Thinkpad e520 weird fan vent? Help needed!

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Okay guys, i just got my Thinkpad Edge 520 in the mail today and i gave it a close inspection and noticed something weird. I'm not familiar with tech stuff, but there is a weird foam like coating around the perimeter of the fan vent along with one of the strands being bent like that. Can you take a look at yours and see if it has that foam or any bent parts? The back fan has the same foam too so it's not just one side. Is this normal? Not sure if it's worth returning if that's how they normally are.

Help is appreciated! Comparisons!

 

And now after using it some more for a few minutes i noticed that the number 2 key is loose and wobbly and i can't get it in place. XO

 

Looks like this model has a lot of problems.....

 

I'm trying to figure out if i want to exchange this, if other people have an edge e520 and their fan vents aren't dented like that one and the keyboard keys are solid. I took back an hp probook because the touchpad wasn't set right and though not a defect, i didn't like how the fan ran non-stop as a "feature". It's looking like either exchanging this one or waiting for the new llano hp probook that is supposed to be out soon if it actually has good battery life like it's been mentioned.

Now the number 2 key is completely loose from the system after i failed to get it back down. Xo

 

Okay...learning things. I got the #2 key button back on, the hinge piece was never attached at the bottom hooks which was why it was loose ( had to watch a video about chiclet keys )

So that's fixed right? Well the J key is now sticking 10% of the time it's pressed.

 

My x100e had a sticky key as well. I would pop it off and reattach it to see it improves at all. Regarding the vent; It looks like it was hit or damaged when put into the notebook or before hand. I would take a small object and bend it back, however that is not recommended as you could damage it further. You can get it fixed for free but if it isn't effecting the notebook, you may want to just ignore it.

How do you like the notebook so far? Not too many people around here with the edge machines.

 

This is my first thinkpad so i'm pretty unfamiliar with the basics. I tried to enter the bios but it would only take me to the Windows 7 boot up page and not the system bios. Do you know how to get to the actual bios menu? My hard drive seems to be making a lot of noise and i was going to try to change the setting.

Also, everytime i turn the system on it resets my power plan off power saving. Along with that the screen will randomly change in brightness, though i'm not sure if that's a feature of the power saving mode or not. I also don't get how the minimum brightness is as bright as almost full brightness.



Then as far as the build quality, i'm not too thrilled with it, it seems kind of fragile with the battery pack wobbling, a good amount of flex around the dvd tray, my bias of find a key already detached making me look up how to fix it. The probook i returned definitely felt more durable/solid.

 

Meh. I have a dent like yours in my T400 heatsink. Doesn't seem to affect temperatures in any significant way.

 

Well i at least figured out how to manage the power settings somewhat, the Lenovo power management program overrides the windows 7 one, so if you only change your plan in windows it will reset to whatever your Lenovo setting is defaulted on.

 

the bent heatsink vane are probably like that from the factory. I got some Thinkpads new like that, they you can bend them back with a flat nosed screwdriver, but you would not need to worry too much about it.

Regarding keyboard, if there are lot of keys having this problem, then you could send the laptop in for a new keyboard.

T, W, R, X series thinkpad rarely have stuck keys when shipped from the factory. The Edge series is a budget line, so the quality is not as good as the more expensive sibling. But it shouldn't have real problem if you use it carefully.

The edge series are better built than regular entry level ideapads.

 

I bought it from buy.com so i have about 30 days left to return it. I took the J key off and reattached it but it's still sticking frequently. If not for the sticking keys i do like this keyboard a lot more than hp's probook series.

 

If the keyboard has sticking keys that you use frequently and not some odd Pause/ScrollLock key, then return it. I couldnt tolerate faulty keyboard.

Regarding foam around heat vents - its normal. I had it on my R400 and it was present on my T410 as well.

 

Good to know about the foam. After taking off the J key to reset it i noticed that the insides are flipped by design, maybe that's why it sticks while the other keys don't.

Also , is it normal for the spacebar to be sturdy on the left side and flimsy/clicky on the right side?

 

I really hope not all e520 are this way...

I guess you get what you pay for really means something...
I thought by now kayboards would be perfect and the same one would be used arcoss many lines.

 

My E420 has the foam around the vents