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

I did for the first two months. I got lazy and stopped. After about a month of using nothing I have faint scratches that can only be seen when the display is off.

 

Who cares? It's like re-arranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic.

Trust me, you won't give a crap about a clean screen once your hinges pop. Piece of crap machine...

 

Im still using a rubber kb cover. Works great and you would be SHOCKED how much junk I keep out of the kb with this. Even more helpful when home as we have a dog.

Cover is thin, but to be sure I have continued to use extra rubber bumpers for the screen. Since last posted a pic, I have managed to get some larger black ones instead of the white I used before.

The only marks on the screen have been able to wipe off so far and not sure if I have any after added the bumpers.

 

I'm also not covering keyboard. What's the point if my screen will be replaces in 2 month, lol.

 

just got my lcd changed out got to say the hinges sound better but the front end of the lcd does not hit the pads without force

 

An update on my replacement m11x r1. My replacement m11x came in less then a week after it was ordered and also came with everything I had on my old m11x and more! Came with a su7300 instead of an su4100 which was my old processor. keyboard looks great and led lights all match up really well. The hinge has more of a gap on the left side on the right but I'm sure it'll last me for a good bit of time. Overall I'm very satisfied with this new laptop. Overclock and bios update worked successfully, now to just switch hdds and nameplates

Note: Tech said it was going to be new but it's refurbished. Rarely any scratches on it except the top but not noticeable at all.

 

I dont cover my Key board, but i got the anti glare screen and it works as a pritty good screen protecter

 

ihoawihg;ah I don't have the right screwdriver to loosen the screws so I have to go to Home Depot tomorrow and find one :\

 

Covering the KB isnt for the screen... its for the KB. I didnt want gunk in the keys or worn/dirty lettering.

Bonus is it keeps the key off the screen (for those concerned with contact).

 

Geezus that looks terrible!
I'm supposed to be getting my laptop tomorrow and had I known about this hinge problem, then I would not have bought it. Argh

 

You might be one of the lucky ones, my hinges are still fine after 8 months of use. I know it doesn't work for everyone but if you lift the lid from the centre you can mitigate stress which would otherwise pop the hinge.

 

How can you tell if it's refurbished or not?

 

That's exactly how I was opening it. And it still broke.

 

It's luck of the draw. It's been established that even excessive care with the hinges isn't going to change that.

 

At the bottom of the m11x, theres a rectangular green sticker that'll say Refurbished.

 

Great, there goes that idea

So it's been roughly eight months since the M11x has been released and probably a good 6 months that Dell has known about this issue and there still isn't any resolution that Dell has come up with to fix the hinge?

I'm supposed to receive this laptop today and instead of being excited about it, I'm more nervous and frankly pissed about this whole situation. I know it comes with a year warranty, but given all the posts that I have read of owners having to replace their hinges a couple of times, that really doesn't fix the underlying problem at all.

I only got the standard one year warranty, but is it possible to call Dell up and get the 3 year extended warranty on this (even though if Dell really cared about their customers, they would automatically give us the extended warranty)? Or should I just suck up the restocking fee and get a different laptop?

 

Send it back or dont worry about it. If there was no forum you would be enjoying your purchase.

You can add the ext warranty any time. I think sooner is cheaper than later BUT Dell will sometimes email incentives prior to expiry.

 

Thanks for that news. I am planning on getting the extended warranty and was going to buy it sooner than later as soon as I got the $$ together, simply for peace of mind. But now I'll wait until the one year is almost up and see if they offer me any incentives before I pull the trigger on a purchase

 

Do realize that it is still a gamble. The incentive needs to be better than the costs difference of waiting. Sometimes the cheapest option is to purchase warranty during initial order.

If they dont send incentive at all are you willing to spend?

I have only had two experiences with Dell laptop warranty.
1) US based E1705 that before warr expiry I was given option to extend - it was cheap! I think USD150. This was sent to me just prior to 1yr mark. I passed. Wish I would have taken offer.
2) Malaysia based M11x. I was sent immediately after purchase a coupon code to order ext warranty. How much? MYR50 discount! Thats about 15bucks in USD. I passed because to extend after purchase MYR1,700 !! Kicking myself because during lappy purchase its <MYR500. Hoping now they do something similar and offer warranty extension in the 11th month at better rate.

