Hinge replacement - 1yrs grace - advice?

Hello everyone,

Basically my situation is this. I have an M11x R1, I've had it since April 2011. I didn't extend my warranty on purchase and I don't plan on ever doing so. My one year warranty ran out last April which left me with one years grace to get my hinges changed by dell - this coming April '13.

So, I was wondering, should I (regardless of the fact they seem to be working fine at the moment) request a hinge repair from Dell whilst I still can?

Also, how do I know if my device was assembled and shipped with the revised hinge design, which it may have, right?

Thanks,

Kev

 

Damn, I didn't realise there was a one year grace period. Glad I retired my R1 at the start of the year.

As far as I know, all R1s are shipped with the faulty hinge.

 

Some might never actually show the issue.

 

Hey guys, thanks for the replies.

Yeah, my M11x is yet to show ANY sign of a faulty hinge, everything it perfectly intact and squeak-free.

When I take the power-button cover (the plastic strip above the keyboard) off there's some red-marker scribbles on the hinge an initial on the left side and a tick on the right, I don't suppose this could mean my hinge was inspected / tested and proved fault free, or is perhaps to revised design? I hope that made sense!

Thanks again,

Kev

 

IIRC the recall on the R1/R2 doesn't have a grace period for hinge replacement, we've RMA'd way out of warranty M11x for hinge replacement. I believe you get 1 hinge replacement on the unit.

 

I just got R1 back from having the hinges/lid replaced . I originally bought mine in April 2011 . This was the second time having the lid replaced . Believe me I was gentle with my R1. treated it like a baby . I'm just happy they replaced it .

 

The one year period of grace was not the case for me in August 2012.

Bought my Alienware M11xR1 in March 2010 with one year warranty expiring in March 2011. So over a year and a half after the warranty expired, I had to replace my monitor due to hinge separation.

I had all the doc'o and reference material and paper work and serial numbers and was expecting a big hoop-la.

Me: I have an M11xR1 which has a broken monitor hinge and..
Dell: Yes sir, when can I send an engineer out??

That's the first time I thought I may have a stutter.. I was shocked (pleasantly) that DELL was so ready to assist me.

All done with no mention of any period of grace at that time.

 

drgood

The 1 year is a new thing, as of last month I think it was. Check the sticky, I updated the last page with the new info.

 

I just called up the AW support team who have told me that they're happy to send a technician to replace (for the second time) my hinges, this time with the revised version. I originally had my hinges replaced back in Jan '11 but now they're showing tell-tale signs of breakage. I'm very surprised to recieve this level of service despite being out of warranty for just under 2 years.

 

Ah, I see the new Dell hinge one year from end of warranty replacement policy is penned by none other than the fair hand of DELL-Chris M on 31-Dec-2012,

Maybe DELL-Chris M could update the first page of the Notebook Review hinge sticky to reflect the new status.

It took over 2 and a half years before the hinges on my monitor gave up the ghost and ripped itself apart. And I didn't really want to part with my monitor as I had one of the good ones. Have to have the brightness max'd on the new one to get close to what I had before, but did get additional WWAN antennas on the new one so can't grumble.

I can understand Dell wanting to tie up lose ends and not leave an open invitation for years to come.
I hope it doesn't end in tears for those with slightly more robust monitors which linger longer than those of us which have gone before.

Update - Interesting that both John Blain and DELL-Chris M look like a well known religious icon in their photos, so maybe miracles can happen.

 

So, what do you all think?

I mean, my one year grace period expires ~11th on April this year which is not far away by any means. Should I push for a replacement before that time anyway? I fear that if I don't and I trust that my hinges will remain intact and they DO in fact fail some time after my grace period I'll have to shell out for replacement parts I COULD have gotten free of charge.

I know some hinges will stand the test of time without ever needing a replacement but I don't want to presume that and have them die on me at the perfectly wrong time only to be left out of pocket or out of a laptop!

 

I, personally, believe that you should pursue the revised build. My weakened hinges lasted almost 2 years without becoming problematic and I think it's just a matter of time before all of them break; which is why mine's is getting replaced this Wednesday .

 

Hi guys, sorry for leeching off this thread but I don't want to start a new one.

I have an m11x r1 that my uncle bought me for Christmas in 2010.

Well, I use this bad boy for school work (and I bring it every day) but during the winter holiday I noticed that the hinge started to wobble. Now there are continuous popping noises which is making me scared.

I sent an e-mail to dell via the hinge replacement program but I was wondering how much they charge for shipping?

I'm in a US territory (expat somewhere in Asia) atm but it is FAR from the mainland. Is it worth it?

 

Hey,

Got your email this morning, we don't charge any shipping but the laptop needs to be in the US.

Send me a PM if you need any help.

 

Thank you for the reply! I'll talk with my uncle and probably send it back there during my holiday.

 

Had my LCD replaced just moments ago. I couldn't spot anything mechanically different from the previous hinges, I'm assuming that a more robust metal/alloy has been used - although, the hinges appear to show considerable slack in contrast to the last two, which I suppose is a good thing. Excellent service overall, I'd encourage anybody who hasn't yet recieved revised hinges to have them installed as quickly as possible.

 

The new style hinges actaully have more mounting points, more screws, and larger metal reinforcement plates.

 

Interesting. I didn't get the opportunity to scrutinise both mounts unfortunately. These ones feel rather more robust - in either case, if I put this up on eBay I'll advertise it as the revised edition.