M11x Hinge/Screen touching Keyboard Discussion (R1 & R2)

You took a thousand dollar computer to the beach?

So what's Dell return policy of these things? I ordered one before I knew about the hinge issue. This forum would lead me to believe that upwards of 70% of MX11's have hinge issues but of course this number is skewed. For every person complaining online about their hinges there are X number of mX11 owners who have no screen or hinge issues. Regardless, I had to go through alot of bs to get Dell to honor my EPP discount

 

Hi
Ordered mine 13th arrived 27th July. Failed paper test and right hinge lower than left. Keys leaving marks on screen. The long middle bit between each hinge is opening so you can see the innards. There is gap on the right of the camera where screen meets the casing and can see the inside again. Also the ctrl key is raised quite high so keyboard not sat right.
In general very very poor build quality. Also was taking ages to boot. Updated drivers, stopped unnecessary start up programs as in optimization thread etc etc. Now doesn't boot at all.
I am pushing for nothing but a full replacement. Photos are with Dell as we speak and im waiting a decision
Very disappointing really.

 

R1 or R2? Can you share the photos? I'm sure there are several other owners here who would like to see them.

 

Its R2. Here are the pics I sent dell.

 

What terrible design. Where's the Alienware rep?

 

The last time the resident Dell Rep posted in this thread was on July 2 which is a month ago. Since then he's been staying away from the hinge issue except for one occasion to tell someone to peel off the plastic of the button bar and call support...

Maybe we need a sticky on this thread so he can be reminded of the issue...

 

Your pix look identical to 2 brand new R1 i received from Dell back in March... Nice to see the same good people are manning the quality control station...

 

The thread has been in the first page for a month anyway...

 

On and off as it does fall of the front page just about everyday. Once there's a sticky it's always there for every one to see which has more impact...

That way potential customers will see it and the Dell Rep will see it everyday as well, who knows maybe when he looks into this forum the thread is never on the front page and so he misses it...

 

He's probably been told to not comment about it.

 

Out of the people who have the screen touching the keyboard, how many of you have had the hinge break?

I'd be more interested to know this.

 

My screen was NOT touching the keyboard and the hinge broke.

 

Opening and closing the lid is ///way/// more stressful on the plastic mount points that are failing than the pressure exerted by key contact.

 

At first I thought there was a relation between the hinge breaking and screen/keyboard contact. Possibly because of the gap between the lid and palm rest which could have added stress to the hinges when the lid was closed and the notebook in a bag.

Recent photos and testimonies from people have shown the hinge issue is most likely related to opening/closing the lid. The more often you do it the more likely it will happen. For some it took months while other have seen their hinges break down in a matter of weeks.

The screen touching the keyboard can cause the screen to get scratched which is a defect. If all M11x were affected by this we could say it's normal like the Dell rep said but sadly not all units are affected so it is most likely poor design/construction of the units...

 

I just saw him post in another recent thread in this forum about 10 minutes ago, he's obviously still here, but probably doesn't have much to say about the hinges...

Whatever, I'll use my machine until it breaks and hope dell replaces it.

 

I agree. infact.. a comment on the alienware dell website, Found here, a person bought one and said about hinge issues and they said dell claimed it is NOT under warranty but a normal wear and tear issue. Scroll down to see this comment:

 

@LittleGreenMen
Do be aware, he was in Singapore.
I hear the tech support over there isn't as good as the one in North America.

Though I am still gonna have a chat with a warranty and service parts rep to see what he/she will say about this issue.

 

Well, I just chatted (online) with a guy at service parts and warranty, and he initially told me that basic warranty will cover the hinges.

However, once I mentioned that little review that LittleGreenMen showed us, he told me that I should chat with some people at another department. Well, long behold, they told me to chat with an Alienware Rep, as I had been transferred to the inspiron tech support. Now I'm not pointing fingers, but something does seem kinda fishy...

I'm gonna have to chat with that Alienware rep tomorrow. Or call em at 1-866-287-6727.

