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

very true slikie. Raging at this guy will just turn him off from offering any more help he really doesn't get paid or care to give.

He was trying to be helpful. Let it go.

 

Raging? Please! Because someone is asking why he's not commenting it's raging? Collecting the info and all that is very nice and keeping the pressure on Dell is as important so they don't forget there's an issue.

 

We're all just expressing our feelings on what is an emotive topic but maybe we all need take a breath and slow down for a minute.

I put my hands up as I'm as guilty as the next guy (Just look left), slickie88 is right.

I would say if one wished to address the issue with Dell/Alienware then they have a forum open AND Dell is contributing and responding to comments.

m11x hinge issues?

And this is just my thoughts but I'm guessing NBR would rather see it's forums used to address issues that are less emotive and not a space to 'debate' on third parties, when those third parties have lines of communications open for customers queries and 'debate'.

So maybe here, we can help each other by looking at what the issues behind hinge failures are and look at ways we can address re-enforcement/fixing of the M11x hinges if we choose not to extend warranties(Six months and counting)

AND as has been suggested, compile factual information on hinge failures allowing for better acknowledgement and understanding of the current state/issues of the M11x hinges in a clear and understandable way.

Update - Can't put the genie back in the bottle once it's opened is becoming an all to common catch phase regarding M11x hinges.
It was presumptuous of me to think I had any right to change the direction of someone else's post.
I have apologised to Rhodan for any offence I have caused.
I truly hope Rhodan will return to this post and assist in maintaining pressure on Dell/Alienware to have the M11x hinge issue resolved.

 

Alright guys, have it your way and good luck getting your hinges permanently fixed when they break. This post will fall to the 3-4 pages and the issue will become just another not so important issue and will not be fixed.

Why should I care, I just lost over $300 on this system because it's poorly build.

I'm off to enjoying my MBP...

 

Well Dell replaced my screen assembly today , the good part was the new screen had the Gobi antenna ! Although I am still under warranty I may try dropping the hinge tension as recommended.

 

This thread will float to the first page based on whether or not people continue to post about incidents with their hinges.

This thread isn't going to affect any change in Dell's policies. It's not ever going to pressure them into developing a permanent fix. They're either going to do that on their own or not. If anyone honestly believes otherwise then they're wishful thinkers at best.

What it can do, as you have pointed out, is provide potential buyers who are looking at the M11x with something to consider before making a purchasing decision. The issue I have with people asking Brian over and over and over to acknowledge or fess up about issues surrounding hinges and what appears to be some poor QA/design/materials/etc. is that it's very much disingenuous.

Please read that last sentence again.

Filling this thread with posts that are nothing more than "Hey look, Dell still won't say anything about this. ZOMG!" doesn't add any value for us as customer who have been or might be faced with a broken hinge. It's been pointed out ad nauseam in this thread that Dell isn't really very keen on answering certain questions. It's right there for everyone to see on the edited first post. It's been demonstrated dozens of times in this thread. We get it. They get it.

 

OK guys. I have had my m11x for about 2 weeks now and my hinges seem to be holding up perfectly.
I have one question though:
when your hinges break what exactly happens?
does the screen not stay up?
or is it just squeaky and annoying?

 

When a hinge breaks you'll know it. There are lots of photos posted in this thread and a few others in this sub-forum showing you what it will look like.

Two of the things that have been reported as a precursors to a hinge blowing on you are:

1. Grinding or popping noises when opening closing the lid.
2. Lateral movement on one or the other hinge that wasn't previously there before. This is usually very evident.

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it overmuch until you feel you might be showing signs of trouble. Be mindful of how you open and close the lid, don't play frisbee with it and keep it protected properly as you use it every day.

 

Okay so my screen has full on cracked; there's blue green lines everywhere and a black scar the size of two quarters in the top-middle of the screen, it would rest right on the touch pad or maybe between it and the space bar.

Did I mess up or is this related to the hinge issue? I haven't noticed any problems with the hinges but I wasn't really looking, it does take a little bit of effort for a piece of paper to get out of the closed laptop, though.

Anyway, the crack is getting larger by the day; I can't really go without a computer because of school and work. Ill call customer service on monday but can anyone give me a heads up and tell me what they're gonna do?


edit for the record i'm extremely happy with this purchase; my only complaint is this massive crack in my screen, but this could have been my fault I guess.

 

That isn't really a hinge issue, but more of a screen thing...
They should be able to send you a tech within a few days with a brand new screen.

 

I agree with Rhodan, we must keep this topic active AND put pressure on dell. A laptop at this price should NOT have that problem. I still have two eee 900's and a eee 1000he that I have used harder and longer, and they have NO faults.

 

In all honesty, I have doubts that Dell would actually fix the hinge issue because of this thread, but we must keep this thread active!!
If we don't, then Brian(The Alienware/Dell Rep) will conclude that the hinge problem is "no longer a problem".

