M11x-R1/R2 New Hinge Design (see post#1)

haha I like your dad ><

Got my hinges replaced by on-site tech about 2 months ago, still lookin good

 

The European support is kinda crappy. I called the support, told them my problem and sent pictures.

At first, they told me that the damage was caused by me and I had to pay to repair it.
Then, I searched again for references and told them the document references on Dell blog post; after that they accepted to replace the screen.

The portuguese company called me, and came to my home to replace it. When technician was replacing the screen, he noticed that my screen had WWAN anthena cables and the new screen didn't.
He finished installing the new screen and ordered a new one.

After that, another technician came to my home and noticed that the new screen didn't had the WWAN cables. I show him this thread with the part numbers and he ordered the correct screen.

At the third time, they got it right! Wohoo!
The portuguese company works really good but, the Dell european support has some issues. They had my service tag, so, they should know that my laptop has WWAN and they have the part numbers for the screens/whatever components.

I had to tell them the god damn part number!
Whatever, it's fixed now and I'm happy with my R2

(sorry for the crappy english )

 

the new hinge appears robust

its been 6 months now since i got my replacement and it is still tight and secure

no cracks, no wobbles, no gaps

hope i just didn't jinx myself

 

I've tested mine out by having a speeding Lhasa Apso puppy running over it. This was completely unintentional, but the results were impressive. The good thing is she weighs probably about the same as the laptop. I had to make a saving throw of 1d10 times my dog's gross weight against the DEF points of the m11x. The AlienArmor added a +6 bonus to AC. Carry the three, four pi squared.

 

ebondefender - Ultra nerd status achieved.

 

My SECOND M11X has dying hinges AGAIN !
This one was replaced by DELL one year ago, so no more warranty....

So go to a better laptop, no hate, take anything but Alienware, don't get fooled by changing leds colors, spent your money on a lasting and FAST laptop...

About the hinge problem...
Is there *anyone* on earth, who had the idea to offer a solution Dell is *unable* to reallly deliver?

Among us, any alien out there who can transform this alienware into a rocketing laptop ?

hahaha i totally agree !
What is worse than hinge problem ?....
bad support from FELL, i mean DELL...
They are lazy and don't understand unless you YELL at them. Believe me it works !

 

My hinge was just replaced this morning, onsite, on my M11x R1. It has been out of warranty for quite a while, but Dell is covering these hinge problems, even for out of warranty machines, because it is a design defect.

The new hinge feels sturdier and better, and my new screen (they replaced the whole lid assembly) is better than my old one.

Hooray for Dell/Alienware!

 

How did you get them to replace it onsite? I called Alienware and the CS Rep kept telling me that I would need to extend my warranty(expires this week) to be able to get it fixed on site. They told me I need to pay $300 for the extended warranty if I didn't want to send in my laptop.

 

He lied to you, call again. You DONT have to buy more warranty.

 

No he didn't. When out of warranty the system has to be sent to the depot.

 

Re-read what he said.

The rep is telling him even though he is still within warranty, he has to extend it to get something repaired under his warranty, that he is still currently in.

 

If he's still under warranty then yes, he's been lied to. Hurry up and call them again, Faideelah!

 

... this will all vary by location also. How-To info is in this thread and others already.

 

Thanks for the info guys. My warranty expires in one day at the moment. Would I still be able to get them to replace it on site? I've been super busy with school recently so I had no time to call them.

 

If you call while your still under warranty, then yes. But if you set it up outside of warranty, then you may have to mail the computer in to them. Honestly, mailing it in is not as painful as most have made it seem. Takes about a week.

 

Good news! I just called them and they will be replacing my hinge on site even though I'm on my last day of warranty. They also mentioned that I had the new hinge already and it shouldn't have broke.

 

If possible try to compare and note any part numbers between old and new to confirm what you have. The newer design isn't bulletproof but failures should be less.

 

Well after a year + of owning it and numerous issues throughout my m11x lifetime, the hinge broke after opening it and it broke good. It cracked and broke off the lid completely and the wire going from the motherboard to the LCD came loose so I lost video on the monitor. I plugged in an external monitor and my computer still worked fine so I knew I was covered even though my warranty was expired.

