge them to buy new instead of invest in a repair. We never want anyone to feel they are not spending their hard earned money improperly.

Thanks for the update Puneet. I hope the unit continues to work good for you and and you know where to find me if you need me.

Take care! :)

Stacy Sample Service Coordinator JVC Service & Engineering Houston, Texas

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), January 05, 2004.

i had this same problem too.

E04 o a GR-DVL805

-- Matt (matt@strik9.net), January 07, 2004.

Hello everyone. I am Tamila. I had the same error messages "battery in safeguard mode and head cleaning req." on my camcorder and finaly the casset door stayed open and since then nothing works at all. To my openion the program disk "if there is any" need to be reset. Because a while before the whole system didn't get the order like it didn't STOP after FORWARD or PLAY. Any help welcomes

-- Tamila (faridjoo@kmd-arch.com), January 07, 2004.

I have no answer. Sorry. I am also one of the VICTIMS who bought a JVC DVM90 and have the same problem like everyone else. I think even the folks from JVC (including Stacey) never buys their own product, because they know it sucks.

Realistically speaking, nothing will happen with the class action lawsuit. Let's just throw away this product (my precious $$$ will go down the tube) and buy a different brand. I will NEVER EVER in my life buy another JVC product what so ever.

-- Ashikur Khan (khan_from_ou@yahoo.com), January 09, 2004.

Mr. Kahn,

I am just curious, are you sure you have a problem with your camcorder or are you assuming. I have helped so many people that most of them have not had big problems or problems at all.

Actually I have 1 digital camcorder, 1 digital snapshot camera, 3 DVD players and two VCR's....all JVC. I believe in our product very much and I believe in the company. If I didn't...I would not work for them.

Let me know if you wish assistance as well.

-- Stacy Sample (SSample@jvc.com), January 12, 2004.

Hi all, I've found this forum, whose topic is on the victims of the "unit in safeguard mode" etc. I have a JVC gr-DVX10 camcorder, and I have this problem too. At first, the problem seldom appeared, but now it is very frequent. It appears mainly when I insert a new DV cassette in to the camcorder. Now at 90% of cases and more, the notorious "safeguard mode - detach the battery" appears. It is unbearable that a high-end consumer camcorder such the GR-DVX10 is so unreliable. I miss almost all important opportunities to record events with this camcorder... It seems to be a severe design fault of practically all consumer JVC camcorders... Being the defect intermittent, even if you spend hundreds of dollars to repair it, you will neve be sure that one day this problem will raise again. I will never buy a jvc camcorder, like many of you.

-- Gabriel Maldonado (g.maldonado@agora.it), January 13, 2004.

E06 Error - Head is picking up (Sensing) a coating from the tape

Guys.... It's true about when you get the E06 error with the JVC camera... All you have to do is tap on the camera..(Lightly) while initiating the eject button. Works like a charm... I was about to send it in to get it fixed for $50... I know I would of ending up paying at least $200.

After researching I think the Camcorder head was sensing a coating from the particular camcoarder tape.. Whatever you do don't use SONY tapes.. they don't seem to work very good.

Thanks God.. Now I can tape the rest of my child basketball games...

-- Denmeister_jacking_out (rden@playboy.com), January 13, 2004.

What tapes does anybody think is the best for JVC camcorders

-- Henry (henryCNOSPAM@aol.com), January 13, 2004.

The most compatible and user friendly tapes are JVC and Panasonic. I have tested many camcorders over the last 4 years with other tapes customers send in. Many, many times a camcorder can fail with some aftermarket tapes horribly and after resetting the unit by removing and re-attaching the power source, work flawlessly with my JVC test tape.

This info is very important for anyone to keep in mind. Most everyone in this forum may not be open to this bit of information but taking the time to give this a try as opposed to never using your product again because you think it has a problem, may save people some grief.

I cannot make anyone do anything. This info is merely suggestions to customers to try before giving up hope.

As always, I am available to assist anyone who may have a question. So many names on this forum have yet to give me a try. I don't understand this because you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), January 13, 2004.

I have to thank you all and especially you Stacy for taking care of the troubled JVC customers here :) I thought I broke my girlfriends DV camera (DVL100) when I started getting these E03 errormessages, and the camera started "eating" my extracheap TDK tapes. It wasn't until the last message from Stacy when I believed that the problem could be the tape and not the camera. I found a Panasonic tape from my collection of old tapes, and tested it after using a cleaning tape (TDK surprizingly). The thing started working flawlessly :)

So everybody, ditch those cheap TDK tapes and use just a little more money to buy tapes that JVC recommends you to use. I'll return all 10 tapes I bought last weekend and will get 6 quality tapes instead.

Once more, thank you Stacy for giving me hope that JVC actually cares about us.

-Kimi Niittyniemi (Finland)

-- Kimi Niittyniemi (kimpo@hotmail.com), January 14, 2004.

Same problem as eveybody else with my JVC GR-DVM90U I been having this problem for more than a year. Very frustrating when trying to tape some special family event and the piece of garbage stops working. Yes it is true that tapping and doing things here and there helps but does not solve the problem and the problem is that JVC has been making and selling a faulty camcoder and stealing the money from consumers. CLASS ACTION SUIT please make me part of it. I finally bought one that works CANNON.

-- Joe (j_cedeno@claxson.com), January 14, 2004.

Joe,

Being that I have found everyone is not having the same problem and you did not specifically say which problem you were having, I am curious which symptoms you are specifically experiencing. Also, which brand tapes have you been using? You mentioned some of the things on the forum "here and there" work but don't solve the problem. If the camcorder is truly defective it is hard to believe it is working at all for you. Being this camcorder is 3 years old, let us determine if the camcorder is defective or the types of tapes you are using. I have several people that are up and running after not getting much use out of their camcorders for several years because the tapes they had were not compatible. They did not get service...they got new tapes. I am willing to assist you if you wish the help. Maybe it is a tape problem...maybe a camcorder problem but don't you feel it is fair to find out for sure. I welcome your correspondence. Take care!

Let me know.

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), January 14, 2004.

Support Person (JVC - Stacy), In the first place, could you explain why JVC made the JVC units with so many error codes that can happen... In example, E01, Eo2, etc... ? For example, in reference to the tape eror..E03 or Eo6... is it because it was an early warning system letting people know the tape would ruin the head or what? I think the general consensus of the people's complaints here on this newsgroup..is that JVC machine are setup w/ too many early sensing devices compaired to Sony or Cannon. If I was JVC owner.. I wouldn't buy another JVC unit knowing about all these problems. I own a Sony & it never gives me problems.. why is JVC engineering their units like this.. I think it could be to make money off the customers with support like you Stacy.. BUT, they better change thier way of doing things.. to me it looks like grounds for a Class Action Suit. Billion Dollar figure... Again, Cannon users, Sony users, Panasonic don't have this problem...

-- KevinNMurphy@AOL.com (KevinNMurphy@AOL.com), January 14, 2004.

You my friends are a AHole.. Stacey is trying toi freaking help us.. Stay w/ Ur freeaking Sony products & let us pay the giurl some mula...$$$$

-- (DEJaySignn@netsocket.net), January 14, 2004.

To the contrary Kevin,

I am trying to keep people from having to spend money on repairs and I have done so quite successfully by utilizing my knowledge and know how in troubleshooting certain situations. Believe it or not, not all issues on this forum are service issues. I cannot speak for the other companies you mention but from what I know as fact. I do have two people who work at my facility who both worked at Sony in the Service/Repair dept. One for 18 years and one for 5. They too as most companies also have service issues arise and have to support their equipment. Unfortunately very few companies have diret factory service available anymore, JVC is one of the few that does.

Error codes in our equipment are communication devises that notify the customer that there is a problem being sensed by the unit. They direct the consumer or technician (if necessary) on what to troubleshoot/repair (if necessary) to eliminate the problem. If JVC did not engineer the codes into the camcorder and your camcorder just stopped with no indications as to why....then would that put you in a better position or would you still question moreso on what to do next to fix your problem. At least these error codes give you options that MAY keep you from having to ship it somewhere or pay money to get the answer that you have no problem at all. At least you could get this info for free by following the troubleshooting guide or inquiring with someone like me who may be able to further assist you with more details. If all troubleshooting options are exhausted...then service is necessary.

Again, anyone who has questions or concerns are always welcome to write me....my door is always open. Take care! :)

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), January 14, 2004.

Kimi,

I am very happy my posting helped you. That is my goal here, to give quality information that people can, hopefully, use. You take care and write me if you ever have a question.

Stacy Sample Service Coordinator

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), January 14, 2004.

hello to all. well, what a day. i just found this site today and have read every post made to it. i am the owner of a 3 year old jvc gr-dvm90u and i too have some problems. i will e-mail stacey in the near future on specifics, but some past posts cite similar "instances of unhappiness" that i have experienced as well. it seems as though stacey is helping many of us with our problems, but i noticed it has been repeated many times about using jvc brand dv cassettes. that is fine from this point on, but will playing back other brand tapes,which were previously recorded on this unit, hurt the camcorder, or not play back properly? i have roughly 25 tapes of my son's first 2 1/2 years archived for transfer to dvd in the future. will i experience problems during transfer to my pc? if any one can help on that question, i would appreciate it. thanks, brian

-- brian martin (brimar1211@msn.com), January 14, 2004.

sorry about spelling your name wrong stacy.

-- brian (brimar1211@msn.com), January 14, 2004.

Hi Brian,

You can play any tape you wish in your camcorder. My recommendation is that if one starts giving you a problem, I would remove it and have that one transferred professionally. Go ahead and transfer to DVD. As long as the tape runs thru the camcorder fine...then you should be good to go. I look forward to assisting you when you e-mail me at work. Thanks for writing.

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), January 14, 2004.

Brian I understand Stacy is representing her company and trying to help, but here we go again old tapes when tried to play have the problem and "sent it to be professionaly transfered" meand spending more money thanks to JVC. Sorry to be sarcastic but JVC is in big time problem because of this FLAW.

-- Joe (j_cedeno@claxson.com), January 15, 2004.

Mr. Cedeno,

I am sorry if you feel this is a way to make people spend more money. but I was merely answering his question and suggesting that "IF" a tape becomes symptomatic he may wish to have someone transfer it for him.

Everyones idea of a "special moment" is different and I would hate "IF" a tape is symptomatic to continue to be used in the unit only to become possibly stuck or damaged and the memory gone.

Your opinion that the JVC is flawed is not my opinion. After at least 90% of all people I have helped from this site have yet to need service because they changed tapes or operationally use their camcorder differently after we corresponded. A "flaw" would not allow any tape to run at all regardles of brand and my ideas and knowledge would not have made a difference in the camcorder at all. Knowledge is power and simple things can fix big issues.

I don't expect to change everyones opinion and some don't want to change their opinion no matter what...all I can do is help all that want to be helped and be fair and honest to them. If I or JVC had anything to hide I would not be taking as much time as I do to make sure someones problem can be resolved and the information they receive is "correct".

As always...I welcome anyone to contact me for assistance.

Stacy Sample Service Coordinator JVC Houston

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), January 15, 2004.

Knowledge is power and simple things can fix big issues. How to fix the big issues with camcoders is not to buy JVC like I did, Thank you Stacy you are doing a great job.

-- Joe (j_cedeno@claxson.com), January 15, 2004.

Mr. Cedeno,

You have yet to e-mail me and tell me what your exact problem is so I can possibly assist as well...you never know until you try. :)

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), January 15, 2004.

If anyone has tried to e-mail me...my e-mail has been down. Try again I should be up and running now. :)

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), January 20, 2004.

Okay people...so I have a JVC GR-DVC90 and I had the same problem...sounds a little old after reading all these responses...I can't believe so many people have gotten this error what a piece! Anyway, I tried to record and I got E03 with the "clean tape head" or "replace battery and reinsert" or "you are in safe mode" rejection. So, I went out and bought a tape cleaner. Pointless. Then I came to the internet and found this site. I looked at what type of tape I was using and sure enough it was TDK. I have been using TDK for like a year and it had been working fine...then all of the sudden...error. SO, as soon as I put in a JVC tape it worked! It may be a mixture of that and the tape cleaning thing, but neverless, it worked for me. I guess I just have to stick to their brand tapes or my camcorder won't work. Anyway, thought I would put my 2 cents in.

-- Kelly (Socrangel22@yahoo.com), January 23, 2004.

I too have a DVL 20 that has now given up completely after 18 months E04 being the error, can eject tape but only after a few power ups. I will try a few of the solutions but will not buy JVC again.

-- Russell Scaplehorn (russellscaplehorn@hotmail.co.uk), January 25, 2004.

Hi.

I have the JVC GR-D70U. I've had it since May 2004

For some reason, I'm having problems charging the battery. I have the camcorder plugged in, so it may charge.. and the red light blinks.. denoting that it is "charging". I have left it "charge" for a couple hours and it appears to be fully charge cause it stopped blinking. However, when I plug it, it doesn't turn on. It's only working when it's plugged in.

Does anyone have any ideas on this? Is it just that the battery is damaged? It really shouldn't be. I haven't had the battery for even a year, yet.

-- Ted (PANTHER109@hotmail.com), January 26, 2004.

My god, this seems to be a widespread problem...

Yes, I've gotten the E04 error as well, but this is the first time since I bought the camcorder in 1999. ($1200 for 5 year service life is absolute BS). I've tried all the solutions here, and it appears that my E04 error is here to stay - I have to remove the battery, wait one minute, etc. to get it working again. I knew I should've bought a Digital/Hi8 Camcorder...screw size, quality and reliability are more important to me. My two cents.

-- Krunal Desai (jumboshrimp@comcast.net), January 30, 2004.

Oh yeah, I forgot to add model number to my above post. (I think.) It's a GR-DVM70, purchased in early/summer 1999 (can't remember when.)

-- Krunal Desai (jumboshrimp@comcast.net), January 30, 2004.

GR-DVL915U with a E01 error. Used 1 time. Tried to use in Nov 2002 but E01 (battery et al) kept recharging battery, retrying. Finally tried again in Nov 2003 with new $75 battery. Same old issue, just $75 poorer. Tried tapping on tape window, no change.

Never checked tape since that JVC E01 did not say tape was problem (only used JVC tape purchased with equipment). Camera was kept in camera case, not dropping or jarring issues. Tape won't eject.

Hate to think that I spent all that money for 2 minutes of recording.

-- Phyliss Murphy (PhylissM@aol.com), February 01, 2004.

Phyllis,

In reading your post...I am curious why you did not seek service after having your problem or did you? You have a 1 yr parts/90 days labor warranty for issues such as this and I wonder how long you had your camcorder before you used it or the problem showed? What was your date of purchase?

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), February 01, 2004.

I got the same error everyone's been talking about, I tried tapping it and it worked!!!!!

-- rich (lshoe74@yahoo.com), February 01, 2004.

lthough it quit and ate taps and bars running bars through the the playbacck soon after the warranty ran out . I put it up4 at this time to try and find other recorders, I had only ran 4 tapes thru it at this tim ,My mother bought me 3 3sony tapes for x-mas and i used them on the seconedddddd one i started experiencing problems. i did all kinds of things,downloaded manuals, tried new tapes but to no avail still bars , distorted playback on review.2 tapes i bought at walgreens were bad. i reviewed the 4 tapes iu orriginally bought and found a blank spot in them i could record on and it worked great!!!! So i went to wal maart and bought 3 maxell tapes which of thr four that i bought originally and my camcorder is workimg fine!!! I don't know what happened the fist tape i bought at walgreens jammed up an d th e second had green bars across it at playback. But i bought 3 more maxels an now it is working fin after about 20 cleanings and playing back 2 old tapes. I will never everrr play or use the sony tapes im corder again .But i wonder what will happen next!!!! I retRACT MY STATEMENT FROM AUG 03/ BUT STILL RESERVE thr fact that anything can go wrong with this recorder at any t ime buy yit needs improvement. I saved up a long time time to get this recorder and mit has caaaused me nothing buy heartaache. I WOULD LIKE A RESPJNSE FROM STACY SAMPLE. P.S MY THREAD ON THIS WEBSITE WAAS THNE ONE THAT INVOLVED ME DRIVING OVER TH $ BATTERY I BOUGHT FROM JVC HOUSTON SAAVING IT AND DESTEOYING THE CAMERA DATE AUG 4 20034

-- DARREN W. BRIDGERS (sooners@swnm.com), February 02, 2004.

