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

All, we are setting up a special email address for you to use for the hinge issue only. Hold off on calling in until I can post the email address.

 

Will this solve the problem of the screen hitting the keys? Ive noticed mine is doing this. Are all replacement screens now the improved hinge design or are some still the old one?

 

Should I cancel my dispatch and submit via the email address when available?

 

Seller's remorse here. Sold my m11x a few months back since I didn't want to experience the imminent hinge issue. Now waiting for a SlickDeals post for an R2 $64X.XX deal to appear.

 

@Chris -

Updated post#1 with your 'email address post'.

Thread stickied for now.

Thanks for keeping the community updated.

 

Just finished talking to a Dell rep who told me that LCDs with redesigned hinges where available but to get one, you would have to have a broken display.LOL
I was kind of hoping they would replace my LCD (which is fully functional by the way) with the new one, but the rep just recited the old mantra of "If it ain't broken, don't fix it".
One more thing, the rep also mentioned that a warranty was 'mandatory' to have your screen replaced...no warranty no replacement...and upon my mentioning of what Chris posted, she told me that this was an "outside" blog in no way affiliated with Dell/Alienware and that whatever statements might be posted, they aren't official.
Contemplating about "lying" to get the new screen...

 

@EthioKnight. I would take Chris's word for it. Most reps are not as informed as they think they are (or as smart as they think they are). If Dell does not honor out of warranty laptops, I am guessing a class-action suit will be filed by someone eventually. This is an obvious product defect and doesn't just happen from normal use.

 

My warranty expires in 6 days! and I'm not at all liking the responses I am getting from the reps at Alienware. I would like to believe Chris and with confidence sit and await for the day Alienware/Dell would send a tech to my house to replace my screen after my warranty has expired, but seeing as I'm getting mixed signals, I would hate to find myself with a broken screen and no warranty holding on to a broken promise (no offense @chris)
so...my question...HYPOTHETICALLY speaking, let's say I called dell up and told them my hinges are starting to disintegrate (when they actually are in pristine working condition) and asked for a replacement (my current screen part#757TW has a new version part# 4FFHC). Could I pull it off? and what would be the repercussions, if any, when the tech arrives and finds my screen to be fully functional?
p.s. Thanks for bearing with my long a*s post, I appreciate it

 

yes at last chris plus rep for you man. i really applaud the seriousness of dell. cheers to alienware and to m11x owners. a victory for both alienware and m11x owners achieve

 

i would like to thank Chris and his team for his effort in helping us. God bless him. Ok, first of all dell malaysia page didnt post any announcements regarding the hinge replacement program or anything related at the home page or specific model support page. i'm not sure in calling dell in fear that i'll off and have a bad day frm just-in-case 'uninformed' rep. So my q is:

Chris, is dell malaysia included in this program?

TQ..

 

Yup i know but i'm not willing to remove the bezel, so i did what i could. i know if i remove it there will be dust in there and i will have to remove it again.. and again and again. i hate dust...

also as i said before i'm from Singapore and got the new part so i think
Malaysia probably has it as well considering dell's warehouse is in Malaysia.

 

hmm... it would be really helpful if some1 actually did the procedure from Malaysia and gives us the heads up.

 

Hi

Purchased my m11x a week ago. I've check my system configuration and my part number doesn't match with either the "Old" or the "New" hinge design. Does this mean I will not have to deal with the faulty hinge?

 

Thanks Chris M! eagerly awaiting the email. My hinge has been crooked and has a big gap on one side ever since mobo replacement..

 

I am still talking through getting this newly designed hinge at the moment.
Dell Technical representative on the phone wants to confirm this through sending Chris an email.
They told me they will get back to me as soon as possible.
I really hope they will speed things up to order and bring me a newly designed one...

 

Well my second hinge finally popped completely ripping my protective screen off from the chasis. So now I have lots of fun dust. I was able to temp fix the second broken hinge but well it doesn't look so nice. Being the last straw I finally called dell. They are sending me the new part and I get to have the fun of installing it myself. I am in the military stationed aboard.

 

Did yours break? or you just want to get a new one even though yours is working? received my r2 last week, still on the fence whether to keep or not.

 

Can we request simply the part and swap them ourselves? I'd rather not have someone else come and take apart my system, Dell Servicemember or not.

 

I love my R2, everything runs good but this is the precise reason I have been seeing all over from different people that has me thinking about returning it "It's inevitable it will break, just a matter of time" and I work full time + school 4 days a week and I can't take not take note by hand worth a damn, having my computer with me for note taking and other tasks is the reason for my near straight A so I can't have down time. Of course I understand anything can break, but it is just hard to keep it when I know it will break and its just a matter of time.

THoughts?

 

People who are speculating that it's inevitable that all hinges on all M11x notebooks will fail have nothing to base those sorts of claims on. Nothing. They're making assumptions with limited and incomplete data. 50% failure rates? Absolutely not real. Nothing even remotely approaching that.

