P170EM Screen Replacement

Hey everyone, I just got a new P170EM from Malibal, and when I got it, I noticed a little white smudge under the screen that wouldn't come off. Because I need the laptop for work, I can't be without it for a length of time in which they would need to repair it. Malibal offered to send me the screen to replace myself, and I was just wondering how easy/difficult it is going to be once it gets here. Anyone have any experience with this and/or able to offer advice or a guide? Thanks in advance!

 

The LCD on this model is very easy to replace. If you take a look at the black bezel that runs around your display, you should note the square rubber stops running along the sides and top.

Pry out these stops and underneath you should find screws that will need to be removed.

After the screws have been removed, you may need to use something like a letter opener or butter knife to gently pry the face plate (bezel) off.

Once you have the bezel off, there should be some more screws holding the LCD to the hinges that will have to be removed as well and some screws that keep the hinges attached to the LCD back panel cover (lid that may or may not have the logo on it).

After those screws and hinges have been removed, there will be a small, flat ribbon cable with a gold connector on the back, lower right corner of the display that will be held in with tape. Gently pry the tape off until you can slide the connector out of the socket. At this point, the LCD should be completely free from the laptop and you can reverse the entire process to install your new LCD panel.

One thing to note, the ribbon cables have a tendency to pop out due to weak tape or tape that has been removed. Be sure that the cable is seated properly and power your laptop back on to verify that your LCD works properly before reassembling. Use new tape to make sure your connector is firmly secured. Scotch tape should be fine for this.

 

Awesome! Thanks for the help!

 

I've done this already, also from Malibal and I'm about to do it again. It's a piece of cake. It's probably the second easiest thing to do in your laptop with changing RAM (bottom side) being the easiest. You just remove the rubber squares on the front face of your lid and place them on a piece of scotch tape, adhesive side up. Remove the screws and slowly, gently pry the plastic frame off. Once it's off, everything is self-explanatory. You remove a few more screws, take off the screen, unlock the ribbon (connector) holder and replace the screen. Then do everything in reverse order. My first time doing it, without a single clue what I was doing took me literally less than 5 minutes and I didn't damage a single thing.

Even if you just a little bit of a tinkerer with some common sense, you can pull it off in 10 minutes max. Not saying, you don't have common sense, I'm trying to give you a boost of confidence here. It's really that easy.

EDIT: Here's a guide I just wrote. I did this replacement in maybe 12 minutes while taking pictures and doing something on the side at the same time.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...-lcd-panel-clevo-shell-pictures-included.html

 

Sneanzky,

Do you think your guid would be able to help me? Most people are saying that's probably a loose LCD cable.

I'm a bit worried having to send it in, especially since Sager has a 2 1/2 rating for their website, mostly due to their poor tech support. Would Sager be willing to try and help the issue over the phone? It's still under the 1-Year Warranty, but it sounds like they still make you pay for shipping. Plus, I need it for school!

I bought two of the 9170 for me and my wife, spending about $3000, and I've only had the them since April. Her's works fine, of course...but my screen keeps messing up, the 7 key on the number pad needs more pressure applied than any other on the number pad, and the back looks like it wasn't not put on right, with the vent being bent slightly...

 

Did you get your computer directly from Sager or a reseller? If it was a reseller contact them to help you get the warranty set up.
Don't let the reviews worry you too much either, there are many people that get their computers directly from Sager and have received excellent service. They do offer phone tech support during business hours or 9-5 Pacific and if you need to send it in for service they also cover 3day UPS shipping both ways which is better then most companies will do.

 

I ordered directly from Sager.

Thanks for the information, that does make me feel better!

 

You're welcome, give them a call and they'll set up the RMA to get things fixed up.