Laptop fan dying

Ok, so my laptop fan appears to be dying, making all sorts of loud noises (gogojetengine!), and it gets hot enough that sometimes I have to turn it off because I'm burning my hands on the keyboard. Is there an easy/inexpensive way to fix it, or is it time to look at a new laptop? The laptop is <2 yrs old, and I really hate having to continuously replace them (this will be at least my 3rd laptop in 6 years.)

Brand: Sony Vaio
Model: PCG-81114L

Let me know if there is anything else I should add and I'll update it when I can, thanks in advance!

I think it depends on how comfortable you are taking a laptop apart. And are you still in Afghan? The sand/dust there has got to be playing hell on it if so. Canned air and a screwdriver might save you some money, however you will have to be careful as opening the case may void any warranty you have.

That, or it's time again for another laptop

Hm... thought I'd changed my location back to Germany, it's fixed now

And I've taken the back off, cleaned out all the gunk with air, but it hasn't really helped. Are the fans replaceable by themselves, or no?

If you can find the right part, you can replace the fan. the problem is that a lot of laptop fans are custom jobs to fit in the case. Best case scenario would be if you had an old computer you could cannabalize. Fans are sold in mm diameter, but you will need the right thickness and to have the mounting holes in the right place. Sony might be able to help you find the part, even if it's out of warranty.

Isn't this the kind of thing Sony would repair for you?

That requires an awful lot of mailing (me sending them the laptop, them sending it to my parents since they won't ship it out of the states, then my parents having to send it back to me.) I've done similar with them in the past (since I was home on leave, it wasn't quite as much of a hassle.) I might see if I can contact them for a new fan, but that may turn out to not be worth the cost (not that I'm opposed to spending money, but if it doesn't significantly increase the lifespan, then what would really be the point?)

Anywho, guess now's as good a time as any to look into building a new desktop...