Lenovo Replacing my T400 Samsung with an LG

So a quick background on my issue. I received my T400 on Tuesday and after reading all of the posts regarding bad screens, I figured I'd wait to see the screen in person before discovering if I was given an LG or a Samsung so I could stay as unbiased as possible. As soon as I booted the laptop I could see that the screen was unevenly lit. It was very bright at the bottom and dark near the top. I bobbed my head around like a chicken to see if it was just my viewing angle but couldn't find any point that showed even lighting across the whole screen. The colors also seemed very washed out as if on an old CRT with the brightness cranked up way too high.

Using the help of these fine forums, I tried recalibrating with some of the supplied color profiles and made many other adjustments (which helped with color a ton) but still couldn't find a way to get the screen to be uniformly lit. Finally I decided to give up and call Lenovo to see what my options were.

I spoke with a gentleman in tech support who couldn't have been more helpful. I explained the problem I was having and he said I could either have it shipped back to have the panel replaced (taking about 1 week) or he would connect me to sales and have a new T400 built to replace my current one (which he estimated would take 2-3 weeks). I said that I heard other users were having issues with Samsung panels and asked if there was any way I could have an LG installed instead. He told me that if I had a part number for the LG panel he would include it in the service request! So I hopped onto these fine FINE forums, grinning the whole time, got the part number for the LG panel, and I'll keep you all updated with what happens when I get the laptop back in a couple of weeks.

Just thought everyone should know that it seems helpful tech support isn't extinct, it's just endangered.

 

Good to hear. Now we will discover if the guys working in the repair / replacement department have inbred with the monkey's that put together Lenovo's website. Hopefully they will honor the service rep's request for a LG screen.

 

Thanks for the heads up!

I just called and had them put a note into my service request to put an LG panel in my system if they replace it. It turns out that my laptop has been sitting in Memphis since yesterday, waiting for someone to look at it. =(

 

that was great, just a question, what was the ref number for the LG panel?

 

snclawson, what is the actual part number for the LG screen. Thanks.

 

The IBM part number is 42T0497, which is LG panel LP141WP2-TLB1.

 

Thanks! 10 char

 

Well, they finally looked at it, but so far can't do anything. The tech did agree that the red was more of an orange though. The main problem according to him is that none of the T400 parts are in their system yet. I gave him the part numbers of the two panels and he said that they were going to try and order some in. The tech was supposed to call me back about what he had found out, but I haven't heard anything yet.

 

Can you define "orange"? Is it like redish-orange? burnt-orange?

 

It's a bright, washed-out reddish-orange. That is, it still looks red for the most part, but with a bright orange tint to it (that's with the backlight turned all the way up though...it is probably a little more burnt-orange in color when you turn the backlight down). Green is also more of a bright yellowish-green. It throws most of the colors off, and makes what is supposed to be orange look really pale. It's like the red and green color filters in the panel are very pale.

 

Well, I'm impressed!

So I was sitting around getting ready to go to work this morning and the doorbell rang. It was DHL! At first I was disappointed and a little angry, thinking that Lenovo had just sent me back my laptop without doing anything to it, but when I opened the box there was a service sheet that said that the screen had been replaced! I turned it on and checked, and sure enough it's got a LP141WP2-TLB1 now!

It's certainly not perfect -- the vertical viewing angle is still nearly nonexistant and there's a slightly brighter spot in the lower left corner (albeit covered by the Vista start button most of the time) -- but the colors are much, much better! I'll have to play around with it some more, but I think that this one's a keeper.

Oh, one other thing. The part number listed on my repair sheet is 42T0498. My guess is that's the FRU for the part number 42T0497. That seemed to be the pattern on the T61, where the FRU was just the part number +1.

 

That's some pretty fast turn around, not to mention that this ACTUALLY WORKED!

Very impressive work snclawson. Yet another confirmation that the LG panel is superior!

 

So how long was this whole process, end to end?

 

End to end it was 7 days, including the weekend. Actually it was slightly under 7 days, since I initially called the support line late afternoon last Monday.

I really can't say how impressed I am with how quickly and easily this was handled.

 

Yeah, I remember they use DHL Overnight, both ways. It's awesome.

 

Wish I knew they would replace the screen before I returned my T61p w/ a Samsung screen. It easily had the worst laptop screen i've seen in 10 years.

Jeff

 

So whats the word??