Darren,

I wrote your personal e-mail. I am glad you are up and working now and extend my services/assistance if you ever have a problem. Keep my e-mail handy and write me first if you ever experience any problem. Also, you never told us which model camcorder you have or how long you have owned it.

P.S. Glad you never opted to run over your battery. :)

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), February 02, 2004.

To Stacy Sample I'm not sending this to your personal e-mail adress, as I would like the world to see it.

I have a JVC GR-DVL100 which I bought in 2001 in Hong Kong for aprox $1000. I have been using the device infrequently, in the entire time I have only filled 9 x 45 min tapes. The tapes are a mix of Sony, Panasonic and TDK. While using the first tape The Tape head cleaning error came up, but was fixed with a head cleaner. After that the error occurred 3 times, and a thourough clean sorted it out each time. Recently I am getting a E04 Unit in Safeguard mode Remove and reatach battery message the moment the unit is switched on. This occurs in Play, Auto and Manual mode. Removing and replacing of the battery does not cure anything. Strangely, the moment I remove the battery and plug in the Mains/DC converter the cammera works. In retrospect I remember that the moment I switched on the device with a battery connected, the battery indicator Jumps from full(which it is) to one bar, and the the message appears. This would be consistent with a drive wheel which is stuck, the battery does not have enough power to drive it, but the Mains has - This is all just speculation. That wrap up my problem with the camera, now my problem with JVC.

Firstly - I thank you for responding to this website,your presence is soothing to the maddening crowd, me included. If it were me an not you I would resign from JVC and find a new job. The only problem is that you never admit, and rightly so if you which to keep your job, that JVC has caused the frustration. Let me explain the problem. - Many Users of JVC video camera's , me included missed opportunities to record precious memmories, because the darn error message pops up prohibbiting them from using the camera. - I admit other manuf. my also have problems.

JVC's direct cause to the frustration. 1.) If The cause of the error is the type of tape, why does the manual not clearly state to only use JVC tapes. http://www.jvc.co.uk/files/instruction_manual/ib_grdvl100_dvl107_dvl300.pdf 2.) If the cause of the error is related to the drive being stuck due to what ever reason, why remove and reatach the battery. People started looking at me strangely at my daughters concert as I frantically detached and reatached the battery as the error message suggested, but to no avail. - Give a more help in the message, like remove tape and tighten/Tap on side or what ever. 3.)If the cause of the error is the spring as described in http://www.brutonsupply.com/cc6364.htm the units must be recalled and JVC must repair them free of charge.

Thank You

Louis

-- Louis (GooPhy@Phreaker.net), February 06, 2004.

I have a gr-dvl315u. The viewscreen funcions (screen on side) while the viewfinder does not. I am not worried about that right now.

I just connected it via firewire the the pc for the first time yesterday. Worked like a charm. Today, the audio stills plays on the pc, but is not captured (ie recorded) when transferring to the pc.

I also have a sony dcr-trv140. It is capturing audio just fine. Any help available?

-- Erik Anderson (junkmail@hardwaremonkey.com), February 07, 2004.

Hi everybody, I'm having problems with a GR-DVXE. Previously problems with spurious E01, E04, dew (while in normal conditions). The camera has been to a service center a couple of times. Even got the camera switched for a new one!... only to found the same problems. After another couple of service center trips, they are not able to help me anymore (without spending a lot of money). Another main frustration are the batteries. Only 3 minutes running on a fully charged battery, old one or new ones, in stand-by or recording. While other brands can records between 30 to 60 minutes! I guess there is a problem in the charger?

At this moment the cam shows E01. No tape inside but eject is not working. Nothing helps; battery, DC power, tapping... Everything else is working: zoom, focus, snap-shot, etc. I guess it is time to e-mail Stacy Sample, before I take it all apart or smash it on the ground.

-- Michael van der Toorn (camcorder@michaelsoft.nl), February 07, 2004.

In response to Louise,

The reason you are asked to remove and re-attach the battery is because that is a reset procedure. Removing the power source and re- applying allows the camcorders micro-processor to reset and hopefully return the unit to proper working order. Explanations on why this reset may or may not work are below.

In regards to tapes. Customers may use whatever brand they please. My recommedations come from my personal testing of product in my everyday job. I have customers that have error codes come up with certain aftermarket tapes that, after troubleshooting, do not continue to have the problems when using my JVC or even Panasonic tapes. Keep in mind...if you reset the camcorder and continue to try the same tape or even another of the same brand, the error may continue to occur. I just suggest trying a JVC tape first if this happens just to see if the problem goes away...that is all. IF you cannot find a JVC tape at a store near you...contact me.

Some people have used some aftermarket tapes with no problems and recently have started experiencing symptoms. Again, some tapes are more prone to certain symtoms than others. Contact me if you are in this position.

I am sure you are aware of that with many products on the market, there are companies that have aftermarket equipment that they say are compatible to other brands. Let's take batteries for instance. You can purchase aftermarket batteries for most camcorder brands. In my experience and maybe some of the people who post or read these forums may have experienced some aftermarket batteries that they have purchased might not fit as well to the camcorder or the charger. It may be too loose, to tight or may not perform as noted on the package. You are told to us tapes with the "DV" noted according to your manual. I have yet to see any manual for any product specifically ask you to use one brand of battery or tape with your product or specifically ask you to not use a certain brand.

My position on this forum is to try to help those who have experienced a problem and who have tried general troubleshooting to take you one step further. So far I have been very successful. Since I am in the service department, I troubleshoot things with a different eye. I see many scenarios that you or others may not see becuase you are not in my shoes. I am taking my knowledge and sharing it. (just like these forums..you are sharing your experiences and asking for answers/assistance). Most on the forums have similar experiences and no answers...assumptions and no reasonings behind them. I might be able to give you the necessary answers.

Insight to my job:

If I have a camcorder come in and we (the tech or myself) cannot duplicate a customers complaint, my job is to find out what the customer is experiencing and why. If my customer has an error code they are seeing over and over, then I want to know why I or we don't see it.

On many occasions, if I had not communicated with a customer prior to a camcorder being received in for service...I may take it and test it myself to determine if it is truly having a problem. IF I find it does not...I contact the customer...give them the scoop on my findings. I ask them a few questions and offer operational assistance. Then I return the unit without a dime out of their pocket. that is my goal.

In my experience over the last 4 years I have found that some tapes work better than others. If I put one aftermarket tape in that causes an error or symptom, then remove it and reset the camcorder by removing and re-attaching the power source and it works flawlessly with my JVC tape...then I surmise that maybe it is the customers tape and not the camcorder. Since I have run into this scenario with some tapes more than others...then it becomes clear to me that not all tapes are created equal. For what reason...we can only speculate that different companies make their tapes a little different than others and those small differences may be why some tapes are more compatible than others.

On this forum, I am using my knowledge to assist people in hopes of keeping them from paying money on a evaluation of their product and mostly to get them up and running. I am trying to head off a potential, un-necessary out of pocket expence. If using a different tape makes all the difference in the camcorders performance, is that not better than trashing the product, having to consider buy another one or paying for shipping and an unnecessary evaluation fee to find out it may not have a problem? I cannot understand why some people get angry over this, especially when it seems they are seeking answers from this forum to keep them from spending money on a repair they think they need.

From time to time there are products that need repair after trying all troubleshooting techniques. So far I am at a 90% success rate of the ones that do NOT need to be evaluated or repaired.

Louise, I work for JVC proudly because they do care about their customers and want them to be satisfied and pleased with their product and service. JVC is one of the few companies if not possibly the only that still offers direct factory service/support. Most companies have closed down their factory service and support centers or have very limited service. Bottom line...if JVC was not a caring company..I would not work for them.

I am sure you have read the responses to people who have tried my suggestions and are up and running. Some have not posted that things are fine now. Also, many who post their problems...never contact me. That concerns me as to whether they truly want assistance.

In closing, I am not saying all problems are solved with a new tape...I am saying that many are. There are several error codes designed into our product from E-01 thru E-06 not to mention the "Safeguard mode" and "Head Cleaning" errors. I am here to answer to those error codes if a customer needs me to. Let's try to see if what you are experiencing can be solved without sending it out to be evaluated or assuming you need service. If I can save you money and heart-ache...then I have done my job.

My e-mail is SSample@jvc.com. I will be on vacation 2/11/04 thru 2/16/04. I will return e-mails upon my return. Give me a few days to get to you since I will be playing catch up on my work.

Take care!

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), February 08, 2004.

Hi again. Just want to mention you really have to address Stacy Sample when having problems. Her response time is better then I have ever seen! Maybe your local store gives bad support, but Stacy is the way to go. Even with my seven years old camera, and from The Netherlands, she tried to help me the best she could. Stacy: thanx!

-- Michael van der Toorn (camcorder@michaelsoft.nl), February 10, 2004.

My Pleasure Michael!

To anyone who wishes to address an issue. I am on vacation as of Feb 11th thru 16th. Please feel free to write and I will make every effort to address your e-mails as quickly as possible upon my return. Please allow me a few days since I will be dealing with about 5 days of being away from any computer. I will not be able to monitor this site either. Take care and I will assist you as soon as I return.

Stacy Sample Service Coordinator JVC Service and Engineering

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), February 10, 2004.

I am responding to my own message above, since no one even acknowledged that it existed.

The camera is now functional. The problem did not relate to the JVC unit. Somehow, Windows XP creates an instance of the device driver that tells it how to communicate with the soundcard. Although uninstalling the driver should be sufficient, it was not (tested by trying to capture video from both the JVC and the Sony using 2 different pieces of software). However, when the hardware was uninstalled, and all the software was uninstalled (and the firewire controlled card driver) and then later reinstalled, all worked just fine. Now, what would cause this problem? Apparently, one of the Windows updates that occurred during this 24 hour period was for my modem. Not soundcard. Not firewire. Nothing related to video editing. So once again, blame goes to Microsoft.

Regarding JVC cameras: Sony charges too much for their brand (because they advertise too much). This JVC has had problems with the viewfinder forever, but that is it. I often (weekly for about 4 hours during church services) operate it in camera mode without a tape in, and the tape mechanism stuck open (method I found to keep camera on for extended periods of time without auto-shut off) thereby increasing the dust exposure, etc... and mechanically, it still works great. That is a lot of use/abuse for a little piece of electronics that was not designed to operate that way.

That said, I have had a Panasonic that survived a motorcycle crash. As the bike failed and bent, I grabbed the camcorder and tried to hold it above the road... with a little luck. Plastic was spread all over the road. I put the necessary pieces back on. I had to bend the tape mechanism in order to get it to close again. It still worked for a long time, without ever having a single problem (except dirt/dust needing to be blown own for it would not close properly. The technology got too old, and the zoom button finally broke off. I gave up on it.

Truly, no brand is significantly more reliable on this stuff. Some come off the line good, and some don't. Use it and abuse it during the warrantee. If it survives, you have a winner.

By comparison, my computer equipment is on 24/7. I have to replace something about once a year (hard drive, video card, modem, memory, power supply, processor, motherboard). I spend $25-$200 per computer per year. These electronic components are not as small as what they cram into the camcorders, and have a lot of heat spreading features (heat is the enemy of most electronic equipment).

In my opinion, if you regularly use the camera, it should hold up for 5 years. If you are not happy with spending that kind of money every 5 years, go ebay and get something cheap every 2 or 3 years.

Lastly, have you ever known someone who had a lemon car. What brand? Buick, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Toyota, Acura, Lexus, Kia, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, etc... Evey maker has some good vehicles and bad ones. Same as the camcorder. Just because consumer reports says one is better than the other doesn't mean that the one you buy is going to be good. If you are having a bad experience with something you bought, what is God trying to tell you? Are your priorities wrong? Did you make a bad stewardship decision when electing to purchase it? Stop blaming the manufacturer and look at the bigger picture.

PS: I did get a response from JVC support online. 5 days later. This was the timeframe they told me to expect when submitting my question.

-- Erik Anderson (junkmail@hardwaremonkey.com), February 12, 2004.

Hello All,

I am sure, each of you will find the following link very informative. Links on teh left (on the following url) are must read for all. They also have Do's and Don't about a camcorder.

This appears to be an authorized JVC service centre: http://www.hallesservice.com/mixingtape.htm

Good luck. Mahendra

-- Mahendra Joshi (mahen_joshi@hotmail.com), February 13, 2004.

Any solutions to the firewire/software needs that will get this gr- dvm90 dv input/output to work or am I S.O.L.

-- Joshua Reichmann (jreichmann@hotmail.com), February 15, 2004.

Hello everyone, i have a GR-SXM520U which i have had for almost two weeks now. I have the E04 Error but im not that worried since i only bought it for 10 dollars and then he gave me my money back since it douesnt work but anyways i have taken it apart and i cant seem to find anything wrong with it but if any of you have a camcorder that has the E03 or E04 error and is planning on throwing it out to please donate it to me so i can do some research and experimenting to figure out the problem and save the rest of you guys some money. I live in Ohio so if that is too far from you then dont worry about.

you can email me at Alienationator@aol.com for any questions or comments. Thanks

-- Ben (Alienationator@aol.com), February 18, 2004.

I think your camcodrers are a piece of crap. there's no way after reading 100s of e-mails posted on this site that i ever get my camcorder to work. I am donating it to the local waste removal department to have them recycle it immediately. If any happens to pick it up and it happens to work, please mail it back to JVCso they can deal with their own error codes

-- still angry (angryjvccustomer@home.com), February 21, 2004.

i have the problem with the "E04 unit in safe mode" on my JVC DVL100. i gave it a few taps on either side and the top and changed the tape and it seems to be fine now....................until next time that is.

-- chris nixon (chrixon@hotmail.com), February 23, 2004.

I just spent an hour reading through the postings. I would like to add my name and email to the class action suit that I am hopeful will follow. I came to this board to FIX the problem, not become EMBROILED in the politics of its service. I want my GrDVL305 functional again without paying, Period. I have compiled a list of resources, garnered from this message board to save everyone time. Good luck.

-Todd Lewis, TLConsulting

Patricia Castrucci JVC 1700 Valley Road Wayne, New Jersey 07470 tel. 973 317 5236 her fax is 973 317 5042 She is actually a reasonable person and will work with you to get a new unit or something and I suggest you all spend the long distance charge and call her and get the problem resolved. She is the Head of Customer Service there and she can make decisions.

More Links here. http://www.pcphotoreview.com/Digital% 20Camcorders/JVC/PRD_83115_3100crx.aspx http://www.pcphotoreview.com/Digital% 20Camcorders/JVC/PRD_83115_3100crx.aspx#reviews

http://www.dmnforums.com/cgi-bin/disppost.cgi?forum=jvc- dv&filename=021007224206.htm

http://www.i-depth.com/P/o/ow00412.frm.camcorder.msg/18468.html

http://www.i-depth.com/P/o/ow00412.frm.camcorder.msg/18467.html

http://www.i-depth.com/P/o/ow00412.frm.camcorder.msg/19016.html

http://www.pechorin.com/m/2001/09/28/IMPORTANT_GRDVX8_E04_safeguard_mo de-46228.html

-- Todd Lewis (tlconsulting@myway.com), March 02, 2004.

