Slight hinge breakage, should I send it on or self repair

I posted 3-4 weeks ago that my m15x was starting to show signs of hinge breakage (little white pieces falling out) but I decided to put it off since the hinge was still tightly closed together. But now, I have noticed that the 2 halves of the hinge have started to separate and there is a 1-2 mm gap. I decided that it was time to send it in but decided to contact customer support and find out the estimated turnaround time.
The guy on the phone said that it could take between 4 and 20 days for the whole thing. I told him that it was a bit vague and he just replied that 4-20 days is the turnaround time. After a bit of pestering, he admitted that it usually takes more than 14 days. So in total, after counting shipping time, the whole thing would probably take 2.5 weeks. That is longer than I would be willing to part with my computer.
Ebay UK does not have the spares I need so I turned to ebay US

A seller called cyberinfinity has all the parts I need, just wanted to know if it is reliable and if the hinges he has are the new reinforced hinges and not the old crappy ones.

Also, which parts would I need from these :

1] Hinges

2] Back silver panel (ripley/skullcap)

3] Front black bezel

4] Hinge cover

Or do you guys think I am a comp addict and should send it in to AW and wait 2 weeks

 

Mortis, if you're still under warranty I'd send it in. One way or another the warranty cost you money and you might as well let A.W. fix it for you. Then it's still under warranty.

 

well how much do the reinforced hinges cost?

 

The hinges I found on ebay were $5 for both the left and right hinges. But, Im not sure if they are the new ones ?

Rob41 : The only reason Im considering an aftermarket repair is because of the long 2 week plus turnaround time which IMO is too long for a simple repair job. This is my primary (and only) computer which I simply cannot part with for that long. Chances are, it might take longer than 2 weeks, what do I do then ?

I understand that they must be busy with the new m17x and all but shouldn't AW have separate teams handling assembly and repairs ?

 

yea dell builds these not AW im sure they have their own division makeing the m17x and their xps series


I know dell builds all AW now but they have them seperated.....

You will proabaly loose your warrenty if you do it your self ...

think of it this way send it back now or later eventually you will have to send it back

 

I had a little more than a 10 day turnaround time, and that too a skullcap upgrade from a ripley, dunno how things have changed much in these 5 months though. Didnt you get you gmask thingy done?
Ive upgraDed my warranty to a 2 year additional too

 

Didnt get the gmask done. 10 days I wouldnt mind but 2 weeks + is a bit excessive.
Aaargh dont know what to do because after hearing AW service center stories, that 2 weeks could turn into a month.

AW Rose messaged me, I replied to her message, but she hasnt replied after that.

I feel really bad about making a scene like this, but I am very dependant on my computer.

 

I'd seriously suggest sending it to AW.

 

Yeah, Ill probably have to buy a replacement PC before I send it in though

 

If it's UK it'll take a minimum of 2 weeks, i've sent my M9750 in the past for repair and it took them 2.5 weeks.

 

Yeah, Im from the UK. 2 weeks plus is what I was told by the CS rep I spoke to.
Luckily the service center is still in Ireland. Actually, that doesnt help at all...

 

You can send it in. Mine didnt take but a week in total.
Although they just replaced the crappy broken hinge with another crappy hinge that will break in the future

 

So they replaced it with a similar hinge did they ? Do you have the Ripley or Skullcap ?

I have the Ripley and Im considering putting pressure on them to change it to Skullcap since they seem to have a better structure. Ill miss the slick, sober stealth bomber looks of the Ripley though

 

Hi guys, I have had my alienware m15x for over a year now, and the body of it has given out. The bottom left hinge on the screen gave out a couple of days ago, and when i was opening the lid i heard a 'crack' followed by a ping off the wall. Looked down at the hinge and the bottom part of the body has gone - broken into a thousand tiny peices I cant actually close the lid properly now, it sorta sticks up in the bottom left. This has meant that the black screen lid-outer lining on the inside (where you look at the screen) is parting from it, and now the little black rubber stopper has come away with nothing to screw into. Also, there is a crack down the inside of the trackpad, from top to bottom. I never use the trackpad, and never apply pressure there, so i cant see how that happened either. Grr

This is out of warranty at the moment, and am just wondering how anyone else has faired with this? Have you got them to replace it? How much did it cost if out of warranty? Did they change it from the Ripley to the Skullcap (which i have heard is a bit better in terms of build quality) without to much fuss? Any help here would be good guys. I always keep it padded when traveling, and make sure its not rough handled. Need to get it sorted quick, as i use it for work aswell, and cant be without it for too long.

Thanks

Kris

 

If you're not "too far" out of warranty, you can sometimes convince AW to repair it for free. If you're not the original owner, or you're way out of warranty, you're farly SoL unless you send it to AW for repair. Even then you "may" be able to get a break on the cost of the repair.