Dropped my laptop - repair via HP or DIY ?

Hi

I dropped my HP Pavilion DV6 6053ea the other day and although it is still working ok there is damage to the outer casing. There are three parts in which I need to get which I found on waresphere.com :

LCD Bezel Assembly of HP Pavilion DV6 665300-001
Bottom Case Assembly of HP Pavilion DV6-6000 640419-001
Upper Case Assembly of HP Pavilion DV6-6000 640463-001 .... they don't have this part but have Upper Case Assembly of HP Pavilion DV6-6000 665356-001

As far as I can tell the parts look identical (in the case of the upper case assembly) and the other 2 parts match the HP numbers. The three parts cost with shipping around €90 and HP quoted me a repair bill of around €253.12. Should I do the repairs myself or send the laptop back to HP ? It's outside warranty. Even if I got the parts and brought them into a PC repair shop its cheaper than sending my laptop off to HP.

I have other problems with the laptop. The case which covers the RAM and HD consistently comes loose and doesn't sit flush so I have to lodge a piece of cardboard to keep it flush. I bought a second part (HP Spare 640444-001) of Ebay but still have the same problem. Also I replaced the screen to 1080p and the cable I was supplied by waresphere.com to handle the new screen is a bit on the short side. When I have the laptop in sleep mode and press on the outer case (where the HP logo is) it will boot up again. I think it is the cable that is doing it.

What should I do ? I was going to install a SSD on the machine but when I consider the amount of money I will spend and the price of a new machine I do wonder.

Also, taking the DV6 apart is straight forward but replacing the bottom case assembly seems a bit more tricky and I have not done it before.

 

here are some pictures :

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dhmqbbvecjlz323/DSC_0025.jpg

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5vipkos7n46vu5p/DSC_0026.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/h0auaou5kiw2sup/DSC_0027.jpg

 

any ideas ?

 

Actually my first tought was to do it yourself, after reading it again, it sounds that every panel is damaged. So maybe the best way is to send it to HP. But if you can just buy the component you can do it at home, just need some screwdrivers and patience.

 

As long as you have the service manual, doing the work yourself isn't to terribly difficult. Seeing as you know the part numbers, I'm guessing you already have the service manual. But if not, you can download a PDF version here: http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02842252.pdf

I think you can manage the repair yourself. And since you didn't mention any other problems, like some intermittent issue, the damage seems to only be cosmetic in nature. (Knock on wood).

Looking at the exploded view on page 22 of the service manual, it seems you're correct about the parts you need. You should disassemble the notebook before making a final decision. You might discover an internal part may have warped or bent and may not align properly with the new parts. Plus there may be internal damage to a part that while seemingly working now, may not when placed in the new housing especially if there's a crack that may get worse when screwed in and not aligned properly with the screw post.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I decided to go ahead and order the parts. The price difference was too great to send my laptop back to HP. Its my only machine and I would lose it for a week.

I have taken the laptop apart on numerous occasions but never have taken the main bits away from the bottom assembly. That is the main circuit board that screws into the bottom assembly. Nothing is damaged on the inside except the plastic screw holders that allow you to screw in screws.

There are some other things that annoy me about the laptop. One is the plastic kit that houses the RAM and Hard disk. No matter how I close the kit it becomes loose after a while and I have to lodge a piece of cardboard to keep it flush. I ordered a second hand kit off EBay but the same problem keeps occurring.

The other thing is the fan, it seems to be going at full tilt lately (its a mini heatwave here in Ireland I guess) and the fan is producing very hot air flow which is a bit smelly for the lack of a better description. Its like something might be burning. I opened it up but there is nothing touching.

The laptop is still performing very well and I am very happy with it. I wanted to upgrade to a SSD as I think I will get quite a while out of it.

 

you can find a whole dead dv6 on craigslist or ebay for less than 50 bux, just transfer the motherboard and screen over.

 

I am getting all the new parts new. I got them for €80 including shipping.