EDIT: If anyone else would like to try chatting with a guy over at service parts and warranty, http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/sales_chat_index_masthead?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~lt=popup&~ck=pn

 

Well , remember in the alienware advertising says "You can game ANYWHERE", that includes the beach (H)

 

Also we can say is a test to see if it is made for this kind of places...btw im scared of taking it outside the PH.

 

My first Alienware is area-51 m15X - had hinges problem and a nightmare.
second Alienware is M17x R1 - had lots of stuttering and software issues.
And now i just got the M11x R2 and i see this problem . . mine is still intact but i guess sooner or later it will fall apart. What is up with Alienware and Dell? Do they just love to lose customers or something? Everytime i give them another chance, they never failed to FAIL me.

 

I have to say, I'm surprised that you bought from them again after already receiving two defective products in a row.

My R2 is due to come in later this week and I can only hope it doesn't have any problems. But if it does, you can be sure that Alienware is going to fix it or I'm not buying from them again.

 

Mine arrived like this so i believe it isn't always due to wear and tear.
1. Its poor and rushed construction with bad QC
2. Bad design.
Or a combination of both.

 

Very fishy.
I had PM'ing erawneila, the alienware's representative here, before about the hinge issue. Althought he/she is very nice and polite, he/she doesn't seem to know what is going on. Nobody seems to know or want to confirm a hinge issue and a (supposed) fix. As a matter of fact, I don't think there is a fix because even consumers with r2 models after june are experiencing broken hinges. Anyway, let us know about your chat with alienware rep.

 

Just had my repair done last night. Like others have mentioned, it consisted of replacing the entire LCD screen and lid. I looked over the broken lid while he was putting the new one on and it looked identical to the pictures posted earlier. The metal screws that hold the hinge on had stripped the threading out of the plastic that they were screwed into.

I dont think Dell has real engineers. Thats my conclusion.

 

i have a r2 and one of the first to receive it when it came out. My keyboard has been touching the keys since day one and just last night i called and they want to replace the entire screen assembly with lcd and new keyboard. I am not sure if i want them to rip into it and make it worse. I am using a screen protector and trying to decide if it is worth it to have a tech to come over and F**K up even more than before with history of dell techs. I can do it my self and the tech offered to send the parts but i do not get paid to do this Sh*T. Dell needs to hire some engineers and not kids to design laptops

 

Replacing the lid assembly is pretty straight forward. The only thing they need to make sure they do properly is wire routing during the reassembly and making sure that they don't over-tighten the LCD hinge screws.

It's quite possible that that replacing the keyboard might help with the screen contact issue, but I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't. Keep us posted.

 

I didnt know he was in sinapore. and! WAY TO GO! .. you are great for doing that

I don't know why the rep for Alienware isnt commenting on this topic. The ignore there flaws .. These issues with the M11x has been holding off my buying one. IF these issues were solved I would go get one.

One thousand dollars is a lot of money. Even more then one thousand dollars.. for the M11x.

Show me .. that Alienware will support the issues and resolve them .. and I'll show you my cash.

If this was a presentation of the M11x .. it is a nice notebook/ netbook.. but there is quality controll issues.. service issues.. build quality issues.. driver issues.. optimus issues..

Consumer Reports magazine in the grocery store mright nowm doesn't even list past the 4100 m11x in there reviews.

 

MY Question is this, When they do ' fix ' the hinge issue.. how on earth is it fixed? Do they transfer all the guts of our system into another bottom half case?

Is it the same case design? Has it been redesigned?.. Does anyone see a difference in this ' reconditioned ' M11x case vs there bad hinge one?..
From the photos, the screws are into the bottom half of the case.. was it redesigned?

Will it happen again?

 

Can we keep discourse rational please. Not trying to be mean, but incoherent raving about this doesn't do the issue surrounding hinge failures any favors.

Thanks!

 

Has anyone tried the Araldite fix on the M11x broken hinge?

 

just got my m11xR1 last friday and so far, no contact between the screen and keyboard. the hinge is pretty solid

my only complaint now is the very glossy screen

but otherwise, its perfect

 

Grats on your new M11xR1 !