 

erawneila is actually one of the few people privy to exactly what's going on the with M11x. As QA [guy] for the M11xR2, M15x ad M17xR2 he stated that he sees dispatch reports every week and knows exactly what parts have and have not been replaced all of them.

 

Well the left hinge is making a "creaking" sound so I guess I have a developing problem.

 

IMO someone who owns an m11x and understands alot about it and is CIVIL enough to not rage at a dell rep, should write a letter to dell explaining all the problems bla bla etc. and even the poll on the amount of people having these problems and if they still refuse to do anything I SAY go to the media, I think if there's over 200 people writing to the media asking for a story they would do something and if you exaggerate like the media does it could actually go somewhere, i.e. "Dell's so called premium laptops are poorly built" i.e. both the m15x and m11x had hinge issues.

just my opinion...

 

has anyone actually had the m11x since it first came out and constantly open/close it and have had no hinge issues?

 

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh my left hinge broke yesterday. I went to close the laptop & I hear a crack. Now opening and closing it I can hear it creaking and cracking.
Time to call Dell& get this fixed under warrantee .

 

did it just break out of no where or did you notice it getting weaker slowly?

 

It would probably be helpful if people who have broken hinge(s) would post when they got their M11X and whether they opened/closed it on a daily or just occasionally. I think it would go a long way for those of us waiting for the problem to occur, to know.
And if the Dell reps are checking the thread it would help them to compile some data. (Please don't flame me on that one)
It's not in their job description to check popular notebook threads for reoccuring problems, but they do anyway. It's also not their fault that this design flaw hasn't been addressed. That is a decision for the higher-ups. You know if they leak any real info in a thread like this... they won't be a Dell Rep any longer.
I do know that in the ATI driver thread, the more info posted the more helpful it was when the Dell Rep reported it back to the engineers working on the problems. Though it is known "why" it is flawed, still might help for them to know about how much stress causes the problem to manifest
If anyone knows the Dell forum thread dealing with this issue, please post a link. That way people with issues and questions can make sure they are reporting it there as well.

****Sorry I posted this in the WRONG thread***** No excuse had two windows open and didn't pay attention..Meant it to be in the Issues thread not the fixed thread.

 

It broke out of no where . I've opened & closed it the same way since I got it from the center. It was a total surprise. I've had my little baby since April 6th. I use it multiple times a day. It gets used more than my desktop computer now .Lucky if I use the desktop once a week now and its a beast compared to this little beast .

Waiting on Dell customer service. Spent 45 min on the phone with them & there system when down so they are going to call me back or I have to call them back tomorrow .

 

I called up Alienware to get my newly cracking hinge problem fixed.
They told me they don't have screens in stock until 10th September.
My screen wobbles about 1", maybe more. The left hinge keeps cracking open too.
I asked about a replacement instead, but the rep told me that it'd take 3 - 4 weeks to get a replacement system. Argh, I need to be doing essays on this thing without worrying that the hinges will completely fail on me.

 

just wanted to give all of you updates.
my laptop's hinge issue is developing into a worse situation that every time
when I try to close or open the screen, there are cracking sounds.
even worse, when closing the screen, it would not close properly; the screen will lay a little towards left.
I called alienware today and they are sending someone here to fix the screen...
I will see what happen....disappointed right now

 

How long have you owned your R1?

Anything you can do in order to help us determine if there's been any changes would be great. If you're there when the tech does the replacement then ask him as many questions as you can about the differences he notices between the 2 LCD assemblies. If there are any then photo's would be choice.

Anyway, sorry about your hinges.

 

I've had my m11x a month or so since it came out. I've been hearing cracking on the left hinge for a few weeks now. Not every time but enough to worry me. I already had my Mobo replaced once due to random power offs while unplugged and being carried around... Now I fear I'm going to have to call and get the screen replaced.

 

Yeah, the sooner the better. Let us know how it goes and ask the tech as many questions as you can. If we can determine whether or not the replacement LCD assemblies have been modified in order to correct the defect in materials/design then that would be great.

 

slick can you make a video of that noise that you've been experiencing lately?

 

Mine's a squeak that's subsided substantially since I last reported it. I really don't think it's what you'd hear if the plastic mounting points were starting to go. My MBP has a similar if somewhat lesser squeak. I'll see if I can get good audio with my G11 some time today. If so, I'll post it.

 

This is the sound mine makes, i flip over the phone midway so that the mic is closer to the hinge

YouTube - August 24, 2010 5:18 PM

Turn up the volume!

 

Also this is a replacement screen, my first had a broken webcam and it seems like this screen was refurbished because when I got it I noticed there were markings on the top of the screen bezel as if the screen had been opened to perhaps fix the hinge (maybe added something to make it last longer hopefully!).

