Samsung Q35 problem ?

After 2 monthes of gentle use, my Samsung Q35 have a crack near the hinge. Do you have this problem ? Samsung says this is not covered by the warranty.

 

I have not seen anything of the such on my Q35 as of yet. It won't be covered by the warranty as it is either wear and tear or accidental damage. Does the hinge now creak when opening the notebook or is there any visible evidence of stress? When opening the notebook, lifting both sides of the screen instead of just the one should help to prevent this getting any worse.

 

My immediate reaction is that is a warranty issue. That area where the cover joins the hinges gets a lot of stress and if things aren't designed and fixed together properly then it will crack, just as shown on the photo. And that crack will spread until things fall apart. The chances of impact damage causing a crack in that location are very small. And if putting stress on that area by opening / closing the computer can't be said to be unreasonable use.

I have seen this happen in the same place on my daughter's Dell notebook, but at least it waited until the notebook was out of warranty and then I fixed it with araldite reinforced with paper clips (not very elegant but it worked).

I am suprised to see this problem on a Q35, but problem it is and it should be fixed. I suspect it is a rare problem, and I think something is slightly sub-standard. Are the hinges very stiff? Can you easily open and close the Q35 with one finger?

I would suggest that you email the photo to Samsung support using their ERMS.
Maybe someone in Samsung support will agree with my diagnosis once they see the photo.

Please keep us posted with developments, even another photo of a growing crack.

John

 

Thank You John, I suppose also it is a rare problem ! I can easily open and close the computer with "one finger" (maybe two ? ).

It is easy to see that all the computer is new and this crack is strange. No need to be an expert for that and I have years working with notebooks with, sometimes, some problems (like everybody), but not this one. No warranty problems until today. Samsung repair service is "something else", and for me, at this time, is "nothing".

I have write twice to Samsung ERMS here in France: the first time they said to go to an official samsung repair store, and there they said I have to pay 60 euros (80 $) just to estimate the repair, because no warranty for this problem. The second time, ERMS said that I have to write a letter (you know, this old -but nice- thing with a stamp) to their consumer service for a "commercial gesture" ! This is not serious and I don't expect that from this company. Unfortunatelly, and I didn't know before, this Samsung notebook is just a toy, and, worse, without warranty. Fortunatelly, to work, I have more notebooks. I can't use this Samsung. To follow...

 

Thanks for the feedback. I believe that this crack is arising from faulty manufacture or assembly and is very clearly a warranty issue. It is either a defect in the plastic or incorrect assembly of the fixing between the hinge and the cover.

What surprises me is that Samsung support / customer service in France are not being very helpful. They should be keen to get your computer and replace that part in order to find out why the crack is there since it is unusual. This reminds me that, about 8 years ago, I sent an AST Ascentia to have the keyboard replaced under warranty and the damaged casing where the computer had been dropped was replaced without comment.

John

 

Well, well, here is a picture one month later, without using this laptop (how could I use it ? I don't want to have a problem when I am working in another country). The crack is bigger.
And from samsung customer service in my own country... no answer at all ! So could you imagine if you have a problem in a country where you didn't buy this laptop ?

 

I agree that the crack is growing, but I can't understand why it would grow if you are not using the computer at all.

How long before you get back to the country where you bought the Q35? Have you got Skype or similar so that you can cheaply phone Samsung support in your home country?

John

 

Thank you John,

But I have phoned to samsung repair service in France, and went to a samsung service store where they said that I have to pay for this problem. The computer is new, never dropped down. I sent a letter to samsung consumer service, and no answer at all from them. The only solution seems to institute a lawsuit ! Crazy ! The crack is a problem, OK, and maybe not a lot of people have this issue... But the samsung consumer service is really a much much more bigger problem.
For the crack growing, I just opened the computer twice to erase everything. Fortunately, I have more laptops (not from samsung, and no more from samsung), so this laptop can remain unused. But I've spent too much time on this Q35, much more its price.

 

Strange. I have a Samsung P35 first generation and the had squeeking hinges. It was a problem with many many of the P35. The hinges made noise and were hard to open after 3-4 month of use. Samsung replaced them without trouble. I know of one case where the hinge blocked and made it very hard to open and the lid cracked very similar to the picture. Samsung replaced that too.
This was in Germany but the laptops where shipped and repaired in Holland if i remember right. Maybe because it was a known problem Samsung didnt make any trouble but I have to say all the people i have heared from said Samsung support is very good and fast.

 

regarding the customer services, sometimes, each country differ from other country, same goes to customer service in the same country but different center. Cause i've experienced many cases where i cant get good help from one center, but wonderful help from the other center...

my point is, maybe the person in charge of your cases is just the "sleepy" one, where they like to sleep rather than to help you. But this problem concern me too, cause i'm gonna be the Q35 user soon enough too...

 

Different customer service in each country ? Should I go to Germany and contact samsung german customer service for my problem ? Quite expensive ! Lucky german people with samsung customer service. I just receive an official letter from samsung France (More than one month after mine !) saying they can't change or repair the computer. In France, do I need a lawyer to deal with samsung after-sales service ? This is quite complicated. From now on I stay away samsung computer products, not only because of my computer problem, but because there is no warranty and no customer service... at least in France.

 

Hi Acepro,

I just wanted to reassure you that you are not alone with this hinge crack issue.

I bought three Q35 laptops for the company nearly 18 months ago. One of them has cracked exactly the same as you describe after a very short period of time. The guy who uses this particular laptop looks after all his stuff with the utmost care and was most unhappy. The other two laptops get fairly heavily used and abused and seem to be OK so far.