I called tech support and explained about the hinge and that its still covered because its a defect and they agreed, they sent me a box and I sent it back to them a few days later. I received an automated message 2 weeks ago from Dell stating they received the computer and will call me with any updates. I sit around waiting for my computer for the next 2 weeks and eventually get fed up and check the status ONLINE which I had no clue you could do. I find out the system has been SITTING doing nothing for 2 weeks because of a "Billable hold" which is weird since they said it was covered. I called them and they said they need to replace the motherboard and I asked them why since the computer itself worked fine and they had no answer for me. They kept saying something about a spillage but that made zero sense because the only issue I have with my laptop currently was the hinge/lcd issue. After going on and on about the issue and how it should be covered he said "ok we will repair it and send it back to you". This was a few days ago, so I checked the status today and it says my unit was released from hold and they are fixing it.

So yea I'm happy its getting fixed and everything but it really is issue after issue with not only the computer but the customer service. Its always something and it gets annoying. Ive had a technician at my house about 4 times for my M11x alone for overheating, broken power supply, non responding keyboard and the last time the tech was here he forgot to plug my bluebooth card back in.

This is going to be my last Alienware even though I love the visual appeal of these laptops. Ive owned 4 over the past 5-6 years and ive had at least 1 issue with every single one. Thats my story lol.

 

Anybody tried this?

http://en.community.dell.com/dell-b...inges-on-alienware-m11x-systems-globally.aspx

 

Yea, that's kind of what this thread is about... I have no idea what the cutoff date for that is, but it is still active.

 

So I haven't gotten my R2's replaced... so is it time before it is too late? I have extended warranty if that helps.

 

- I bought my R1 on ebay US
- Had it shipped to US-CA border
- Drove from Toronto to Buffalo and picked it up

Given this circumstance, is there any possibility of me getting a free hinge replacement?

Note: I was able to get a stock "M11x" nameplate from them through customer support.

 

Assuming you are out of warranty, it totally depends on weather or not it has had the hinge replaced already. If it has, then you're out of luck. If it hasn't, then you are eligible for the free replacement (it is a back-to-base repair though, not in-home unless you have warranty).

 

I had my R1 hinge replaced out of warranty. Just explain to them its a defect and even link them to the hinge replacement thread. They replaced mine for free but I had to send it into the depot (for free). They gave me a brand new hinge and it worked great.

 

My Alienware M11xR1 monitor hinge(s) has been on the way out for a few months now.
The left hand-side monitor casing close to the hinge was splitting apart and there was squeaking and cracking sounds when opening and closing the lid.

Location: New Zealand.

My M11xR1 is approx 2½ years old and not covered my DELL warranty.

DELL reference
Delta Knowledge ID: 401161
DSN PSQN Document ID: 376475

I had all the info at hand before I contacted DELL to support my case.

I rang DELL tech support at approx 12:00 and spoke with a DELL support rep. Explained I had an M11xR1 with failed hinge(s) and would like the one-off replacement.

Yes, Here's a case number and a tech will call you tomorrow to arrange a time to replace the monitor. [short version]

Next morning a tech rang, ask if anyone would be home and after confirmation, had replaced the monitor by 'lunch' time.

That's a 24 hour turn around....!!!???!!!!

I'm a little bit thrown by such efficiency.

I even got a WWAN monitor, where I only had a WLAN monitor before.
So now I have two extra cables, which I may be able to use for (2x2) WiFi.

My last monitor LCD was an AUO and now I have a SEC and there may be a very slightly noticeable difference between the two(As I see it)

The black may not be as deep/rich as it was on the AUO LCD as the SEC seems to be erring on the side of grey with some reduced sharpness.

For me this is not a problem, as I have a couple of 24" IPS monitor I can connect to if I want better quality.

So in summary, DELL has replaced my failed M11xR1 monitor hinges in approx. 24 hours. No Fuss, no problems.

Big ups to DELL.

 

I just sent in my M11x yesterday, how long should I expect before I get my laptop back?

 

Well I just got my laptop back today and the hinge seem very good. It only took about a week between me sending it in and getting it back so if anyone else is out of warranty with a broken hinge just send it in!

 

After a couple years or so mine finally started snapping on open.....I sent an email but no response. should I instead call?

 

Send us an email at [email protected] with your service tag and phone number. Be sure to mention the reason (broken hinges) and my name, that way I'll dig up your case quickly and get back to you asap.

 

I just got a replacement lid. Installed it. And the lid has a rattling sound. So I took the lid apart and it has a broken mount where the hinge mounts to the lid. I called two days ago now Alienware tech support stated he " can't get a hold of the original CSR as he is in a different department. " Oookaaaaay??