I have a JVC GRD-90U. In December I wrote that it wouldn´t power up or recharge. I got it fixed, (paid $230) and now one month later it is doing to same thing. JVC wouldn´t fix my camera because it only has a 90 day warranty on their horrible cameras, (I know understand why.) so I had to pay the money. I am now studying in Europe and do not have a camera. On top of that, if I want it fixed, I have to send it back to the states and the JVC repair centers have told me it would take 4-6 weeks to refix. So, I will have to pay shipping back to the states and not be able to use my camera in Europe. I should have saved the $230 and used it to pay for a SONY, which I am going to do. Stacy, I appreciated the emails that you sent me last time, but JVC is the WORST product that I have ever encountered and it was near impossible to find a friendly person at the service centers who could give me definate answers. Everytime I went to a store and I saw someone who was considering a JVC produnt, I referred them to this website. I suggest everyone else does the same.

-- Katherine (kangel18@aol.com), March 04, 2004.

I re-read your December 30 posting and am curious who fixed it? I don't remember you answering me when I wrote you or I cannot find your e-mail response in my log. You said you paid $230 and now have to pay again becuase of the shop warranty. If it was fixed in Houston and you still had a problem, we would not charge you. I am curious who is wanting to charge you? Now, if you are in Europe, which is where you said you were going in two weeks from you Dec 30 posting, and from what you seem to say now it would make sense that the overseas shop may want to charge you, it is because U.S. warranty and overseas warranty do not transfer on repairs or purchases (unless you have international warranty). Are you going to be in Europe for good or are you coming back soon? Let me know and maybe we can work something out when you come back. Again, who worked on it here in the states? Since I don't have your last name or serial #...I cannot reference it.

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), March 04, 2004.

Katherine,

I wanted to add. The JVC warranty is 1 year parts/90 days labor (as most manufacturers standard warranty). Were you completely out of parts and labor coverage or did a service center charge you that much for labor only. Also what did they do to fix it? I sense from your posting you did not send it to a Factory center because you were pressed for time on your trip. Is that the case?

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), March 04, 2004.

Same here,My grdvx44e has started showing error codes(unit in safeguard bla bla bla) and all that crap.It has also been repaired under warranty 6 times cos the viewfinder fell out,then it chewed 3 tapes up with my holiday footage on then it wouldnt eject the tapes and now it wont accept that i have put a tape in it and it keeps saying insert tape.Ive had enough time for a Sony.Sorry i can't help,but it looks like a common problem with JVC stuff.

-- lee radford (lee2010uk@yahoo.co.uk), March 07, 2004.

Yes, like to other millions or so customers of JVC, i also have the Dreaded E-06 ERROR, it will not go away, despite trying everything listed on this site, THANKS EVERYONE!!!!!! I contacted JVC and they basically said that they would nothing at all to help and didnot even reply to my last letter, They said that because i brought a European Standard Camera, PAL, in The States that it is not covered by warrenty in any other Country except The States, despite being sold for the European Market, ummm, any way they have refused to help at all, so now i have a 2 month old camcorder that is FUBAR........ THANKS ALOT JVC........ Sony Dealers here i come.........

-- James Vincent (ventinc@hotmail.com), March 08, 2004.

Stacy,

First, I want to thank you for having the guts and taking the time to help JVC users having this problem.

I've had my JVC mini dv GR-DVL720U for just a few days short of a year and missed my son's Choir solo tonight due to the E02 error. I was unable to remove the tape until tapping on the side as directed in this group. After doing that the tape came out.

Here's my problem, do I send the unit in for service to utilize the parts warrenty and not have it for my vacation next week, or do I hope it makes it through the vacation and risk losing money on the warrenty if the problem returns. Is there any way to have JVC extend the warrenty until I get back?

I've recorded 12 JVC tapes in the last year (didn'tknow about the tape problems) without any problems of my own. The tape that just had trouble is the second of 2 Fuji tapes. I'll purchase the recommended tapes for future use.

Kevin Meis

-- Kevin J. Meis (kevin@kevinmeis.com), March 10, 2004.

Hi Kevin,

Where are you located and when do you leave for your vacation? You may wish to try another JVC tape to see if the symptom occurs again. Write me at work and we can definately discuss your warranty options if you decide to take in on vacation. We can be flexible on warranty dates when timely communication is utilized.

I will assist you further Wednesday.

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), March 10, 2004.

I have a GR-DVL 820U with an E01. I can't insert a tape anymore as it doesn't pull the side catridge with the red sticker into the unit (it won't latch).

I called JVC and they said the cost would on average be $270 and that they could not (not ever) give me a more precise estimate. Oh, and they would need my credit card number immediately after I send it in, basically committing to the charge before they can tell me anything more.

-- Nils Krahnstoever (nils_krahnstoever@hotmail.com), March 10, 2004.

I have the same problem.On a grdvx 400 eg. That "european only" div- out model. Only I happenened not to be home when the problem occured.So my sister took the cam to the dealer recommended on jvc.fr site.Then I got to know an interesting story: another customer posted a site on the net.He wanted his perfectly working PANASONIC cameras to be "toiletted" before reselling them.But his usual store was not allowed to do it, he had to send it to the official A.V.A. store recommended both by PANASONIC as far as his camera is concerned, and which is the same store recommended on JVC.FR site (as far as i m concerned).IT CAME BACK WITH A 700 EUROS INVOICE (price of the camera new=800Euros).Of course, he didn t want to pay that, so after much discussion, he got his camera back, BROKEN FOR GOOD, lense cap missing, impossiblity of inserting a K7 inside it....He stared a lawsuit, which could nt be finished for officially the local store sent the camera to AVA, and not him personnaly.Anyway, french readers check out : http://www.audio-visuel-assistance.com

NOW MY CAMERA IS OVER THERE.HAS THIS FAMOUS BATTERY IN SAFEGUARD MODE PB, AND THE ONLY EVALUATION OF HOW MUCH THE REPAIR IS CONNA BE WORTH COSTS 48 EUROS!!!!!!.That is to say, IF I don t want it to be repaired, I have to pay 60 dollars!!!!!!! I try not to get mad , and actually I can t since i m in Argentina, watching my sister that is maybe getting totally SWINDLED by these untrustworthy OFFICIAL JVC REPAIR OUTLET!!!!

Any suggestions?

Oh, by the way the cost of repairing the camera (supposedly the have to replace the recording head) 275 EUROS, 337 DOLLARS!!!

-- Alexandre Hartpence (alexhartpence@noos.fr), March 11, 2004.

ok I was completely mad, so I typed away, sorry about the syntaxic and typo mistakes...Still mad though.But there are other things more worth to get mad about...

-- alex hartpence (alexhartpence@noos.fr), March 11, 2004.

[[[[ For enquiries regarding spare parts and accessories, please email accessories@jvc.co.uk.

Please note that it is not possible to purchase any internal electronic or mechanical components as these must be fitted by a qualified engineer. ]]]]

This is the message I found @ jvc.co.uk when I wanted to check if I can get a motherboard for my GR-DVP3 mini DV. I was filming my daughter beside a ground level fountain, she moved and steped on the fountain nozzle and the water sprayed the camcorder while I was filming. I tried to dry as much as i can. put it in my bag and went back to the hotel, there I found that the battery was very hot. I took the battery off. After that I tried to switch it on but it starts for a couple of seconds then it goes off. Now it does not even start. I took it to a repairer, he said the motherboard is ruined and that a new one costs 250 pounds almost $450 + labour. I wonder if I can get a motherboard from somewhere. Maybe someone out there have a broke JVC GR-DVP3 that he/she wants to sell, I would consider buying it. or maybe someone can tell me where i can buy spare parts for the camcorder. It is a pity, the camorder was very expensive when I bought it, (1000 pounds), paying over 300 pounds to fix it is too much and leaving it to be out of date and rute in a drawer is even worth.

The DVP3 is a very nice mini camcorder, I can fit it in my shirt's pocket. I do not know what to do. I do not want to pay 350 pounds to fix it. and I do not want to throw it away.

So please if you have a dvp3 that is broken or is not working and you do not want to fix, please email me and we will arrange a way to buy it from you. I can not see any other solution.

My new policy is to buy the cheapest acceptable camcorder available.

-- Bab Boor (babboor@hotmail.com), March 17, 2004.

While the problems everyone is having with their JVC camcorders is unforgiveable, I just wanted to add that Stacy Sample is very good about communicating with anyone who needs help diagnosing/fixing their camera. She responded to my email within 24 hours.

By the way, I cleaned my tape heads with rubbing alcohol and qtips and switched to JVC tapes (previously used TDK). Everything's working for now.

-- RW (jorich897@yahoo.com), March 22, 2004.

i was thinking about buying a JVC GR-DVX8E camcorder (secondhand), but now i am having doubts. i'll probably end up buying a panasonic.

-- Sukhjinder (sukhjindersingh@yahoo.com), March 23, 2004.

I recommend you buy new regardless of brand you buy. Second hand can be risky since you don't know how it was handled or cared for by the previous owner.

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), March 23, 2004.

I have jvc dvm90, have the same problem. message keeping pop up head cleaning needed. i bought a panasonic dried head cleaner ran it thought three times and still have the same problem. i called jvc authorized sevice center they told me to repair it, will cost me $125.00 minimium to fix it. I think problem is jvc product. it's sux. i never buy another jvc again. will never rec. anyone to buy one.

any sugestion to fix this problem, would be greatfull. thanks.

-- tom chang (tom98158@hotmail.com), March 27, 2004.

Hi Tom,

You said you called an "authorized service center"...may I ask who? There are very few Authorized Service Facilities for JVC digital camcorders. Also, you could have a tape problem or a mean head clog. Try removing any tape you have in the unit, power it down, remove the power source (battery or power cord)...this resets the microprocessor in the unit. Then put in a "new" JVC tape and see if the problem goes away. If it does not, you may have a bad head clog. Your camcorder is approximately 4 years old. The product may develope a worn head or a head clog over time. This does not mean the product is poorly made, it means it may need some attention to it over time just like anything you own that has moving parts (washer, dryer, car, lawn mower etc) No product is going to last forever nor should it be expected too.

The first thing is to determine if indeed it is the camcorder or the tape. Some aftermarket tapes put out un-necessary error codes and changing tape brand has been known to alleviate this.

You are welcome to e-mail me at work regarding this situation. I will be more than happy to assist you.

Stacy Sample

-- Stacy Sample (Ssample@jvc.com), March 28, 2004.

had head cleaning error message, garbled video and one e04 error.... burned all tdk tapes, bought jvc tapes, cleaned capstin rollers with alcohol, used panasonic head cleaner, problem fixed

-- anon (anon@anon.anon), March 29, 2004.

having a hard time finding JVC tapes,can someone let me know what stores they found them at in the USA.

Thanks in advance.

-- shelly jones (malinae2001@aol.com), March 30, 2004.

I SAW SOME JVC TAPES AT BEST BUY. I HAD THE E4 CODE AND TRIDE SOME JVC TAPES AND THEY WORKED GOOD.

-- (Corney425@hotmail.com), March 30, 2004.

I'm in the business of repairing Digital Video Cameras. Up untill a month ago I could have helped a few of you. sadly JVC have recently pulled the plug on spare parts supply to independant repairers in Australia. I can however suggest that as a replacement you can absolutly not go past "CANON". The level of Service/Parts/Backup and customer service is second to none.

Regards Peter Gilliard Western Camera & Video www.wet.net.au

-- Peter Gilliard (peter@wet.net.au), April 02, 2004.

Just my 5 cents.

I have DVL-920U. I get E03 "Eject and reinsert" message ALWAYS after 30 min of the recording OR playing time. I talked with Stacy, she described my problem as "unique" (Stacy, Thanks anyways for trying to help).

I understand that I probably can fix this problem somewhere for $300, but as far as I inderstand, this problem would happen again and I will have to pay again. So here is my solution to MY SPECIFIC problem:

I found a place where I can buy cheap JVC tapes ($2 a piece), have bought 10 of them and just use 30 min instead of 60 and just live with that. Yes I CAN live with that - I just take more tapes with me when I go shooting.

Also

Now I understand that manufacturing of poor quality camcorders is the long-term JVC policy. I am going to wait as long as I can with my solution above (until my camera dies completely). After that I am buying a new camera. Guess what brand wont be in my shopping list.

My sincere sympathies to all suffering JVC customers Thanks again, Stacy.

-- Peter (peter@aport.ru), April 13, 2004.

I have the JVC GR-D90U and just last night, It wont turn on at all. I had no other problems with it before this. I would just go buy another camera, but I really can't afford it. I use my camera to make BMX vidoes and I need this thing to work again! www.tbc.batcave.net

-- Colt Szczygiel (tbcstanley@hotmail.com), April 24, 2004.

JVC Camcorder. I borrowed the camera from my friend Amy only to have the tape jam up on me while I tried to tape something. The POS is exactly that a POS!!! Amy, your my best friend and I'm sorry I jammed up your recorder. Looks like I'm out a few bucks and probably won't be able to borrow a shovel from Amy again never mind her JVC camcorder. I ended up tapping the side of the tape holder rather sharply and the tape finally came out. I put her camera back in the bag and I promise you I will certainly not buy a JVC POS camcorder that's for sure. Just call me Lucky....

-- John L. Smith (Cttravelnut@aol.com), May 02, 2004.

WHOA. Doing a search in google on the "different formatted tape" problem I am having with my JVC GR-DVF21 and found this page. I must admit, if I was JVC I would be worried with this type of bad publicity. They suck and their customer service contact form has got to be the worst on the net. Anyway, I am getting an error notice when I turn on the camera that says, "different formatted tape". It will not let me play or record. I have used nothing but JVC mini DV tapes the whole time. This error message is not even in the users manual. I have been dealing with this headache for too long. I'm about ready to send it through the JVC dealer's window. (I live in Japan). Man what a P.O.S. Any lawyers out there?

-- Jeff Bailey (baileys@konnect.net), May 04, 2004.

Hola a todos. (Hi every one). I don't speak English as well as I wish. I fixed my camcorder RCA with the same problem (show an EO4 error + a message about removing and replacing the battery) All I did was to open the door, with my finger (the longer one) pull the heads cylinder (wich was interlocked) and released it. Now it works nicely as new. I hope this help. Regards.

-- Hector Macias G. (hmacs@mail.com), May 08, 2004.

ok, like most of you, i kept getting the error message telling me to remove and replace battery. of course this did not work. after scrolling thru all these posts, i finally hit upon this one: http://www.brutonsupply.com/cc6364.htm i followed those instructions and found that the tape (sony) had more or less fused itself onto the tape head and other parts of the apparatus. after cleaning thoroughly and putting in a new tape, it works fine. a suggestion.....do not leave the tape in the machine while not in use, especially if it is in changing environmental conditions. my problems started when i left the camcorder in the car in the winter and upon bringing it inside, had condensation error messages. hope this helps you all.

-- mark (birdman_49@hotmail.com), May 11, 2004.

RECURRENT HEAD CLEANING REQUIRED - DIGITAL NOISE PROBLEMS

After less than 20 total hours of use, my JVC GR-DVL920U MiniDV Digital Cybercam does not function correctly, nor do I have any confidence that it can be repaired to do so.

I purchased the camera as a gift for my husband in July of 2002. As new parents, we expected that we would want a camcorder to record important moments in our children’s infancy and toddlerhood. We have not been able to do so, as the camera has been out of commission or in the repair shop for most of the past year and one-half.

In September of 2003, after approximately 15 total hours of normal use, significant digital noise and a "head cleaning required" message began to appear. We followed the prescribed procedure and cleaned the video heads with a MiniDV cleaning tape. The problem was not corrected, so we sought repair of the camcorder. A rebuild of the drum assembly, supply and takeup reels was performed by JVC- authorized repair center "VCR Service, Inc." in Elmhurst, IL.

Since then, we have recorded less than two hours of tape, and the digital noise problem has again reappeared.

I have never been so dissatisfied with such a major purchase. Does anyone have any insight or suggestions? At this point, the camera is all but unusable, as the recordings it takes are so scrambled.

-- Catherine Savage (catsav@ameritech.net), May 17, 2004.

Well, the JVC DVL820U camcorder that I bought to replace the previous JVC DVF-21U that broke down last year failed too! I should have swiched then to a better brand! Too bad I found this board after the purchase!

