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

So, I need to ask for the WLAN one? Anyways, how was my post off topic

 

If the techs are doing a bad job just do it yourself. I did and honestly it wasn't very hard. Was kind of cool to see the guts of my M11x also.

 

When buying a new m11x from Dell brand new, does it come with the new & improved hinge?

 

Anyone with new screen?

Interesting how they solved the problem, pity we don't have internal pictures.

 

Only Dell can answer that, as you can see the new screen assembly is still unavailable on some parts of the world.....

 

So people that are buying new m11x around halfway of March are still getting the ticking timebomb hinges and not the new ones?

I'm not talking about other parts of the world, I'm talking about United States of America.

 

I think Chris answered this already: New production not getting the parts.

 

That sucks.

I wasn't aware there was a separate office set up for Canada for Alienware. The rep I spoke to at 1-800-ALIENWARE handled my case right away without transferring me to anyone.

The Unisys tech should come over to your house to install the part; there might be a delay as the parts could be on backorder. When the tech came over last week, they accidentally put 2 replacement hinges under my name (lol).

When they call you though, be sure to answer or have a good quality answering machine as unless you got the tech's name clearly, you can't call them back easily. The number that appears on your call display is a generic office number that goes to Unisys's offices.

 

what does this mean? not getting the parts as in not getting the bad design or not getting the parts as in the they include the fixed hinges?

My m11x arrived at the beginning of march and the part number does not match anything posted- defective style or fixed style.

 

My second hinge issue has caused visible damage do the screen cover. Is Dell/Alienware still replacing the entire panel assembly? I have other warranty issues to deal with at the same time so I want to send it in instead. Would I be more or less likely to get a replacement panel that way? I'm actually on the phone with them right now setting up the depot repair. They wanted to send a tech first but I told them that it didn't make sense if I was going to have to send it in for the other problems anyway.

 

Mine is getting repaired right now (QLD, Australia) and i heard a snap followed by a loud sigh. My tech had replaced m11x hinges before and was very careful apparently but managed to snap the part with the alienhead 'on' button said he wold organise to get it replaced though... hes still here now so hope he gets the hinges right at least... also hope the next person dosnt break somthing else while replacing the broken part...

EDIT:
Ok so hes done now and it might just be imagining it but the screen seems to be less bright and less sharp.. the colours seem to be faded. Is this even possible and if so what should i do about it?? Also the screen seems to not close completely i.e. theres a gap when the screen is closed (see pics below) is this normal? sure wasnt like that on my old screen... and also the alien head ont he back of the LCD seems pressed in... is it meant to be like that? Chris if you could advise that would be much appreciated. On the bright side though the hinge seems very sturdy

 

So, quick question: Are the new hinges available for all m11x's or are they only available after the hinges have become faulty?

Got three m11x's at the moment and would like to get them fixed at the same time.

 

Dell uses 3 different lcd panels in the m11x, all of which have a slightly different image profile. You probably received a different panel then you had.

In all cases the display quality can be improved by calibrating your monitor. Search for "icc" and "slickie88" for more info.

 

I'm pleasantly surprised, the tech is here now. It's the same guy who replaced my last set of hinges. We confirmed that it was the new part, but neither of us by eyeballing could tell the difference between the new apparatus and the old. I wonder what they exactly did to create this "permanent fix."

 

the fix is inside the LCD assembly and will not be visible from the outside, the mechanism for attaching to the base of the notebook is of course the same otherwise they would have had to redesign that as well which would be unnecessary as this is not where the design flaw was located

 

The tech is coming to my office today to take care of mine. If I have anything of value to say after talking to the Tech, I will be posting.

 

Guy fixed the screen/hinge and its now firm and feels great. Made me fall in love with the M11x all over again.

 

Even within the same panel model (AUO or Samsung) there's been plenty of evidence that image quality is prone to varying from one to the other. I've had two AUO panels and the second one is significantly less bright than the first was. Calibrating helps balance colors/grayscale, but it can't help with a weaker backlight.

Here in a month or two I'll be having mine replaced again - waiting for Dell to get their act together with parts and questionable refurbishing of these things - and if at that point I get a similarly poor panel I'll be having them replaced it until I'm happy. For now I really can't be bothered to give a rat's patootie.

 

Is the new hinge only available to people with hinge issue or is it available when purchasing new m11x from here on now?

 

Please read the thread. This has been asked (and answered) several times already(The last time being on the previous page)

 

Too many people are just lazy to read the previous pages of the thread.
Basically this whole thread has been repeating itself over a number of times...

 

Yeah, I think there was a someone who asked a question and the answer was like two posts above him, it's funny. But, if people are too lazy to read the thread, or at least read the posts within their vicinity, then there's no reason for us to put in the time to answer it. Plain and simple.

 

Interesting find. I hooked up my home monitor today and noticed that my new screen is listed as a Seiko Laptop Display. I remember there was a thread a while back that listed the different panels that people had and I don't remember that being one of them. I remember the AUO, Samsung, LG... I think. Either way the replacement screen I got looks great and has no flaws that I can tell. The new lid was also appreciated seeing as my older lid was pretty beat. The finish is psuedo-matte like listed a few posts back... Either way, calling it in was really easy and I give AW/Dell propps for the professional service.

 

You say that you hooked up your home monitor...are you sure you aren't look at the properties of your external monitor? When my laptop is connected to an external and the laptop screen is off, it doesn't list the laptop screen in the device manager. I was confused at first, I thought my M11x had a Westinghouse screen until I realized what was going on.