 

^
Here are pics

 

LOL'd... we can only hope

But good catch, yes it looks like it has been tampered with.

 

My hinges are severely misaligned... The gap on the right side is about 2 millimeters wider than on the left side. No squeking in the hinges yet though, but ive only had the laptop for about a week.

Im considering opening the screen myself to try to re-align them. Or maybe i should just call Dell straight away and request a new screen

 

There's isn't any sort of alignment or adjustment to be done unless you're willing to cross over into modification. That's not likely to play well with the warranty though.

 

Yep. Looks very much like someone's removed the screen at least. Perhaps the previous one had been scratched/damaged. No telling for sure.

 

Aah, Just ordered my m11x R2 2 days ago. The EDD is 15/9/10. It's really awful reading this thread while waiting my laptop. I think there's definitely a problem with the hinge, but instead for keep making noise and wait dell to notice it. I suggest that we ask Notebook.com to change the review about the M11X. I basically ordered this laptop after I read quite a few reviews from different websites and all the websites said that the m11x has great build quality.
If we can push all the website change their reviews about the m11x. It's not only help some potential buyers acknowledge about the hinge problem. Will also get attention from Dell/AW much more efficiently than just keep this thread active.

 

Great first post and yes before I saw this thread I was about to buy one, and all reviews say how great the build quality is yet the hinges are rubbish, alienware is meant to be a premium brand and having poolike hinges is not f ing acceptable! And your idea
Is great bout telling the reviewers!

 

As the 'suspect' hinge swivel assembly is embedded in the display/monitor lid, any replacement display/monitor would have to be cracked open to see if there has been any modifications.

May be a hard ask for someone who's just had a replacement and doesn't want to tempt fate by opening the 'new' replacement monitor to check.

Maybe a brave tech has opened one of the new ones out of curiosity.

Guess time will tell.

Note - One should never open ones display/monitor assembly when under warranty as any damage occurring during this process will probably void your warranty.

Just for my own information, the construction of the hinges is; metal screw through hinge support, secured by metal inside-outside threaded 'nut' screwed into plastic mount.

Think I saw another 'mount' picture which was an outer 'star' nut with inner thread. Which implies the nut would have been 'tapped' into the plastic mount, instead of screwed into the plastic mount.

Is the plastic mounting part of the lids mould? Or is it separately attached to the lid and retained.

Without cracking my lid to look I'm not sure.

What is the actual construction?

Pictures are fine, but a good description of the assembly wouldn't hurt either.

 

Dell/Alienware is probably refurbishing the screens they remove from other machines with hinge problems. That would explain their prompt substitution of screens under warranty. They would be losing a hell of money if only new screens were replacing the ones with faulty hinges...

 

request a new unit. I have had two arrive like this they went straight back. Nothing but a 100% perfect machine should be delivered imo.

 

Wow, if a replacement screen has "tool" marks on it they can use it against you later if you make another claim.

 

Honestly, I'd insist on another replacement. Refurbished is one thing, but cosmetic or any other type of defect is not what you paid for.

 

This is still under investigation. Thank you for all the data provided.

 

So its not fixed yet as the other dell rep stated previously??

 

That rep was me. I was premature in posting. I cannot speak to details about an ongoing investigation. Our stance is contact us and we will have an onsite technician replace the hinges.

 

The apple thing is totally different. The apple forum reps deleted customer posts. In our case, I removed my post since the data was premature. That is a huge difference. I went on to explain why and what your support offerings were, "If your hinges are broken, then call support to get a display replacement.". That has been our stance from the beginning.

 

Okay this may be the dumbest thing I will do and may be something I will regret for ever and ever

BUT

I've decided I WILL PUT AN ORDER FOR AN m11x tomorrow

I've called dell australia they've confirmed that the 1 year is transferrable!

and 2. im sick of looking at laptops being stuck on what to get bla bla bla

3. m11x is actually everything i need minus the f ING hinge *touchwood
4. wish me luck =)
5. KEEP THIS THREAD ALIVE

 

Unfortunately, this thread isn't going away any time soon. It would appear that the frequency of reported incidents is increasing as more units get into that 3-6 month period that it typically takes for hinge problems to manifest.

 

good to know 1 yr transerable. I hope its same for UK because if my 3rd one arrives thu or fri is in anyway other than perfect i will 1 refund or 2 swap for something else.
I still have the old one and no emails about collection even though I have advised them I still have it. Maybe I keep that and get refund then get one for free woooooo (i could stick up with wonky hinge if its free!)

 

You are right. It is respectable that Dell didn't delete the thread entirely, though they obviously could have, given that it's on their website.

 

All,

For my notes, please send me via private message your M11x service tag number. If you have already had a service to replace the hinges, include the Dispatch number.