M11X R1 not sitting level / flat

Hello all, I just recieved my m11x R1 today! It's an awesome little computer, however I checked the machine over thorougly after reading all the little issues people are having on these threads...mine has one that doesn't seem right but I'm just curious if it's another m11x design flaw.

My m11x doesn't seem to sit copmletely flat on a table. One corner seems to not be touching and there is give (moves slightly) when I push down on it. It's the bottom right hand corner if you have the laptop open with the screen facing you. It's really obvious when the lid is closed. You can see one corner is not touching the table and when you push down on it it moves noticably. I checked the little rubber feet and they all look fine and seem to be about the same height, and depending on where it is on the table it seems to sit more level. However, I tried on multiple tables and i've never had this problem with any other laptop on my desks. I'm just curious if anyone else has this issue or if I just got a bad one?

One last issue (which isn't a big deal but still bugs me) is there is a little white sticker coming out from the fan grill. Not sure what it is and I'm sure I could take the bottom off and remove it, but I shouldn't have to. I'll try to get pictures up of both the level problem and the white sticker. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Right now I'm looking at sending it back!

 

Check all of the screws on the bottom plate. Others have reported unevenness and it was due to a misaligned screw.

Yeah, pictures would be good for the sticker. Not sure I can visualize what you're describing.

 

Yeah I checked all the screws and they all look good and feel flush. It's really odd, everything looks like it should sit level, that's why I was wondering if this is a common build problem? So yours sits pretty sturdy, all corners touching the surface? I'll take some pictures tomorrow, I'm pissed as it's looking like I'm going to have to send this back I had to wait a month for this one! There definitely seems to be some quality control issues with dell / alienware.

 

I had the same issue with mine. I unscrewed the bottom plate and noticed that there was a cable that was not tucked into place when the pc was assembled. I tucked the cable into place and screwed the bottom plate back on. The area was right next to the cooling fan. Now it sits perfectly flat.

 

yup same here, unscrew and remove and put back on - sorted mine. You can actually tweek the plate if needed but I didn't

 

So, did the plate look normal / level before you fixed it? I guess i'll open it up and see whats going on...just seems like shoddy build quality! I found a good dell rep who i already brought up the issue with and is willing to just swap it out...do you think that I should do that or try and mess with it to get it level?

 

Also in sort of an unrelated topic, I'm pretty displeased with the screen. I have the samsung version, is the AU version any better? Would it be worth a return just to try and get the better display?

 

You said a Sticker sticking out of the fan side right? if its a black sticker then your screwed and you'd have to either do the following :
Open the m11x and Completely take out every single part and put the sticker back on the fan, return the notebook to dell and get another one (since you already have another problem) Or call a technician to do it.

what it is (because dell was cheap) to make the fans air come out in one direction and make it efficient they put a sticker on the bottom and top so they would only come out via one side thus thats why they made the box holes besides the AC port. How do i know this? a dell technician had to come and replace my fan(which is also attatched to the heat sink) and told me that there were stickers on the bottom and top as well as sides so that the Air coming from the fan would come out via one hole instead of dispersing it within the notebook. The problem was to replace the fan he literally had to take apart the Entire notebook, and i guess it was fascinating seeing every part of the notebook but i wouldn't wanna go through with it again.

 

ripper:

Did you contact support for advice? Might want to do so before opening it up to get at the sticker as it is a very involved process.

As for the screws, be careful with the screws - they are small and can easily be stripped due to over tightening...

Let us know what happens with the sticker - that does not sound right.

 

So just as an update, I took the bottom plate off. It's definitely an awkward shape and has a large bow towards the front, but I guess thats normal because of the v shape. Anyways I took the sticker off and took pictures of the entire ordeal. Nothing seemed wrong and everything (including wires) looked nice and tidy. Alas, when I screwed the plate back on, the laptop sits level! So, it looks like I've solved all of the little issues I had. Still seems pretty crappy that I had to do this... Oh well. The last issue which I'm pretty upset about is the crappy screen and the fact that there is a better quality one you get randomly! I would have gladly paid for a better one. I will post pictures of the whole ordeal later today so you can all see the build quality I received.

Overall a very disappointing first experience with alienware. Love the laptop, hate the quality control.

 

Ok, here are the photo's. Sorry there isn't a nice page with explanations or anything. I tried to name the pictures with descriptions of what they are. Any thoughts?
Index of /~rippersp/images