T420 repair or look for replacement

Not a good day in this household- without getting into the details, my T420 (type 4177CTR) needs a new screen- actually everything above the hinges was crushed in an accident. The bottom portion of the laptop looks fine, though I haven't figured out if everything is ok. So:

1. Should I and how might I go about ordering the entire upper portion of the laptop?
2. Can I remove the old and replace the new myself? or:

3. Do I bite the bullet and buy another thinkpad?

4. and if so, suggestions on a new laptop- will probably use the outlet center.

I have owned this and a T60- detoured to a macbook pro for a little while. Thinking about going back to a 15" laptop for the bigger/ better screen for these tired eyes.

Your thoughts?

 

If you look at the ThinkPad T420 Service Parts page (and the links therein), you can identify the exact FRUs and CRUs involved. However, I suspect the replacement work can be both money- and labor-intensive.

I would lean toward option 3, and feel encouraged when reading your last statement: Thinking about going back to a 15" laptop for the bigger/ better screen for these tired eyes.

Consider a T520 or T530. Good luck!

 

You don't really need to throw that ThinkPad away, if it's just the LCD area that needs attention then you can replace the screen which is very easy to do on a T420. You have a number of options in regards to the screen panel, you can stick with the OEM panels or even change to glossy - it's a matter of preference really but do make sure the panel size matches! The Hardware Maintenance Manual is your best friend for this, you can obtain it from here or use the Lenovo Service Training Videos for a visual guide.

You will get used to it, so much that you probably be doing this for fun...



I don't know how bad the damage on the LCD lid casing is but if it's just cosmetic then you can leave it be, or use some vinyl wrap to cover the marks.



If it's warped on the otherhand then you probably need it replaced, try scouring for the parts by using the T420 parts directory to make searching a bit more easier.

 

Thanks for the quick response, the lcd lid casing is in 4 pieces. So I need to replace that, if there was a way to replace the entire lid at the hinges, it would be the easiest way to repair.

 

I mean, if you can find a way to buy an entire LCD assembly (ie from eBay or whatnot), you can indeed swap the entire thing at once.

 

Sell the T420's eartly remains for parts and get a T520/W520 with FHD if you feel like getting a decent screen for those tired eyes of yours.

Given that the T420 was a CTR to begin with, its market value is likely less than the sum of parts when sold separately.

My $0.02 only...

Good luck.