The first lid came overnight.
Anyone had second lid request get shot down ??

I don't know what to do. No email stating the part was sent. Or order number or tracking number. I don't even know who is shipping it.

 

Well, after 2 years, my hinges started acting up. I called, Dell sent a SmarTech guy around with the newly designed hinges. Great. Next day even. The problem is, the tech ruined my laptop. Numerous screws have the heads stripped, numerous places in the chassis that the screws go into have been stripped, the right side of the laptop chassis is bent out and "wobbly"... He even put one screw for the bottom cover directly in the chassis, stripped the head and cannot get it out. I have never seen such a mess. I cannot get the bottom off due to his incompetence. I have added SSD and WWAN and cannot get the cover off to remove them....

I am just sick over it. Plus the replacement cover is scratched. I cannot believe how bad this guy messed up my beautiful M11X. Ok Alienware, make this RIGHT!

 

That would have to go to our depot facilities, our techs will take care of it asap. I'll send you the details through a PM.

 

Luis,
I've tried sending email to the address set up for handling the hinge issue. A week plus passed and I got no response so I tried sending a couple of emails to the address you listed above yesterday. I forgot to include your name on the first one which is why I sent the second. No response to either.

Maybe I'm being impatient but the hinges on my R1 M11x are getting steadily worse and I use it a lot. Help?

 

Luis, did you see my posting above? My hinge is totally detached on the left hand side as of today. Help?

 

emkey, send me a PM with your info and I'll take it from there. If you're outside the US or CA your request may have already been forwarded to the correct parties. However, if you send me your info through a PM i'll request some updates to help you get this fixed asap.

 

I'm in the US. I'll PM you just as soon as I figure out how to do that here.

Thank You!

Sending PM shortly. It turns out I need five legit postings before that feature works. Fingers crossed this will be number five.

 

You got em!

Check your inbox, I sent you one just in case

 

Will be on my 3rd set of hinges on Tuesday.

 

I've had my M11x for just short of a year -- about 6 months ago the left hinge started giving way. I've been 'dealing' with it, but it's become progressively worse. Finally, tonight, I just decided to Google it, and wow was I impressed at what I found.

I've followed the information on community.dell.com, and e-mailed the " AWCC-Resolution_Experts " account at Dell with all of my laptop information.

Now that I see there's a Alienware rep on here, I wanted to follow through and ensure that the issue is taken care of. Honestly? I'm impressed that Dell is following through on the issue.

Question -- since I am a Dell Certified technician, will Dell send me the parts for me to fix if requested? .. Or will I need to send the laptop to Dell for repair?

Soooooooooooo it's now been four days, and I've yet to even hear a remote response back from Dell/Alienware. Generally, how long does it take for a response regarding the hinges??

 

After I sent an email it took about 1.5 weeks and a shipping box showed up at my place without any emails telling me about it (bit weird). I shipped my laptop off on Monday and got it back the same week on Friday with new hinges. Overall good service, I was expecting it to take longer.

 

How did it go with the hinge replacement?

 

I am glad I got the hing replacement. It was such a bad design and I hope dell has learned their lesson.

 

Sent mine for repair on the hinge, and got back nicely

 

This may be a long shot, but I had repaired mine outside of Dell's warranties and the tech had drilled two holes in the back cover, which worked for some time. However now its coming apart again. Would Dell still repair it?

 

Was it a Dell issued tech? Might make it easier if in an argument but may not even be a factor. As the repair involves replacement AND the old parts are returned only after repair it may go smooth as butter. I suppose the question could be, "will the tech abort/deny the claim when he sees it?". This I can't even guess. Anything is possible. However as the owner you certainly have a claim for repair process

 

Just a FIY, they have updated their policy on the m11x hinge issue.

M11x Hinge Policy - Alienware Forum - Alienware Club - Dell Community

 

Sent my M11x R1 off at lunch time to get the hinge/lid replaced . Will be interesting to see how long it takes to get it back .

 

That sucks, after all it is their problem for fitting bad parts in the first place known to fail, therefore isn't actually a warranty issue. They should still honour the replacement, that's what I think.

 

Wow, that's disappointing. My grace period is over according to that and I never got it replaced because I don't use the machine often. The hinges were a bit wobbly but I figured I'd just be careful. Now I guess I'm screwed if they break . I feel like they should honor it anyway, blah.

 

You can call and ask, otherwise its a very easy diy fix.