Apple does have some amazing service. It's always good service but occasionally they go so far above and beyond, I scratch my head wondering why. I've read that sometimes they do that, so they can send the broken part back to HQ for testing and analysis.
I hate the intermittent issues - the ones that work fine when they are under scrutiny by an expert. I've come to find that many of those issues are due to heat issue, and most people have their machines off and cool while they are waiting to have the expert inspect it. I used to support iTouches, and often they would work fine when I took them to the Apple store in my protective box turned off. I learned to keep them on and active, so their issues were ready and waiting to show itself to the genius.
Glad it all worked out for you and the wife.