Fixing the M11x weak hinge creaking/cracking problem. Screen opened!

DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS IF YOU STILL HAVE WARRANTY! ALWAYS CALL DELL!!!


update: The screw cap on both sides of the hinge bar(as can be seen from the 3rd and 4th picture) is on too tight. If you can loosen it a little, it will significantly prolong the hinge life and enforce less wear and tear to the hinge support on the display section.

Yep, that's right. After being fed up with replacing the screen over and OVER due to it being weak, I have had enough. After the Dell rep replaced my screen, I asked him if it was OK for me to keep the old monitor so that I could find the source of the problem. Although he initially disagreed, I plead and plead until he finally gave in and gave me the broken screen (I guess it's my lucky day!).

After opening the screen by force (since it was not bound by glue, it was a rather easy thing to do), I discovered a shocking revelation...it's almost the exact same problem found on the previous generation M15! Check out these photos:




Below is what a none broken screw support looks like:

Below is what a broken screw support looks like:


In short, the plastic that held the screws in place gave away and broke. If Dell only made the support a little more thicker, this wouldn't have been a problem at all.

All you have to do to fix the problem is to super glue the screws and the metal plate back on! To get a better idea of how to fix this issue, please watch this video on how this guy fixed his M15x hinge. YouTube - Alienware Area-51 M15X Case Cracking Repair

 

+1

Great work!!

 

Very nice work.

For shame, Dell. You didn't learn from the M15x?

 

good find.

So..people must be willing to solder their screen on a 1K laptop?? haha...it's like i'm paying money to do my own labor.

By the way, even if you are new at soldering. shouldn't be difficult since you are not soldering a piece of wire onto a circuit board. Your soldering point is huge, so all you have to do is ...solder away

 

I know, it's ridiculous. I don't see how this problem happens mainly on the M11x. The new M15x and M17x all have the same hinge designs. I guess it's a screen weight vs hinge strength issue.

 

Not saying you will, but just make sure you don't get charged for the part.

When parts exchange only gets issued, Dell makes invoice initially, then it gets credited back when the part is sent back.

I know this was not parts exchange since it was sent to a field tech contractors, but just make sure you don't get charged for it.

 

I think Dell should immediately hire you. Obama should give you a medal of honor. And Lindsay Lohan should kiss your feet.

Good work!

+1 rep

 

Well I definitely don't have tools to solder or whatever, I thought that's what I paid Dell for...

 

Apparently they want to share with you the cost of fixing the hinge //

 

Even if I dont have the hinge issue, nice contribution

EDIT (DD/MM/YY) 01/08/10: Now I got the "Keyboard touching the screen" issue and my hinge is craking...

 

Ditto nice pics and explanation. You might looking into just using epoxy or something like JB weld, probably would end up with stronger joint.

 

you could also post the whole display picture, i'm interested how it looks like inside.

 

There is some double sided tape on the top. If I completely take it off, the tape glue strength would weaken. The most I can do is have it 80% open. So sorry, no complete display picture

 

Very good work. I have seen the same failure. But i say Dell would make a better screen hinge in the next time. Or they can came all 2 weeks and make my hinge ...

 

When putting it back together I guess you'd have to be super careful about dust, since thats basically what the screens designed to prevent from getting inside.

 

Yea, I know. I use an air can to clean out the dust before putting it back together.

 

Wait... isn't this the original broken LCD assembly that you're talking about? If so, why would you care about dust?

 

Maybe he was just practicing ? or intends on using the display for later

 

I'm saving the LCD for when my warranty goes bye bye

 

Thanks for the pictures.

I'm shocked with the shoddy engineering from Alienware.

 

interesting to know.

My hinge on the left side (if you are looking at the screen) is busted. It still opens and closes ok, but i really need to call dell.

pathetic.

 

Nice. I'd clean it well as you can, seal it back up and place it in a ziplock or wrap it in cellophane.

 

Good to see the pics. Shows at least one issue...

 

good work.. +1

 

Now, someone need to make a video showing step by step how to do it

 

Just curiosity... Is the lcd under that plastic "glass" a matte or a glossy lcd?

I read somewhere in this forum about a user trying to remove/cut the external "glass" (or should I say "mirror") in order to have a matte lcd, so I got curious to know if the lcd underneath is really matte.

 

it's glossy.

 

That's why you see a double reflection.

 

On hold with dell right now. They made me take pictures of my hinge before they would send help.

Wow, Dell. Freaking terrible customer service. Been on hold for 10 minutes since sending those pics. I made her wait for me to take them, and made sure to circle the hinge and put an arrow pointing at it in paint lol.

So far my wife's m11x is fine and she uses hers just as much as I do, and opens and closes it just as much. So it makes me wonder if she opens hers and closes it different some how that is causing less stress.

I honestly just grab mine at one of the lid's corners, and that should be fine, but since we we know that these are built like crap when it comes to the hinge.... i probably should be more careful.

Well Dell just told me I have to ship my laptop in to them to have it fixed. I argued that it should be something done on site and they refuse to send an onsite tech with parts.

Just my god dam luck.

