T61 Spill Nightmare / System Beeping

Hello... new poster here...

I am the owner of a now near-useless two-month old T61.

A classmate of mine spilled nearly a whole bottle of water on my keyboard and it stopped working. I shipped it off to Lenovo, only for them to quote a repair price of $950!! I refused the service and am going to try to take it into a local Lenovo warranty service provider. I don't want anyone to pay $950 to repair a machine that only cost $1000.

Also, the laptop came back from Solectron/Lenovo with an issue where the system speaker beeps and does not stop beeping. I managed to mute it through Windows device manager, but cannot find a way to stop it in boot-up. Any ideas?


I'm basically hoping a keyboard swap and CD-RW drive replacement will resolve my woes, but I'm worried about problems that may linger as a result of the spill. (The system boots fine, loads windows fine, just that the keyboard does not work... i am using a USB keyboard... and the dvd drive is busted)

I'm thinking about buy my own parts on eBay and bringing them into a authorized shop to install them so I can preserve the warranty.

Has anyone had a similar experience here?

 

Well problem number one is you shipped it to Solectron, and they have a record of your water damage. The warranty probably isn't worth much -- nor would Lenovo authorize any repairs at a local repair center since you have a depot service warranty. My guess is the damage goes beyond the CD-RW and Keyboard. I'd probably see if your homeowner's insurance would cover your laptop if not -- I am afraid I'd probably buy a new unit, and sell this for salvage parts -- I doubt if it will ever be the "same."

Btw I have had a similar situation happen with a Dell, and after 4 replacement parts I gave up, and just sold it "as is" for $200.00. I know it doesn't take the sting out, but the $950 quote probably was basically for replacing everything...

Phil

 

first of all...what credit card did you buy with? many cards have an accidental damage coverage for up to 90 days

your mobo is probably short circuited....if your CC doesn't cover accidental damage (all amex's do that i know of), it's time to start asking your classmate for some $$

So much for this so called spill proof KB

 

Your incident recalls of another poster's similar situation. His / Her T61 would not even boot-up after a spill. After 2 weeks or so, when all is left to dry, the machine came back to live.

Hope yours will be well soon.

 

It was just water? And the anti spill system didn't work? I would call them and ask why the so advertised anti spill system didn't work. And, well, i would ask your friend who spilled the water to help with the expenses...

Somewhere here in this forum I read about spill cases where the laptop stopped to work for a few days and just came back without any problem. Try to make a search.

Regarding the speakers beeping, it seems that Solectron may have messed it...

 

Yeah, they wanted to basically replace everything. I did speak to a rather helpful service rep today and he was the one who suggested I take it into a local shop. I'll have to at least try it.

I'm a law student and unfortunately do not have any sort of insurance right now that will cover it.

How much do you think I could salvage if I chop the thing up and sell it for parts. Perhaps I could get it working (replace keyboard and drive) and sell it "as is"

Basically the whole experience has been a nightmare from top to bottom. From long wait times and inept customer service reps and the ridiculous repair bill, I don't think I could in good conscience buy a lenovo again.

 

I've checked with my card. No dice. I really should have bought this with an AmEx.

 

It's been about a week now.... keeping my fingers crossed.

 

Yes, it was just pure water. But it was A LOT of water.

I've filed a complaint with the BBB basically stating the fact that the spill-proof keyboard was not spillproof, repair costs were unreasonable and Solectron/Lenovo may have possibly screwed it up further.

I doubt anything will come of it, but I had to put it at least out there.


and yes, my classmate has agreed to pay for all out-of-pocket costs. I just wanted to work with him so he didn't have to pay an unconscionable $950 repair bill.

 

Well the spill proof keyboard is only for like 60 cc's of liquid, and I believe the taestee's colleague probably spilled a great deal more than that on the unit.

1. Check credit card insurance (good policy my Amex, Visa, and MC all do this, but they are a Centurion Card, Visa Platinum, and MC World card -- so not sure if your card issuer will provide the same benefits), but definitely worth a try.

2. Local repair shop hey worth trying replacining the motherboard -- if you do that and it works great. First item I would try to repair -- if this doesn't work then I'd buy new.