Hope that helps. Please note that I am assuming you cannot add the warranty now at the same rate during original order. Other people may have had a different experience.

 

Have a link? I'm not finding one on the youtubes.

EDIT: Found it. YouTube - M11X screen fix

 

I guess I have the bonus of 3 year warranty, but having just got mine a month ago I have been and plan to keep using the hinge i.e. opening/closing as I would any other laptop I've ever had. No point being overly careful with it - if it's really an issue on the laptop I've got I'd rather know now than later.

 

Well, I'm happy to see that my replacement unit is a new one and not refurbished. Though arguably a refurb is better than new if you get one that's as blemish free on the outside as new as the refurb will be thoroughly tested

 

Well I received my laptop last night, but haven't even opened it yet. Normally I would be excited for a product like this and would have tore open the box the second I got home..........but I didn't.

This whole issue with the hinges and with Dells knowledge, but refusal to do something about it (like extending the warranty for the hinges), really has me on the edge of returning it back to them. I've bought 3 other computers from them but this might be my last.

People have suggested to just keep it and use it normally as I would and then just have the hinges fixed within the 1 yr warranty. There are many documented cases of owners having to have their hinges repaired 2 and sometimes 3 times. Having it repaired is not the solution!!!! It's going to keep on breaking again in the future. Then Chris from Dell has confirmed that it is not in their policy to fix hinges that is out of the 1 yr warranty. What the heck!!! How am I supposed to have peace of mind using this thing after my warranty expires?

I still would have purchased this laptop if Dell actually stepped up and extended the warranty on the hinges for 3 yrs and was working on a solution to replace the defective design. Simple as that. However, seeing as all that Dell is doing is just repairing them and not even pubicly acknowledging that there is a problem is a slap in the face to us owners. I cannot and will not recommend this laptop to anyone and will send this link to any perspective buyers out there. Also as suggested in a thread that was locked, I will post about the hinge problems in the product review section on other sites too.

Now I have to decide what I want to do with this damn thing.........

/rant

 

Personally, I would return it. I'd return my m11x if I could.

 

The solution to this is so simple. Dell doesn't need to redesign the hinge (not that it wouldn't be nice if they did). All they have to do is not tighten the hinge bolts so much. If they could insert a sleeve inside the spring that the hinge bolt butt-up against, they could easily maintain whatever torque setting necessary so that the lid stays in place, but doesn't require Brock Lesnar to open it.

I had to replace a co-worker's Dell XPSM1330 motherboard because of the Nvidia chipset scandle and the hinge design on that is so simple and elegant.

 

I'm on the fence about whether you should return it or not.

Pro's:
On one hand, it might be worth keeping if you want a super portable and really powerful 11-12" netbook. With the now discovered Throttlestop tweak it is amazing in performance. Seriously. I also have an Asus G73JH-A1 which I equally love and is a monster in terms of performance. I was already surprised
how well the sexy little M11x stacked up against it. And now with Throttlestop that gap is even closer.

The Optimus PB fix is coming next month from NVidia, so at that point this baby shouldn't have any more game conflicts/performance issues.

Buying something else, doesn't gaurantee a headache free experience. While I love my G73, and have had less problems with it than my M11x, there was a large number of angry owners who couldn't play any game due to a bad VBios and temp problems due to bad Thermal Paste application. I had to take mine in to an ASP for this same thing. If you search on any gaming notebook forum from any make or mfr. You're going to find people with problems.

This machine might be problem free?

I can't gaurantee my replacement hinges won't ever break, but my replacement does feel much sturdier and better built than my original.

Cons:

Hinges might/will break. (A possible compromise is you can tell Dell you're goinf to return it for a refund unless they'll throw in a free accidental coverage warranty, or at least, allow you to buy it for the same price they give at initial purchase. With the warranty you'll always be covered and maybe they'll get a proper fix implemented at some point)

New Revision around the corner. - This would be my biggest reason to consider returning it. A revision will bring potentially a hinge fix, better panel, and it will definitely have a DX11 ready GPU, though I don't know how meaningful that will be between lack of games and that those features really need the power of a desktop not to chug. Only Tesselation can run on my G73 and I really can't see a difference from DX10 when really gaming.

