X200 uneven/wobbly

So I just got my X200 and it's wobbly... very disappointing considering the supposed quality of this brand. Basically, the right foot closest to me seems to be half a cm or so off the table. I also have the 9-cell battery if that makes any difference.

This seems like such a stupid problem to have. What can I do about it? Will Lenovo send me replacement feet for free or do I have to pack this whole thing up and ship it back to them? God I hate ordering online.

 

Well the 6 and 9 cell batteries do tend to make the notebook a bit wobbly by their design (they lift up in the back, but only run 2/3 of the width), so that may be part of your problem.

I would recommend calling Lenovo and seeing what your options are (you may want to post in the Lenovo forums, and see if Mark_Lenovo has any advice for you). Lenovo will generally ship out parts that are considered customer replaceable (e.g. swappable optical drives), but if you are persuasive on the phone you can usually get them to ship almost any part out to you to take care of the problem.

The other option (and not really recommended) would be to slice down some of the other feet to even it out. I would also remove the battery and see if it wobbles then; this would help you determine exactly which foot is causing the problem [if it's on the battery, Lenovo may just cross ship you a new battery]).

 

Somehow I doubt it's the battery. If I take out the battery, it still wobbles... just not by as much.

Here are pictures

 

Very common problem with the thinkpads of today, they flex, wobble, have warped chassis and what not.

If I were you, I would demand a replacement. I believe there is a lenovo policy which states that if there's something wrong out of the box they would refund/replace the product.

Don't settle for a repair, go for replacement.

 

Wow that is quite a bit. I have a SLIGHT bit of unevenness of maybe a couple mm's, but yours looks considerably worse.

 

I think it's the picture. In real life, it is about 3-3.5mm off the table.
Still, it is pretty annoying. Does one of your feet raise up off flat surfaces like that too? And by exactly/roughly how much?

 

I'm not that picky but I'd return such a distorted notebook. You don't know what impact such a distortion have on the motherboard in the long run (eg. famous motherboard flexing).

 

I have an X200 but fortunately do not have this issue. Try calling Lenovo...

 

It looks like either the front-left or right-rear foot isn't seated properly. Is the right-rear foot provided by the battery? Does the battery appear to fit properly?

 

I'm actually beginning to think it's the chassis...

Anyways, I called Lenovo and they said I could either send it back or try one of the service partners in my area. Anyone have experience with either? Would it be better if I sent it back or do the service partners do just as good of a job?

 

If it is the chassis I think it would be easier if they replaced it (sending it back). Service partners would order parts, etc, but if it is the chassis...they might as well give you a new laptop <.<.

 

Do all of your X200's sit completely flat with the battery out?

 

Pretty much. I wouldn't say it is PERFECTLY flat with exact engineering precision, but basically yes.

 

ok, i'm sure mine is a chassis problem. sigh... i don't know what to do now. it took long enough for shipping here and i absolutely DO NOT want to wait ANOTHER 3 weeks just to have a usable laptop. would they waive the restocking fee (i ordered from EPP site) if I get a DOA number and i wanted to do a return (as opposed to an exchange)?

 

Contact Lenovo. They might be willing to cross ship you a replacement. Also, see if you can contact Mark_Lenovo on the Lenovo forums. He usually does a pretty good job of taking care of these kinds of issues (better than the normal CSR when you call in).

 

I've actually PMed him already but have not received a response.

I doubt they'd cross ship it. The person I talked to said they wouldn't send me my replacement until they received the defective computer.

 

@ienhz:
I was having a similar problem with the x200 and i would like to suggest something that may sound stupid, but I'm only trying to help so please respect this.

with the battery out and the laptop open, put your fingers on the lower right corner and the upper left of the laptop, press firmly but gently. this has put the legs of the notebook in my case back to place. I've done the same thing later on with the battery inserted and now the laptop stands still. Just a lousy manufacturing QA I think.

again, I can't know if this will help in your case, it's hard for me to judge from the pictures how severe is your problem.