The Hinges (Not another, mine broke)

So my friend has a M11X R2 for sale and I was interested in possibly purchasing it for myself for school. He said he does not need it anymore but needs the extra cash. Taking his service tag, I entered it on to Dell's site and looked at the assembly and this is what it said: Y1G2X--- ASSEMBLY..., COVER..., HNG-UP, NO WWAN, STCH-B

So my question is, is Y1G2X the new updated hinges or the faulty ones?
Its a core i5 with a samsung display. Also, 7HWGV--- Assembly, Base, Bottom, STCH-BLK, M11XR2

I'm assuming STCH-BLK means Soft Touch Black so would that mean that its the newer system since when the hinge was faulty, the R2 did not come with the option of soft touch (Or so I think)

The Display if needed: DWVMD--- LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY..., 11.6HDF, WLED, TLF, SAMSUNG...

Thank you (And is Samsung a good LCD screen?)
(Also, I put the part number like this: ABCDE---)
*EDIT* It said that the system was constructed in April, yet it says I have 0 days left on the warranty.
Is this an error on Dell's site?

 

Did he ever have the hinges replaced? The R2 never came with the newer hinge design. Also the R2 was the first model to come with the soft touch. Is the April date from this year or last year?

 

Nope, never replaced hinges. And the R2 comes with the new hinges ever since the R3 was shipped. It's probably a site error but the ship date is 4/17/2011 I'm afraid that if they are not the new hinges, I will get the replacement for the new ones, and than when the technician replaces the hinges something connected to the LCD will break (Microphone, Camera, Bluetooth)

It's happened before to someone who posted about it here.

 

The newer hinge design was never implemented in the R2 assembly line. The only way to get them on the R2 is to have a tech replace them. I guess the tech breaking something else while replacing the hinges is a risk people will have to take. It all depends on who you get, some techs are more familiar with the laptop design, while others might not be and forget to reconnect parts or might possibly break something. If something breaks, that's when you call up Dell and complain.

Since your ship date is April of this year, at minimum the warranty should last until 1 year from that date.

 

Chris said that the R2 was being shipped with the updated hinges after the R3 had been shipped. It wouldn't make sense for customers purchasing an R2 or even an R1 to purchase if the hinges were faulty after they had released an updated hinge. I'm just not sure weather the assembly part number matches the part number to the updated hinges, that's what I want to know.

 

I'm not sure about the part number. Do you have a link for the bolded line? I'm 99% sure he said the new hinges would never be implemented in the R2 assembly.

 

Yea, Im 99% sure too that the new hinges comes only with the R3. If you want your R1-2 to have them, the only way was to call a tech so he can replace your old LCD for the new model with the good hinges.

 

That was my understanding as well. If Chris said that, he didn't say it here. Check the Alienware Club Owners Groupy Sychophants forum.

 

"WWAN Black R2Y7G replaced VT7K8
No WWAN Black 4FFHC replaced 757TW

WWAN Gray KKH9C replaced 6CVDV
No WWAN Gray YMM9R replaced PKYMD

WWAN Soft Black 8JJT2 replaced YYYV5
NO WWAN Soft Black 40GMX replaced GNJW3

What would help is if you would first take your service tag number and enter it here. Then, locate the LCD Assembly part number or descriptor you purchased by clicking on Original System Configuration. Then, look at the chart above to see what your replacement LCD Assembly part number will be."-Chris. Posted on 03-05-2011

*EDIT* I guess everyone is right. The same faulty hinges are still there on all R1 and R2 models. I'm surprised Dell would do such a thing when they can easily swap out the hinges before shipping them out before having a technician to come to your house and replace them.

So than, What are my chances of getting the faulty hinges? What can I do when my friend shows me his laptop in order to ensure that the hinges are not faulty? What if they end up breaking in say 5 months and I have to call a technician to replace the hinges? After he leaves, the camera, microphone, and bluetooth break and I'm left without a warranty? The laptop apparently has no warranty according to Dell's site at the moment even though it was shipped in April.

 

If you get a hinge replacement and the tech breaks something, Dell is responsible even if it is out of warranty. Dell would most likely have you send your laptop to their depot to get it fixed. If something like that happened to me, I wouldn't stop fighting with them until I was satisfied with the repairs. The laptop should have a warranty. The basic Alienware warranty is for 1 year, even if it is refurbished.

 

Someone else posted that they got the new hinges and the technician had to replace the entire LCD and three days later the camera, microphone, and Bluetooth broke draining the battery which made it last an hour and a half to two hours. After calling multiple times, Dell refused to do any type of service on the laptop because it was without a warranty.