Anyhow, the machine does not latch when I try to push the tape in, but still try to close the tape loading mechanism with the cover up and gets jammed! Error 01 shows on the screen! A common problem judging from the number of jammed JVC camcorders offered for sale at a cheap price on ebay! Notice that no other brand of digital camcorder is offered for sale in a non-functional condition!!

This trick costed me the possibility of documenting al the new and interesting cars at the NYC show last month! And another argument with my wife!

I called the JVC service center in Wayne NJ where they hypothesized that the machine mechanism could have gotten out of phase and they suggested me to bring it in for service. Nice of them! But when my wife went there, again they quoted something like $ 260 (20$ more than last year, I guess they haven't headr the current inflation rate...) to fix it! Well, I am not paying that much, especially considering that differen brands, much more reliable machines can be purchased as new for little more! I also am very dissatisfied with the quality of the video of this machine, very grainy and unsharp, worse than the DVF-21U I had before! So another paperweight in my collection, which happens to consist of 2 JVC DV camcorders!

I will make sure to advise as many people I have against buying anything from JVC and I hope that the class action lawsuit that is being started succeeds so that it will serve as an example for this and any other company against ripping off good faith customers with shoddy, faulty and unreliable merchandise!

Regards to all!!

Antonio

-- Antonio Moroni (moronia.geo@yahoo.com), May 21, 2004.

I notice on this forum that many people talk about the E04 errors and battery in safeguard mode problems. I too had these on a GR- DV9XE, but solved mine with a little investigation. They key to this problem is with the battery and it's connector. If all pins do not connect FULLY you will get this error. Especially on the smaller camcoders, the connectors are prone to dissapearing within the housing and/or twisting, resulting in a pin not connecting. This can be resolved by tapping on the side beside the connector or in more difficult situations by using a hook ended needle or a set of fine nose pliers to twist the connectors back to normal. Please be carefull though, as they are very easily broken. Also on some of the newer camcorders, a seal is sometimes left on the connectors and needs removed.

Good luck.

Anil....

-- Anil (aj@jagota.net), June 03, 2004.

I have had a problem with the tape mechanism on my JVC gr-d30. I am not able to get the tape out. In reading through some of these forums, I am extremely concerned about the number of problems people are having realated to the tape mechanisms. My camcorder was 3-1/2 months old and not even hardly used when this came up. Of course the labor part of the warrenty was up. Estimate just to look at the camera was $75.00 plus shipping both directions.

I still have not been able to get my tape out. In cantacting Stacy as she requests above at JVC I got an even higher quote to "look" at the camcorder. She even suggested I buy and analog camcorder to replace the JVC model (better indoor quality). Did not get a lot of help there. Since I can't see spending a minimum of $100.00 to repair a product that has an apperent defect in the design, I decided to Sony handycam yesterday. I give up on the JVC model. So the answer for me was to scrap the defective unit and purchase another brand.

Manufacturers seem to like for us to purchase the extended warranties. I guess it is a way to cover up defective equipment. If we have pre-paid to get the defective units fixed, then we are not squawking about them here in these forums.

I do have a suggestion for those with this problem. JVC won't fix the issue until the cost of "NOT" fixing it exceeds the "cost" of us grumbling to each other about it.

I have started going on to sites selling my camcorder that have customer reviews (such as Amazon). I review the camcorder explaining the problems I had with my unit. Even if we can't get JVC to step up to fix/replace the deffective units out there already, we can at least warn others who are in the market for a camcorder. My review on Amazon has already had 4-5 clicks that someone found the review useful. You don't have to purchase the item through them to provide a review. I am currently looking for other sites with customer review capabilities. I figure since I'm out $300.00 for the camcorder I can spend some time letting other folks know about my experiences.

2 others I have found are www.eopinions.com and www.nextag.com

-- john (John_vw@hotmail.com), June 09, 2004.

You are receiving this information because you have either agreed to participate in a collective complaint to JVC (a class-action lawsuit) or because I found your email on the Internet and you were inquiring or complaining about JVC camcorder problems. If I have reached you in error, please accept my apologies and notify me so you will not get any more emails about this.

This is the 06/01/2004 update concerning "REATTACH BATTERY" or "UNIT IN SAFEGUARD MODE" problems that affect many JVC camcorder owners. Many also have had only blank tape to show after videotaping. The problems also go by error codes such as "E01", "E03", "E04" and probably others, depending on the camera model. In the case where the unit seems to record but the tape is empty later, there is no error code, to my knowledge.

There are so many complaints on the Internet that I have started keeping track of them at http://jvc-class-action.blogspot.com/ . The earliest complaint dates back to 1997.

There are 451 people complaining on the Internet or to me about the issues listed above. They affect 78 different JVC camcorder models. There are complaints from 26 different countries (welcome the latest, ISRAEL and HOLLAND). So far 129 of these people have given me their contact information and joined this lawsuit.

Here is the number of complaints, by JVC Camcorder Model. The letter(s) at the end of the model number have been removed, as they only indicate which country or market the model was sold in. For example, if you have a GR-DVM90U model, drop the "U" at the end before looking in the following list. If you do not find your model number listed, it is because there are two or fewer complaints about that model.

MODEL # COMPLAINTS GR-DVM90 35 GR-DVL300 14 GR-DVL805 13 GR-DVL505 9 GR-DVL100 9 GR-DVX10 7 GR-DVM80 7 GR-DVF21 7 GR-DVX8 6 GR-DVL520 5 GR-DVL720 5 GR-DVM70 5 GR-DVX9 5 GR-DVP3 4 GR-DVX44 4 GR-DVL150 3 GR-DVX80 3 GR-DVL500 3 GR-DVL510 3 GR-DVL20 3 GR-DVL915 3 GR-SXM240 3

COUNTRIES COMPLAINING

ARGENTINA ITALY AUSTRALIA MEXICO AUSTRIA NETHERLANDS BRAZIL NEW ZEALAND CANADA POLAND COLOMBIA PORTUGAL DENMARK ROMANIA FINLAND SLOVENIA FRANCE SOUTH AFRICA GERMANY SPAIN GUATEMALA SWEDEN HOLLAND UNITED KINGDOM ISRAEL UNITED STATES

A legal firm is preparing the case against JVC. This process will take some time, but it will get JVC's attention. As part of their investigation, they have asked me to ask you to consider lending your camera to a mechanical engineer who is looking at the problems that affect us all.

Your camcorder would be shipped via Fedex, free of charge, insured, and returned to you a few weeks later. I for one am sending mine in, since I own the GR-DVM90, the model with the most complaints, and there is particular interest in looking at models with the highest number of complaints.

I realize the uneasiness you might feel in lending your camera to strangers, but this is a key step in the lawsuit. The lawyers need to present the case in court with a solid, convincing argument that JVC has done a poor job of designing and servicing their cameras, so the more cameras they can look at, the better. If your camera is, due to its problems, virtually unusable at this point, you would help the lawsuit and possibly get a clear diagnosis of the problem with your particular unit if you agree to send it in. If interested, drop me a line and the lawyers will be in touch with you directly.

If you have not joined this lawsuit, join now, and you will help yourself, us, and future camcorder buyers. These problems have been known to JVC for years; they affect multiple product lines, and have cost us time and money. Worse, we have lost opportunities to tape our family and other things that are important to us. Together, we have great power and cannot be ignored by JVC or asked to pay for repairs that do not work. There is no cost to you or any obligation on your part if you decide to join.

To join, send your name, address, phone number, camera model, and a description of your losses, and any horror stories to juancarrera@yahoo.com

Here is additional information about the camcorder problems. For most of us this information arrives too late to do anything about our cameras, but maybe it will help you understand your particular situation better.

Here is some information about the UNIT IN SAFEGUARD MODE and REATTACH BATTERY problems that your JVC camera is having. Everything here has to do with those errors and those errors only. I hope at the end you will understand your particular situation and be in a better position to decide what to do about your broken unit.

First of all, you should know that I am not a camcorder technician, but a consumer just like you. There are over 400 public messages on the Internet concerning these problems. There are many "solutions" described, but often they are more rumor, coincidence, and temporary workarounds than real solutions. I will try to sort through these too. I am not responsible for anything that happens to your camera as a result of your reading this document. Whatever you do is your decision and thus you are responsible for the consequences.

THE PROBLEMS

When the little motor that pulls the videotape through the camera detects that the tape is not moving at the right speed, you get the SAFEGUARD MODE error. The principle here is that the camcorder detects a problem and shuts down in order to avoid doing additional damage to the unit. This is a legitimate way of protecting itself.

The problem is that there are many reasons why the unit might not be able to move the tape, and obviously the question is: Why it is happening to my unit in particular? If your unit is still under warranty, then by all means run to JVC and have it diagnosed and repaired for free as soon as possible. Once your warranty runs out, if you start getting these errors again, it can cost over $150 just to have JVC look at it, and maybe several hundred more to repair the unit.

THE SOLUTIONS

Solution #1: Cold Reset The reason it tells you to REMOVE AND REATTACH BATTERY is not that the battery is bad, but that removing all sources of energy (battery and power cord) causes a COLD RESET. When you use the unit's on/off switch, parts of the camera are still receiving power and so you do not get the benefits of a COLD RESET. Just like your car; turning the ignition off will still power the clock and radio. You have to completely remove all power. If you are lucky, the camera will reset itself and start working again.

Solution #2: Awareness of Humidity It seems older units would issue the same SAFEGUARD MODE error message for more than one problem. For example, older units do not tell you that they are shutting down for an hour because they detected high condensation, or moisture. So you play with the camera, remove the battery, reattach it, remove the tape, reinsert it, stand on your head, pray to your god, go to the bathroom, and voila! The camera is working again. It was nothing you did, just that the humidity went down enough for the unit to start working again. So consider high humidity as a possible source of the problem. If it is a rainy day, or you are near the sea, you might never get it to work that day in that location.

Solution #3: Head Cleaning If you have never used a head-cleaning tape on your camcorder, you might give that a try. Mine has come back to life a few times by doing just that. Just don't do it too many times in a row because you can permanently damage the head. Read the instructions.

So we have covered a few reasons why these errors come and go as if by magic. They are intermittent and recurring. The camera will appear to work at times, and the next minute it shuts down.

Solution #4 : Fake Solutions Another reason why the problems come and go is that, as several technicians have reported, the problem can be a loose connector inside. That is why some people report that tapping the camera gently or rocking it side to side has brought it back to life. Some have gone as far as putting cardboard between the tape door and the tape mechanism in order to exert pressure and keep the camera working. I can only warn you that these kinds of "repairs" are temporary and likely to damage the unit further. Control your anger!

Solution #5: Compressed Air On some models, there is no shield covering the many delicate electronic and moving parts in the tape mechanism when you open it to replace the tape. A piece of dirt, grain of sand, or other debris can get caught in the tiny gears and stop movement or throw them off alignment. You can explore this possibility by getting a can of compressed air at any computer shop and blowing it into the inside of the camera. Follow the instructions, keeping the air nozzle however many inches away from the target as they say. Practice on some other object first, because if you tilt the can or hold it too close to the target you can freeze the target and do more damage than good. This applies to fingers too!

Solution #6: Tape Age, Brand, and Type

Have you tried using a brand new tape? Or only your really old ones? Try a new tape.

Now for the controversial issue of what brand of tape to use. Controversial because JVC's own Stacy Sample, Service Coordinator for JVC in Houston, TX says that "TDK and Maxell tapes tend to be two brands that are very problematic in our digital line wherein Panasonic, JVC and Fuji seem fine. We just find that TDK has the most problems, Maxell is a close second and Sony is 50% of the time. The others I mention rarely have a problem."

A different point of view I ran into is. Yes, there is an issue, but it has nothing to do with the brand, but with the tape type. There are MP and ME tapes. These two types use different particles, and different lubrication. The two lubricating materials form some sort of goo when mixed together, if you use both types of tape in the same unit. So as long as you don't mix tapes of different types, they will work just fine in your camcorder. Some refer to these types as "dry" and "wet", but I don't know which is which. In any case, it is not known (to me) how accurate this point of view of not mixing tape types is.

Solution #7: Do not store tape in unit Because of the delicate nature of the miniDV mechanism, do not store the unit with a tape inside. The theory is that a loaded tape will put pressure on parts of the mechanism and increase the chance that parts will stick together, making the tape harder to be pulled by the motor, causing the SAFEGUARD error. This might be more folklore than a real solution, but it is easy to implement and has no downside.

Solution #8: Send in for Service Let us say you have tried all of the above and your camera still will not work. Now you have to decide whether to send the camera in for repair or not. My JVC camcorder, model GR-DVM90, turns out to be the model that most frequently suffers from these problems. For that reason, I am not having the camera serviced and instead taking JVC to court in a class-action lawsuit, which you are welcome to join free of charge and with no obligation.

If you find your model on the list I provided above, and there are a lot of complaints, I would interpret that as meaning that the problem you have is not with your individual unit but a design problem. Fixing it will probably result in the problem coming back. But you will have to make up you own mind. JVC will take your money over and over again to make the same repair over and over. If you can afford to do that, great. I cannot, so we are going to court.

-- Juan Carrera (juancarrera@yahoo.com), June 14, 2004.

A common E01 problem with the JVC GR-DVL160 & look-alikes is caused by electrically conductive residues on the very end of the connector strip which connects the small front circuit panel to the main circuit panel (this residue can only be seen under a microscope). Symtoms are, the mechanism remains closed..or the cassette holder will not latch down and remains permanently raised Basically the micro cannot read the mechanism position data. The connector strip needs to be taken out & carefully cleaned with alcohol. JVC must be aware of this problem! I've repaired many of these over the last year or so.

Peter Brereton Klent Technical

-- Peter Brereton (service@klent.co.uk), June 15, 2004.

My intention in posting the above message was to point out to users that there is a common fault with a particular range of JVC cameras, and that armed with this knowledge customers may be able to get an economic and speedy repair at any competent service centre whether JVC "approved" or not! I wouldn't recommend attempting to repair your own camera without seriously considering all the other options first, and of course there is the possibility that as a result of your efforts your camera might end up beyond any hope of repair! They are very very fragile indeed!

The E01 message indicates that the mechanism has failed to either load, or E02 to unload, this can be caused by a number of other things besides the connector fault I mentioned in the previous posting. Over the last few days I have seen these fault codes on three GR-DVL160's and one GR-DVL167, in every case the fault was caused by the connector, one of the GR-DVL160's also had further (and far more serious) problems due to the customer trying to "help" the mechanism along! If the mechanism doesn’t want to move never force it. Several messages suggest the use of cotton buds dampened with alcohol to clean the mechanism, this may sound like a good idea but in practise may cause problems if fibres get wrapped around the head tips or rotating guides, or if the alcohol reacts with the adhesive sometimes used to fasten the bud to the stick. Cleaning should be limited to the use of the manufacturers recommended cleaning tape. The E04 problem so often mentioned on this forum indicates that the microcomputer can’t sense the head drum rotating, the usual cause is poor contact between the flexible connector (runs from the top of the drum assembly) and the socket it connects to. The contacts fail because at drum start-up a fair amount of current is drawn causing localised heating and oxidisation at the point of contact. This problem is not confined to JVC camcorders and one manufacturers answer was to tighten the contacts and apply a special “grease” to draw the heat away from the contact area. Hope this helps.

Peter Brereton, Klent Technical

-- Peter Brereton (service@klent.co.uk), June 22, 2004.

Hey everyone, sadly enough i have similar problems with a gr dvx 10. i keep getting a E03 message. I've found out, that if you power up in vcr mode, and then switch to camera and hit record immediately, it usually works.

just my two cents. Cheers, and good luck to everyone

-- Chris (patriot_games@hotmail.com), July 01, 2004.

Sorry no answers here either, but I've been having the E03 "Camera in safeguard mode. Remove and reattach battery" on my JVC GR- SX851U. I am using brand new Sony Tapes, and it still does it. I've tried what most of you have suggested, but there is no change. I'll keep watching the boards. Thanks!