 

Zlog

Tell me, is you left hinge dead? Cause if yes, i think problem lies in heat from fan. Your wife play less or don't play at all so her laptop less warm that's why all is ok with her one.

That's my hypothesis

 

Since the issue appears to be focused on where the hinge is screwed into the body plastic, then it's a possibility that what we're looking at is over-tightening of the mounting screws during assembly that is eventually going to lead to failure on some units.

Just a theory...

Good point. Would like to see if that bears out with people who have had the problem.

 

Any ideas as to how a larger lcd could be installed by expanding out to the edges and downward (removing the alienware logo) by precision cutting?

Here's an article to get this idea started...

http://www.pcworld.com/article/1499...t_you_should_never_do_and_how_to_do_them.html

 

After 4 months my hinge also broke like this. What a crap hinge build. Will try to superglue it these days.

 

Was it on he left or the right?

 

On both sides. Upon inspection, what actually broke is the plastic support hinge system - the connection between the 2 "cylinders" that are a part of the display section and 1 bigger "cylinder" that is a part of the keyboard section.

The screen is now very loose in most positions, meaning it will shake out of its spot easily and the screen section moves a little bit back-front when you are closing the screen. Now it feels like ASUS (nhf) and not Alienware.

I knew I should've gone for MBP13...

 

I have read in other old thread that the hinge issue had been solved for r1 and r2 models (an user called erawneila who is supposedly related to Alienware Quality). If so, I wonder what exactly they did in the new models and if these new models in fact are not presenting the problem... I think Dell/Alienware should have made a statement about this problem specifying what was wrong in the old design (if they actually fixed it) and even calling a recall...

 

I think part of the problem is some folks are harder on equipment than others . The lids are designed to be opened from the center not the corners . I'm betting that most of the folks that have had hinge problems have opened their M11X from a corner which creates an uneven torq on the lid. Which broke the bosses that the hinges screw into .

Unfortunately plastic is only so strong. The bosses where the brass nuts are , are either sonically welded or pressed in . They can only withstand so much torq. These computers are not Mil grade Tuff books .

I'm a manufacturing engineer and figured this out from reading the posts , pic's and vid . The other issue which could contribute to this is the hinge itself . When put together i'm sure there was a torq specified during assembly . If the torq driver was out of calibration on the high side it would make the hinges tighter . Grab a lid by the corner & pull up ..... snap.

 

Another problem seems to be the hinge bar. The screw cap on both sides of the hinge bar is too tight. If you can loosen it a little, it will significantly prolong the hinge life and enforce less wear and tear to the hinge support on the display section.

 

I agree with you (it can't be a fan-related issue), I think it is the sum of some folks being harder on equipment and design fault. Dell/Alienware seems to be changing a lot of screens for free because of this hinge issue (this is the impression you get by reading this forum), which increases their costs. Maybe they should just redesign the thing, if they didn't do it yet. It is a gaming very portable laptop. You need to assume that folks will get hard on it...

 

My hinges are still OK after 4 months, but I feel I have a loaded gun to my head.
10 years ago I bought a Tosh Portege 3110CT (with hinges) and they're still swinging better than a suburban couple.

 

My wife games just as much as I do. WoW, L4D, Oblivion, Alien swarm to name a few. Thats still an Interesting theory though. It IS my left hinge, and that is definitely the warmer of the two sides.

Anyone had the hinge on the RIGHT side break yet? or are we all looking at left-side hinges (the hinge above the exhaust)?

 

Yes, there have been right hinge only reports by a number of people here.

 

Btw found someone else's video of my problem:

YouTube - Weird hinge movement on m11x

You can see the screen is supposed to rotate around the fixed axis, however, the rotation axis itself is moving - probably something broke so now the screen is a bit loose and there's extra "backlash" when you're moving it up/down. I still don't have any cracking sound tho.

I know exactly what you mean. The problem is, unless they brake, there's no way to know under what condition they are. But obviously under too much stress. I can demand R2 if the hinge on that one is any better...?

 

I don't even have one M11x yet but I am already feeling like that. I had a lenovo in the past with hinges issues (I had to change the hinges... twice) and it is a pain in the (oh, you can't say a**...). I don't buy lenovo anymore and I just didn't want to pass through the whole frustartion again with dell/alienware... Given the number of reports about hinges issues, I would like to see a dell/alienware statement about that...

 

I'll take my laptop tomorrow to my friend who is working on computer repairs as he has all the tools there. Also I'll take the pics from the inside and post it here.

 

Great!
Tell us later what your friend would suggest to do in order to fix the problem.

 

This is the exact same problem as the one on the first post. The reason why it's moving is because all of the three scew support on the left side is broken. If you have warranty, I would suggest just calling Dell. If you want a fix yourself, just follow the advice on the first post. Be sure to loosen the two screw caps on both sides of the hinge bar (enough so that you can easily move the hinge, but not so that the screen moves in according to its own weight).

 

If the hinge components are magnesium then I'm pretty sure that soldering is not an option.

 

It's not. I loosened the two screw caps on both ends of the hinge bar. I also applied super glue on the screw supports and the metal hinge that touches the screen.

 

How was the result? Good?