 

Nope. My home monitor is registering as the Samsung that it is.

 

Hmm, I was on the verge of purchasing the m11x laptop around 3-4 months ago until I heard about the hinge issue that it was plagued with. Needless to say I immediately dodged and looked elsewhere. BUT, checking back, I see that Dell is finally replacing the broken hinges with newly designed ones via house visits (or so I hope).

From the looks of things though, no news on the new hinge design being shipped I see. Well, I guess I will keep waiting on the new m11x as well as the new thinkpad e420s and the Sager NP5160.

 

I just got one of those Dell notebook empty boxes in the mail. Is Dell fixing this hinge issue now (with a permanent fix)? I didn't have to contact Dell or anything, I jut got it out of the blue.

I have an m11xr1 where the hinges broke. I had Dell fix it about 5 or so months ago, but that was with the same faulty hinge. I remember complaining that it would just happen again to the Dell guy on the phone and would prefer credit toward one of the better designed notebooks. They didn't give it, but I also saw on here where Dell would be fixing the hinges with a better designed hinge in future months.

Is anyone else getting these Dell boxes in the mail?

 

I contacted dell about the hinges and the wobble I’ve had since I bought the laptop, they said they will take it away to be repaired, which sucks, and I thought they did an in home service

 

unless in a market where that is not an option. Check your warranty details for home service and expiry dates.

 

How are you determining the built-in panel's make? I too was confused why you mention that you hooked up an external monitor.

 

Wow. If they are doing unsolicited replacements of LCD assemblies that had previously been replaced for hinge failures then that's rather impressive.

 

Well I pluged in the samsung monitor in via VGA. I then opened the nvidia manager to set up how the 2 screens would configured. Screen 1 was the sieko screen 2 was the samsung.

Is there anything else I should check? If my screen is in fact a new brand, then possibly they are using that on the "fixed" setup.

 

Yes.

> Start button
> type Device
> click on Device Manager
> expand Monitors
> right-click on Generic PnP Monitor and choose Properties
> click on the Details tab
> choose Hardware Ids from the dropdown list
> the value will either be AUO105C or SEC5441

I'm almost positive that the one person who mentions an LG panel had that as a replacement panel that wasn't originally meant for the M11x. There are really only two panels that Dell puts in these. Either way the Seiko is a red herring.

 

Thanks for the rundown SLickie - Looks like I have the SEC5441; Thats the samsung panel right?

 

if i have yet to get a reply from the email chris had posted to email, shouold i give alienware a call?

 

I just received my m11x with replaced hinge today, for some reasons (mainly 'cos warranty services in Vietnam is quite poor) I dont know my new screen part number, are there any way for me to recognize its number myself? just want to know my new screen have a redesigned hinge or not.

 

The tech will come today in about 1hr. I know they are different models of LCDs, so can anyone tell me how can I see mine or where is it located ? (I think i read somewhere that it comes on a cable of the LCD, is that true?)

 

Read about 10 or 11 posts up... There is a complete walkthrough to see how you can see what LCD panel you have.

As far as looking at the panel itself, I have no clue what to look for.

 

Sorry, I see no walkthrough 10-11 posts up, not even 30 posts up.
...


anyone knows what is the new part for the Y6NXY LCD?

 

Yes, that's the Samsung.

 

There u go... bout 5 posts up

 

I did saw that one, but i thought he was talking about another one. Thanks

Btw, what should it says with the new model ?

 

I believe it wont say anything different than the old one but the model of ur LCD may change due to it being replaced with a refurbished one with the née hinges

 

Easiest way to verify will be to check part numbers for the assembly before install. The LCD has zero to do with the problem or the hinges... heck even the hinges might unchanged as they are not the problem either.

Its the back panel at fault here but what the "fix" is seems a mystery until clear pics are posted.

 

So my R2 just started having loose hinge symptoms, the right side seems to have quite a bit of play... I don't know when it will break, but I am assuming it will, the screen just isn't tight anymore and when the laptop is turned cover down for example the screen doesn't stay shut it opens like 1/2".

So what options do I have? Do I have to wait for it to break to receive replacement hinges? Or can I have a service call now? (Have 4 yr. warranty...) I don't know how long I can go without my laptop, seeings how I use it for 5+ hours everyday...

Thanks!

 

I ordered my m11x R1 on April 7th will it have the new hinges?

Please Reply! Thank You!

 

My God. Please read the post.
This has been answered like a month ago.

 

I probably sound like a doofus, but I've been through 40 pages and I couldn't find a firm answer. There was a lot of "only time will tell"

Chris from Dell has yet to give a confirmatory answer.

I am also on the fence about purchasing the m11x and wanted to know the answer as well.

Can you please enlighten us? I really just want to know before I plop down some money

thanks

 

Chris from Dell did not provide an answer for it as he stopped following the thread since a few days after this announcement.
According to the announcement, Chris did NOT mention about the new LCD cover going to be on the new production line.
If it was going to be, he would have gladly mentioned it in order to provide motivation for the others to continue to purchase new Alienware M11x R1/R2.

Therefore it is recommended that those who wish to purchase M11x series to check it with Dell privately (phone or email) in your region for a firm answer rather than speculations.

 

It's rather lame to continue production of R1 & R2 with faulty hinges, but I guess the reason is that the R3 is coming out very soon which has fixed hinge.