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

what is random is like 1 out of 100. but there are many here that thier display assembly have been replaced and the replacement cover latch dont last long either.

heres the pics of my repair through epoxy bonding.

the right side hold ok until now.



but the left repair i did last 4months ago was not that lucky, so i did a re bonding again with a devcon brand steel epoxy. i hope it will last long.

 

After reading this topic I'm sure I'm going to sell it. What the hell is Dell thinking? Sending stuff back that doesn't work either. I really like my m11x but I'm sure that when my screen gets replaced the hinge will fail again.

 

Over one thousand replies on the big thread....

No comments from Dell rep...

1500 dollars on this machine, looks like it's not going to last 3 months...

 

Great huh? I still kinda love my m11x, it looks good and performs extremely well, but as far as I know an m11x will not last 6 months without a problem.

Mine has 3 failures;

The hinge.
LCD cover popping out
Rubber foot on the bottom of the laptop fell off.

 

I have had two of three,

The hinge.
Rubber foot on the bottom of the laptop fell off.
__________________

 

I'm glad to know I'm not alone on this, but I just have to say it's really depressing as I also enjoyed this computer until now, and I bought it as a replacement to my Gatway 7811fx which I had overheating issues with the whole time it was under warranty and they never fixed it in the 3 times I sent it in...now I'm stuck with it and the BBB didn't help very much. That was my first foray into laptops at all, and I'm pretty much done after that and this one.

As someone above suggested, I wish I could return it but i'm well out of the return period and haflway through my warranty. I asked the phone representative about refunds and he said no way.

 

Got my repaired unit back from the shop today and I'm quite surprised by the result. They've changed the lid with a brand new one, including the screen, which now has a much better viewing angle, better colors and doesn't look washed out at maximum brightness. The lid is definitely heavier and the hinges are much smoother than they were originally. The whole process took just 10 days and as a whole I consider the situation a win for myself Now I hope the motherboard burns out so I can replace the whole unit with an r2

 

I would love to check the insides of your new screen

PS: Of course, I am not suggesting you to open it, but if one day you do it, don't forget to send some pics

 

I replacment screen, seems worse than the origanal, washed out. I guess it's the luck of the parts bin draw.

 

No worries, it has a good chance of breaking again x).

 

I dont know what they did but the whole laptop definitely weighs more. The only gripe I have is that they have apparently failed to secure the plastic cylinder between the hinges correctly so now there is a gap on the left side and they have managed to scratch the shiny plastic around the bezel pretty heavily.

 

Ask for the part replacement. You mean the plastic bezel with alien head power button right?

Hope it's not the wiring (wifi antenna and power button wire) messing up.

 

yeah the shiny plastic right above the keyboard
it's no big deal, I think it's a fair trade for the vastly improved screen

 

Don't you mean If it is a improved screen? we really don't know until the hinges start acting up again, there just might be a weight diffrence between the SEC sreen and the AUO screen.

 

I meant the LCD itself is better. I was really disappointed with the lcd the laptop came with. It had really bad colors and a horrible viewing angle.

 

pls for those who have their m11x repaired or replaced cover latch hinge lock pls update list in this thread:

Click the Thread Here for the List of M11x Owners with Repaired

this will be a concrete step forward in letting dell know what our concern with our beloved m11x.

 

You're the second person to report that their laptop is heavier than it was prior to the LCD assembly being replaced. The previous owner's replacement panel was the LG. Would you mind verifying what panel you now have?

Start > type "Device" > click on Device Manager > expand Monitors > Right-click on Generic PnP Monitor and choose Properties > Details tab > choose the Hardware Ids from the drop down list and tell us what value is shown. Should look like this:



I really don't believe there's been a fix deployed for this. Therefore the 2 reported increases in weight must be attributable to something else. If your new panel is an LG then I think that could very well be what we're seeing. Then again I wouldn't think that a different panel could account for a noticeable difference in weight.

 

The repair technician came today. He was good took apart the whole M11x in like 5 min and 15 min later he was done. I called Dell asking what happens if this recurs. The support person knows that the hinge is a known issue. He said the replacement panels they are sending out are R2 (version 2) panels and suppose to address the issue and shouldn't fail again. Not sure anyone can attest to this. Hopefully it's true.

 

I would like to hear Chris from Dell (or anyone from Dell eventually reading this forum) about it...

 

Wasn't it already denied a while back?

 

"The support person knows that the hinge is a known issue. He said the replacement panels they are sending out are R2 (version 2) panels and suppose to address the issue and shouldn't fail again. Not sure anyone can attest to this."

Do you mean it's version 2 of the R2's panels, or are you saying the R2s have version 2? If the latter, that is verifiable as false, since people with R2s have had their hinges fail. If the former, I still smell bs, since there would be no reason to specify that it's for the R2, given that both R1 and R2 have the same panel and hinge.

