TL;DR: ASUS TUF RTX 4090 with clear thermal/fire damage to PCIe goldfingers got rejected as "oxidation through moisture/liquid" (CID07b). Seeking advice and tagging u/ASUS_HQ_Support based on a similar case that was successfully escalated.
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The damage:
My ASUS TUF Gaming RTX 4090 OC (purchased Aug 2024 from authorized German retailer Office-Partner GmbH, within 3-year warranty until 2027-07-06) suffered a thermal event on April 24, 2026 during regular operation. No overclocking, no modifications, factory settings. Original Corsair 12V-2x6 cable on a Corsair HX1000i PSU.
Visible damage on the GPU:
- Charred PCB material at the front PCIe goldfinger contact area
- Melted solder mask / discolored regions
- Exposed copper traces on multiple pins
- Thermal deformation of the PCB in the contact area
ASUS RMA classified my fire-damaged RTX 4090 as "water damage" (CID07) — looking for help, identical case got replacement before
[Photos of damage]
The RMA outcome:
ASUS Czech Service classified the damage as **CID07 = "Oxidation through moisture/liquid"** and declared the card beyond repair (X), not covered by warranty.
This classification is factually incorrect. The damage pattern is unambiguously a high-current thermal event — charred PCB, melted solder mask, exposed copper. There is zero evidence of liquid ingress or moisture oxidation. These are visually and physically distinct damage types.
[Screenshot of ASUS rejection email with CID07 classification]
Why I'm posting:
I found a near-identical case from 2024: r/IndianGaming user Weremovingonup had an ASUS TUF 3080 with fire damage to the PCIe slot, initially rejected by ASUS Service Center, then successfully escalated via u/ASUS_HQ_Support and received a ROG Strix 3080 as replacement.
- Original case (denied)
- Update (replaced)
My case has the same damage pattern, same product line (TUF), same fire/thermal classification issue. I'd appreciate the same fair treatment.
What I'm asking:
- u/ASUS_HQ_Support — could you please look into RMA case **CZA1W44338** and request an independent re-evaluation? The CID07 classification doesn't match the actual damage.
- **Community** — has anyone else had a CID07 misclassification overturned? What worked? Any specific contacts at ASUS Europe / Germany who handle escalations?
- **Documentation request to ASUS:** I've asked for the technical justification of the CID07 classification and photo documentation from the repair center. Awaiting response.
Build context (proves no abuse):
- ASUS TUF Gaming RTX 4090 OC (S/N S6YVCM01XXXXXXX)
- Corsair HX1000i 1000W 80+ Platinum
- Original Corsair 12V-2x6 PCIe 5.0 Type-4 cable (no third-party adapter)
- ATX case with regular airflow, no thermal anomalies pre-incident
- GPU temps in normal range, no throttling events before failure
- ~20 months of mixed AI inference + occasional gaming use, no mining
Warranty status confirmed by ASUS:
Within warranty, Germany territory, expires 2027-07-06.
[Screenshot of ASUS warranty status page]
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Not here to bash ASUS. The card is in warranty, the damage is clearly thermal not water-related, and there's documented precedent of fair resolution via the proper channels. Just want a correct classification and fair treatment of my case.
Happy to provide any additional info, original RMA submission, photos in higher resolution, etc.
Thanks for reading.
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Quick update:
- ASUS Czech Service complaint email sent (formal CID07 dispute, 14 day deadline).
- DM sent to u/ASUS_HQ_Support with case details.
- Wrote to the chatbot and wanted a employee from it. actually worked and got me into a chat where the employee claimed he is going to check internal with colleagues he said he responds to me via mail / mobile number -> curious if something is going to happen https://imgur.com/a/tqvezBO
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UPDATE 2:
ASUS Germany support eskalated my case internally after live chat today. Got written confirmation that my case is being forwarded to 'zuständige Kollegen' (responsible colleagues). Awaiting their response. Thanks again everyone for the support and visibility this got!
UPDATE 3:
Same Day, few hours later. Thank you! Every single one of you. u/Asus_USA reached out to me to coordinate again with the local service team! This is a big step forward and wouldn't have been possible without you!
Post got way more traction than expected — thanks everyone for the support and technical input. Will update with any progress ♥️