I once sent in a ThinkPad for repair and Lenovo explicitly mentioned that I should remove any drives from the device before shipping it. I really think this should be the standard for fixing hardware issues.
Edit: This was during the times when even a layman could do it because drives were in a slot secured by a single screw. These days it might be more complex.
Edit: This was during the times when even a layman could do it because drives were in a slot secured by a single screw. These days it might be more complex.