-- Krystal Davis (davisgirl24@hotmail.com), July 01, 2004.

All other makes except Panasonic or Hitachi will run and E03 will happen.

-- thaker (pthaker@mfja.com.au), July 01, 2004.

i was just thinking how insanely ANNOYED OUT OF MY MIND i am that this E03 peice of crap sorry i, like many others have no answer, mine is so screwed...hmmm. also, can you imagine how the JVC guys would widen their eyes in disbelief if they saw the number of replies of people with this problem...just on this one page!!

JVC SUCKS....nuff said... -Andy

-- Andy Valentine (av_idiotic@yahoo.com), July 03, 2004.

f%¤& jvc bhougth my cam TODAY and after setting the date and clock and just checking the menu i let in down for 1 hour or so and then i was going to use it and the f¤%& showed e01 error ARRRRGGG

-- andreas (oas3000@hotmail.com), July 06, 2004.

ffrfr

-- (ooga@ooga.com), July 08, 2004.

ffrfr

-- (ooga@ooga.com), July 08, 2004.

I bought a jvc camera model gr-dvl725u of off ebay about 3 months ago. After a week of filming i got a error 04 message. Today i turned it on and it worked! But i don't know how long it will work for.

-- Matt (mattcurran2@hotmail.com), July 10, 2004.

I bought my JVC product at Circuit City when it was on sale.The thing is, this thing has turned into anything but a good purchase. This JVC model GRSXM26ous has just turned into a piece of crap.The EO3 error has occurred. I was smart to buy the JVC brand tapes, but it is ridiculous the camcorder is having problems within 90 days. The camcorder was purchased on 04/24/04.I mean it's 07/12/04. I need to send this piece of junk to JVC for repairs or just give it away to the Salvation Army to spare myself some agony in the long run.Lay-ta, Playas.

VMAC rules.

-- VMAC Romero (peoplesplaya7@yahoo.com), July 12, 2004.

JVC camcorders has a built-in battery that would last for 3 months without battery pack installed. So, dont use it for another 3 months until the the built-in battery drains and clears the EO error message. Then... Sell the freaking JVC camcorder to Ebay as- is...That's what I did.

-- (bobby@delacuadra.com), July 12, 2004.

Just found this site today!

I had my JVC DVM90 for 3-4 years. I purchased the extended 5 year warranty due to it costing so much. In addition to the required yearly cleaning, I have sent it in 3-4 times for the E04 Safeguard problem. It takes two weeks each time so have to plan carefully. (Hopefully I can get an in-shop time credit at some point:)) Each time got the "cannot duplicate problem" answer. Yes using JVC tapes.

I have gained a lot of info from this site and will try to put some of these ideas in use(hitting on side, etc.) at our family reunion this weekend. Normally get frustrated and send unit in. But hoping this time will be a good experience. Otherwise will contact Ms. Stacy Samples first.

If I have to send it in again, I think I now know just what to tell them on how to get it to malfunction---JUST TRY TO TAPE SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT!

-- Frederick Moore (carrizo@inu.net), July 22, 2004.

I have also had these E0x problems, for more than one year. Sometimes my JVC DVX9 worked, sometimes don´t: those well known errors messages appeared and the cam became stucked.

I have tried some suggestions but, now, based on some hints on different forums I tried to fix it: I use a 1 mm high "sponge" self- adhesive on top of the mechanism where the cassete is inserted, on the side where that mechanism is blocked when the cassete goes in. I also used cleaning cassete when I got the error message related.

Since then, my cam hasn´t failed once. It seems like new. I hope this hint help a lot of desperated people, like I was before.

Good Luck, Paulo.

-- Paulo Silva (pjosemor@netvisao.pt), July 22, 2004.

I have a GR-DVX PRO, which shows the E01 problem. There's a tape inside, and I tried everything to get it out. It doesn't open. On this tape is a family vacation video. The camera is not in use since years. How can I get the tape out... I'm going to open the case now. Any help is welcome.

-- Robert Lax (robert.lax@t-online.de), July 24, 2004.

I forgot to mention that at my GR-DVX PRO the drum does never spin, at no time. There's no motor noise when the camera is switched on. After one or two seconds E01 comes up. I read all the postings before, a reset and tapping on the side doesn't help.

-- Robert Lax (robert.lax@t-online.de), July 25, 2004.

Hello,

I have a GR-DVX and at first E04 appeared. Then I put a cleaning tape in and suddenly E03 appears! Sometimes I get E06. Maybe this garbage is programmed to spit out the error messages randomly???

By the way, tapping does NOT work on this model! Since E03 is the most frequent error message in my cam, what can I do?? How can I make the damn spindels turn??

-- Dennis (psywarfare@aol.com), July 26, 2004.

After 1 and 1/2 hours of use our GR-DV3000U displayed the E03 Safe/Mode Error. We paid over $700+ for this camera from JVC and we understand the Suggested Retail is $1999.00. We tried all the suggestions, removing the battery, trying new tapes, etc to no avail. Do you believe a camera of this quality should last longer than 1 and 1/2 hours. We certainly do. All of our other JVC Products have been of high quality and lasted many years.

We shipped the camera to the ILLinois Service Center and they have advised us, after nearly 3 weeks of waiting, that the Drum will need to be replaced at a labor cost of $209.00. Honestly, how long can this take? An hour? Do they pay the repair people $209.00 an hour? Or is the replacement part worked into this total somehow.

This camera was only used for 1 and 1/2 hours using JVC Tapes. We paid a lot of money for what we believed was a quality product. Had we known about these problems we would have bought a different product.

-- charles huff (charleshuff2002@yahoo.com), August 16, 2004.

Stupid JVC, I wish I saw this site before I bought it. I actually purchased it from QVC which is actually a quality company and has the best costumer support services ever. Well my good old jvc mini dv worked ok till about march(I bought it in decemeber 2003) when I would record and it would skip evey second and a half. Well after just letting it rest for about a week it went back to normal. Then on vacation in Colorado at the Garden of the Gods it decides now to give me the E06 message. Well that went away after about two weeks and now it just skips four times to what seems like one rotation of the tape. I have tried everything from buying jvc tapes to spending more money on cleaning head tapes. I hate JVC and I plan on giving QVC so much hell that they stop selling them. -Aaron O'Brien

-- Aaron O'Brien (thelostblueflame@yahoo.com), August 16, 2004.

Isn't the warranty on the camera's 90 days labor and 1 year parts. why didn't you guys get yor cameras fixed under warranty. my camera was fixed when my fuse blew out under warranty and was even fixed a few weeks out of my labor warranty coverage without me spending anythng out of my pocket. I have a GR-D30 that I got in 12/03 for christmas. I get a safe mode error once in awhile and was searching what to do. I will try some of the suggestions. I may have been using cheaptapes and will try the JVCs.

-- J. Bordon (bball4u@hotmail.com), August 16, 2004.

JVC came through for me.

I Emailed ssample@jvc.com and she called me right away. I also spoke to the guy at the Service Center and he said they would fix the problem for free, and pay for the shipping as well. It took some talking, not yelling, and voicing my concerns to get this action.

I'm gonna run the GR-DV3000U from day one and see if it flakes on me. If it does, I'm gonna have it re-fixed and dump it on E-bay.

They told me the biggest culprit was probably leaving the tape in the machine while not in use and also leaving the battery connected. The tape apparently lies on the head and causes havoc after long periods of time.

So far I'm happy with the response from JVC but will be very wary from here out.

-- charles huff (charleshuff2002@yahoo.com), August 17, 2004.

Whilst I would not dream of denying the reality of all these users experience, and certainly can well understand their feelings -- I've had similar frustration engendered by a certain brand of notebook computer.... I have to say that in all honesty, apart from the rare "dew" problem with any video camera taken from air conditioning into a humid environment such as we have in the tropics, I personally have not had any bad experience, and I have had four different models of JVC DV camera.

HOWEVER, the very reason I even came to this website today is because my sister, to whom I had given my old JVC DVL9000 last year, has apparently suddenly found an "EO3" message coming up with it when trying to copy to DVD.

Trying to debug a camera from 8,000 miles away is difficult, so I searched the Internet -- and arrived here, looking for an answer as to what might be causing it. Plenty of possibilities -- so now we will have to try some of them.

As regards tapes -- here in Hong Kong, there is very little difference in price between TDK, Sony, Panasonic or others -- all around US$2.60 or so. And in my experience, TDK have been no better and no worse than others. Having read all the above though, I would probably now tend to use JVC tapes in my latest JVC camera -- the DVL 2000.

However, my Sony DCR PC-120 is an even later model DV camera, and so I tend to use the JVC (which has a better zoom, but less good autofocus) mainly for copying tapes. I hope I don't have any problems in the future using it for THAT. But so far, so good.

As regards all the above contributions, I readily admit there is no arguing with experience -- just that it has not been mine. Yet, anyway.

Sincerely, Martyn G.

-- Martyn Green (kinabalu2000@hotmail.com), August 18, 2004.

Thanks for the response. Using the JVC tapes did resolve my problem. Now caan any body tell me what equipment I need to transfer my movies from my vhs-c tapes to dvd. I already have software on my computer that does this. The question is how do I hook up vhs-c camcorder to my computer. Or should I do it from the vcr. The model JVC camcorder I have is GR-SXM750U.

Thanks

-- Lisa (malinae2001@aol.com), August 20, 2004.

Just got my GR-DV3000U back, after they shipped the thing to the wrong address!!! They failed to put ('Terrace') at the end of Street. Luckily we swap mail all the time anyway, I charged the battery, slipped in a tape, and started recording right away.

So far so good. I'm gonna use this thing often, and take the battery off and take the tape out when not in use.

They ended up fixing it for free and shipped it for free.

-- charles huff (charleshuff2002@yahoo.com), August 21, 2004.

I've got a problem I didn't see addressed on this forum. I have a JVC GR-D70U that I've had less than a year. It's functioned fine up until about a week ago.

Now, I do not have a picture on either the view finder, nor the LCD screen. What I find odd though is that all my info (i.e. tape length, battery info, date, time etc.) still displays on both.

And, I get a "Lens Cap" message at start up even though the lens cap is off.

Also, I can watch recorded material on the LCD screen and view finder without a problem.

The JVC rep I talked to says he's never heard of this and to take the battery off and wait a half hour to let the unit reset. Didn't work.

I handle this thing with kid gloves and it's never been dropped or even set down hard. I'm at a loss as to what has caused this. Any help would be appreciated.

Shawn

-- Shawn Walker (shasanoli@earthlink.net), August 21, 2004.

hi, these problem are common on the jvc models, i own a jvc camcorder for 2 month, now it broke down, i did not bother fixing it, what i did was smash that pieces of crap down and took a picture of it. the picture was then sent to jvc company, i think this should show them how crapy their products are>>>hah

-- benjamin (Cory.C.Vaudt@dmu.edu), September 08, 2004.

That was real smart! If you bought it new it was under warranty. Why would you smash it?

-- (Hawkjaw065_1@hotmail.com), September 08, 2004.

Have a JVC GRD90U. The screen says "condensation operation paused". It only turns on and shows a picture, but the tape functions don't work such as recording, and watching the recorded tapes or ff and rew, etc.

What do I do. Couldn't find the manual online. Hope someone can point me in the right direction.

-- Angela Guevara (angelag@telus.net), September 10, 2004.

Re; above question. A user instruction book for your GR-DV90 can be downloaded on selecting this link. Good luck! Peter Brereton, Klent Technical

http://books.jvcservice.com/download/360174075/29531.pdf

-- Peter Brereton (service@klent.co.uk), September 10, 2004.

Hmmm...the above link worked this morning...but not a few hours later!! Try this link to search for any JVC instruction book. http://books.jvcservice.com Peter Brereton, Klent Technical. UK

-- Peter Brereton (service@klent.co.uk), September 10, 2004.

Hi all,

Thank you all for your contributions to these problems. I experienced both on my JVC GR-DVL915 which I purchased in June 2001. Within a week after purchasing the damn thing, I got the 'Clean Head' message. All I've been using since I bought it were Panasonic and Sony tapes. Guess I'll have to convert now to JVC tapes. Could JVC have designed it that way intentionally???? Just Last night I got the 'Safeguard Mode message along with E04.' The first thing I did was consult the User Manual. They said to remove the power source (battery, etc), leave it for a while until the camer resets itself. This did not work for me, so my next recourse was the internet and here is where my search lead me. When I read the first message about tapping the side of the camcorder I thought 'Yeah right!!!' by the time I read the third I decided the camera was not functioning anyway so what the heck. To my disbelief, IT WORKED. Add this to the 'Things the make you go Hmmmmmmmm...' file!

Two other comments about this camcorder, it has a digital zoom of 400X, but whenever I use this feature the shoot vibrates horribly. Also, my View Finder no longer works. Now I can only use the side display. Does anyone else have these problems?

THANKS AGAIN.

-- Barry Edwards (kolijlumni@netzero.com), September 15, 2004.

Hi all jvc customers, I bought my jvc dvl 150 at the low price of £250 from argos in the uk less than 2 years ago. Its been used a few times and each time its used its failed on me.....failed charger...error messages nad now chewing tapes.....problems fixed under 12 month warranty at first .....but now I'm on my own as argos dont want to know........perhaps they knew something selling it to me as new but was in fact a bag of trouble that had been returned several times already. Reading this site I have no doubt it was. Will try jvc.co.uk to see if they are sympathetic??? otherwise I am within reason to recommend never to buy jvc camcorders to anyone .........ever!!!!!!!!. will let you all know either way.

-- adrian naughton (haveago14@aol.com), September 18, 2004.

Hi All,

I have a JVC GRDVX 44E model. Even my camcorder gives the same error "Battery in safegaurd mode". Hope someone gives a solution for this.I think all of us should get toger and sue JVC for the same. They cannot keep shipping dirty stuff into the market.

Let the news spread across all your friends...

Cheers, Avinash

-- Avinash Neelkant (avi_neelkant@yahoo.com), September 20, 2004.

I have a JVC mini digital camcorder model GR-D70U, and I had the same problem and error message. I finally sent my camcorder to an authorized JVC service center (Aurora, IL), and they said they had to reaplace the Mechanism Assembly, and it cost me $353.69 (including labor and shipping costs).

-- Kevin Clark (koclark@mail.com), September 21, 2004.

This is another comment like so many others have said before me. I have a JVC/GR-SXM740U and have had mine about a year. I was using mine to film my children's parade at school when I got the E03 error- Remove & reattach battery, Unit in Safeguard Mode. You guessed it, I missed my children totally. I got home and took the battery off, waited and got to see the same error message again. So I decided so like many of you, to look up the error message on the internet and read the comments of so many of you, to tap the side. Instead of tapping the side I decided just to open it up and shut it again. It worked. We'll see how long it lasts.

-- Kathy Felton (feltonwjf@aol.com), September 21, 2004.

I Have a JVC Camcorder GR-SXM535U, - same thing after a year and three months got the error 3 message. After reading all of the above this is bullshit!!! Obviously they place a chip or timer or something to go out of wack after a certain amount of uses (Like a year later when warranty runs out)

-- Jose Ruiz (JRuiz1988@aol.com), September 22, 2004.

I should have known from others experience, JVC GB sucks big time.....they dont want to know and JVC GB couldn't even be bothered to give me advice on a repairer to fix it at my own expense!!!!

Paul Craig of JVC Great Britain customer services , listen

"YOU NEED RETRAINING !!!!!!"

DONT WORRY I AINT BUYING JVC AGAIN EVER.

-- adrain (haveago14@aol.com), September 28, 2004.

HI to you all. Firstly, you are all probably leaving tapes in your camera's when your not using them....don't!!!!! This will clog up your tape path with bits of your ripped tapes etc and cause you problems (safe guard mode). Use a cleaning tape every couple of months or so. Same goes with batteries. E01-unloading problems, E02-loading problems, E03-reel sensor problems, E04-Drum problems, E06- Capstan motor problems. If your in the UK you can call a company named DNH which i used and was very happy with 0208-295- 0568.

