Decals And Faceplates - Do They Affect Your Warranty?

If you want your Xbox 360 console to stand out of the crowd, adhere to your personal sense of style or simply blend into its surroundings then purchasing an Xbox 360 decal is a really good idea. Xbox 360 faceplates and decals are easy to apply. The Xbox 360 faceplates are interchangeable to allow you the freedom of changing your console's image whenever you want but at what cost?

Applying a decal is really straightforward. The majority of vinyl decals are slightly thicker than paper and supplied on a large sheet. Simply peel the decal from the sheet, making sure to take out any pieces for the disc tray or buttons. Place the decal very gently over the console. Make sure it is placed perfectly before you press it down. When you're sure you have it in place press it down starting from top to bottom to avoid unsightly creases. If the decal does crease you can lift it off and try again, avoid doing this too much as it will eventually stop sticking as well and the edges will peel.

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I would advise against removing your decal unless completely necessary. Once you remove your decal after it has been on your console for a while it will be less sticky and if you try to put it back on the edges will peel and you could be faced with creases.

Decals do not usually leave any marks or residue on the Xbox 360 console, but if you do find yourself faced with these please do not use water or a damp cloth to remove them as you could severely damage the hardware in your console.

If you absolutely must rub at your xbox use a dry cloth or the smallest amount of alcohol possible and avoid touching the face of the console if possible.

Adding a faceplate onto your Xbox 360 console is unbelievably easy.

First you have to take off the current faceplate on your console. Do this by finding the slot at the bottom edge of the faceplate near the USB slots. Grip the console firmly so that it doesn't fall and get damaged and begin pulling the faceplate off. It usually takes a little effort to remove. Once you've removed the old faceplate put the new one in front of your console and push it on until you hear/feel a click as it slides into place.

You can easily change faceplates as often as you like as long as you take care not to damage the console's hardware.

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You should not have to remove and clean the faceplate on your Xbox 360. You never removed the original faceplate for cleaning did you? Leave it on unless you want o change it.

If you just have to clean your faceplate do so with a dry cloth simply wipe away any dust or dirt.

Never buy or use anything that instructs you to remove the side coverings of the Xbox 360.

If you remove the side plates of your console you will effectively terminate any warranty you have with Microsoft. This means that if your Xbox 360 breaks down you will have to pay for it to be repaired.

For me, choosing between a faceplate and a decal for my Xbox is difficult. I love the versatility that faceplates offer, as well as the idea of changing it whenever I want. Decals offer (slight) protection as well as being a stylish accessory. However not being able to change decal feely means that, unless you love the design you could find yourself bored with the image covering your Xbox.

I have found that online accessory sites offer the best value for money in terms of faceplates and decals and other cheap xbox 360 accessories.

Decals can be bought from such reputable sites as www.decalgirl.com, www.pixeldecal.com, www.ebay.com and www.sontin.com.

Faceplates can also be purchased from www.decalgirl.com as well as www.play.com and www.xbox360faceplates.com.