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.