-- unknown (unknown@unknown.com), September 30, 2004.

I have had a GRDVM90 and have had the E04 Error after it was a year old. I have found that I have more problems with this error if I remove a tape to insert a new one. I believe that it is due to a intermittent connection that is aggravated by the motion of the tape transport. I have only once needed to use the tape cleaning cassette. This camera has been through about 20 tapes in four years and recently has not had the E04 error for over two tapes. Maybe the connection has gotten corroded enough that it is not intermittent..

-- William Boehly (Wboehly@AIM-MFG.com), October 01, 2004.

Hi. I've the same problem.If I try to rec cam says : head cleaning required.I've bought an head cleaning tape but when I insert It...I see E03 problem......What Can I do?Please send me an email if you've a solution. Thanks

-- Francesco (lorenzo44@inwind.it), October 02, 2004.

I have a 2 week old JVC GRD-X77 bought in Sydney . I travelled 19000 km to Europe for a 5 week holiday. Day 2 in Barcelona it said the head needed cleaning. I turn off and it was ok. Then the video images became very dark. I turn off and it was OK again. Day 3 it refuses to tuen on at all. No power light. Took it to a shop. Was not the battery or tape. The service centre in Paris said it would take 5 weeks to fix. I rue the day I read the PC Authority Review of Aug 2004 which said this was the best buy.Good in features but nobody ever tested it for reliability. I will write to them too!!Soon as I get home I will get it fixed but judging from all the letters it will probably break again. Please everybody go buy a Sony if you can Its the most reliable producy you can find.Never the JVC again.Good loooking shit!!!

-- James Ng (jameskp@bigpond.com), October 07, 2004.

Hello Stacy Sample,

I live in France and I found a forum taking about JVC' users camcorder problems: http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch- msg.tcl?msg_id=009ZB5. I found your email in the list and I would like to talk with you about my camcorder problems. I have the same problems than a lot a JVC users and I think JVC camcorders have a design problem and that this problem will be solved during waranty period and free of charge for the others camacorders like mine (2 years old).

So I have bought a JVC GR-DVX400EG camcorder ( serial N° 087551789) since july 2002. Every time I use the camcorder , I use gloves because I am always afraid to break something.

6 months ago I began to have problems with my camcorder. When I tried to fast rewind, nothing happened.

4 months ago, I keep getting messages to clean my heads.

3 month ago, I still get the E04 Error quite often. It seems to happen more when removing and inserting a tape. It does sometimes happen when I start the machine to camera mode. I believe that it is a poor connection somewhere in the drum servo control section. The drum motor spins up much higher than the normal speed and the camera senses this which causes the E04 error. I have been able to catch this before the code is sent by listening to the drum motor as the unit it booted up. If I hear that it is starting to spin too high, I tap the camera on the tape side till I hear the motor return to normal speed.

What is the problem I have and who could I solve it quickly in France - I paied my camcorder 1000 euros. Please could you help me to solve the problem with an extended waranty.

Best regards Fernand LOURENCO

-- LOURENCO (flourenco@voila.fr), October 07, 2004.

This solutions works with the E04 message on my model which is the Gr-axm230.

ok i had this problem too, it actualy happened thet night before my big black belt test, while my dad was out of town. so i was worried because the camera didnt work so i couldnt tape my test so he could watch it. So i showed my mom the camera...and under the lcd screen there are two screws close to the edge of the thing that pops out to eject tapes. so you take pout those screws. and trun OFF the power! now press down on the place above the tape, and press the eject button while it is still off. it makes a screeching sound, but then out pops the tape. This solution really worked for me, and i hope that it works for your camera too. i have gotten almost 3 years out of my camera without this message once. but the message si a real pain.

-- cameron Krutsinger (gollem89@hotmial.com), October 09, 2004.

I have GR-DVL510U. I'm facing the same mentioned problems. 1. Head/Lens cleaning message even after running head cleaning tape 2. E04 error message 3. Safegaurd mode message. When I spoke to JVC authrized repair center in NJ, they asked me $100 advance to even see the camera. Since the problem is so common ...why don't JVC company take some action to atleast keep up their good reputation. Tapping is temp. solution though. Looking for better soln. from the JVC company.

-- Pritpal (Pritpal@comcast.net), October 11, 2004.

Just had my repair estimate for my Just Very Crappy digicamera and its £120...... said very sorry to the repair man, but I was not prepaired to pay that for a 18 month old camera........will just bin it and never touch a JVC again........so end of story.

-- adrian (haveago14@aol.com), October 12, 2004.

I've had my DVL-505 for 4 years now and it just started showing the EO4, Remove/Replace battery message. I found the perfect solution. Tap the tape door, and after it started working. I then listed it on EBay and sold it for $178. I had the original box, packing and all cables. I then went out and bought a Panasonic 120 that has 3 CCD's. Great color. I bought it for under $500 from an on-line store. If yours doesn't work after tapping it, find a cliff or high building and give it the ol' JVC heave ho!!!

-- MARK THACKER (markthacker@bellsouth.net), October 12, 2004.

After taking my camera to the jungles of VietNam nearly 35 years ago, it finally stopped working. I'm going to ask my wife Teresa to buy me a new one, but it won't be a JVC.

-- John Kerry (Teresasboy@johnkerry.com), October 12, 2004.

Same problem with JVC GVL9000. Camera has been to repair center, but the problem returned. Nice to read "real solutions". It takes some time buth is rather simple and... best of all... The camera works again!

Thanks.

-- Onno (ovvriesman@wanadoo.nl), October 13, 2004.

Well after all I wrote above and the estimate of £120 from a jvc repairer to fix the problem, I tied some tdk tapes as a last resort, and guess what it went from tangling sony tapes on every insert to playing recording and rewinding the tdk's flawlessly, just by taking out the sonys and reinserting with the tdk's.

Think I'll go out and buy some jvc tapes and try those as well.

I think someone made a cock up here its either sony and their tapes, or its the jvc camera's fault that it can't cope with the sony tapes.

Psst anyone want to buy my jvc grdvl 150 ek camcorder good working order .................now.............LOL

-- adrian (haveag14@aol.com), October 15, 2004.

No answer here, just adding my name to the list. My JVC GR-DVF21 gets the "E04" error regularly. I usually turn it off, reinsert the battery and sometimes that fixes the problem. I have to do it a few times usually before the error goes away. Mine also developed the problem after warranty period expired. Let me know about the class action suit... :)

-- David Traylor (traylord@traylor.org), October 16, 2004.

Hey guys I e-mailed the JVC and they never returned my e-mail. So, I started looking for answers and like the rest of you enter "JVC E04" in the searh and came up with this site. My daughter just started crawling last week so we came to the conclusion that it just need a new battery $45.00, then I find the website. The piece of junk is not even mine its my wife's parents, they ought to love this. They bought it two years ago. I am in the process of tapping on the side just to get the tape out!!!

-- jesse davie (j9987@hotmail.com), October 16, 2004.

David isn't your model GRDVF21 like 6 or 7 years old?

-- (Funforall2575@hotmail.com), October 16, 2004.

Bought a JVC gr-d70 for 300$ because I didn't want to pay 600$ for a panasonic pv-gs120... Used it for 30 minutes, went to playback what I recorded and got E03 Unit in Safemode msg and can not play back anything. JVC sucks. Would have, could have, should haev spent the extra money for the other unit! ARGGHHHH!

-- Michelle Smith (michispoor@aol.com), October 20, 2004.

Hi I have a GR-DVL320. I can record fine in LP mode. When I want to replay the tape - the camcorder wants to play in SP mode all the time. Can't play any of my tapes. What a gem piece of equipment. Has anyone got any clues ? Or is this another problem with JVC. I am feeling VERY disheartened with all these posts. I saved for months to buy this camcorder. have I been sucked in ?

-- lorraine brown (brownwombat@hotmail.com), October 21, 2004.

Hi, I have Digital video Camere Model GR-DVL720U that is giving me problems. I keep gettting a "unit in safeguard mode" come up on the display/viewfinder. I Can't record or do anything after that message appears. I also get a E01 error along with that. Can someone help me,THANKS

-- Carlos Orellana (www.carmilcarlos@AOL.com), October 26, 2004.

EXTRA! EXTRA! JVC camcorders break even BEFORE being sold!!!!!

A couple of weeks ago I was in NYC with friends and we visited a Sharper Image Store... Among the many amazing items they carry, there was a window case full of various camcorders for sale, all powered up and working.

Well, among these there was also a current JVC model.... guess what... this wasn't working but rather showing the infamous "ERROR 01 Remove and reattach battery".

I took a picture of this interesting show.... Looks like JVC keeps not improving the shoddy quality of their products, not even in the recent models...

I am so happy that finally we all got together and started a Class Action Lawsuit against them... nothing but a very well deserved action... I just hope we can take them "to the cleaners" and all of us innocent and trustful purchaser receive the satisfaction we deserve and fair compensation for out trouble, expense, aggravation, missed opportunities, etc.

Regards to all from Antonio, twice victim of JVC shoddiness!!!

-- Antonio (moronia.geo@yahoo.com), October 28, 2004.

Well, it seems that I am another victim of JVC and I will never buy a JVC in my life. this is soooo CLEAR to me now.

-- danino (dnino@hotmail.com), October 31, 2004.

I haven't got an answer i'm afraid, but i'm another victim of the dreaded "E-04 unit in safeguard mode." I seeked help on a search engine that brought me to this forum, i've been reading through all your tips (thanks guys, i do appreciate it :-)), i've gone from tapping the side, to changing the battery, to cleaning taps, but nothing seems to work with my GR-DVP5ek. I bought it back in may 2002, and now i'm encountering my first problem, thats lasted a good 4 days now. I thought i'd have ago at some tips before i do actually take it back to the shop and get it repaired. If anyone could give me anymore tips that could possible fix my problem, i will be very very grateful. Thanks :-)

-- Jacky Wilson (jackystar4@aol.com), November 04, 2004.

I haven't a solution but a problem that just occured. I have a GR-D-70 I used my camera one evening and printed pictures (using memory card in camera), the next day I charged camera and turned it on and my lcd screen looks like a color prism with vertical colored lines and won't focus nothing. this camera is 12 months old and has been used maybe 25 to 35 pictures. Any help would be appreciated.

-- Bruce Ellis (ietechman@yahoo.com), November 04, 2004.

Sorry guys, i do not have an answer but jvc are fags

-- piggy mcpig (fuckjvc@hotmail.com), November 08, 2004.

I have a JVC GR-DVP7 camcorder for about a year now and after about 8 months the lcd screen started to gradually not work. Now about a year and a half later the lcd screen dont work at all. What could be the problem here and do you think it might be an expensive problem? Any help will be much appreciated! Email me.

-- Matt (inhere100@hotmail.com), November 08, 2004.

After dealing with the "error 04 unit in safeguard mode" problem from day one, I replaced my GR-DVM90 camcorder with a Sony DCR- DVD201 mini dvd model last week. I have missed too many important events with the JVC "POS". After last Christmas I was going to spend the money and take it in for repair but after reading several posts on this site I instead spent money for genuine JVC tapes, new JVC battery, and JVC head cleaner. That worked for about a month. I am done with the JVC brand. The camcorder will be 4 years old this December and has not had that much use. We'll see how this class action suit goes - I am all for it.

-- Bob Donovan (hamhawk80@yahoo.com), November 10, 2004.

i've just bought a jvc, and got the e03 error after the end of recording my FIRST tape, never even got to watch it back! now my replacement just arrived, and guess what? error e03. What a bunch of sloppy idiots JVC are.

Anyway, count me in on the class action. Lack of attention to making a product that works (ie does what it claims to) deserves punishment.

simon, london uk

-- simon raistrick (sr@u-xp.com), November 13, 2004.

How do we get in on the Class Action Lawsuit? Is it too late? Thanks! Elissa

-- Elissa Pagan (Ejstern1@aol.com), November 14, 2004.

Only used JVC tapes in my GR-DVP7E; early on recording on the third (unfortunately outside of warranty) reported heads needed cleaning. Duly bought cleaning tape, but didn't fix problem. Local shop sent off and reported would need new heads and cost £400 to fix!

Sought cheaper route, but so far no success. Now trying JVC Customer support, although fear easier option is to buy new.

Advice appreciated!

-- Rob Wallman (rob_wallman@hotmail.com), November 15, 2004.

I have problem in JVC camcorder purchased last october. I am having trouble getting a picture on my camcorder. When I turn it on I only see black through the lens and/or through the screen. It looks like the cap is still on the lens. Constantly gives the lens cap warning in automatic and manual modes. Will only record sound. LCD is black with only warning message.

-- pankaj madhani (pmmadhani@yahoo.com), November 15, 2004.

same problem... unit in safeguard mode... e04 error. i get lucky sometimes and it'll work, but never for too long. i'm having trouble finding any JVC dealers around my area. i've had this problem for almost 2 years now...

-- jaime r. (jmejay333@comcast.net), November 15, 2004.

I have same problem in JVC camcorder(JVC GR-D90U) purchased last october. I am having trouble getting a picture on my camcorder. When I turn it on I only see black through the lens and/or through the screen. It looks like the cap is still on the lens. Constantly gives the lens cap warning in automatic and manual modes. Will only record sound. LCD is black with only the warning message.

-- pankaj madhani (pmmadhani@yahoo.com), November 15, 2004.

I have problem in JVC camcorder(JVC GR-D90U) purchased last october. I am having trouble getting a picture on my camcorder. When I turn it on I only see black through the lens and/or through the screen. It looks like the cap is still on the lens. Constantly gives the lens cap warning in automatic and manual modes. Will only record sound. LCD is black with only the warning message.

-- pankaj madhani (pmmadhani@yahoo.com), November 15, 2004.

Hey guys, I just can't believe how many people are disappointed over this JVC thing. I found out about all this complaints just now because I was also looking for a solution. MY GR-DMV90U just crapped last night when I was ready to show off my last trip to Paris a few weeks ago. What a deception. I guess there's no solution for crap. The only good feeling is that I am not alone on this. We should get together and make this a national issue on a fashion that would attract the media and that will be it, JVC will crap too.

ASA

-- Anthony Soares de Almeida (Garcetz@aol.com), November 21, 2004.

I don't have an answer but my JVC camcorder is showing E02 error and keeps telling me replace battery.It's on the battery pack and I can't open it to get the tape out.Any suggestions?

-- R.O. (wjane31@aol.com), November 22, 2004.

I have a JVC cAMCORDER gr-ax 460/260 i HAVE HAD IT SOME 10 YEARS AND IN THE MAIN IT HAS BEEN OK, HOWEVER THE INTERMITTANT FAULT E04 has appeared over this time and now is "fully restident"!! I will kick that unit round my front room if it does not work never mind the "tapping" of the side!! This whole JVC thing smells of poo and I for one will never be replacing ANY of my electrical gear with JVC> LONG LIVE THE QUALITY THAT IS SONY!! Hasta la vista baby!! Now give your camera a damn good kicking and at least you will have had the satisfaction of letting out your anger with these fraudsters. Good luck!!

-- paul alexander (paul.alexander@oceanfree.net), November 22, 2004.

You have had something 10 years and your complaining it is havig a problem now!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yep that's crappy quality if I ever saw it! what an idiot you are!

-- Rodney (DamYankees41@excite.com), November 23, 2004.

if u didnt hear or read this before this si my answer to the e04 problem, and it actualy works

This solutions works with the E04 message on my model which is the Gr-axm230. ok i had this problem too, it actualy happened thet night before my big black belt test, while my dad was out of town. so i was worried because the camera didnt work so i couldnt tape my test so he could watch it. So i showed my mom the camera...and under the lcd screen there are two screws close to the edge of the thing that pops out to eject tapes. so you take pout those screws. and trun OFF the power! now press down on the place above the tape, and press the eject button while it is still off. it makes a screeching sound, but then out pops the tape. This solution really worked for me, and i hope that it works for your camera too. i have gotten almost 3 years out of my camera without this message once. but the message si a real pain.