Still with driver updates, it may work well later.

However there is conflicting rumors on a revision. Some say holidays, others say not until early 2011.

If size and portability and battery life aren't an issue, I'd consider returning it and looking at a G73JW-A1. My G73JH-A1 was less than $300
more than my M11x. If performance is what you want it will satisfy. But you'll only get 1 hr. and 45min. Battery life.

So if you can keep it and get some kind of
reassuring warranty deal, I'd probably do that. If not, I'd return it. Or straight up return it if you can wait through the holidays to see what comes out. If a worthy revision comes out. Get that one, but buy the warranty at time of order and just figure it into the price. It is a good extended warranty and something that should be a considered purchase for any expensive piece of tech that has a lot of moving parts.

So, lean towards returning it, but keep it if you can get a solid extended warranty deal or hookup.

And most of all, Trust it will work out instead of tripping and expecting the worst. You'd be surprised how many things will turn out your way if you can keep that vibe up compared to the usual fear and worry that goes with such things.

Cheers

 

All threads were deleted. Hinge issue threads that are not part of the main hinge threads are closed by BatBoy here on NBR rather frequently, too.

 

A restocking fee is charged because someone needs to inspect the unit, ensure that all of the components / software / accessories were returned with the unit, and prepare the unit to be resold as a refurbished unit.

Otherwise, someone could order a laptop with a 256GB SSD in it, return it with an 80GB 5400rpm mechanical hard drive, and nobody would know the difference until that laptop was bought by someone else.

Almost every business that sells electronics has a similar policy. The only exception to this case I can think of is Costco.

 

I agree! Everyone with concerns here should express their concerns there as well...
m11x hinge issues? - Alienware Forum - Alienware Club - Dell Community

You need to register, then you need to click the join (lock icon on the upper right) in order to post in that community.

 

Remember, that they also can no longer sell the unit as new. The fact that it's been opened and used means that they can, at best, sell it as a refurbished or open-box item at a lower price than a new unit.

I don't think that the return policy is unreasonable. As I've mentioned, just about every place that sells electronics has a similar policy. And Dell's return policy is easily found on the internet.

I'm not saying that the restocking fee is good or bad, right or wrong. I'm just saying that it's not right to complain about it, because the policy is clearly spelled out prior to buying.

 

yeah, considering I got mine (in sig) for about 900usd, while configing to this would easily excede 1200usd, is one good reason for the restocking fee

 

For what it's worth, I've already been posting in that thread for some time. However I think you're underestimating Dell's ability to ignore whatever they choose to on their own forum. Posts or blogs elsewhere are probably going to be more effective in terms of making this a "public" issue that they have no means of censoring or controlling.

I am not saying that it's not worth people's time to post their concerns there - in fact I agree that we should. It's just that the Dell forums are a relative waste land and in terms of traffic and public exposure. Sites like The Consumerist, Amazon, Engadget and its ilk, notebook industry sites such as Laptop Magazine, etc. are going to have a better chance of making this something that they have to do something about.

 

2 other ideas that might get them to respond:

1. Somebody write The Consumerist and Gizmodo and blow this up in the media

2. Buy a domain name/create a website that calls out Dell and Alienware for the broken hinges and pay Google to have that link show up every time anyone Googles "Alienware"

If anyone wants to do the work for #2, I'll donate to the Google fee to have it show up at the top of any "Alienware" "Dell" search

 

You are right about the attention deserving issue, and based on what I see, it's getting plenty of it. In the past we had a bunch of "If you hate Dell, post here" and other types of threads that did nothing for this forum; we are doing our best to avoid such situations in the future. Sensible discussion about the issue is good so please continue that. Just don't be so headstrong about it. You said you're on the fence about returning your M11x -- might be a good idea to take advantage of that window; big corporations are very slow creatures, I doubt you are going to have an answer from them before your return period is up.

Dell reps scan these forums frequently. I'll see if I can pass on something to Dell for you guys about this.

