Problem with Dell Inspiron 5160 laptop fan

[#1]

Here's a question for you experts!
I have a problem with the fan of my Dell Inspiron 5160 laptop (which is no longer under guarantee). It has been extremely noisy for some time, but now it is making a type of grinding noise, overheats and shuts down.
Which is the best way to get the problem fixed? I live in Oxford but do not have a car. PCWorld are within reach, but I don't know if they do laptop repairs and if they charge reasonably (I could phone them and find out, but I would like to see if any of you has a better idea first)...
Many thanks for your help! 

[#2]

Even though your Dell Inspiron is out of guarantee, you could still look on their site to see if the fan is available..  You will need the TAG number from underneath the laptop.  You should be able to find out how much it is.... armed with this information, you could try ringing PC world and asking them for a quote,Look in yellow pages, and your local paper (and paper shop windows) for "private" guys who do repairs and upgrades, then ring them for a quote.... If you can get the fan yourself, you may be able to get a quote just for the labour.....
Good luck..

[#3]

A quick search on ebay found these for £1 upwards.  If fitting the complete unit yourself, you'll need some heatsink compound.  If not, I'm sure someone else could do it. 
A service manual is available for download here for £2.45 which seems to cover the cooling fan.
There is blog discussing the fan replacement here and a UK company who'll fix it for a price. (Not an 0870 nomber!)
There's a lot out there on the web for this laptop.  It just depends how confident you are, how cheaply the job can be done!  The less your confidence, the more you'll have to spend!

[#4]

Wow, thanks! Very interesting indeed...
It seems to be working fine again now, after I blew into it, in case there was a bit of dust there.
But I know what to do now if the same problem occurs again!
Cheers!