I had to send in my ps3 back in January because my disc drive's motor died. The discs wouldn't spin.
Despite being over a month out of warranty (it was a lunch unit), they repaired it for free. The shipped me a box at no charge, and I received a refurb 60gb back in two weeks. Itwas in great condition, and it looked like they had resurfaced the top, but the left side was a bit scuffed up.
At least I assume it was a refurb, as I know I didn't scuff up the left side, and the top had a piece of cellophane stuck to it, much like a new unit.