my brother apparently does this quite often to fix the thing. he's never sent it in for repairs, but always gets it to work after beating the hell out of it.

Sounds like my PS2 memory card.

When my PS2 wouldn't read the card, I just slammed it on something 3 times. Worked like a charm.

lol nothing like a good old beating to make your xbox work again. Personally i just reapplied some thermal paste and used machine screws instead of the X clamps and Viola! NO more RROD for me!

what did you do exactly and what did you use?

                      Women vs Xbox 360

Sexy-               yes      |         yes

Beat them?     yes       |         yes

Gold Diggers?  yes      |         fuck yes

I found my new love! 

well if the rrod is due to processor shift due to high temp... of course beating the box might fix it by putting back the proc in sync....

Hah, IMO there are 2 wrong answers out of those 6 (beating women is one).

I know someone who fixed their DVD drive by throwing it against a wall....

I approve of this method...worked for me many times....not with the 360 tho.

What else can you do for yourself in case of RROD? Of course, you must apply the TPOL (Three Punches of Life).