Creaky T61?

I've had a 14.1" WS T61 for a couple weeks now, and am noticing a few things that -- while not calamitous -- are irritating.

So I'm wondering if other T61 owners have similar experiences. Basically, the issues are all related to creakiness:

- The far left side of the keyboard creaks very loudly, centering around the TAB and CAPS LOCK keys. Pressing on those keys emits a highly audible groan from the chassis. Clamping the left side of the chassis (near the speaker) does alleviate the problem, but yikes.

- Far more minor (but still annoying) are the two buttons under the trackpad. They're also creaky, and it's particularly noticeable when holding them down to drag stuff around on the desktop.

Having read SO much about the almost mythical sturdiness of these machines, the creakiness surprised me. Is this just a weird anomaly on my Thinkpad, or do others have the same problems? Is it worth calling customer service? What is the typical resolution for this type of thing (if any)?

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

That's what you get for buying a Lenovo designed T61 vs. IBM designed T60

 

All these reports about creakiness, uneven gaps and general spotty assembly quality of the T61 is what prompted my decision to get the T60 instead.
I just got mine - looks and feels real solid.

 

Word, same reasoning for me. If you get a t61, might as well get a Dell.

 

my t61 has a bump near the power button. the panel that covers it isnt exactly flat. it kinda bothers me.

 

Mine has that too. It does look funny. With all of these little issues, I'm just curious to know if there's any real benefit to trying to get them fixed.

 

same here. i might get it fixed after all the part delays, etc. have been fixed.

 

Lenovo has truly ruined the thinkpad brand. The t60 was the last good thinkpad.

 

Can anyone post some photos of the:

- Bump by the power button
- The flexible wrist rest
- The poor alignment of the LCD cover
- The puffed up area by the touch pad
- Cellophane under the keyboard
- ...whatever else is wrong with your brand new T61


On one hand, I don't want to be paranoid, but on the other hand I don't want to spend my hard earned cash on a machine that has basic design problems right from the start! It's only been a couple days since I ordered my T61 14" and there's still plenty of time to cancel. (I was assuming that the T61 would have the same level of quality as the T60.)

I've already gone down the Dell road and been disappointed (Inspiron 1420.) Perhaps the "Apple Tax" is worth it after all? Perhaps an HP would be better? (I have an nc6400 from work, and it's rock solid!)

 

Overall I am happy with the t61 but I have several issues with the case too.

I would recommend that you call up lenovo and make a case out of it (the case # will stay in the system for 6 months) and send it back when it’s most convenient for you

I have seen "perfect" t61s but they were preconfiged models, not sure if custom orders have anything to do with this. Hopefully lenovo will get it all fixed within the near future.

 

Lenovo should call it the CreakPad.

 

If there are problems with the case, I will have a problem buying from Lenovo!

And I don't think one should buy a computer with the intention of sending it back. What a waste of time! It's bad enough to have to wait 4-6 weeks for a computer (even 8, according to the shipping estimate if you get one of the unlucky 160G drives), let alone sending it in for repairs the very next day.

Does ANYONE have a custom configured T61 that doesn't have some kind of slop in the build? Anyone? I'm not looking for those who are "happy" with the computer anyway, just an objective analysis of how these machines are put together.

 

Now thats its brought up, my T61 creaks pushing down on the panel to the left of the scroll pad...nothing major but certainly perceptible. And yes there is a pop sound when squeezing the left bezel. Not sure how dramatic these are since this is my first laptop and I have nothing to compare it to.

 

Tony, (re left bezel pop)

Please check the bottom of your t61, does it say signapore on the microsoft sticker?

Both the ones I got had that singapore sticker and I think that they release a bad batch

thanks

 

Indeed it does....so only ours have the bezel issue then?

 

I've had my T61 for two weeks now and I'm very happy with it. It is fast, feels solid and blows away competition. I agree, I hear a crack here and there occasionally when I carry it and the lid is a bit too tight but I think it will loosen up with time. The machine is fast when multitasking, it loads up over 1GB memory right after the start up, I normally have many applications running including VMWare, cluster EDBs for messaging recovery, admin tools, telnet and ftp apps and other remote access controls. I use a 4 cell battery and carry 6 cell in the bag, that's plenty of juice most of the time. I really think T61 is a good laptop for the money and I can compare to many including Dells, HPs and Panasonic Toughbooks I occasionally deal with.

 

That's good to hear. Did you get the 14" WXGA+ or do you have the 15" screen? It seems the problems have been mostly with the 14" screen (anyone else, correct me if I'm wrong.)

 

Not sure but if all customs carry the singapore sticker i guess all customs orders are screwed

or maybe custom order ONLY from singapore are bad

but at least we've ID'd something we have in common

 

I've got the 14" WXGA+ display. I have an older R40 sitting in the office as well, side by side compared the screens are like day and night. The T61's both horizonal and vertical viewable angles have been greatly improved since the R40 era.

 

Mine is from singapore as well, and I have the creak on the left side of the lcd panel. My computer doesn't m sit flush on the right side of the palm rest either. The rubber pad underneath the hard drive is probably a few millimeters in the air, while the left rubber pad does touch. I called them and told them of the problem so they are aware. However, I don't want to send my computer back because I know they're not going to do anything over something so minor.

 

I've never been a fan of I've Been Mugged. But I got a T61 15.4 as a personal laptop a few days ago. Out of the box, this is the most solid and best built laptop I've had. I've had company HPs, Compaqs, and currently a Dell D620, which is feels like a crappy Happy meal plastic model of a laptop. T61 has the best keyboard ever, is solid and light. If it creaks, I can't hear it and I'm not going to go around prodding it unnaturally. As an earlier poster says: screen hinge seems too tight - Can't get it open one handed - but I'm sure it'll loosen up.

