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

What is the best way to reach Dell? I have sent an email with servicenumber and such a week ago, but I have not yet got an answer. Any Idea how they can fix it in Norway? Don't think we have tech guys from dell here, but i hope I don't have to send it in. Need a laptop during studies.

 

Is this the M15X all over again?

Dear god.....i dont want this nightmare again, and i just ordered one last week...

 

Contacting them by phone is generally much more likely to work, with dell's poor customer service. If you have them on the phone they can't put off responding to your question

 

Yeah, it's looking like it.

I just ordered my m11x the other week, and I'm praying to every god that exists that I end up one of the lucky people who doesn't have any hinge problems...

Btw - anyone know if your warranty get renewed upon sending it in for a problem? I love companies that do that, hopefully alienware is one of them.. cuz if they are I'll just tough out the bad hinge (if I end up with one) until the end of my warranty year, and then turn it in for another free year of warranty

 

Computers, Laptops, Desktops, PC-er, PC-utstyr, elektronikk og tjenester | Dell Norge

Call them. Think if there is no office of dell there (in which i don't believe) think that will send new part to you...

 

Guys i need some advise.
Should i cancel my order in fear of having this nightmare again?
or is this only affecting some people and not everyone? i know what the poll says, but maybe those who voted no didnt use their m11x long enough for this problem to show up...
I think i still have a chance of canceling my order.... help...

 

I wouldn't base any decisions on the poll here. It's not even remotely comprehensive enough to reveal how prevalent the hinge issue is or is not.

EDIT. And there hasn't been any direct correlation between keys making contact with the screen (which is what the poll is for) and the hinge failures people are experiencing. It's one possible theory.

 

I just tested this, and my m11xr2 screen touches the keyboard

 

My hinges work perfectly but they are ever so slightly misaligned, you'd only notice if you compare them closely. The keyboard is slightly raised over the left half which causes them to contact the screen when closed. I'm using that white insert for now but have ordered that razer kabuto mouse mat as it seems perfectly suited to help moy m11x with its minor imperfection. I may use the warranty later on but I don't want a replacement as I can over clock to the max and there's no dust under the screen. I may even fix it myself when the machine no longer feels new.

 

I say Cancel it until Alienware has an official statement out there, right now we're all wondering what the hell is going on and no word from them.

 

There's very likely not going to ever be any official or unofficial statement on this from Dell.

 

Same issue here - I'm an early m11x (r1) buyer, and have the gap issue, which has only grown steadily worse over the past month or so.

Called in to report the hinge issue, and was almost immediately setup with the LCD replacement dispatch.

Attached are a couple of pictures - this happens any time I close the laptop - and is easily snapped back into place, but clearly indicative of an alignment problem that will only grow worse.

http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/8910/m11xgap.jpg

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/2314/m11xgap2.jpg

 

Can anyone post a picture of the scratches caused by the keyboard? Although I don't have a M11x, I have an idea that might solve this problem. We can stick some sort of rubber/plastic on the top corners of the screen so that when it closes it creates a gap between the screen and the keyboard?

 

Yeah I've already had one screen replacement... That was for a really bad flickering screen.

That was only a couple weeks ago and I have a horrible hinge now... I'm already starting to see etching after only a couple of weeks. I wonder how many of these I will have to get... and this is in North Dakota so I'm fairly sure its going to be the same one rep driving 60 miles each time to my house to do it lol... I'm sure he will get fairly annoyed. It kind of makes me nervous that I only got one year of protection on this.

 

Yeah townfries, but then the screen would most likely not close completely closer to the palmrest edge. Think about, if you put a pencil near the spine of a book it wouldn't close all the way would it?

The only idea I could possibly think of would be to put washers where the hinge screws to the frame so the entire screen would be raised in a level fashion away from the rest of the computer, this would be very delicate work and the hinge covers probably wouldn't fit on afterwards though...

 

No, I mean to put the plastic at the top corners of the screen. Just realized someone else suggested this already

 

Yeah I see. The m11x has two spacers already. But they are the biggest failures of spacers I've ever seen...

 

lol Why? Are they not big enough?

 

Yeah, I still think the spacers would solve the problem of the keys scratching the screen. Although I posted that earlier, I personally ended up using the Razer Kabuto mousepad when I close the lid (but I leave it open unless I am moving it out of the house).

The argument against it is that the machine is expensive enough that you should not need to add your own spacers. Boooo!

