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    Hinge creaking?

    Discussion in 'Alienware 14 and M14x' started by tangerines, Sep 20, 2012.

  1. tangerines

    tangerines Notebook Geek

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    Hi, my m14x r2 is only a couple days old and I noticed that the right hinge area creaks sometimes. It seems to happen whenever I put the screen past 90 degrees. If I leave it like that for a bit (like a couple seconds) and then try to move the screen at all, I can hear a creak coming from what seems like the right hinge, sounds a bit like plastic clicking together. It also creaks a bit right before it closes. Is this normal or is this something I should be worried about?
     
    tangerines, Sep 20, 2012
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  2. salanos

    salanos Notebook Consultant

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    My entire hinge creaks no matter what as long as it's being moved and it was like that from out of the box.
    And I'm still trying to get Dell to fix it.

    Just in case you're wondering though, apparently it's not normal for the M14x's hinge to make any noise, creaking or otherwise. The hinge is considered the most vulnerable point of the notebook, but it should not squeak or creak.
     
    salanos, Sep 21, 2012
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  3. tangerines

    tangerines Notebook Geek

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    Thanks for answering! That stinks, a laptop at this price shouldn't have these issues.

    Is this something I should have looked at though? It just sounds like a single "click" when I try to move it after its been open for a while, and it doesn't seem to happen consistently. The hinges are pretty much silent otherwise and feel nice and tight. Is this a sign that the hinges might fail in the future like the m11x or are the hinges not really problematic with the m14x? I'm super paranoid cause I really need this thing for school and my past experiences will Dell's techs have typically resulted in more problems caused than fixed lol.
     
    tangerines, Sep 22, 2012
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  4. PyroDonkey

    PyroDonkey Notebook Consultant

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    Mine is fine. That's definitely something you should make Dell aware of. There is always the option of returning it if Dell won't do anything for you to fix the hinge.
     
    PyroDonkey, Sep 24, 2012
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  5. Docsteel

    Docsteel Vast Alien Conspiracy

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    Where did you end up with this? I just got my M14x-R2 and it was the first thing I checked and sure enough - the dreaded creaking. My M17x-R2 and M11x-R2 never have done this - but old M11x-R1 did and I pre-emptively (before Dell offered to fix them) did a fix myself. Did you get it replaced or are just living with it until and if it breaks?
     
    Docsteel, Feb 20, 2013
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  6. Alienware-Luis_Pardo

    Alienware-Luis_Pardo Guest

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    The M11x was the only Alienware laptop that Dell decided to replace the LCD assembly (includes hinges) regardless of warranty status. All other Alienware laptops must follow the restrictions of the warranty you purchased. Of course this doesn't mean that it won't be repaired, but your laptop might need to be sent to our facilities to determine if the hinges were defective or just not used properly. In other words, the hinges in the M14x will be treated as any other part of the laptop in regards to replacements.

    If you need any help send me a PM with your service tag and we'll take it from there.
     
    Alienware-Luis_Pardo, Feb 20, 2013
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