3. Don't blame Lenovo for your friend's mistake. It is unfortunate what happened to your unit, but your friend's mistake is NOT Lenovo's fault -- nor is the $950 bill. Now the inept service reps, and bad service well I'd write a letter explaining the situation, and address the issue of the ad showing the T61 to be spill proof, and ask for some understanding.

4. Salvage value -- well hard drive, memory, and display are all probably hopefully okay and worth moeny. The rest might not be worth much. But try and get it fixed first.

Good luck,

Phil

 

I think it will handle 60cc of water, after that it's going to find its way in, forget about 16 ounces, you can't expect that to be routed out of a tiny hole(s) fast enough.

 

Thanks for all the advice, everyone.

 

The BBB is really pretty much worthless. You have to PAY to belong if you are a company, and there is not real enforcement of any action. As an attorney in training -- you should look at the disclaimers on Lenovo's spillproof design -- it doesn't say you won't wreck the machine if you pour water. In fact I've just looked at it -- it says "spill resistant" not proof so you'd be out of luck on that claim.

The bottom line is you'll have to go after your friend for some money if your credit card company won't help, and / or Lenovo won't bend the rules to help you.

Again good luck,

Phil

 

There seems to be a need for some clarifications:

- The spill-resistant feature of the T61 is restricted to only to the keyboard basin, upto a volume of 60cc.

- Given that this spill incident involved "...nearly a whole bottle of water...", chances was that the 60cc limit was already exceeded.

- Also, the drain-holes beneath the T61 should be allowed enough time to tap off the liquid.

- If the spill reached other areas, other than within the keyboard basin, the T61 will still fail like any other notebook.

Hope this sets the expectation, on the spill-resistant feature, right.

 

i recognize the keyboard nor the laptop is going to be completely spill-proof and it's really just a limited warranty. And I checked and Lenovo doesn't really advertise/sell the laptop as being spill-resistant so no real point for me there.

I've read the legal terms, etc and I realize I'm pretty much SOL and my only redress is through my classmate.

My gripe with Lenovo really stems from the poor service I received (rude, curt service reps) and the fact that a repair bill was so unreasonable. I'm not really banking on much of a response from them, but the one other time I did file a BBB complaint, I had a good resolution, so I figured it couldn't hurt to see if Lenovo would be willing to extend some goodwill.

 

You are way out of line on the repair cost. The poor service sucks, everything else is your fault.

 

the last rep i talked to actually told me Solectron intentionally overcharges you for repairs.. whatever that means.

thanks for the reality check though.

 

you can't blame their unreasonable repair cost. every manufacturer is the same and that's how they make profits. my gf has an HP lappy, i ran my car over her laptop but everything survived except for the LCD screen which was heavily cracked. I called HP for a repair evaluation and the offer was $700 for just an LCD screen replacement!

 

Taestee truly we are all rooting for you. I hope you get a reasonable repair, and a local guy is probably going to be fairly cheap. Find the FRU for the motherboard pay a local guy to replace it, and see if it works. I would say there is a better than 50/50 chance that that fixes your problem. If not I would salvage it for parts. Perhaps getting two or three hundre for the LCD, hard drive, memory, and maybe the drives.

Phil

 

Thanks Phil. I'll let you guys know how things work out.

 

We'll keep our fingers crossed for you.

 

I read a lot of threads regarding Notebooks & PDA (dropped in water). Most of the waterlogged electrical items where allowed to totally dry for days before turning-on/given power.

I believed it may have shorted more due to use while still wet.

Several years ago before I got my first PDA, i dropped my cell phone in the tub. I let it totally dry for 2 days without use (removed battery). It worked find!!

Sircas

 

I think we are missing the point. He states that it works properly with a USB keyboard.

Try pulling the DVD drive out and see if the beeping goes away. My guess is hte motherboard is upset about the dvd drive.

If this thing boots and works fine, the motherboard is fine. My suggestion is to purchase a new keyboard and put it in. It is trivially easy to do. Then simply purchase a replacement DVD drive. If the beeping is still present, mute it and move on.

Good luck, my guess is that it is repairable for $100.

 

Good diagnosis DBordello...

 

I hope a potential buyer uses an AMEX, next time. Their service is truly unparalleled. Not only do they give you a 90 day theft/accidental coverage...but an extra year of warranty

 

I learned my lesson after this one... I just applied and was approved for an AmEx Blue Cash.

