Printer Encoder Strip Maintenance

[giramilo]

The problem that was diagnosed by the technical representative I managed to converse is about the damage(?) on the encoder strip of the printer. I assume it's the translucent plastic-type one that the print carriage is attach to. 

The printer was inspected before me and they removed the scanning panel. There was a white spot on the print encoder strip - they said it was a damaged and needs to be replaced. On my inspection, the encoder looks like it's a long dark-colored plastic but at one portion, the color seemed to be faded. Also, the printer always jams and displays the warning about carriage stalling.

The quality of the print is very bad - the prints on the paper kind of like waving. It's undeniably misaligned. 

Before knowing this issue, I tried cleaning and aligning the cartridges several times but still the problem  is unresolved. It pushed me to deliver the device to the nearest service store, but they advised me to deliver it to HP Phils Main Service Center.

Is it possible to be cleaned manually or is it only possible that authorized representative of HP clean it? Or in the worst case scenario, how long will be the duration (approximate) for the repair? I saw in some videos that in some printers, wiping the encoder strip solves some issues. I wonder if it will resolve mine.

Thanks for the help!

[OsSt]

If the encoder strip is just dirty, that you can clean it with a damp cloth, dont use cleaning solutions, they can clean off the small lines. If one or more lines ar missing or faded out, cleaning wont help you. 
The stripes must be bright and clean. 
I know a service technican who thought it would be a great idea to clean it with alchocol wich ended in cleaning off all the small stripes. 
I use warm water

[giramilo]

Just in case that the strip is damaged beyond repair, do you know how long may it take to be replaced? I'm planning to bring it to HP Customer Support on Gil Puyat. It's just for worst case scenario. I have 18 months worth of warranty and I'm afraid of voiding it by making self repairs.

And than you for your kind response on my inquiry.

[OsSt · Accepted solution]

If you have a active warranty , don't clean nothing because you can't do it properly without disassembling a few things. The replacement of the encoder strip shouldn't take long, but there's a question how long the line of this service is. I can't say for sure but where I live the warranty repairs take no longer than few days