So, I scratched the hell out of my Envy. What now?

I did something terribly stupid today. I popped my envy into my bag without its sleeve, thinking that it was in the pocket for laptops, and not right outside.

Well, it was outside the pocket, right up against the Slice battery, which, despite being in its bubble-wrap packaging, was able to scratch the hell out the lid on my Envy.

What can I do now? I don't think I have accidental damage coverage, and I can't imagine HP would fix it without a pretty large price tag.

Here's how it looks:

 

I think your cheapest option is a skin.

Custom Phone Covers, Phone Cases & Skins For Electronics | Skinit

That's what I did when my old Envy became dented.

 

Don't know if I value one of those for a whole $30, to be honest. I'd rather pay a bit extra for a new top if the discrepancy isn't too huge. That and a real sleeve to put it into.

 

A new top would be a hell of a price discrepancy relative to $30. The beauty of the skins is that there are myriad designs, you can design your own if need be, and the hole is cut out for the HP light. I'm not trying to sell you on them, though.

I seem to have lost the sleeve that came with my Envy. I used to use it for added protection, on top of the plaid OGIO sleeve I bought, which is really snazzy.

About how large is the scratch? If you want to know exactly how much HP would charge, you can just call them.

 

I scratched the lid a bit once, and just used a bit of pencil to darken the metal so it looked the same.

Not sure how effective it would be for an entire lid, though.

 

Very resourceful

 

It is, unfortunately, far worse than that. I'll see how much the repair costs. If it really is bad, I guess I'll just have to cover it up. Can't believe I made such a stupid move though. Should have just up and gotten the sleeve asap

Update: Holy frak, $255 for a new lid. That's if the LCD panel wasn't damage, which, thankfully, it wasn't. I guess I'm going to buy a skin, then...

 

I'm not surprised to learn that was the price. Having disassembled Envys and sometimes inflicted a little damage here and there, I am familiar with the cost of some parts. And they've never been cheap. Even the plastic kit is expensive. A keyboard panel costs like $120 if I remember correctly.

Skinit.com is reliable in that their Envy 17 skins fit precisely and have the hole cut out for the light.

 

I'm more angry at myself for letting this happen. If I could, I'd pay the $255 and let that be my lesson, but I guess I've got to cope for the moment. I'll have to hunt for a design that looks good with the rest of the envy now.

 

As far as lessons go, paying the $255 to remove the scratch would probably be more self-indulgent than anything. Using my own experience as a guide, I think you'll probably learn more from having to live, in some form, with the scratch.

This is the design I had:

Custom Phone Covers, Phone Cases & Skins For Electronics | Skinit

I thought it looked good.

 

Fair enough. I don't really like that particular design, but all right.

Though, I don't suppose it'd be possible to use one of those automotive scratch removers on the lid, would it?

I'm guessing not, though. They seem to just be various resins and stuff to fill in scratches in the clearcoat. Maybe some detailing paint the same color, then.

 

Taking it to someone who does automotive paint jobs is not out of the question. A few car shops insisted they could remove the dent from my computer, but I just opted to get the skin instead.

I kind of want you to take a photo of the offending scratch. You make it sound pretty bad and conspicuous.

 

Too bad this company doesn't make Envy-specific skins:

HP - Laptops

Those skins are spectacular.

 

HP's Snapfish's skinit.com allows custom skins specific for the envy (as specific as they can be right from HP)

Custom Snapfish skins and phone covers | snapfish.skinit.com

 

You got it.



Largest scratch w/ graphite



Another scratch, graphite only helps so much with it.



Yet another scratch on the side, w/ graphite. Craptastic camera makes it hard to see.



Another scratch on the other side.



Here's the main scratch w/out graphite



For perspective. The top-right glowy thing is the HP logo.

 

Oooh. I'm sorry. That sucks, it does look pretty bad.

 

Well, after seeing the scratches, any idea if repairing it myself is a feasible option?

 

That's pretty awful. I still don't think I could bring myself to part with $300 for what I could cover for $30.

 

At the moment, I couldn't, either. I don't really want to cover it up, either, 'cause I like the feel and look of the lid. I'd put effort and a bit of cash towards fixing it myself, though.

 

The display enclosure is $245. Again, I don't think you appreciate how expensive Envy parts are. I could easily see you causing more damage than you want to fix by doing this yourself. You could cause a dent merely by using the wrong screw. I know. I did it. And then I had to buy a new top cover, which was about $120. If you insist on having this particular part repaired, HP is your best bet. A lot of disassembly is involved. More than I've done, and I've pushed it. You can always get a skin now and have it repaired after you save enough money if you can be patient. Don't sacrifice your warranty on a do-it-yourself job that would save $10.

 

I may have spoken too soon. I did some digging around and found this:

603775-001 HP New LCD BACK COVER ENVY

I still think the disassembly is risky. Maybe you could find a computer repair shop near you that could do a good job of it for as little as $50. The savings would still be pretty good.

 

I'd just get one of those faux carbon fiber or leather skins if they exist. I had one on my MBP 13 for a short period before I returned it as it wasn't perfectly aligned with the lid's edges. It just kept popping out, which ticked me off like no other!

 

Perhaps. I'll have to hunt for a shop that'll do it, though.

 

Please update us, and let us know what you ultimately decide to do.

 

I would do both - the skin and the back cover depending on your funds. Cause if it was me, it would haunt me till I replace it. Yes its risky, but if you are very careful, you should be ok.

 

Before I find myself in the same boat, does anyone know where I can re-purchase the soft cloth bag which comes with the Envy 14? Mine has suddenly gone missing and I'd like to be true to my envy, rather then get some off brand replacement.

I can't seem to find it for sale anywhere at HP or on the internet.

 

Funny. I just found mine last week. It had been missing for a good month. Don't you carry it in another, better covering than that anyway? That's why it didn't matter as much to me. The Envy cloth is nice and all, but there is certainly better if you're actually going to pay.