Compaq V6000 DC jack loose, help me fix my sister's computer

Hey everyone,
I need some help. My older sister has a Compaq V6000 laptop which is now having a loose DC input jack problem. The laptop won't charge unless you wiggle the cord just right, and even then it is finicky. It is not the AC adapter. I am not a huge fan of her laptop at this point, as its already been to HP for repairs for the wireless card on the motherboard failing.

Anyway, she has two kids and isn't rich, and this laptop is like her one personal entertainment item and makes her happy. She watches movies on it, listens to her music, etc etc. She is not a power user by any means.

I want to repair it for her if I can. I am fairly competent technically, have built and fixed many desktops for our family, I've just never done any laptop tinkering. That said, can anyone offer me some help and advice about where to begin? Is this just a simple soldering job, or will it be more complex and not worth the time? If it can be fixed under $100, I will do it for her. She deserves it and doesn't have the money.

If not, I will look into helping her find something decent used. Thanks for the suggestions in advance.

 

As far as repairing, it is a fairly simple task; you'll probably just have to solder the jack to the board securely. That is, unless the jack itself is broken, which then makes things a little more complicated. The challenging part will be taking the laptop apart; for inexperienced users this can be very intimidating, given how different everything is.

 

I found this on ebay:

DV6000 DC jack

Is this the right thing I'm looking for? I think I can handle taking her laptop apart, I'll just be careful and diligent with it. Thanks guys, keep the suggestions coming.

 

Wow. If you can just screw it down and plug in, looks like a deal.

Any of the solderable jacks I found went anywhere from $25-$80, and there would be a lot more work involved.......

 

Well, I figured I would try my luck with HP customer support, since the V6000 is a well-known piece of crap with many issues that are covered by an extended warranty. After about 25 minutes of pointless troubleshooting, they're sending out a box for it to be repaired.

I'm glad she'll get her laptop fixed, but I'm a little wary of this model now. Seems like it's one thing after the other. First the entire mobo had to be replaced when the wireless card failed, now this. I'd feel like a ******* selling it on ebay or craigslist, but I think I will look into getting her a new laptop once we get this one back again.

I'm glad HP is going to fix it, but the level of fail on this particular model is kind of disappointing. Thanks for the help anyway, guys.

 

How long ago did she send the unit back for motherboard replacement, and how long did it take? I'm going to need this done on mine........

 

Is this the extended warranty you're referring to?

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01087277&lc=en&cc=us

I feel bad for you; I'm in the same boat. My HP is affected and has had the MB, heat sink, fan, hard drive and wireless card replaced. From a business perspective, it really is way more expensive than simply recalling the product.

 

The first time she sent it out, it came back really quick, probably in about 3-5 days maximum including shipping. It was also FedEx 1-day shipping both ways. We were pleasantly surprised. The phone support people didn't put us through endless troubleshooting, they just ordered the return box and put the repair in the computer. This particular model is pretty much notorious at this point, but I was glad they were quick and courteous. If I were you, I'd get it done ASAP.

I know, and I'm worried something else will go wrong with it once we get it back again. What I'd really like to do is sell it off and get her something else, but again, I feel bad about foisting it off onto someone else. I guess the extended warranty would still be in effect. I checked ebay and saw some good condition ones going for $350-$380ish. Think we'll probably get rid of it when we get it back and throw in a couple hundred to get something reliable.

 

Well, I know it's been awhile, but I have updates.

HP wouldn't repair the DC jack. They originally claimed they would, and then called us once they got it and said no, it'd be $312.00. So I refused the repair, they fixed what was under the extended warranty (I think just a firmware upgrade), and sent it back. I'm pretty sour on Compaq computers at this point, despite their attachment to HP, which has always been fine for me.

I ordered the DC jack connection on ebay and it should be here any day now. This is my first laptop repair, but I might put up pictures to help someone else. Anyone have any experience yanking this one apart?

 

You should be able to get a maintenance guide here:

http://h20180.www2.hp.com/apps/Nav?..._client=S-A-R163-1&h_page=hpcom&lang=en&cc=us

 

I have had nearly identical problems with my dv6000. mb replaced 2x for the wireless issue- the last of which they promised would fix this power problem, but not before they said it would be $320. were you ever able to fix it on your own?