 

Tracking says that the laptop was repaired and shipped out on Tuesday. Hopefully it will be in my hands today and we'll see if I'm as lucky as snclawson

 

So tracking was wrong and apparently the tracking number was improperly entered since I received a call today from a technician who would tell me nothing more than "the display is working" and that he "doesn't have authority to replace the screen" even though he sees that "it is much brighter at the bottom than the top". I'm being transfered to another division who will hopefully have the authority to replace the screen and I guess I'll have to argue with yet another person, but the point is that I won't have an update for you for at least a few more days.

 

Quick question: does this include the camera? Or screen only?

I just ordered a T400 and would very much like the LG screen - I definitely don't have the right part number...

 

I don't get it. Lenovo repair sent back my T400 without any service paper or anything and they just left the original samsung panel alone. Idiots

 

wow, i'm pretty shocked. Samsung has had a long history of having high quality display units. I do know some people at the R&D Center at Samsung and have helped them with research projects over the years. I too have ordered a T400. I'll just have to wait and see what the performance is like. However, I will say that screens will be getting better. Look out for new OLED display technology in the near future.

 

So as of last night I have my T400 in my hands and Lenovo replaced the screen with an LG display. After discussions with three or four lenovo employees and an escalation of my case to a "Customer Complaint Resolution Manager" all is fixed.

Regarding the difference in displays, the LG is by no means the best display I've ever seen but it is many times better than the Samsung that I had. Again, I think I had a faulty Samsung panel as the screen was unevenly lit so take my experience anecdotally as it should be taken.

My advice to anyone having a hard time with Lenovo customer service is to remain firm but also as calm as possible and realize that the first people you speak with probably won't have the authority to do anything and there's no reason to get mad at them. I found that their best ability to help me was by recommending the best course of action I could take when I remained courteous and asked them for their opinion/suggestion. Best of luck to everyone else trying to resolve issues with Lenovo support.

Tonight I'll play a little more with my shiny new toy and then start a clean wipe to 64-bit vista (I'm still befuddled as to why 64 bit home edition isn't an option when initially configuring the laptop). I also feel that, except for the lack of DisplayPort/HDMI/S-Video, the T400 is the best on the market right now due to the unbeatable combination of price, components, and build quality.

 

way to stick this one out. now go get that keyboard swapped with a replacement T61

 

hey,

i just ordered a T400. it is set to arrive in a couple of days. i was just wondering how i can determine whether i received the samsung screen, or the LG screen? is there a barcode written somewhere or is just poor picture quality? also, if i find that i received the samsung screen, how do i go about getting the LG screen? what is the part number for the LG screen once i call lenovo?

tx.

 

Hi JTF, there is a way to determine if you have a Samsung or LG.
First, take a look at your order status, if you have a part number listed for your screen that looks like any of these two:
14.1 1440x900 42T0498 120,4 LG-Philips LP141WP2-TLB1 T400*
14.1 1440x900 42T0504 120,4 Samsung LTN141BT T400*
*(thx to adamj023 for finding part numbers)

If it starts with 42T0xxx then you can tell which one you have by comparing it with the part numbers above.

However, if your serial number looks like mine:
42X6318 ** SBB 14.1 W X G A +TFT

Then you need to have your T400 with you and run the part's search engine provided by lenovo. Follow the steps:
1. Go to: www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/PART-LOOKUP.html
2. click on "Automatically lookup parts that shipped with your system."
3. install any programs lenovo asks you to install.
4. take a look at your LCD's part number and compare it with the two serial numbers I mentioned above.

My parts list showed my lcd's part-number as : 42T0498 which matches the LG number above.

 

I will say that my screen is really bright, and very high resolution. The only downfall i noticed (i can't speak for the samsung screen) is that the viewing angle is limited when you watch movies. Dark areas are almost impossible to see at 180 degrees. However for everything else, the viewing angle is not a problem.

 

Sorry to drag up an old post but I received my t400 a couple of weeks ago and the lcd panel is the samsung. Just as others have described the screen is very washed out and I find it really irritating.

Is it worth trying to get the panel replaced with a LG? Is there really that much difference or is everyone making a big stink over nothing?

Thanks for the help.

 

Hi AnotherOne.
If you can, try to get an LG. People have spoken before how unsatisfied they were with the samsung screens. If you haven't already, I'd upgrade your warranty to include accidental damage protection. You only have 30 days to upgrade from the day you purchased it. Otherwise, you'll have to pay for the part.