Bezel bulge: defect or not?

Hello everyone. I received my T61p about a week ago and I just happened to notice that there is a VERY subtle bulge/bump on the bezel between the power button and the thinkvantage button. It appears that it is due to the LCD cable running right underneath it. I researched this topic online and it seems to be a very common characteristic of these machines. What I would like to know is if this is a defect or is this 'bump' within spec? Do you all T61/T61p/other T's have this same bump? Additionally, if this is a defect, do you think it is worth the trouble of getting it fixed in an otherwise flawless (so far) machine? Not to mention the fact that it is hardly noticeable and I might get my laptop back with more problems than I sent it away with. I thank you all very much for your input.

Will

 

I think you can actually open it up and fix it yourself. I personally don't know the solution but disassembling your ThinkPad is pretty easy. There are videos.

 

This is really easy to fix - if you can work a screwdriver you can fix this. Just remove the keyboard and reseat the cables. There is a little clip holder that acts as cable management and I suspect when there's a bulge, the cables weren't seated properly in the clip. Takes literally seconds and not worth sending in.

 

Okay guys, I performed the disassembly per the Lenovo manual. I have to admit that it was a little nerve racking disecting my new toy. The thing is, I can't seem to find anything that would be causing the bulge. The three wires (black, grey, white) were seated in the clip. Underneath the bump, the LCD cable bows upwards slightly, but I don't think that this bow exerts enough upward pressure to cause the bezel to bulge, as the cable lies flat when the bezel is screwed down. This leads me to believe that this is probably normal? I'm thinking I might just leave well enough alone, as it is so barely noticeable. Once again, thanks for your help.

Will

 

When I saw the thread title, I just had to click

My T61 has the same slight bulge at the same location. At first I also thought this was weird since we all know these laptops are solidly built with virtually no flex/bending.

I never bothered finding out, it never really bothered me. I would have checked it out if it were the opposite, if the plastic would bend inwards but that's not the case.

 

So you have a bulging bezel too? That's it, I'm almost completely convinced that this is just how these puppies are built.

 

Yep I have the litte bulge too doesn't bother me much.

 

I don't have any bulges at all on my ThinkPad. Jooooeee, could you perhaps upload a picture of it? I'm interested to see what this bulge is.

Thanks.

 

Perhaps bulge is too extreme of a word to decribe it. It's like an upwards warping or bowing of the plastic, but the gradients on each side of the apex are so shallow it is almost completely un-noticeable. I find that it is most visible in good lighting if you pick the laptop up and look straight down the side of the bezel, almost like a gunsight, focusing on the area where the LCD cable runs underneath. But that's the thing, it's not really an eyesore if it's so hard to see.

 

Are you referring to the arched gap between the lid and the base?

It's a feature.

From Lenovo's official blog:

 

Yes I can sorry for the wait I haven't looked at this thread for a couple of days.

 

Alright here are some pics
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if it aint broken, dont fix it!

 

wow that's an odd one for sure. Never seen that sort of bulge before - I thought most of the reported bulges was the strip between the blue thinkvantage button and the power button (which could be easily fixed). The one in the pic is something completely different then.

 

Hmm, I don't seem to have that bulge. That strip of plastic on that area on my 14" isn't as big, but I'm not sure if that's a factor or not. That strip of plastic is very flexible though.

Seems like something is just pushing it up.

 

You video cable does seem strange.

There are also two vents to allow the display backlight CCF's to cool.
It is a dubious looking feature, isn't it.

 

It looks like Joe and I have the same bulge, except mine is maybe a bit less dramatic. I would really like to know what this is.

 

Someday you'll find a nice girl and it will all make sense.

Sorry, I couldn't resist that one. Moving right along....

 

Excellent! (ROTFLOL)

 

lol I set myself up for that one.

 

Mine has the same thing. At first I thought you were talking about the two slight bulges on the bezel at the base of the monitor, where the little vents are... biut then I noticed what you were tlaking about. I wouldn't have noticed it on mine unless someone pointed it out. Not causing me much concern.

 

Hey guys,

I order and received my T61 14" Wide Screen late March and also have this problem. I'm curious, to the people who have bulges, when did you guys order yours?

Any fixes? It really doesnt bother me that much...

 

Keh, I'm not sure which bulges you are refering to, but mine and Joe's is on the same strip of plastic as the speaker grates, just like in the picture.

Specr, I took the bezel off and the only thing I could see that could be causing it is the LCD cable, but then again, I'm not an expert.

 

Just finished taking mine apart as well. It's definitely the LCD cable, it's very stiff and the plastic of the bezel is extremely flexible. A small plate laid over the cable and screwed into place would have made perfect sense, instead of relying on the plastic bezel to hold the cable down (which it cannot without deformation). I'm a little baffled that Lenovo overlooked something so simple, not to mention cheap to fix.

I know it's only cosmetic, but it's the little things that can be irritating.

Sidenote - The palmrest no longer creaks, and feels much more stable near the edges of the keyboard after taking it apart and putting it back together!

 

FWIW even though the LCD can swing open a full 180º, do note that swinging the LCD open past 120º starts to put extra stress on the LCD video flex cable. From 0º to 120º, the flex cable takes the shape of a "U". Past 120º, said flex cable takes the shape of an "S", flexing back on itself.

That said, if the plastic casing covering the LCD flex cable were made perfectly stiff and perfectly flat so as not to upset all the hard to please armchair laptop engineers on the intarwebs, one'd reckon that said flex cable would fail in short order simply due to the act of flexing. There'd be no give at all as a perfectly stiff and perfectly flat plastic casing covering the LCD flex cable wouldn't budge nor would the perfectly stiff and perfectly flat magnesium roll cage underneath.

Worse, all the armchair laptop engineers would then b!tching incessantly that their video flex cables had failed.

Haha.

 

lol, thank you for the explanation! I shall rest much easier knowing that i've gotten the ok from an engineer of, apparently, a different variety.

 

I just received my T61P (15.4") and mine does not exhibit that bow at all. I looked at it from all angles - it is perfectly flat.

 

Yup, mine has that too... what I was talking about is some bulges I also see on mine, which I first noticed, on the bezel around the screen - at the bottom of the screen (15.4" screen), there are two little "vents" with associated bulges... not entirely sure what those are for.