If yours breaks, have it repaired next business day on-site. The tech who replaced mine had it done in 15 minutes. That level of warranty service is rare for consumer electronics and it really doesn't get any better than that with other manufacturers. Most will have you send it off for a week or two. If avoiding any amount of down-time is so crucial to you then purchase a backup netbook or use your Envy for a few days, because frankly there aren't any perfect notebooks out there where you're guaranteed a fault free system.

 

Just curious exactly how the replacement works. Since they don't open the bezel, and the hinge connects behind the bezel, are they actually essentially taking the whole system apart enough to reach down to pull out the entire hinge assembly that connects to the chassis then just doing a reconnect of the video cable to the m/board? Do they crack the bezel at all during the removal or installation?

 

the first option. As the bezel doesn't need to be opened for hingeassembly/LCDpanel replacement.

 

Understand, thanks for the input. Just sold my Envy 14, so that is no longer and I tend to only keep 1 portable with me that's why the concern. Netbook? @_@ nah..... but thanks for the info.

 

I've got a refurb, and my service tag number isn't recognised by the Dell website. Would I still be able to get this fix, or am I stuck with a broken hinge?

 

Call them, give them the order number and try to get your ST

 

No reason to call... listen to what Chris posted...

 

call dell today 1030hrs Malaysian time and the hinge prob case taken. I was transfered from one to the tech before it was resolved. Initially the tech mentioned that my warranty was basic and its not covered hence i need to purchase the new screen. after mentioning Re: m11x hinge issues? - Alienware Forum - Alienware Club - Dell Community and some local forum. the tech referred the matter to his superior and all it took was 1+ minutes. He then took my case with other details taken. Thank you for the awesome and friendly tech and non other then ChrisM. thank you very much for your team and your effort to bring this matter higher up. cant wait for the local service center to call and replace my hinge. thanks again and hopefully this post helps fellow Alienware owners from Malaysia.

 

What if we have a hinge issue in addition to another issue (fan scrape)? Should I wait to submit both cases at the same time, or get them taken care of separately? Seems like a waste to have them done on different service dates.

 

Fortunately, my hinge never broke and I have been using this hinge for 4~5 months now.
The problem is, I can clearly tell that my monitor is tilted to the left.
For 4~5 months of usage, I've been watching a tilted screen to do my work and play games.
I need to have the new hinge.

 

Yes you can. That is what I am doing since I am US military in Germany and they have no one to fix it for me here. Use this video to reference how to do the repair:

YouTube - Alienware M11x Teardown **READ SAFETY PRECAUTIONS PRIOR TO REPLACING PARTS** (Official Video)

 

Its a waste to do multiple calls, but if it were me and if my hinge was ok and functional, I would call in the fan and once Chris has his email addy program in place, address the hinge then.

 

Or you could just reference the M11x service manual.

M11x Display Assembly removal and replacement

 

You just made an assumption with limited and incomplete data, didn't you?

I am not sure if it is possible to compare the level of service offered by different manufacturers, based solely on the possibility of on-site service available in select countries. Do other manufacturers use refurbished parts to replace broken ones as well? Do other manufacturers employ technicians capable of stripping screws, scratching screens, dropping laptops, etc? Not to mention that laptops made by other manufacturers do not have even remotely the same hinges failure rate as the m11x.

Now if Dell is really prepared to perform the one-time dispatch of the revised display module upon request, so that the hinges victim is able to fix the problem himself - now that would be something I will call great warranty service.

Personally, I would be very happy with this sort of solution, my hatred towards the merry hingemakers will be quenched and I will consider Dell customer service to be decent, since I value a company's willingness to lead a fair, balanced dialogue with its customer and its attention to customers' actual needs. Sounds a bit too good to be true though.

 

Ditto, deployed currently actually.

My screen part says 9MGG7

It's a refurb with the WWAN aerials, I'd really hate to lose them... =\

 

By the way, how do you check what your part number is?

 

Just check the 'Original System Configuration' under the Dell System Information using your service tag on the Dell web site under support.

But do you really need to, as Chris has pretty much written it out in black and white. At least for M11xR1 systems, unless M11xR2 use different part numbers.

I have an old 757TW, which is noted with my 'Original System Configuration' and confirmed by what Chris has mentioned.

Update:

2 757TW ASSY,LCD,WLAN,BLK,PHTM,SRVC

Above is what is noted under my M11xR1 service tag config info.

 

My cover assembly is not on the list:

Y1G2X ASSEMBLY..., COVER..., HNG-UP, NO WWAN, STCH-B

 

I should add that I have a Soft Touch Black R2

 

Well I knew the right way to check the part number then.
I couldn't find the part numbers listed by Chris.

I have "381DH".
381DH ASSY,CVR,HNG-UP,NO WWAN,STCH-B

 

You're lucky to get even that.

