Second hand X230 - Warranty Queries

Hi,

I recently bid on and won an x230i.

This is the listing:
LENOVO X230i THINKPAD INTEL i3-2370M WINDOWS 7 PRO NOTEBOOK | eBay

The thing is, I can't find this laptop anywhere for less than GBP 1000. I paid GBP 310 for it, albeit on an auction.

It's a Sandy Bridge processor, but otherwise, its a good machine, with the ram upgraded to 8GB, backlit keyboard, fingerprint reader, 6205 wifi card etc.

I have it with me and reformatted the drive and installed Windows fresh on it and it seems to be running absolutely fine. The battery is a little loose, but I think this is a common problem with a lot of thinkpads?

The battery also has 7 cycles on it, although from the box, it seems like this machine was purchased sometime in August '12.

I checked the warranty online because I was concerned it might be a stolen machine, but the warranty is listed as lasting till 2015. The Lenovo diagnostics software I installed also shows it as 918 days remaining.

I checked with the seller and he said they didn't expect it to go for so less, but they didn't put a reserve price on it so its mine.
As you can see from the listing, the seller offers a 6 month seller warranty on it and no manufacturer warranty, even though the laptop is in warranty.

Do you think I can go to Lenovo for any warranty claims?
I also want to upgrade the warranty to next business day onsite, do you think this is a good idea?

Please do let me know your thoughts and concerns.

Again, the machine seems fine and while the fan was on all the time on the windows install it came with, after I reinstalled, everything seems to be behaving normally.

 

I think the warranty goes with the machine.

 

Thinkpad warranties are tied to the machine, not the owner. Looks like you also have a 3-year extended warranty as well.

 

Thanks for the responses!

So you guys think the whole affair looks on the up and up? Should I open up the machine and look to see if things are alright?

Also, I want to purchase the NBD onsite upgrade. Should I do it or wait a while to see how the machine goes?

 

It does seem like a fantastically low price, but as long as the seller seems to check out, you're probably safe. You should definitely do a quick check that all the specifications are as stated.

As for the warranty upgrade, if you do want it, I believe the upgrade price will stay the same as long as you're currently in warranty. No need to rush into it.

 

I sent the seller a quick message regarding there still being manufacturer warranty left on it, and they haven't replied.

Other than that, they do seem to have a very good rating on ebay (99.8%). The specifications are as stated. And they seem nice enough.

I haven't yet opened up the laptop as I don't have my tools with me and it seems like an unnecessary hassle.

I checked the warranty on it again. Expires 30th May 2015. Wasn't May just when this machine was announced? Also, its a UK machine and warranty, so no worries there.

I guess I was just taught if its too good to be true, it probably is. And this just seems like it. I am typing on the machine right now and all seems fine.

As a side note, what are the usual CPU temps for this machine? It's literally freezing outside but the temps for my CPU seem to be hovering between 45-50C. Is this normal? I have a Macbook Pro right next to it which reports CPU temps of 27C.

Thanks!

And I do agree with your point about the warranty.

 

Some of these machines are taken from companies that have closed down due to bankruptcy. However, there are some machines that are damaged due to spills etc and repaired by the refurbisher themselves.

But 310 pounds is a great price for such machine as long as its not stolen or water damaged.

What is your ambient room temperature?

 

I agree with your reasoning. I am not sure if I will be able to find out if its stolen, as the warranty seems alright on it. Regarding water damage, I may be able to tell if I open up the machine.

Physically, the laptop doesn't look like its seen much action, although you can never tell with Thinkpads. The stickers look new, the body and screen don't have scratches. However, the lid with the screen creaks a little when I press on it, from the top and sides. But overall seems solid enough. The screws don't look stripped too.

I am not sure about the ambient room temperature, but its comfortable enough for me to sit in shorts in, so must be between 15-20C. Maybe a little less, definitely not more.
My Macbook pro stays between 30-35C with light work in this room, whereas the X230 jumps around like crazy between 42-50C. HDD temp on the X230 is about 30-35C, which seems fine.

Thank you for your response!

 

The idling temp of the CPU would be around 40 degrees to 50 degrees. It is normal in most thinkpad that i have tested.

 

Thanks! So all seems to be ok then I guess.

I am eventually planning to put an ssd in it, once I find a good deal on one.

Apparently, the seller has a website as well where they claim to have 150 stores. All they do is buy and sell pre-owned stuff. So I guess I am safe, as long as the inside of the laptop is not confetti

 

Sometimes you get lucky. When I bought my X200t on eBay for about half what they were going for new, it had two years 10 months of warranty remaining including accidental coverage, which was not even mentioned in the item description. I had it for almost a year and ended up selling it for me than I paid for it. My R60 I got on eBay had almost two years of warranty left that was also not noted in the item description.

 

ZaZ! Now that's a name I recognise. I have been using macbooks for a few years so went over to the macrumors forums for a while, but its good to see you're still around, though I am sure you don't know me. I think I've been more of a lurker on these forums so I see you at a lot of places

Regarding what you say, yes I think you are right. In fact, I am pretty sure that I could sell this thing right now and easily make a nice tidy profit on it. I think I am going to keep it though It's a great little machine. However, the hard drive is really bugging me. After using SSDs for quite a while now, I simply cannot stand how slow the disk feels.
Maybe I'll replace it soon, lets see.

Thank you!

 

You're right, I don't.

Don't replace the HDD, add the mSATA SSD. It's the best of both worlds, speed and storage.

 

Actually, that's a good idea. I might just do that then. I will need to buy a screwdriver as I am studying in a different country and literally have no tools with me.

Well, I am off to look at mSata SSD prices on Amazon

I know Lenovo used to have those guides on opening up their laptops. Do they still have those? From what I have read, installing the mSata SSD is a bit more involved and requires actually removing the keyboard?

 

You need to remove the keyboard and palm rest, which is about eight screws on the bottom. Plug the mSATA into the miniPCI slot, then replace the keyboard and palm rest. It's not that difficult. Here's a picture of mine:

 

Thank you. That's very helpful. Should be doable.

 

From the official Lenovo Warranty document:

Part 1 – General Terms
This Lenovo Limited Warranty applies only to Lenovo hardware products you purchased for your own use and not for resale.

What this Warranty Covers:
This warranty only applies to products in the country or region of purchase.

-----

That's two things you need to look into:

First it looks like the warranty is non transferable.

Second it's fairly clear the warranty will only apply in the country you purchased the unit and Lenovo know where the unit was purchased. Do you live in the same country that the product was originally purchased in? If not at best you would need to send the notebook back to that country for service and I am not sure how paying for the extra return shipping costs would work with Lenovo.

All may look good until you actually have to make a warranty claim.

 

@Flickster,

Lenovo warranty follows the laptop and not the person whom purchase it. It has been this way since IBM days. Different model of ThinkPad have different international warranty coverage, which you can use.

In certain countries if you are claiming international warranty you must provide a valid passport with correct visa, this is done to prevent grey import laptops from flooding the market, i.e. China and Brazil.

 

Fair enough mate, I was simply going by the warranty document provided by Lenovo on the Laptop I purchased. It could simply be Lenovo covering themselves but not really enforcing the document.

 

From what I saw on Lenovo's site when I checked the serial number, it's a UK machine. As I reside in the UK, things should be fine for me

I really wasn't sure about the whole transfer of warranty thing, but enough people here are sure that the warranty follows the laptop, so I guess I should be good!