-- cameron krutsinger (gollem89@hotmail.com), November 26, 2004.

Sorry no answer just more of the same problem. Have a JVCGR D30US and after using it for a couple of times it gave me the e04 camcorder in safegaurd. remove power and wait one minute, put it back on power and it will be ok. WRONG!! It now will not accept a tape. It will close the tape compartment if there is no tape in it but not with a tape. If you decide to start a class action suit let me know and count me in. They want more than I paid for the thing just to fix it and the way it sounds it sill just happen again. Thanks.

-- earl shane (e3a1995@yahoo.com), November 26, 2004.

Same problem as everyone else. I have a 18-month old JCV DR-D70U with a "E03 Safeguard" error message. A local repair shop wants $264USD to fix it. I saw this website and e-mailed Stacy Sample at JVC. Hopefully she can do something for me. I don't want to spend the money to get it fixed it will happen again.

I'm debating whether to just go and buy a new camera (not JVC, of course)

-- Tori McAndrews (mcandrewstori@hotmail.com), November 27, 2004.

I have a GR-DVL 40E (now 6 years old) and I have a similar problem, when it first occured (4 years ago) It was out of warrenty and took it to a specialist, it cost £120 to repair, no explaination given. The problem re-appeared. After losing my temper with it, I hit it on the side and to my amazement it starting working. As they obviously have no intention of addressing this problem I suggest JVC include a statement in their trouble shhooting guide to the effect:

'In the event of this error code appearing switch off camcorder strike firmly on the side once, switch on and use as normal. If reliability is required then each time before use strike firmly on the side once, switch on and use as normal. JVC will accept no liabilty for any injury occuring to any person whilst performing this necessary action'.

Hope this helps.

-- Michael Compton (michaelcompton@sterilization.fsnet.co.uk), November 29, 2004.

Hello All, As an electronic instructor for over twenty years the last thing I wanted to do was "tap" on the side of a digital camcorder. Two light taps with my fingertips on the tape side of my GR-DVL725U got it recording again! Glad I tried it before I bought the cleaning tape. Wow!

-- Jim Stanmore (jimstanmore@hotmail.com), November 29, 2004.

"E04" is a devil possesd in ma JVC. Haunting for 13 months now - Thanks to google I see many people in same boat, I tried some of the tricks above - Devil/problem is unsolved. Last trick is to change or buy new tapes to JVC or USE JVC tapes only. or may endup taping a garlic to keep evil spirts away.

Wanted to know, Is there any body in New Jersey who can fix this?

-- Jay (jaytherecruit@hotmail.com), December 02, 2004.

I too have bought a JVC camera but have not found a way to get the safe guard off if anyone can find an answer please send it to me.

-- Stephen Minotti (FlashMinotti 07@aol.com), December 04, 2004.

Bah. No answer, but another complaint about JVC:

I have a JVC GR-D70US. It's about a year since I got it. It is in brand new condition; I've used it all of five times, literally.

When I took it out on Thanksgiving, it wouldn't work. I am getting a picture on the LCD screen, but it's scrambled with these bleary vertical lines. I cannot see through the viewfinder - almost as if the lens cap was affixed. Tape playback is immaculate, so I know it is not the LCD screen itself. There must be something in the viewfinder that is amiss; I'm finding similar reports on the internet. When I record, I do see shapes and light in the LCD, but they are so smeared because of the scramble, they are pretty much unrecognizable.

Contacted JVC, very rude, want $50 bucks for an ESTIMATE. Comet Camera in Philadelphia says:

Hello!

We do service the camera model you mentioned and the standard cost to Clean, Lube, Repair and Adjust all functions to meet manufacturers specifications is $295.00 plus $15.00 for return shipping.

All video repairs have a 90-DAY WARRANTY!

Please Note: Units over 5 years old have limited parts available.

Pack your equipment securely and insure it properly. Send it to:

COMET CAMERA AND VIDEO REPAIR 1209 WALNUT STREET PHILADELPHIA, PA. 19107

How much money do I have? That's more than half of what I paid for the camera LAST YEAR. This is ridiculous, and I will NEVER BUY JVC again. Seriously, save yourself the trouble.

Thanks for listening!

-- Megan York (myork@domus1.com), December 09, 2004.

No answer here, but a suggestion. Find out how to disable\short whatever sensor is responsible for the error message. 50 bucks says that if sensor can be tricked into thinking nothing is wrong, your cams will work just fine. Most sensors are tripped when a circuit is switched from open to closed or vise versa. Of course a layman will have a tough time figuring this out, but someone has to be a friend of a JVC technician or have access to a JVC repair manual.

-- David (dksrrs@everskc.net), December 13, 2004.

JVC are full of shit and dont know what to do about repairs they just make it up on repairs !!!

-- scottie (scottiesdisco@hotmail.com), January 02, 2005.

re Faulty screen A JVC technician here in Australia suggested rotating the external viewer screen - it worked for me. I also find overheating to be a problem when copying several tapes onto VHS (esp. loss of sound) - turn off camcorder for a while and start again.

-- michael grunwald (mail@hr-translations.com), January 05, 2005.

I bought the JVC GR-D200 model and have had none of the problems you have reported, however I do have problems connecting it to the PC via Firewire, in other words, IT DOSNT RECOGNISE the Camera is not communicating with the PC which is quite annoying as USB gives such terrible quality

-- James (jay646464@aol.com), January 07, 2005.

On the fire wire connection issue. Make sure you have the proper hardware/software installed in your pc. The cam does not communicate with the pc....the pc communicates with the cam. Try Pinnacle Studio 8 or a similar program to run fire wire type functions. USB is for photo transfer and Fire wire is mostly for video transfer. The cam's don't come with hardware in the box for firewire...usually they just come with a video editing program. The cam's just come with the ability for firewire functions out of the box....they won't automatically connect without your pc set up with the right programs Hope this helps.

-- Hawk (Hawkjaw065_1@hotmail.com), January 07, 2005.

no answer just one more unsatisfied gr-dvm90 user. I have the same problems. I bought the 5 year extended warranty luckily and have finally found out that when you get the half screen that means the board is gone. Even though it says head cleaning. If the shop cleans it and says it works fine just let them leave it on record for 45 min. to an hour and it will break again. That's when they fixed mine. Also had to replace the drum 1 month out of the original 1 year warranty. It's been back to the extended warranty people 6 times now. I've got 60 days left on my extended warranty and it just broke again. Won't play. Turns itself off after 2 seconds. I think this happened once before and it was board. Oh well, 1 last time.

-- mark childers (ms_childers@yahoo.com), January 11, 2005.

As a result of my previous postings (search for “brereton” on this forum) I have had a number of requests for help from readers. If you wish to have you camcorder repaired (UK only) contact me at;

Klent Technical, c/o Homer Brothers, 105-109 Windmill Hill, Colley Gate, Cradley West Midlands, B63 2DB

Phone 0121-550-8624 E-mail, service@klent.co.uk

Klent Technical was established by myself in 1989 to provide a camcorder repair and maintenance service for dealers across the country. Prior to 1989 I was senior technical engineer at Sony UK (Oldbury), specialising in the maintenance of video, camcorder and professional audio products. As a member of Sony's technical support team, my responsibilities included offering technical advice and assistance to retailers and service departments throughout the UK. Three times winner of the Sony national service competitions, I represented the UK in Tokyo on two occasions. Other satisfied customers include, Ministry of Defence, British Aerospace, Lucas, National Sound Archives and various audio/video post-production houses. If you have been less than impressed with your current servicing arrangements in terms of price, reliability, or just plain incompetence, please give me a call..…. it shouldn’t and doesn’t have to be that way !!

Peter Brereton, Klent Technical.

-- Peter Brereton (service@klent.co.uk), January 18, 2005.

As a result of my previous postings (search for “brereton” on this forum) I have had a number of requests for help from readers. If you wish to have you camcorder repaired (UK only) contact me at;

Klent Technical, c/o Homer Brothers, 105-109 Windmill Hill, Colley Gate, Cradley West Midlands, B63 2DB

Phone 0121-550-8624 E-mail, service@klent.co.uk

Klent Technical was established by myself in 1989 to provide a camcorder repair and maintenance service for dealers across the country. Prior to 1989 I was senior technical engineer at Sony UK (Oldbury), specialising in the maintenance of video, camcorder and professional audio products. As a member of Sony's technical support team, my responsibilities included offering technical advice and assistance to retailers and service departments throughout the UK. Three times winner of the Sony national service competitions, I represented the UK in Tokyo on two occasions. Other satisfied customers include, Ministry of Defence, British Aerospace, Lucas, National Sound Archives and various audio/video post-production houses. If you have been less than impressed with your current servicing arrangements in terms of price, reliability, or just plain incompetence, please give me a call..…. it shouldn’t and doesn’t have to be that way !!

Peter Brereton, Klent Technical.

-- Peter Brereton (service@klent.co.uk), January 18, 2005.

As a result of my previous postings (search for “brereton” on this forum) I have had a number of requests for help from readers. If you wish to have you camcorder repaired (UK only) contact me at;

Klent Technical, c/o Homer Brothers, 105-109 Windmill Hill, Colley Gate, Cradley West Midlands, B63 2DB

Phone 0121-550-8624 E-mail, service@klent.co.uk

Klent Technical was established by myself in 1989 to provide a camcorder repair and maintenance service for dealers across the country. Prior to 1989 I was senior technical engineer at Sony UK (Oldbury), specialising in the maintenance of video, camcorder and professional audio products. As a member of Sony's technical support team, my responsibilities included offering technical advice and assistance to retailers and service departments throughout the UK. Three times winner of the Sony national service competitions, I represented the UK in Tokyo on two occasions. Other satisfied customers include, Ministry of Defence, British Aerospace, Lucas, National Sound Archives and various audio/video post-production houses. If you have been less than impressed with your current servicing arrangements in terms of price, reliability, or just plain incompetence, please give me a call..…. it shouldn’t and doesn’t have to be that way !!

Peter Brereton, Klent Technical.

-- Peter Brereton (service@klent.co.uk), January 18, 2005.

As a result of my previous postings (search for “brereton” on this forum) I have had a number of requests for help from readers. If you wish to have you camcorder repaired (UK only) contact me at;

Klent Technical, c/o Homer Brothers, 105-109 Windmill Hill, Colley Gate, Cradley West Midlands, B63 2DB

Phone 0121-550-8624 E-mail, service@klent.co.uk

Klent Technical was established by myself in 1989 to provide a camcorder repair and maintenance service for dealers across the country. Prior to 1989 I was senior technical engineer at Sony UK (Oldbury), specialising in the maintenance of video, camcorder and professional audio products. As a member of Sony's technical support team, my responsibilities included offering technical advice and assistance to retailers and service departments throughout the UK. Three times winner of the Sony national service competitions, I represented the UK in Tokyo on two occasions. Other satisfied customers include, Ministry of Defence, British Aerospace, Lucas, National Sound Archives and various audio/video post-production houses. If you have been less than impressed with your current servicing arrangements in terms of price, reliability, or just plain incompetence, please give me a call..…. it shouldn’t and doesn’t have to be that way !!

Peter Brereton, Klent Technical.

-- Peter Brereton (service@klent.co.uk), January 18, 2005.

I have an older (2000) JVC VHS-C camcorder that both eats tapes during eject, and is currently having the "battery in safeguard mode".

I am an electrical engineer, so I figured I might as well try fixing it before junking it.

I noticed that during the "safeguard" mode problem it sounds like the tape drive motor is turning but the tape isn't moving. So I totally disassembled it, and sure enough the drive is slipping. It doesn't have enough oompth to actually move the tape.

Sure enough there is a clutch that doesn't have enough friction to drive normal (e.g. non-JVC) tapes. Over time the clutch "wears" and slips too much. The clutch consists of two plastic gears with a very thin felt washer between them. A spring pushes the plates together and is supposed to creat just enough friction to turn the tape but not enough to break the tape during a jam or fault.

I am currently modifying the clutch to have better performance. Of course, putting this thing back together is like brain surgery. I don't know I'll be totally successful or not.

Don't try this at home unless you're good at taking apart old pocketwatches!!

Moral of story: I think JVC has design flaws in the drive mechanism. Probably cheaper just to junk it and get another brand.

-Todd

-- Todd Thuss (todd.thuss@adtran.com), January 18, 2005.

CHECK YOUR TAPE AND WHERE IT GO I DID IT TO MINE AND NOW IT WORK FINE GOOD LUKE

-- CAZ (CAZ61@BLUEYONDER.COM), January 18, 2005.

My JVC GR-DVM5 camcorder had the E04 problem recently - after other approaches (power cycling etc.) failed, I found the fix at your site - gave it a "sharp knock" on the side - this instantaneously fixed the problem and the camcorder has been working just fine ever since. Thanks a lot!

-- Salil Dave (salildave@hotmail.com), January 19, 2005.

No answer. I buy pallets of customer returns; the company I deal with gets about a hundred of the JVC camcorders every week, and an employee told me that most of them have the "safeguard error". I thought that if there was a really easy solution, I might be able to buy a pallet of them and fix them, maybe make a few dollars. Looks like it's a design flaw, like with the JVC HX series stereos which the same return center receives in large quantities. The problem with those is a sub-standard cap; if you turn up the volume when the temperature is 80 degrees or higher, it blows and cuts power to the amplifier; the unit quits producing sound. Real crap for $399 retail. It would have cost them about an extra 40 cents per unit to use higher-rated caps. Probably the same problem with the cameras: accounting buys cheapo parts for a high-dollar unit and they hope it lasts till the warranty runs out. Nothing illegal; just a really rotten business practice. Beware of companies that sell high-end products made with sub-standard parts.

-- george (georgemarvin2001@yahoo.com), January 20, 2005.

my mach just received a "knock" on the side and he's happy now, planning to purchase a sony this time.

-- jvc sucks (jvcsucks@home.com), January 23, 2005.

Ok, so we know the cameras are crap. (Mine is GRDVF21U, granted several years old but used less than 50 hours.) The question is: Can the tapes be repaired? All the ones my camera has jammed appear to be holding too tight on one side to rewind. But then again I saw something about a release in the center of mini DV tapes? Can someone specifiy where that is?

-- vicki (z32lady@yahoo.com), January 24, 2005.

i recently bought a JVC GR-DVL720U at a yard sell and i never Had a Porblem like this Finding a Driver... lol if someone can help me find or email the driver to me i would be very very thankful i got Pics of family i canty get off TY

-- Michael Morrow (cutemike32246@hotmail.com), February 04, 2005.

Sorry the OS is Windows Xp

-- Michael Morrow (cutemike32246@hotmail.com), February 04, 2005.

Try JVC.com for support or you can buy the driver on line where you buy accessories on the site. I found it under accessories for your model #...it's easy see below. Also for the updates on your model for XP go to this link below and it will take you right to it or go to JVC.com and go to service and support > software updates and read from there. Hope this helps you.

http://www.jvc.com/custrel/index.jsp

YOU CAN BUY THE CD ROM ON THE ACCESSORY PART OF THE SITE: CD ROM ASSY LY32210-023A $30.13

-- Secret (HappiCampr@hotmail.com), February 04, 2005.

I have GR-DVL 160.My problem is that whenever I record something, nothing appears to have been recorded. When I playback tapes that I have previousley viewed. Nothing. It came up with the heads need cleaned, which I did, but still nothing. Any ideas.

-- kenny (btstartanarmy@yahoo.co.uk), February 06, 2005.

Not to burst anyone's bubbles here but in searching for my error codes I ran accross alot of sites that show many other brands of camcorders that have similar symptoms. I laughed at how many people in this thread said "I will never buy JVC again" or even better that they will only buy Sony. I thought the same thing until I read allot of sites. I have pasted a few links for you all to check. I just needed to point out that for everyone who thinks JVC is the only brand having a problem, Sony and Canon have many upset people on threads too how their models are having almost the same errors and people saying they are wacking the units to get them to work. Canon customers are yelling Class Action and Sony customers are vowing they have poor service and will never buy thier product again or how bad the warranty periods is. Seems all companies have the same 1 year parts and 90 day labor coverage. How humorous is this all getting?