And yes, their service rep was great on the phone just now (unlike most of the Lenovo people I've been dealing with recently )

 

amex is the bellweather of service.
dropped a camera in the lake (oops-sounds familiar) and sent it in and received full refund

 

you know what I'd do if I were ready to scartch it. I'd rinse it out with very distilled water and sundry it OR use a hair dryer for many hours on it.

Then determine if it needs work......

 

Even if you unplug and take the battery out, are there any latent electrical currents stored up in any of the components or another battery on the board that could short something out with a rinse?

I'm curious because I spilled a soda once on my old Asus (it still works) but now it's all gummy inside. Rinsing with pure water sounds counter-intuitive but might not be a bad idea in some cases if done right.

 

Well you could wash it and dry well; the key is distilled water. Renee has aptly pointed out that tap water or softened water will be full of minerals. Risky either way, but worth a shot.

 

I got ripped off by the sunrocket deal...was only 8 mo into my 2 year contract when they decided to go bankrupt. I called up amex, and they refunded me back the whole 2 year amount, they didn't even prorate it. I never was hassled either. While dealing with disputes with other credit carriers, I had to sign affidavits and so forth. AMEX rocks!....and no..I have no affiliation with amex...just awesome service time after time. I use it for all major purchases and for all electronics. They also have a 90-day price protection guarantee....say you just bought an Iphone, 8 weeks prior to apple lowering the price $200, amex will refund you back the difference.

 

can anyone think of a solution for the beeping?

i've managed to mute in windows, but even the lenovo techs don't know what it is...

ive tried removing RAM chips, and the DVD drive, to no avail

 

Sounds like the motherboard to me...that's why I didn't recommend just replacing the drive...

 

http://www.lockergnome.com/it/2007/...ing-loud-thinkpad-keyboard-beep-while-typing/

Might explain the beep, since my keyboard buttons are probably "stuck" after the water damage. I'll be getting a replacement keyboard to test out, so hopefully, the beeping will go away (meaning the beeping was not from system board failure)

" The beep actually happens when any three keys are pressed all in the same row when at least two of the keys pressed are in this list of characters:

4567rtyufghjvbnm"

 

Good job troubleshooting!

Hope it works

 

just FYI the system is supposed to beep when you press 3 buttons at once. Mine beeps on the exact buttons you say. However its impossible for me to get a beep while pressing only 2 buttons at once. Sounds like you might have a certain (few) keys that are just f*****.

 

The bad keyboard is exactly what I believe is the problem. I don't think you could easily damage a motherboard just enough to beep sporatically. I think it is functioning and the keyboard is upsetting it.

I am not sure it'll POST (get past the bios), but open her up and unplug the keyboard. I think you only need to remove 5 screws on the bottom and the keyboard will lift right out.

 

I'm hoping so too!

the lenovo rep said keyboard was a customer-replaceable unit or something and should not a problem getting along with the bios. Replacement should be here Wednesday...picked one up on ebay for a little over $20

 

Just unscrew the keyboard screws on the bottom, should be labeled with a little keyboard.

 

Keyboard is very easy as Bradd has pointed out.


Here is a link to the videos to remove and install replacement.

Hope it helps,

Phil

 

oh wow..never knew those videos existed...are there any seperates ones for the t61? Thanks. I might want to upgrade my CPU to a t7700 since they are so cheap through newegg

 

The videos should work for the T61 as well -- pretty close anyway.

 

are there any one how to remove the heat sink?

 

I don't think so...why? Going to put Artic ice on your cpu?

 

update:

got my replacement keyboard in the mail today. swapped out my old keyboard, beeping is GONE, laptop seems to be in good working condition.

not sure if it's just in my head, but it doesnt seem to run as well as it used to. its probably psychological though.

replacement dvd-drive is in the mail.

haven't heard anything back regarding my BBB complaint.

 

Congrats. Sounds like you are well on your way to having a working system.

 

My guess is everything is working fine. Just check to see that it is running at full clock speed, and not limping along.

Congrats, $20 isn't so bad.

 

Yeah, congrats taestee and thanks to all of the people on this board for the suggestions to help you fix it, that's awesome.

 

thanks all! ill let you know what happens with the BBB stuff.