DSC-WX220 Dirt in lens mechanism

[albuffe]

I have had a WX220 for some years and been very pleased with it's combination of small size (fits in pocket), ease of use, very high quality still images, and amazingly powerful telephoto lens. However, on returning from a recent holiday, I discovered that all my photos had a couple of blurred spots on them. This appeared to be dirt particles inside the telephoto lens mechanism (which went in and out of focus as the lens was zoomed). I sent it off to be cleaned, but the cost of this was going to be £237!  Since a new replacement WX220 only cost £158, I had no choice but to buy a new one, even though the old one was still functioning perfectly apart from the dirt. It's a real shame that, while the camera is well designed for use, the design is not optimised for ease of cleaning/repair (Sony - something to bear in mind for future compact camera design).

[Anonymous]

Hi there,

You should contact Sony support here. They will look into this for you.

Best wishes,

M

[idexample]

I kept the camera always in a case, but sometimes finding funny moments was too late to pull out so I started using and keep it in a pocket without case, that was when the dark spots started appearing. Just scared to damage it I followed a YouTube video to open it and clean it, but only the microchip lens and not the mechanical 10x zoom more difficult to open. 

I had also an error message of the disabled optical stabilizer that strangely recently disappeared, but it started delaying the viewfinder a couple of seconds and now it doesn't show anything at all, that means I can only take photos and videos of total black darkness. 

Is there a way to repair it cheaper as it is quoted in several outlets used but with warranty at only 35 British pounds. 

Much appreciated any thoughts please.