Here are some videos to demonstrate, please ignore the audio, youtube's conversion from my cell phone wasnt too great.

This is my drive, to show that the gates open, but do not spin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CG3pG7prmM


This is my drive, notice the laser, you can actually see it in the video XD it will move to position and light, then you can see it move 3 times, each time making an audible click, then it shuts off

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu6cB5sUqKc


I tried replacing the laser, that didnt work.. Any ideas?

i had the exact same thing, only my red laser appeared and no blue. i bought mine from ebay knowing that it had this prob and i would fix it............well i did fix it with the kem-400aaa.......but...........5 days later while playing midnight club:la. the game froze on me and hit the pwr switch in the back. guess what, another screwed up laser. i have read if it does freeze, not to hit the pwr button on the back, just hold the one in the front down until the ps3 powers down itself. maybe i could have saved the lens.

but there are 2 types of lens/deck the kem-400aaa, which the one i use and the kca-410aca ( or something like that) make sure you know which one you have before you buy

oh yeah, from what i hear, the ones with the white clip on the lens assembly are more prone to failure vs. the ones with the brown clip

Absolutely - avoid the white-clip replacement lasers. I fitted one to a PS3 and it lasted 15 minutes. I fitted a brown clip one to replace it and it's still going strong.

What do you mean the white-clip replacement lasers? Don't you have to buy the laser that goes with your PS3? Mine just crapped out and I'm going to need a new laser.

If you've currently got the KES-400A laser, be aware of cheap imitations. The clip which the ribbon cable connects to will be light/dark brown. Cheaper versions are being sold with a white ribbon cable clip. Avoid these at all costs. If you're in the UK I can give you the URL of the site I used for my replacement.

Do you guys have links for those of us in the US? The last thing I want is to be buying another laser a couple of months from now. At that point, I should have just sent it to Sony.