All I have is "DISPLAY : 11.6IN WIDEHD 1366X768 (720P)" - no part number at all.

But then, if I trust Dell with my service tag info - I have an m11xR3 and 20 display parts instead of one.

 

I am going to have to agree here, unless Dell can put meaningful information on their site as far as what parts are tied to a service tag this will be much more difficult.

Found this:

1

51XC4

Module, Cover, HNG-UP, NO WWAN, Black

This is the closest I could find to a display....

1

9MGG7

MODULE..., LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY..., 11.6HDF, WLED, TLF, SAMSUNG...

 

So.....when are we gonna get that email address?

 

I could be wrong, but I see this email address becoming a new requirement because they will require photos as proof of failure. They don't want every csr giving a new screen to anyone who calls. I hope its a way to get the correct parts quickly without the csr being able to mess it up...and it may be that in one sense. But I also wonder if it is so they can track and prove the need for each case. They may become less willing to fix these screens since so many are looking to get them.

 

My screen has been replaced with the new model~ it is no longer off balance, and does not make a notable noise when closing/opening.

Thanks!

 

Absolutely and as we've discussed already I'm very aware of the fact that we're never going to be in a position to know what the numbers are. Having said that, the only people who are guestimating 20% or higher failure rates are those people who've only been here a couple of months and have only recently started tracking the issue on a cursory level. You've already mentioned that you though that half of the M11x owners here have had hinge failures. I can't begin to tell you how ludicrously off-base that is.

You don't? Why isn't there an obvious advantage to having your laptop repaired quickly versus 7 to 14 days? You could have your notebook repaired two or three times in that 1 to 2 week period.

Yes, it's an extremely common practice in the industry. There are major parts depots that receive parts, strip them and salvage parts deemed worthy of being reusable. Everything from body parts, wifi cards, memory, hard drives, you name it. It all goes back into the supply channel.

Really? Yes they ALL do. Qualx (which is now Worldwide TechServices) is used by Apple, Dell, Lenovo and HP - maybe more. Those companies all contract WTS or some other service provider to do their local repairs. Send a computer to a Dell/HP/Lenovo repair facility? There's the same potential for them to screw things up. And if they do? Guess what, you're sending your laptop back so they can fix it again. Repair technicians are good or bad. It's luck of the draw.

OK... I'm really not sure what point you're trying to make. I'm very well aware of the M11x's material and design flaws specific to the hinge. What does that have to do with warranty comparisons?

 

Has anyone confirmed whether or not newly ordered systems come with the new hinge design? Ordered mine on March 2nd, should be here tommorow...

 

Actually this hinge design/flaw/failure is nothing new and has been in laptops for some time (multiple models)

It was seen in the Alienware Area-51 m15x (made by Quanta and back before Dell was involved in Alienware). For reference, the M11x is made by Compal.

I have also personally experienced the same breaking in 2x HP DV9260nr laptops (meaning it can happen in ANY DV9000 since they all have the same chassis). For what it is worth, that model was also made by Quanta. (HP uses Compal now as far as I know).

 

Probably you misunderstood me, since it is close but not quite... I think that there is at the very least a 50% possibility that each and every single m11x released with the defective hinge construction will fail any given moment, regardless of the conditions of its usage. As to the m11x owners, here, my guess would be that about 200 users here have had hinge failures by now, probably more.

That said, I would prefer to abstain from further argument, since it was not what I aimed to achieve. I admire your color profile, which definitely saved the m11x display for me, and the reason I ask you these questions is sheer curiosity. Thank you for your answers.

 

This thread is getting off topic, but Dell's support is definitely above average for all intents and purposes. Lots of laptops have hinge issues, some of which never get addressed by the manufacturer (e.g., the old MSI GX/GT series chassis has hinge issues, and it's never been addressed). Heck, a friend just gave me his 3 year old HP Pavilion and it needs both hinges replaced.

While we're talking warranties. I had to send my MSI GX640 back 3 times for warranty service. Each time I was without the laptop for 3 weeks on average. That's over 2 months total, and I've only had the laptop since last May. They also stole my felt keyboard/screen protector and managed to lose one of my rubber feet while they had the laptop.

I called Dell the other day with a problem with my M15x's touchpad, and they'll be replacing the motherboard, touchpad, and hard drive in my home by next week. I also mentioned the M11x hinges and someone is coming Friday for that.

That being said, there have been other times I called support and the "tech" was less than willing to help. And I've had horror stories of my own with customer service through the years. But by far, their support and warranty fulfillment is by far the best I've seen.

 

Just checked mine, and the numbers are wayyy different......oh well just wait and see what happens. I have had no issues with my hinges by the way, and have been using steady for about a month. Only thing for me is screen touches the keyboard and leaves marks on both sides of the display.

My Display info = 9MGG7 MOD,LCD,11.6HDF,WLED,TLF,SMSNG