Anyway I wanted to show all of you who think they have been ripped off by one company should take time and see that other brands have problems too very similar to what JVC customers are saying they are experiencing. I guess it is easy to say you'll buy another brand when you are mad at another. Funny part is those other brands have the problems too. Just had to give my 2 cents as have most people on this site. I have learned allot I must add. I guess I need to be more open minded and not so tunnel vision in my frustration for answers.

These links below are for Canon, Sony and Panasonic all having similar failure issues. Too may threads to post all but you will get the picture. Maybe you will find it interesting like I did.

Enjoy a cold brew while you read these links.

J.B.

http://www.digital-world.info/viewtopic/t-1441/postdays-0/postorder- asc/start-0.html

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/bbs/t108270.html

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/bbs/t111426.html

http://www.digital-world.info/viewtopic/t-1409/postdays-0/postorder- asc/start-3.html

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/bbs/t110009.html

http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-7593-0.html? forumID=58&threadID=47877&messageID=603369

http://reviews.cnet.com/Sony_DCR_TRV350/4852-6500_7-20794149.html? pn=1&fb=2&ob=0

-- J. Biggs (Fourtune500_2463@hotmail.com), February 08, 2005.

Yes, all manufacturers have reliability issues...some more than others. Having personally serviced around 60 to 80 camcorders every month for the last 15 years or so I can assure you that Sony still produce the most reliable and best made camcorders around!

Peter Brereton, (Klent Technical)

-- Peter Brereton (service@klent.co.uk), February 10, 2005.

Hi, I have been reading the messages below because I have a JVC camcorder (GR-DVX8) since January 2001. Today I've just bought a Conceptronic Firewire Card and when I was going to try it with my camera I've found the E04 error on the monitor. The camera doesn't work anymore. What can I do?

-- Marta Ripollès (mripolles@hotmail.com), February 21, 2005.

The obvious solution is this...

Go to Wal-mart, or any retailer that offers a return policy on JVC products, and purchase JVC video cameras when you need to use one, and then use it for a period less than their return date. Return the camera before the return date expiration, and get a refund.

Put a message in the box that says "E03/E04/all errors resolution-my terms".

This is the only way that JVC will get the message.

Wal-mart will not be able to sell the opened boxes as new, and even if they do, the customer will be more wary of the problems that might arise with the unit, and will be more likely to return the unit with the least problems exhibited.

For each of you who does this, post the experience here, until JVC gets the hint.

This is guerrilla support.

Jimmy

-- Jimmy Fingers (mysticolor@hotmail.com), February 22, 2005.

I was googling JVC camcorders and started reading the postings out of curiousity. First thing first. does anyone know where to find the software disc and power cord for a GRDX77 camcorder. I lost mine when moving and the stores don't carry them. Second thing, i had to say something about the last posting. Are you saying that people should lie to a store if they are not really having a problem? If people are mad at JVC, is lying a solution or just revenge? My other camcorder was a JVC and I had it for 4 years before I had any problems and I used it all the time. I just needed a fuse after using a car charger that blew it, but no big deal. My little brother uses the cam now since I got a new, smaller one. Anyway I guess I understand being upset but I don't see the justification of lying. CAT

-- Cathy (Catnapper23@yahoo.com), February 23, 2005.

Well said!

-- Peter Brereton (service@klent.co.uk), February 24, 2005.

I agree Peter, well said Cat. My opinion on all this now is that when you read these posts (which I find in some cases as a form of humor now) I think some peoples anger clouds their ability to act like an adult. There are a few people with level thinking on the thread (they are the ones not using the "F" word or a similar colorful adjective) but this idea of building an army of liars seems a bit childish and a bit off the hook. It reminds me of something you would expect to find on a playground of sixth graders. I can hear it now "hey guys, lets get so and so in trouble by telling everyone they did something bad". Come on man, grow up!! all you will do with that idea is make prices go up in stores because extra employee time is spent returning equipment that is really working fine. If prices go up at Walmart, i'm screwed! My wife buys everything there and she'll be in a bad mood and that leads to my misery, bla bla bla LOL!! Didn't you read my post jimmy? Read around the net on all brands of camcorders. The info I found is an eye opener regarding the industry as a whole. I was mad at first when I started reading all this but regrouped after I researched the web. The wonders of technology brings all things to your doorstep like the old fashioned encyclopedia or vacuum sales man. BUT, just because it is presented to you as one thing, does not mean you are being told the whole story during the sale. Basically don't buy everything you read as gospel on the internet, you may be really reading the Cyber-Enquirer. (was that deep or what!!)

PS: That cold brew I mentioned calms the nerves too.

J.B.

-- J. Biggs (Fourtune500_2463@hotmail.com), February 25, 2005.

hi iam from holland sorry i dont have a answere of your problem, but what i do now is that jvc sucks. i do have the model grd-30 only problems, problems, and......yes problems. but now iam hapy. whay??? i trow the camera in the whater(€600.-) and buy a sonny.

-- mustafa (musbay@msn.com), February 28, 2005.

The answer for me was to read the directions and newsgroups to figure the problem out.

The Sony tapes have used a wet or wetter lubricant or coating on the tapes. When they are put into a JVC camcorder, the camcorder senses what it considers to be condensation... the Sony lube... and it turns itself off to protect against humidity damage.

The simple first step is to STOP using Sony tapes of any kind in this unit. According to several sources on the internet, the Sony brand is one of two actual OEM brands of tape. The other is Panasonic, and they farm out theirs to Fuji, JVC, etc.

I believe that all of these others (other than Sony) might be fine in the JVC, but if you're reading this forum, chances are that you've either used a Sony tape at one time at another, or someone else has.

Or, you might just be in a humid environment. I live in Houston, so it's very important to use dessicant packets in and around your camcorder storage. These are the "Do not eat" packets found in camera bags and shoe boxes.

I would double and triple up on these packets. I stored my JVC GR- D31U with a bunch of these packets after having problems with humidity errors. I also stopped using the Sony tapes, or any tapes that had been used with my Sony TRV900. I switched to the Panasonic tape, and it worked like a charm. No more problems with E03, firewire artifacts or malfunctions that occurred regularly with the Sony tapes.

If you're problem is bad enough, you might have to have the heads cleaned, but I would be careful how you did it, and who you let do it, because, remember, many tape head cleaners are using fluids and liquids, either added or originally embedded in the cloth tape, if I'm not mistaken.

If I had a JVC camcorder that didn't work after switching to non- sony tapes, and I didn't want to trust the camcorder to someone cleaning it who didn't understand all of this or if I didn't want to spend the money, I would probably try some virgin, untouched q-tips, and wipe any of the surfaces that look like they could come in touch with tape. Make sure that you don't leave any cotton strands in the compartment. Please correct me if this would be dangerous to the drum, but if it's a last ditch effort, and you're not using the camcorder anyway, then this might be worth it, I don't know.

This is a very common sense approach to a very common problem. I spent several nights mulling over this, and the solution came to me with rest and breaks away from the problem.

The camera works fine now. Just use the information here, and let me know if it works for you.

Another problem that I had initially was not using the correct ac adaptor. ONLY use the original equipment JVC adapter. The wrong one can drive the logic in this machine temporarily NUTS!

Good luck, and let me know if you have any other observations or revelations,

Jimmy

-- Jimmy Fingers (mysticolor@hotmail.com), March 01, 2005.

Well Jimmy glad to see you calmed a bit.

What you wrote seemed very familiar from other posts prior as to potential problems with some other tapes. I did retrace back to older posts and as early as Jan 2004 and beyond, specifically ones on 1-13-04, 2-8-04 and others after that addressing tape issues and using genuine JVC equipment. No one seems to have wanted to believe or consider what you have figured out to be actually true in your case since your problem did go away and the camcorder is actually fine.

Being a self admitted hot head earlier in life (somewhat calmer in old age. Is 36 old? LOL) I have learned and maybe you too from the tone of your post that it can be easy "after" you power read thru most of the posts to assume you are one of the unlucky folks with a LEMON. Then you find yourself typing a scathing post because you read angry posts, got mad, flew off the handle and blamed the camera quality instead of thinking outside the box. The rational part of the brain does not seem to engage for most of these folks, you had me worried until now. (I think that section of the cerebellum is small on these big brains of ours) Maybe just mine LOL!!!

Anyway, beer helped me mello out and you said rest helped you get past the "pissed off zone" and enter the "chill out zone". Maybe that girl helping people has good info and no one wants to admit she may have a point.

As I was pondering an example came to me. A car is a good example on this for comparison. We have allot of motor oil brands to chose from. Some we learn or are told perform better than others. If I am told one works better over another that is not recommended, but I still choose the poor quality one, I can't yell at anyone if my car performs worse with the lesser quality oil. Duh! I was told!!

Remember back in the day they had beer in a white can that said "Beer" in black letters? My buddies told me generic beer tasted like crap, but I thought what the hay and chose to drink it anyway. Who do I blame for that decison when I was informed ahead of time? (note to self: listen to buddies!) I know now that it is always Miller Time for me now on LOL!

My opinion (if anyone cares) is that EITHER people want solid advise, would rather just be angry souls OR maybe they act like it to justify their reason to bash someone or sue someone.

glad you decided against the "Guerrilla" driven Walmart return retaliation idea. At least it seems you are not advocating it anymore. I will keep your info in mind with our camcorder. I have already switched to mostly Panasonic tapes or JVC's do to my educational stroll thru "internet land" and I am happy to report so far so good. This site can be informative but mostly it is just my odd need for entertainment. J.B.

-- J. Biggs (Fourtune500_2463@hotmail.com), March 02, 2005.

That being said, these companies shouldn't be selling a camera that says "MiniDV" on the side when it should say "MiniDV-JVCC" (JVC Compatible) since it specifically needs non-Sony tapes to work.

Using a platform, and then stepping away from it, is what has us all confused. We assume that all of these units that say "MiniDV" are probably buying parts and assemblies from the same factory and rebadging. I mean, c'mon, look at the tapes themselves... Fuji, Panasonic, JVC... all Panasonic, except for the Sony branded ones. Who would've thought that they were using different compositions and levels of lubrication?

We're used to generics in everything else that we do. Why would we feel out of line by using a different brand of tape than what the manual recommends? I have an excuse, I received my camcorder without a manual. But, I guarantee that I would have used Sony tapes after seeing the warning. Because I have a huge archive of Sony tapes, and also because we've been being told for 40 years that our cars need "genuine GM parts" and the similar parts sold by Autozone have a lifetime warranty and cost less than half the price of the ones at the dealership. Sometimes, even BETTER than the OEM GM parts.

JVC needs to put this huge on every camcorder door and every box. Kind of like Chrysler transmission fluid, ATF +4. Chrysler transmissions have a bad reputation for breaking down. My mechanic and I figured out that 95% of all Dodge and Chrysler breakdowns were because people DIDN'T USE THE RECOMMENDED TRANSMISSION FLUID, AND TRIED TO USE REGULAR DEXRON MERCON WITH AN ADDITIVE!!!!!

Using off brand or workarounds is tricky business. Before this experience, I would have been leery of trusting the "only use original XXXXX tapes/parts/fluids/etc."

But, now, I am more aware than ever of possible discrepancies, and I have learned a lot.

The irony of the "guerrilla" tactic is that you may be damaging your Sony tapes by playing them on the JVC camcorders that you switch every 30 days.

Don't throw away those dessicant packets!

Excuse me, I'm going to go brew some Sam's Club coffee, complain about how awful this cardboard tasting liquid tastes, and send some complaints to the manufacturer of my coffee maker!

JF

-- Jimmy Fingers (mysticolor@hotmail.com), March 02, 2005.

Ok Jimmy, now you got my curiousity up to actually do what most people don't do and read my manual. It won't make Oprah's reading list but it is quite informative. (yes I have seen Oprah and do maintain my manhood) Moving on---for all of you that actually have not read the dreaded manual, give it a try you may learn something new -- it is a nail biter!! Kidding..LOL!!

It is time to reflect on my newly aquired education. Let me share if I may.

OK here are a few tidbits of info I found out. If you already know the answers don't bother dusting off the manual and reading it, you are a genious already. If you do not know some of them, you better get your readin clothes on and sit awhile. (Miller Gen Draft helps too)

Did you know that a "jittery image" on the LCD monitor could possibly be from your speaker volume being up to high? (I didn't) Did you know that malfunctions can be caused by something as simple as using your product near strong magnetic or electric fields? (I didn't) Did you know that you should remove the tape and the battery when you are done using the camcorder? (Actually I did know that but did you?) Did you know that if your camcorder is in zoom, record standby or using the LCD monitor it significantly reduces the recording time of the battery? (I kind of figured this one out myself but now I have seen it in black and off white which enforces my mental notes from the past)

Ok, here are two I am actually guilty of. 1. Allow the cassette holder to load and eject at its own speed don't try to hurry it up by pushing on it or trying to close the cabinet door before it is fully inside. I have gotten in a hurry and closed the door right on the cassette holder several times and the camcorder malfunctioned. I also have pushed the top part of the holder down in the wrong place and not where marked which has not caused me problems yet but I read it could sooooo I will stop that too. Oh and tapes seem to be differnt too from what I have read on line and now Jimmy has added his info to my heap of knowledge. I guess that would be hard to put in a manual since manuals are generalized. How could any company know exactly how every company makes their tape materials?

There is alot of good information that no one would even consider would affect a piece of equipment. If you can stay awake long enough reading the manual, it seems JVC has tried to cover most possible scenarios that a human being could encounter but I guess you would need a book as thick as a Grisham novel if you wanted to add every single possible thing that can ever happen. I am sure McDonalds never in their wildest dreams thought they would have to put "Caution- hot liquid" or whatever it says on their coffee cups for the few lifeforms on this planet that could not figure that out for themselves. I am not saying some things are cut and dry to figure out. My point is that I or we cannot expect EVERYTHING to be noted in the operation manual. You would have to own one hell of a large camera bag to carry it (or get a burro to follow you with it on vacation..LOL)

I guess some things we decide to own and operate force us to attempt to think outside the box as I have said before or at least read the book, the whole book and nothing but the book. I might add that listening to advice with an open mind might actually work. I have learned some good info just from Jimmy and other postings that don't include profanity. As usual, thanks for the entertainment and enlightenment. J.B. Out!!

-- J. Biggs (Fourtune500_2463@hotmail.com), March 03, 2005.

I have read the manual many times for my JVC Gr-DVM90U and would like to contribute my findings. With this camcorder there is a problem with an intermittent connection to the drum servo circuit. I always leave a tape in it for the E0 errors occur more often when removing and inserting a tape. The kind of tape used might contribute to the errors but I have used the same model Panasonic tapes since it was new. The remedy is either take the unit apart and find the defective connection or tap on the side ot the camcorder when the drum motor goes out of control. The second method has worked for me for about four years. It is an annoying problem that I believe that JVC is aware of, but at least I am able to use the camcorder. Bill Boehly

-- William Boehly (WBOEHLY@AIM-MFG.COM), March 03, 2005.

Answer: ha, are you kidding? i don't have any answers, i'm one of the dumbasses that bought a JVC camcorder. I need a beer because i've been trying to figure out this problem that i've had for over two years (the E04 crap) and now i realize that it is pretty common i guess. i shouldve done something sooner but thank you everybody in 2003 for all the advice. you guys are cool except for the kid who says his sister is a nurse. Do you think JVC will at least send me a 6-pack as a consolation for putting up with this for so long? Advice for potential consumers: DON'T BUY JVC! IF YOU WANT TO SAVE MONEY, STEAL A SONY. just kidding, i didnt say that. Hey who needs a beer? come on over cause i'm bored and being on the internet gets old.

-- ryan wood (rwood1117@yahoo.com), March 14, 2005.