T61 frame slightly "bent"-cause for RMA?

After using my Thinkpad T61 for about 2 months, I just knew there was something that didn't feel quite right about the build quality. The palmrest showed a noticeable amount of flex, and one of the rubber feet was elevated 1-2mm off any flat surface (only the center part would touch the table). This basically meant that the frame wasn't completely straight on my Thinkpad.

I compared my Thinkpad to 2 from my friends; one is a 14.1" just like mine (but integrated graphics) and shows absolutely no flex in the classis. The other, a 15.4" T61, showed a very slight bit, but much less than mine.

Is my situation sufficient cause for RMA? I am in college right now, so it would be inconvenient unless Lenovo could cross-ship me a new unit. However, the bad build quality on mine really annoys me, especially with the Thinkpads' reputation for great chassis quality.

Also, would Lenovo let me keep my HDD? That way, I could just pop it into the replacement without having to worry about backing up work or re-installing Windows all over again.

Thanks in advance

Here are the images of the rubber feet:

Right side (you can see it's elevated 1-2mm off the table):



Left side (rubber foot makes full contact with table):

 

I don't think that's sufficient for RMA but they should give you a free repair option.

 

You couldn't just pop your hard drive in anyways as windows would assume you were pirating the OS and installing it on multiple machines.

 

Same problem here with my brand new u330. But the bent is much worst. It wobbles from side to side.

 

Ah I forgot about this...however, at least I wouldn't have to send all my schoolwork and other documents back to Lenovo if I got to keep my HDD.

I PM'd Mark@ Lenovo; hopefully he responds soon.

 

I have seen this crop up on a few notebooks where the user tends to carry the notebook from a corner of the palmrest or corner of the notebook when closed.

The flex in the palmrest isnt linked to the bent unibody. The small gap you have probably isnt enough to get Lenovo to replace it considering the entire notebook has to be torn down to replace that entire cage setup.

Even if the part is replaced if the way you carry the notebook doesnt change the problem will come back.

 

Could the table be not level?

 

I almost never carry my Thinkpad by hand. I only take it to classes about twice a week, and during those times it's in the heavily padded compartment of my laptop pack. The uneven surface has been there from day 1; I just assumed it was normal until recently, when I got a chance to try 2 of my friends' Thinkpads and noticed that the frames of their laptops seemed much stiffer than the one on mine, with no creaks or flex.

 

My first thought.

 

My first thought too, after I got it. But I have tried it on several surfaces, including a flat sheet of glass. In each instance the result was about the same as shown in the pictures above. The frame really is bent slightly.

 

I'm pretty sure you would be able to do that, especially if it's the same model laptop. I've swapped my hard drives between my T60 and T61p before. Not once has it complained about pirating.

 

I have your exact problem and my t61 is over a year old now. I'm not sure what the cause of this is. My brother has a t61 as well and his has a little bit of rise but not nearly as much as ours. If you're looking for reassurance, I haven't had any problems hardware wise and I carry mine to school everyday with big hardcover textbooks.

I know when I first got mine I was also thinking of whether I should send it in for a new one or send it in for repair. My concern of sending it to get a new one was that it would take them months to get me a new one. (My order was delayed for over 2 months) My reason for not sending it in for repair was that I just did not think that this would be repairable. I took the chance, knowing that I had a 3 year warranty if anything went wrong. So far, so good.

 

some of the threads on here just amaze me

 

send it back. If you're picky about such things and aren't happy with the product just send it back. I had a few dead pixels on my screen and I just couldn't live with them. Lenovo didn't replace it or repair it to my satisfaction. In your case its been 2 months. Maybe they'll take it back with 15% stocking fee or not. Try though...