I also contacted Samsung's UK customer service people and was told that if I could return the device they would look at it, at a cost. Since the laptops are used all the time and contain confidential data I didn't really want to send one anywhere at all.

I tried to explain that I felt it was a warranty issue and poor manufacturing but this made no difference. I had hoped they would have sent me a hinge cover moulding that I could have fitted myself. They just didn't seem to want to help

Alas we are now well out of the 12 month warranty period. The crack as got worse but has held together so far, but only due to very careful use.

 

As I have commented previously, Samsung support people are reluctant to accept that occasionally their products do have deficiencies.

My own fix for such cracks is some reinforcement. First you might get a bit of superglue into the crack. Then I drill 2 pairs of small (~1mm) holes about 5mm each side of the crack, prepare some suitably cut and bent pieces of paperclip which clip into the holes then fill the holes with epoxy resin glue and push the bits of paper clip into them. Once that glue has hardened, cover the whole area with some more epoxy resin to give it extra strength. I did this to a Dell Inspiron a couple of years back and there has been no further problem.

In fact the above may be an overkill for the Q35 because the hinges are not heavily stressed. Perhaps widening the crack with a sharp knife sufficient (~1.5mm) to fill it with some epoxy resin may be enough. Use the normal, not quick set epoxy for best long term strength.

John

 

I have just noticed that my Q35 also has the identical problem as Acepro but on both corners in the hinge area. I am about to contact the company I purchased it through and if necessary then Samsung.

We should not accept that this is wear and tear. It is clearly a manufacturing defect which we are not responsible for. Even if your laptop is out of warranty the Sale of Goods Act specifically covers this sort of problem for products up to 6 years after purchase in the UK.

To make a case against Samsung we should all take photos of the cracking and perhaps post to this site. My machine is only 8 months old.

 

Interesting.....

I would suggest that you send the photos to Samsung UK technical support via their electronic messaging system (link at the bottom of any notebook FAQ). Also post the photos here.

Everyone else, look at your Q35s carefully.

John

 

Hi all ... I hope someone is still monitoring this thread. I have just got back from a week trip and noted that my Q35 has the same problem. I work for an international non-governmental organization (UK headquarters) but am based in Mozambique which makes this even more frightening as it looks like I will have to go to Johannesburg in South Africa to get this sorted. I am not having much luck with Samsung products, it seems. The Q35 is otherwise an excellent product, but I have had two Samsung DVD players die on me (just outside of warranty, of course). In the first instance I managed to find a helpful service manager in South Africa that I hope to be able to find again now. My other DVD player died slowly over the past weeks (same problem, burnt out laser, also apparently not covered by the warranty (smell something fishy???)), so I will try deal with both issues at the same time. I am also going to follow up with our head office as I know we bought other Q35s and find out if these has similar issues.

Has anyone had any feedback from Samsung since the last posts?

 

Got the same problem here on both hinges.

At first tiny cracks which get longer/wider over time.

Bought the notebook in June 2007. At that time just a very thin line was visible on the right hinge, left hinge looked OK.

By January 08 the crack on the right hinge was wider and longer, nearly reached the thicker area at that stage.

As I was in Bangkok at the time for a few months and also needed the computer for daily work I just fixed it myself with super glue. Does not look pretty but seems to do the job. I applied the glue with a match and pressed the crack together for a few minutes.

Now another crack is developing on the left hinge, too. So far just a thin line but I guess in a few months it's time to get out the super glue again.

 

Hi there!
I hope you guys are still monitoring this thread
I can relate to you regarding the Q35. Mine is two years old. Works well,except for the fact that after 1 year the keyboard painting started to come off. And it's been treated like a princess, normal usage... I then began to realize the q35 case is really bad bad quality!
I have also experienced problems with the screen or video drivers, don't know whether it's a hard/software problem. Suddenly out of the blue the screen will start shaking up and down or sideways..like some sort of external interference. Has anybody ever experienced any of these issues?

 

The keyboard paint quality is variable, although Samsung won't admit it. I first bought an X60 and then the X60plus about 9 months later. Within a year the plastic was showing on some keys but the keyboard on the X60, which is still in the family, is still looking OK after nearly 3 years.

I presume your Q35 has the silver keyboard. The one I bought had a black keyboard, so no paint to wear. That Q35 is almost 2 years old and still doing good service with a friend.

Can you plug your Q35 into an external monitor and see how the display looks. If it is OK while the the internal display has problems then it would suggest that the problem is with either the LCD or, more likely, the cable feeding the LCD. These cables can work loose where they are connected at each end.If both the internal and external displays have the same problem then it is most likely software since the Intel GPU very rarely has hardware problems. One thing you can check is the refresh rate. It should be around 50Hz. LCDs don't need high refresh rates and it might confuse them.

Another test is to download a Linux (eg Ubuntu) live CD, burn it to a disc and boot from it. If the Linux display is fine then we can be sure it is Windows. The Linux CD also contains Memtest 86, so you could test your RAM (leave it running overnight), just in case that is causing problems.

John

 

I think I had the same problem as arielf with my 2-year-old Q35, the one with the image on the screen suddenly shaking. The weird thing with this issue was that it occurred only sporadically (at least on mine). There were usually weeks, sometimes even months between one instance and the next, and after I'd turned the computer off and on again, it was fine. No sign of the problem.

I've sent my Q35 to the repair center for both this issue and a blue line from the top of the screen to the bottom (same as described by another user here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=337992) and they exchanged both the display and the mainboard but I don't know if both repairs were done for the blue line or if they looked into the "shaking" issue as well.