Broekn hinge on SVZ, Sony: if you suspect a fault, send it to us before anything happens!

Just a heads up - if your SVZ (or any Sony product for that matter) is still in warranty and you SUSPECT an issue, get Sony to take a look at it.

We have 2 SVZs in our house and the palm-rest on one was getting marks from the screen bezel when closed from the day we bought it. I suspected it was from a just wear and tear so left it be.

A few weeks back, I tried to open the screen and heard a snapping noise. The hinge cover fell off and the part of the body at the bottom housing the hinge was smashed but intact. I could see part of the hinge jutting out of the bezel at the front and the bezel was no longer flush with the screen. I could also see the point on the hinge where it had cleanly shattered.

I rang up Sony and explained what happened. They told me that it was physical damage so they will not repair the damage under warranty. I told them it happened when I opened the screen therefore did nothing out with normal use and I would not expect such damage for a £1000+ flagship. They then asked me if I had dropped it or someone had sat on the laptop! The laptop is otherwise the flawless glossy premium black with no marks on it.

Eventually they agreed to inspect the laptop for free and quote me for repair. I sent it to them and I got a call quoting me ~£700 for the repair (for something bought nearly 2 years ago!) They wanted to replace the screen and webcam (which works fine) and all of the body and hinges.

They refused to accept the hinge was at fault, citing "physical damage" and eventually offered me a “gift” of a product less than £100 if I took out the repair with them. When I told them I suspected a hinge issue, they said I should have sent it in if I thought something was wrong as they would have inspected it then but now that they damage has occurred, they will not repair it. To be honest, I think that is a ridiculous statement as no one knows when their laptop might over heat or when their hinge might snap! They said there was one known manufacturers fault with the SVZ but would not divulge as to what it was.

I think if I replace the hinge, the laptop should be return to normal functional, bar a little cosmetic damage. The hardest part it finding the damn thing. I think the Z2 has the same parts for the body (bar the palm-rest) so hope to sort it our soon.

Fair to say my I will never be buying Sony again and my next laptop will be NEC/Panasonic!

 

Ugh, yeah, my hinge just tore a month or so ago, right after I'm out of warantee. Any luck finding replacement part numbers for the hinge/a replacement hinge?

 

Part numbers are as follows:

SVZ Left Hinge: 427629602 (4-276-296-02 in Service Manual)
SVZ Right Hinge: 427629702 (4-276-297-02 in Service Manual)

VPCZ2 Left Hinge: 427629601 (4-276-296-01 in Service Manual)
VPCZ2 Right Hinge: 427629701 (4-276-297-01 in Service Manual)

If you are in Europe, the odd few pop up on eBay and other computer repair/recycle specialists. EET Group seems a good bet for all spares but they charge 15.95/12.95 before VAT for next day or 3 day delivery which makes the part pretty much double to cost price.

I have been preoccupied last few weeks and finally got round to ordering one in. Hope to fit it some time in the next month.

In all honesty, I think the hinges between both models are inter-changeable but have ordered one with the SVZ part number for mine.

 

Finally got round to sorting out the hinge...

It was a 45 minute job - simply disassembled the laptop and panel, replaced the broken hinge and reassembled all. A small part of the case was damaged but nothing unbearable. It's surprising how small the hinges are!

 

How did you take the hinge off the LED side? There are no screws there. Did you just pry it off and glue a new one on?

 

The right hinge of my Z3 was broken due to intentional damage caused by someone at a customer facility. While I could never prove it or get the SOB to acknowledge he broke my hinge, it appeared that he possibly hit the upper right portion of my screen (downward) because the Z3 was on the operators desk in the robot cell I was working on. I was in the neighboring cell during a shift change with the first shift operator and robot technician. I had to replace the Z3 with another computer because this is my business machine. I just sent it in to Geek Squad (Sony authorized repair center) and just received the repair cost. Both hinges will have to be replaced as well as the bottom case panel. I'm not really sure what else needs to be replaced but the bill was ridiculous. I'll chalk that up against the P&L of my business. Not really pleased with Geek Squad and Sony. If I could have obtained parts for the Z3 I would have performed the repair myself.