 

I simply (no pun intended), do not see any quality problems with fit and finish much less the rest of the problems frequently mentioned here. I did not fall for the Vista and stuck with XP simply because I have to many programs that I knew in advance had issues with Vista. Dumb luck perhaps but happy none the less. Also did not fall for that Turbo sthick. Sounds like something would stick on a rice rocket to make it go faster! Sorry guys, I just don't see the problems that are menmtioned here. Previously owned a T21 and T43. Both great machines for their times

 

GridGI, Is your T61 WXGA+ machine from Singapore or somewhere else?

 

Mine is from singapore as well and I have the left LCD bezel pop. I also have a bump left of the power button. My laptop shipped from the Shenzhen plant.

 

Check this out:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=141159

Funny stuff.

 

I ordered two CTO T61s (from the Shenzhen plant) with XP (no turbo). They are both identical in product quality and are nearly perfect. I've felt and squeezed them all over for more than two weeks now, looking for imperfections. So far I can find only two (that others have already mentioned). Slight bulge in the strip to the left of the power button and a minor creak when you squeeze the lower left LCD bezel. Otherwise perfect!

 

Heh, maybe it's just that some Thinkpad owners are more picky than the average laptop user. I would never have thought to check for soft spots or squeaks in a laptop before reading this thread - I would just sit down and start using the *%$# thing!

 

I have a custom configured T61 and have none of the issues you guys mention.
If I look extremely close I might have a light bump next to the power button but I only noticed it after reading about it here and even then only when I go through contortions to look at from an angle.
It is still sealed so it doesn't matter to me.

This is the 14.1" screen and the sticker mentions Lenovo Singapore.

I wouldn't be surprised if all T61's have those Microsoft stickers. The systems are all still manufactured in China no matter what that sticker says.

I only have good things to say about my T61, sure I only have for a month, but so far this laptop has been doing an excellent job.

It looks good, works fast and runs everything I want it to run, with Windows Vista Business. I have no issues with Vista, it just works.

For the guys talking about the tight lid: I think you would want it to be tight, it is part of the sturdy build and I would actually have been disappointed if it had slop in it. With hinges as they are on the ThinkPad they better not feel loose!

Just my 2 cents and my opinion.:GEEK:

 

While that is probably true, it's also possible that some Thinkpads are just plain creaky. I get kind of annoyed at all the Lenovo-bashing, so don't get me wrong -- I didn't start the thread to kick off yet another round of "Lenovo stinks".

I'm just interested in finding out whether anyone has observed the same irritating creaks, and if there's value in sending the thing back to get it tightened up.

 

Here are some pictures, showing the alignment problems, posted by Lowspeed.

http://tel3deal.com/pics/T61/

 

I just think that the lower price of the T61 is making it more widely available to the cheap bastards who could never think to afford a ThinkPad in the past. Now that they are finally able to afford one, they are pissy because they aren't getting exactly what they used to stare at through store windows for hours.

You get what you pay for, so stop whining.

 

Exactly the same problem about the rubber pad, its somehting like 0.5mm (but it's quite perceptible), no screen alignment problems though. Called support, said they could have it fixed, but need to disassmble it (simply not happening) as they are not replacing notebooks unless something is irrepairable.

 

hey guyz i dont know wat dont know y you guyz are having that problem. i am just recieved this laptop and all i can tell you is that i have a hell of a durable laptop. i love this thing it is great. i cant complain about this. this laptop is very durable, and also i have dropped this laptop in 3days after getting the laptop. so all i can tell you that it was a good laptop.

 

Here it costs exactly as the old T60 (that is 1650Euro, that is 2000USD) and for that price there NO EXCUSES, considering also that they cut costs from the 16:10 14.1" monitor compared to the 4:3 on the T60, there are NO EXCUSES. What would be a good price point for one to expect decent (I am not talking excellent) quality and why do my 2 HPs (nx9105) which are three years old (and half the price) have never creaked or bounced ? There are two questions : is a Lenovo repairman capable of fixing such problems - in my opinion no, second, should one risk a replacement with even more problems, I don't know (BTW Lenovo does not replace laptops here, they try to "fix" them).

 

All I know is my T61 is perfectly fine, it has better, newer technology than the T61, and has a rollcage in the lid that offers more protection than the T60. For a lower price to boot? I say my T61 rocks.

 

I am about the most neurotic laptop owner imagineable and I have to say the build quality seems pretty good.

To be sure, there are a few creaks here and there but having owned laptops from all of the manufacturers, the fit and finish seem to be considerably better than the competition.

One suggestion I have to individuals experiencing general creakiness to the entire chassis would be to take a screw driver and lightly tighten the screws at the bottom of the unit. This has worked wonders for me on other laptops.

Specific things reported here that I do notice is the slightly raised power button strip -- I believe this to be deliberate -- and the slight creakiness on the left LCD bezel.

Can't really complain about the bezel as it seems you have to set out to squeeze it to experience the creak. If you set out to squeeze any product to find a creak or two, you'll find em.

That said, I have read too many reports of stuck pixels to be 100% impressed with Lenovo's QA and customer service. My T61 is headed into servicing next week to replace the stuck pixel screen.

 

By the way, I was the original poster and the creakiness of the keyboard on the left side was definitely not a nitpick. But ... I did eventually open up the machine and reseat the keyboard -- it's helped immeasurably. Much more solid now!