The hinge issue develops over time. It starts off with a click, then more movement and ultimately breaks.

I'd advice being very careful when opening and closing the lid, and close/open the lid with your finger in the middle.

 

Added my vote to the poll, after 1 week of use screen most definatley touches the keys.

Hinges also misaligned, but no creaking/squeaking or cracking...yet.

 

I have had confirmation from Dell that I will be getting a replacement laptop no quibbles. So fingers crossed the new one is ok.
I would also like to say that the customer service I have received from them has been very good. So no complaints there whatsoever.

 

Just got my new R2 yesterday... loving it, but i think i have screen alignment issues...

My left side has maybe .25mm of space between screen and base when open, and my right side has more like 1.25mm of space between screen and base.... Anyone else with this problem?

Should I request a new screen now or wait until I develop hinge issues in ~3 months?

 

If you bought a car and it was only running on half of its cylinders would you accept it and carry on driving?
IMO if you buy a premium laptop and it arrives in anything other than 100% perfect condition you should be getting a fix or replacement straight away.
Dell/Alienware's support has been excellent in my situation so I would contact them

 

Well, I finally talked with an Alienware Rep.
He told me that so long as the hinges fell apart naturally, the basic warranty would cover it. As in, so long as they do not spot any fall damage or any other way they can point the liability to you, your fine.

 

m11x you couldve been the perfect netbook if not for this ;_;

 

Yeah... I've moved past the "Anger" stage and I'm now in the "Oh well..." stage

I'll just enjoy it until it breaks. Other than the possible hinge issue and my battery life, this thing is perfect.

My problem is that my boss at work wants one and I don't know if I should recommend it to him...

 

Just tell him to get an accidental warranty.
Now of course you don't need an accidental warranty, but if it's your boss, you mind as well suggest it to him.

 

@sagman76 - Let us know how the new one turns out ie. hinge and/or keyboard touching screen issues. I am still within my return period and if they are going to redesign the hinge of the M11X I may go for the return. I don't know yet. Because I really don't see them releasing a redisigned lid/hinge assembly without any of that info leaking out to the public.
I love this little guy and though it will be dormant when I start back into 3D rendering with the beast (M17X), I use it everyday for everything. I don't want to send it back unless I am sure that the issue is fixed. Mine isn't showing issues such as noises or scratchs on the LCD, but the hinges are malaligned and the keyboard does touch the screen.

 

Yeah im not buying anything that has Dell or Alienware on it, ever again...
So they want people to buy extended warranty and pay more for something that should't be a problem in the first place. Using cheap materials on their design and fool people into thinking this is a high quality laptop. I just cant believe they thought its ok to do the same design mistake they did on the m15x...

 

thanks for the tip. i will surely remember this

 

My squeaking is getting progressively worse and can now be characterized as a prominent creak. This laptop has been treat with excessive care. Not happy.

 

I've just clocked up four months of M11xR1 ownership.
My hinges are still OK.
Opening the lid of my M11xR1 has almost become a zen experience now.
Like Russian roulette, you know there's a live round in there somewhere and when it goes off it's going to get messy.
Even the sound of a 'click' would probably do my dickey ticker.

 

Also clocked up just over 4 months. No creaking sounds when i open the lid, however, when closing the lid the left hinge makes a feint creak and noticably sinks by just under 1mm.. This issue has been known to me for the past 2 months but has not degraded since then.

 

Could you summarize us how was the progress of the issue? I mean, were the hinges perfect in the beginning, when did noises appear, can you see the insides of the hinges now? I am trying to figure out if there is an evolutionary pattern over time like good hinge -> noisy hinges -> noisy misaligned hinges -> noisy misaligned hinges with exposed insides -> broken hinges. If so, anyone could detect the issue right in the first symptoms.

Actually, it would be helpful if anyone reporting hinge issues could inform us the M11x model (R1 or R2), the delivery date and how was the progress of the issue.

True, I take a deep breath and even do the lotus position

 

just over 4 months of owning my M11x and hinges still in perfect working order. (knock on wood) Keyboard does touch screen when closed but i keep the cloth between it when closed.