Thinkpad x230 build quality

Hi,

Besides of the usual Thinkpad issues like a display bezel that's loose or a scratched keyboard when opening the box I was wondering if the following battery related issue is common:
The x230 has two attachements on the bottom for it's battery, marked 1 and 2. The second one has a little spring inside, so you don't have to push back the switch after the attachement of the battery. This isn't the case for the other switch. Since the battery itself is a bit loose, I was wondering if it could be the result of a broken switch.

 

Nope, the Step 1 switch is toggle, not snap back. I think this is to avoid making it awkward to remove the battery without having 3 hands, but still having 2 latches in place to prevent accidental release of the battery. So, the process is. Unlock switch one, unlock switch 2 while pulling out on the battery.

The 9 cells tend to be loose as an intentional durability feature for thermal stress or something. If you don't like it and don't find yourself regularly encountering extreme thermal stress, just put some tape or a piece of paper in the battery compartment to stop the wobbling.

 

Sounds you got a defective unit. Didn't you return it?

 

I'm with pepper_john on this one.

This is kinda like saying "Yeah, my arms are fine, except for that usual problem where your sixth finger itches at night".

The only time I would consider getting a machine with a scratched keyboard or a detached screen bezel as expected would be if I were ordering a "scratch and dent" unit from Lenovo's Outlet or IBM's CUE store. Unless that's what you did, my recommendation would be to call up customer support and get them to address that ASAP.

Edit: assuming you bought it directly from Lenovo. If you got it through CDW or some other re-seller, then you need to contact them.

 

Thanks for all your comments! Maybe I should indeed return the unit. Meanwhile I still have two things:
- have you also noticed that the AC plug is a bit loose when attached to the unit?

- I have a small white spot (about 1cm in diameter). It is only noticable when having a white background. Can I claim a display replacement? (btw, I have the IPS option)

Cheers,

 

The loose AC plug is normal. It's not directly attached to the motherboard so if you trip on the cord and break it, you don't have to buy a new motherboard. Sounds like you have a bright spot/pressure spot. I'm not sure how Lenovo deals with that.....

 

I've had a slightly different problem with my cto x230. I had something like a loose screw inside the laptop. This screw would rattle around whenever I shook the laptop. Sent it back and now I'm waiting for that refund.


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I forget which laptop it was, may have been my T41p. But battery was a little loose after a while.

I never took it out so I put piece of tape along one of seems to stop it from wiggling around. Worked perfectly.

 

I recently received my x230 cto. I love it besides one issue, the battery being loose. It hasn't seemed to cause any issues so far and batter life seems great, but it just feels cheap when I pick it up and the battery clunks around.

I'm just wondering, does this happen with every x230? Or only some? Is it the battery that doesn't fit well or the actual chassis? Also is there a certain amount that is normal vs a defect? I might try an exchange if I think I can get one without much wiggle room or are they simply all like that?

Also, I see a lot of people on the forums say it's an intentional design yet I haven't seen any statements from lenovo actually stating this. Does anyone have any references? I'm just curious to see what lenovo has said about it, if anything. Thanks.

 

I just fold up some paper and jam it between chassis and battery. Stops it moving around


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Yeah I've seen that posted a few places but I'm really curious as to the other questions I asked above. Are there just a bunch of x230's out there with loose batteries or is it ALL of them?

 

Iṭ's been like that with the 9-cell battery for the last few generations of ThinkPads. If you want an official statement from Lenovo, this forum is the wrong place to get it.

 

OK, I should have mentioned mine is a 6 cell. Does this mean it shouldn't be loose at all?

 

The loose battery is common with the X230. Mine has it, and mostly everyone else's I've heard of has it too. Like jaik said, just put a spacer, such as tape, into the space so it doesn't wiggle.

 

The loose fitting battery is compensate for thermal expansion.

 

I should be worrying sleepless now, as none of my 6-cell batteries wiggle. The chassis will crack big time, arrggghhh...

 

Do you have a thinkpad x230? Just curious if some of them are actually tight fitting and if it's the battery or the chassis thats causing the wiggle? I know you were being sarcastic but I'm just curious. Thanks.

 

I don't have an X230. Nevertheless, none of my 6-cell batteries have shown the "wiggle" problem in all my ThinkPads. (The 9-cell batteries in my X210 and W520 do wiggle, though, and I put a few pieces of Post-It in the battery bay to keep the battery firm.)

Yes, I was being sarcastic because I find the mechanical explanation that "the loose fitting battery is compensate for thermal expansion" to be a kind of urban legend that gets repeated senselessly.