Death/re-birth of my Tiagra shifter

UPDATE 4-5-09
I have finally replace my shifter and I really dig the new bar tape.



UPDATE 3-28-09:
I received my replacement shifter from Shimano in a timely manner. The new shifter has what appears to be a slightly different port for the cable end to rest in. It actually looks improved to prevent the barrel from falling inside which is what happend to me. Check it out. Great job Shimano!
UPDATE 3-29-09
I went to install the shifter and realized I was sent a left shifter and it is the right hand (9 speed) shifter that was to have been replaced. Upon closer inspection, the photo below is a left shifter. KA-RAP!


3-13-09
I was recently enjoying a training ride on the back roads north of Ypsilante, Mi. when I started my ride back home I felt something give in the right shifter of my CX bike. This is my first experience with integrated shifters and I have a lot of experience with MTB shifters wearing out. I pulled off the road and noticed the slack in the shift cable to the rear derailleur. When this occurs the derailleur will move to the smallest cog on the back and turn your bike into an instant track bike. One speed. The following day I went to replace the cable and discovered that the cable had broke where it exits the shifter and the nub on the end of the cable had fallen down inside the gear mechanism of the shifter. The piece of cable was inhibiting the shifter from working properly. I took it to the shop and came to a decision. If the shifter is broken then why not take it apart and try to fix it. BUT, if I take it apart, will I be able to get it back together in working order? I think I would be better off building a Swiss watch from scratch. I stripped the shifter down about as far as I could and still could not dislodge the cable from within.

I stopped, slept on it and considered the cost of a new shifter. A new Tiagra shifter was around $100.00 more than I wanted to spend. I called Shimano and the tech promptly advised me to print out the warranty return form from the Shimano website and FedEx the shifter to them for a "goodwill" replacement. The tech mentioned that these shifters are not meant to be taken apart (duh) and are best if replaced versus repaired. With this in mind I quickly reassembled the shifter and sent it off to Shimano. So far, the customer experience has been fantastic. I will update when and if the replacement arrives.