 

Agreed. When the M15x SSD TRIM issue blew up 2009/2010 someone even took the trouble to set up an online petition. Perhaps you might want to do this. I think it's great having people like yourself making 'waves', as long as they're constructive. If you set up a petition I'd be happy to put my name to it. Why don't I set it up myself? I have other battles I'd rather devote this time and energy to.

 

Well, in all fairness, you paid for a 1 year warranty, so you got a 1 year warranty. You can always buy a 3-year warranty through Dell or Squaretrade, which will guarantee the lifespan of the laptop for 3 years.

You are not powerless in this situation.

 

I'm not sure that anyone has ever contended that they don't have the option of extending warranties. That isn't the central argument here.

This is a design and manufacturing defect that's manifesting itself extremely early in the life of some of these units. That falls well outside of the typical notebook component failures that a reasonably informed consumer would factor in as they make the decision whether or not they're comfortable going with a 1 year warranty.

The fact that this is a defect squarely makes this something that ought to be addressed by Dell in some other way that to tell its customers to pony up for additional warranty coverage. Yes, we know that we have that option, Kent146. I mean really, we understand that.

EDIT: What I expect out of warranty coverage for my notebooks is that I'm protected against the usual component failures during the warranty period and that in the event that something fails that it will be replaced with a part that's likelihood of failing again is statistically pretty low. That isn't what we're seeing here with these LCD assemblies. They're being replaced with the exact same defective part. That's a huge distinction.

 

I for one will not get out my "Bad, Dell, Bad" drum to beat, even though this computer has given me the most problems that I have ever had since my first Commodre 64.

I still love using my R1 for the reasons that made it a popular choice for many users. But all are looking for that one quality that so many corperations say that is the foundation for their way of treating the customer with honesty and respect. Just keeping quiet about a defect that everyone knows you have is not my idea of "Honesty or Respect"

 

I wonder what the chances are that they could be incorporating some kind of fix like the one Capt. Zero described in recently made or future units?

I do seem to recall Microsoft slowly going through 2 motherboard revisions trying to quietly take care of the RROD problem before finally having to acknowledge it and then introduce the Jasper board and new smaller model.

That is totally off memory though, so I could be completely wrong. Anyways, say I'm remembering it right, what are the chances Dell is doing it right now? Pretty much Nill, right?

The hinges on my replacement unit are much sturdier than the last, as well as not making any kind of noise when opening.

Of course, I'll be the first to say that that doesn't mean Jack Diddly, and it's only just a matter of time before these break too. And admittedly, I don't open and close it as much because I don't travel around with it and use my two other machines more - Why? Because I'm paranoid about breaking the hinges of course!

So you know what my M11x role has been lately? Actually one I'd recommend, especially if you're buying one of those really low cost inexpensive ones, Instead of being the bada$$ gaming machine I can take anywhere, my M11x has been sitting, not using it's hinges as little as possible performing as a "Bedroom" Gaming and HTPC.

Seriously, if you have an even halfway decent flatscreen with an HDMI in your Bedroom (this beauty works fine as a main HTPC too to be clear) the power fit into the size, it makes a great HTPC and gaming rig.

That's something else I do that I haven't seen mentioned. If you're not someone that carries your machine around a lot and keeps it on a desk often, I'd consider keeping it hooked up to a secondary monitor and that way it's staying closed while being used, rather than the bit more open and closing I'd imagine that comes with using the machine by itself.

I really wish this sense of sturdier hinges on my replacement unit actually was the result of a "slipped in fix" a la the XBox 360, as I love the PQ of this panel.

And after gaming on this thing all night after having it sit for a couple weeks I really have fallen all in love with the machine all over again. There's just so much power in such a little package, and it's so slick!

But the hinge thing is such a drag, cause everytime you start to really enjoy it, it's just killed by this dread knowing you're potentially sitting on a ticking timebomb before hinge bust city.

I don't know. I'm planning on getting the extended warranty just for that piece of mind. Though I'm going to try to haggle for a better price, or maybe just skip it if a new Revision comes out that is significant enough that it's worth upgrading. Then I'll spring for the warranty on that one and either keep this one as a backup or sell it.