 

It's a freaking Dell rep! If you're naive enough to believe it you deserve to get another failed hinge tbh

 

Version 2 of the panel. Yes I agree they all look the same. All it takes to solve the problem looking at the removed LCD panel is to make the hinge a complete cylinder without a slit of opening where it can weaken overtime. I don't know why that's so hard to build.

 

Again, what sort of support team thinks that misleading their customers about something like this is good policy? Has everyone from Dell with any sort of say in that sort of thing stopped reading this forum or thread altogether?

It's one thing to keep things under wraps so that the whole world doesn't know that your product has a design flaw that can potentially impact a significant percentage of the people who bought it. On some level I get all of the many reasons why a company might choose to do that. But to have certain segments of your organization purposely lying to their customers about some like this takes this whole thing to another level.

What management team thinks that's good policy? What product manager finds that sort of thing acceptable? I can understand a few isolated instances where some customer service rep takes it upon himself to lie about this, but it's starting to sound like this is a mandated response to for people who call in about this issue.

 

Don't be so cynical. Of course they have improved the screen, did'nt you see the new improved packaging they sent the new screen in?

 

It's a shame because it's otherwise a great machine so far for me. It looks unique and runs smooth. Battery life is awesome. I never take the charger with me. My first year doesn't run out until May 2011. If this is to recur, it should have manifested by then. Otherwise I may extend warranty by another year.

 

Agreed about the great machine, I use it both for both work (when not in office) and play during the long hotel nights... it's perfect combo between mobility and power.

Anyway, what I did when buying it after my M17x for home usage is negociate a warranty extention of 2 years (so 3 year total free) for my M11x.
So for new buyers I can advise to request an extension a warranty free of charge to the Dell commerial (on phone).
I consider this a deserved gift taking into account the hing issue (which I hope won't happen to me ^^).

I asked and they've given me these 3 year without so much negociation (among with other huge rebates, as I paid the one in my sig 1300€ , so just ask for it (even with extention) raising the reason of this hinges design flaw... they have to pay for it.

 

I agree, I thought about calling tech support yesterday asking for extension of warranty but don't know how to ask for it. I still have another 8 months left on warranty so I should be good for now but will need to get it extended before it's over for sure.

Will you call regular Dell customer support or tech support for warranty extension?

 

I'm kind of considering e-mailing corporate themselves. Or at least the Michael Dell account. It's getting ridiculous. We didn't pay for a cheap little Compaq or something like that. We paid for a top-of-the-line eleven inch notebook. Telling us to just replace the hinges is not just nor fair. We need to be heard. Alienating some of their better customers is a VERY poor marketing decision, and that's what they're doing.

 

hey xalgon, we need to intensify the list of m11x owners that experience hinges holder breakup. that way we can attach the list or the link whenever we write to any of the dell. if we can make substantial number in the list, i might say this will be a great help for everybody who loves m11x. please pay forward thanks.

 

I don’t want to start an argument or offend anyone, but everytime I see a comment about “expensive” or “top of the line” I have to laugh. The m11x is a very cheap 11” laptop, especially when you consider the graphics card they put in it. Usually the smaller you go or the larger you go from the “standard” 15-16” sizes the more expensive they get.

That is the reason I bought one is because they were so cheap. Anything else will either be lacking in the video card area, the battery life or not have the fancy case design with the LEDs, or be 2-3 times as expensive. For this thing to have it all and for under 1k is crazy. I bought (and sold already) a Sony 11” a year ago for over 3k, it had a slower CPU and only intel 4500 GPU. It was nice was because of the large SSD, fanless design and build quality was very good, but I don’t expect any of those things from a sub 1k laptop. Maybe things have changed over the last year and all 11” laptops are cheap now, I don’t know since I didn’t look. But I can say I’ve had many laptops from 2k to 6k and this little guy is not expensive relative to anything else, unless you compare it to a $300 netbook I guess, which is in a totally difference league.

Again, not trying to start anything and I may be alone in this thinking but just my opinion.

Oh, and I support writing the email to Dell, I don’t think the hinge issue is right no matter how cheap or expensive a laptop is. I would just leave off the “top of the line” part

 

I 100% agree with you.

The next closest thing to the Alienware M11x is the 13.3" Sony Vaio Z series, which is close to $2000.

 

Good choice of verb

 

IMO, the closest is the Acer 3820TG i5-450m ATI 5650 minus the backlight keyboard. I've seen it first hand and it's a nice system and the hinges are solid...

 

If I could learn to type I would not need the backlit keyboard. I usually use my M11x at night and I love being able to see the keys. That narrowed down my choice for small, powerful portable laptops greatly. It is powerful compared to my old netbook (see my sig). On my netbook I would have to angle the screen down so it lit the keys as well or add a small light to a USB port. Go Backlight!