Both are valid points, but I'd prefer to solve my own problem than have a scratched screen.

 

Is there anyone without cracked hinge but with scratches on screen, who asked and received replacement?

 

You should be careful with Kabuto, as its thicker than the spacing between the screen and the keyboard. I'd guess it just adds more strain on already weak hinge system.

 

I opened mine up this past weekend to investigate what it would take to do that. I'm trying to track down a machinist who can make some sort of shim or spacer to go underneath the hinge/chassis mount. This would be something I'd want to do after my warranty is out.

 

why not just put a piece of fine cloth on the keyboard to keep it from touching the screen? The sheet of whatever that came with the laptop should do the trick, too.

 

I had been using my Kabuto mat for a while, but have since started using sheets of that material that the tape over monitors when they ship them. Minimal thickness and it's more sturdy than the cloth that the laptop came with.

 

I posted pics somewhere with extra rubber pads added to palmrest. Have since went with larger ones. Works well. Not sure if it will do anything for saving hinges.

 

Looking at your problem, it's pretty much at the stage mine is at - the hinge is damaged, and did you notice how it pulls on the back of the screen as well? It's showing the exact same problems mine is.

When they try to replace the part, do not accept anything substandard. Scratches on the replacement screen? Send it back. Something goes wrong? Tell Dell, have them fix it. Accept nothing less than presidential treatment - we've paid for it.

 

Guys, m11x owners, at last tell me is this movement ok?
YouTube - Weird hinge movement on m11x

In some very small range screen can go back and forward without any special force.

 

I already told you that's not normal.

Movement like that is a clear sign that your left hinge - it doesn't appear to be happening on the right side in your video - is not stable. Contact Dell support and have them fix it.

 

nm, that's broken.

 

Thats what mine was doing. They sent me a brand new laptop.

also note - the replacement came with a seagate HD with foam padding around it(old one had a hitachi) and had samsung ram in it insted of the no name stuff that was in the first one.

 

Okay, here's what a normal hinge looks like. Sorry for the -poor video and not having it hosted, but it was all I could manage here at work.

M11x Normal Hinge Movement

 

just out of curiosity, to what extent do you guys with hinge problems open/close your laptops?

 

I don't know that when paying for a 1200+ netbook you should worry about that

My Dell Mini 10 is apparently more sturdy than these Alienwares...

 

Exactly.

Laptops in general shouldn't require that you treat them as though they're made out of wet cardboard and the M11x specifically should be a cut above average in terms of durability.

 

im a lucky one =] on my m11x screen/keyboard does not touch and no problem with hinges

 

Thank you very much, you fully answered my question.

Just one thing, does you lcd touch keyboard?

 

I have no hinge problems but my screen does touch the keyboard. I just put something between the lcd and the keyboard. Right now using the filler that was sent with it, but getting the microfiber cloth that was mentioned in a previous post. I'm also getting one for my M17x because I do close it when I shut it down.

 

Yes, mine does ever so slightly on the left hand side around the WERSDF keys. I had the keyboard out this past weekend and sighted down the edge to get a better idea which keys were raised and, oddly enough they were all pretty much flush. Put the keyboard back in and that same area was raised just as they were before. It's really not enough to concern me as I'm protecting my screen from any chance of contact and am convinced that it's not causing any stress on my hinges.

 

make sure kb is fully seated under the retaining tabs

 

Clipped in on each side. It's pretty obvious when it's not.

 

Mine was like that as well. For 4 months. Then it broke. :-/

 

sad to hear, had it for almost two weeks now and its still good, hopefuly it doesnt break lol

 

Seems 3 to 4 months seems to be the common time frame for hinge failure.

 

Ok, now when i move screen in some "weird" way, my light goes out... Display still works, but no backlight. It happen for a sec, but still...

 

Four months and mine is still OK.
Pity I have to open the lid to press the power button otherwise I could just keep it closed and use external monitor and keyboard.
How sad is it to even have to think that way.

 

I think Dell stepped up their game, my m11x which I just got has NO defects what so ever.

 

Keep your fingers crossed that it stays that way.

 

I pray that it stays that way.

 

When did you order? I ordered on 6/29 and it arrived today and I have the hinge issue still, on a Lunar Silver option.

By the way I like the mousepad... Feels good after slightly increasing the speed of the mouse cursor.

 

do you all return your laptops if they have said hinge issue?