But if it's not significantly better than this one, then I'll probably get the Warranty for this one. And I'd still do it even if the hinge issue gets fixed or equitable by Dell. There's still plenty of other things that can go wrong with this thing.

I've sold high end home theatre and high end displays. And I'll be the first to tell you that the money was made on selling extended warranty's. That most of the time, people bought them and would never use them, and it was just pure profit. It was the whole reason why we could sell Pioneer 5870 plasma's at almost cost.

But then I'd also tell you about the freak times something has broken down on me, say 5 or 6 times, and the only thing that saved my purchase was having an extended warranty (I'm looking at you IPhone )

 

I was set on buying an M11xR2 (to replace my 5+ year old Inspiron 9300 which has been great.) With this hinge issue I don't know how I can justify it. It is too bad it is such a disaster. Maybe I will try to find a 13" Asus or something.

 

I love my Asus G73 and it wasn't much more than the M11x if you don't mind the size and bulk and little battery life. But it's performance? Oh man, she smokes!

 

That is where I am at! Love the computer/Hate the stress of worrying about the hinge issue - it just sucks the joy out of it for me. I would love some assurance that Dell/Alienware will make this issue right - even if it is only they will fix that issue only for 3 years at no charge to the customer. We shouldn't be forced to buy the extended warrantee just because they screwed up on the hinges.

 

My thoughts exactly! I bought this thing for it's gaming performance and PORTABILITY. Now it just sits on my desk at home for fear that the hinge WILL (not if) break in the near future. Totally sucks.

So if Charles' post is correct in that Dell reps scan these forums/threads frequently, Dell needs to make this right!!!!!!

 

That does suck. I am on the different end of the spectrum. I use my 11xR1 daily - if the hinge or any other component fails/has issues (hasn't yet), I will ring Dell and have them resolve it. I paid for this thing, I'm going to use it. My 17x is the one which never goes anywhere now and is always 'open' - lol.

 

I have talked to someone internal at Alienware and they say they are planning an official statement on this next week. They are aware of the issue and are working on it.

Also, they were careful to note that all M11x units purchased under warranty are entitled to a replacement of the defective parts.

Do you guys know if Alienware turned down anyone for replacement regarding the hinge issue?

 

Thanks Charles! I'd rep you, but you have enough already

Just kidding!

 

No one has reported here that Dell has denied warranty service for broken hinges. The problem is that is that the replacement part, as far as we've been able to determine, is just as likely to fail as the failed part it replaced. There have been quite a few owners who have had two or more replacements of the same failed part. We've seen no evidence that there has been any changes to the LCD assemblies and there have been previous statements by Dell representatives that there wasn't a fix in place.

Thanks for reaching out to your contacts at Dell and passing on what hopefully turns out to be some good news from Dell in the near future.

 

What Slickie said.

Which is why if they insist with honoring the warranty with the same and continually defective parts, then they need to follow Microsoft's lead and offer a 3yr. extension on the warranty to all owners for this particular issue.

Just acknowledging the problem, is not a solution to the problem.

 

Thanks Charles for speaking to someone at AW on our behalf. As of now, I don't have too much confidence in them so I'll believe it when I see the statement. I wouldn't be surprised if next week turned into 2 weeks, then 2 months, etc.

 

for now we are breaching the 100 mark of the list and its just an annoying to know the number in the list.

when my hinge were making noise, i disassemble my m11x and found the hinge problem with one plastic holder already broken. worst, when i assemble it back carefully, and with a couple of opening and closing WHAM! all of the other plastic bolt holder of the entire hinge broke and the lcd literally separate itself from the body. just imagine the horrors it can make especially to those who do not DIY fix or have no technical know how. hmmm now warranty, the hassle it can make for the lost time and maybe a lost oppurtunity. yes, we can make it replaced but not the lost time and oppurtunity.

now, i am making thread in other forum in OCN and Xtreme and even dell forum and making our list here known to other forums that might make a beneficial outcome both to dell and m11x owners.

i hope they can get a informative data out of our discussions and suggestions.

now here you can see a suggestion of design