So far my hinges are ok, but the gap on one side of the screen between the LCD and the keyboard is larger than on the other side (from day one). I fully expect the hinges to die in the future.

I was glad when the Dell rep phoned me after a few weeks to see if I would add 2 additional years of warranty at a discounted rate. Yes sir, I jumped on that deal quick. It sucked that I paid even more for a laptop I already owned, but it is worth the piece of mind. I was scared to open and close it before I extended the warranty.

 

I have done that same thing with my netbook, screen tilt and/or usb light. I plan to extend my warranty the same way too, I usually play hard to get and they will lower the price a bit too. I can almost always get it cheaper after the fact than during checkout this way.

 

Screen/Hinge replaced.

new screen has a dead pixel. Worth replacing?

 

I think it depends how much it bothers you. It is your right to have a screen with no dead pixels, but it is a crap-shoot as to what screen replacement you will get. There are different brands of LCDs out there and even similar brands have varying levels of brightness/view angles, etc. Will the tech mess something else up?

Like I say, it is your right to get the issue resolved. But it is your time and effort involved, so how much does it REALLY bug you. Dead pixels bug me so I would personally get a replacement for that.

Stain

 

Logical. I've been staring at it with my nose pressed up against the screen for the last 2 hours shaking my fist in rage.

.... I may just get it replaced.

The same tech will now be at my house 3 times!

 

Nevermind.
Been answered.

 

I just got off the phone with an in house Alienware rep who said that they'll honor broken hinges, and only broken hinges, outside of warranty and that they've already been doing so (For the M15x, I believe)

This makes the most sense as a soultion. Quietly fix any owners hinges that break outside of warranty.

If this turns out to be true, and I believe him based on the way he said it (like someone admitting something they didn't want to admit)

then consider me relieved on this issue and able to truly enjoy the unit that much more.

 

I have suggested that: honor only broken hinges even out of warranty. I will be happy if they are really going to do that. I would save your other post for future references. However, two points:

1-) A serious company would also try to fix the problem somehow in the long run and implement the solution (even if a patch solution) in the new and/or refurbished screens substituting the defective ones (or are they going to substitute screens forever? I don't think so...)

2-) A serious company wouldn't lie about "improved" screens being delivered to the public.

I don't understand why so much secret. Everyone is human, engineers also make mistakes, nobody is going to sue you because of that (unless you pretend that nothing is wrong, as it happened in the past...). Just say, "ops, sorry, our bad, a certain indefinite number of screens may present a problem, but we are working to patch it as soon as possible and the defective part, if and once broken, is going to be substituted by us independent of warranty". That is a mature no-drama response of a serious company.

 

Very simple... Money is the answer.

If they don't make public whatever fix they have implemented then they only have to replace the broken one and they still sell extended warranties to a lot of people. Good for Dell's bottom line.

If they announced publicly they have fixed the hinge then everyone would want their screen replaced with the improved version and less customers would buy an extended warranty. Bad for Dell's bottom line.

 

But they are risking to burn their brand by behaving like that. You cant fool everyone and news travel/spread fast.

 

You're talking about Dell here... What hinge problem? Enough said.

 

I posted this in your other thread, but so it's here also, earlier in this thread, a CS rep had already said they would be fixed out of warranty, and though the person that was told to said s/he would try to get it in writing then post it, s/he never did. Assuming the person never got it in writing and not that s/he forgot to post it, what does it say that they won't put it in writing?

edit: here's the post http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...keyboard-discussion-r1-r2-62.html#post6601393

 

Yeah, I know, they can play deaf and they can lie for a long time for being a big company, but not forever. Pan am fell, Lehman brothers fell, GM almost (?) fell. Anyway, just saying...

 

As long as people line up to buy at a premium poorly designed products Dell will continue to make them. Again it's simply about money. If enough people stop buying Dell products they will notice...

 

POSTED BY CHERUDE

-) A serious company would also try to fix the problem somehow in the long run and implement the solution (even if a patch solution) in the new and/or refurbished screens substituting the defective ones (or are they going to substitute screens forever? I don't think so...)

2-) A serious company wouldn't lie about "improved" screens being delivered to the public.



There are engneering answers out there. I feel that helionware is has the resources and people to get it done, the problem is getting management to admit that

1. A mistake was made by people who get paid a large amount of money.

2. We accept the blame since we cannot find no one else to blame it on.

3. We will have the fix by next week instead of three months from now, if ever.

4. we are not going to go the BP route. Silence on the subject while everone around you is screaming at the top of their lungs about the problem.

 

Do you mean you will have the fix by next week? I just ordered a new m11x r2 and the estimated delivery date is Oct. 13th. Will I have a system with a fixed screen?