List of Owners of M11x That Have Hinges Damaged or Repaired Already

[Crazycrossing]

Question: My hinges have been fine but I do open and close it a lot so I expect them to eventually break...

When they send a tech out, do they replace the entire screen and bezel?

[slickie88]

The entire lid, panel and hinge. A.K.A. the LCD assembly.

[Crazycrossing]

The entire lid, panel and hinge. A.K.A. the LCD assembly.

Ah, that's good to hear then. Thanks.

[MICHAELSD01]

I'd be fine with having the LCD assembly replaced every once in a while if it's simple enough to do myself. I don't want the idiot Dell technician in my area handling my M11x every few months. From what I've seen, it's not exactly a 5-step process to replace it. But since the parts aren't pre-assembled in the factory, the technician builds a LCD assembly in an environment that isn't dust-free, making it seem almost impossible not to get something behind the screen.

Alienware/Dell doesnt care enough to actually fix this problem after a year despite the repair costs, so maybe I should just return this.

[slickie88]

The LCD assembly is sealed and the replacement comes with the hinge already attached and ready to be bolted to the body.

I've got one coming Thursday.

[MICHAELSD01]

So you're replacing it yourself? Thats what I'm planning to do when my hinges break (I can already feel them in the process *sigh*). Did you ask for a Samsung panel? Think you can make a video of the replacement process. It seems like it might be easy enough.

[DrGoodvibes]

The LCD assembly is sealed and the replacement comes with the hinge already attached and ready to be bolted to the body.

I've got one coming Thursday.

Did yours break too?

Maybe someone will get their wish and have a calibrated monitor other than an AUO.

Did you ask the naughty tech monkey if the hinge mount had been fixed, forcing them to support their statement with facts, thus disproving there is a fix yet.

There must be a pretty big pile of broken plastic out the back of the Dell offices by now. Move along, nothing to see here!

Am I one of the few people left a Dell representative has not visited. I feel neglected.

When one buys an M11x you should be introduced to the engineer who will fix you M11x when it breaks, I think that would give the whole experience a human touch.

Here's your M11x and my name is George and I'll be your support engineer and will see you in four months to repair your system.

[THX5334]

Oh man I'm bummed on mine. The Razor Kabuto thread had me experimenting with whether it was okay to use it as a keyboard cover or not.

So while trying the "Not" mode and leaving my M11x closed for the first time in months with nothing between the screen and keyboard, I lift up the lid to look for any oil marks or scratches -

Not seeing any, I shine a light on the screen and look at the side, and sure enough, there's several dust particles under the glass

I expected it with the gap between the lid and panel above the camera, but this thing has been sitting on my bedroom desk since it arrived as a replacement for my original, so I was hoping to stretch the life out.

So here's my dilemma:

The panel itself has by far the best vibrancy, deepest blacks (even over the one I had professionally calibrated) and PQ of the four I've gone through so far. I can't see any of the dust unless I strain real hard and I can see one. So I know, I'll never see it when gaming. Unless gaming with sunlight glaring down, but does that ever work on any rig? Of course this still drives me nuts. But, I don't know if it's worth swapping out for another panel that might have not as good PQ.

The other dilemma and how it relates to here, is that it's been my experience between having two panels switched out on my original machine and getting a complete replacement, that the hinge issue gets way exacerbated with a panel switch out.

On my last panel replacement, the tech couldn't even get the split that comes across the back to close right. That prompted trying again and stripping an internal screw that would've required it to be sent back to a factory repair center. That being an official 4th repair, by their policy, entitles one to an exchange of the same model, so that's what I did.

And when it arrived, I noticed right away how much tighter and sturdier the hinges were, and so far they're still holding up.

I don't know what to do. As of now, I figure I'm going to try and live with it as the risk of possibly getting an inferior panel and/or accelerating the hinge issue, or potentially creating one when there's a slight chance of one not being there before -

might not make it worth the risk of a switch out. And as far as whether a panel replacement makes it worse or not, I'm sure the ability of the tech is a huge factor in this. And my guy, while cool, because he told me about the exchange after 3 repairs rule, doesn't give me confidence in his workmanship based on previous experiences. And he told me last time, he's the only tech in my area, so....hmmmm

So, like I said, I'm leaning towards trying to live with it until the hinges eventually do break and take care of it all in one shot.

I also thought of having the panel replaced, and then have it exchanged until a proper one came through or the hinges could be better, and then if it took 4 times and still no good, request another exchange. But that's a lot of hassle for dust I can barely see on a panel that came out of the batch as one of the better ones.

Ahh, but it's still frustrating. I've been enjoying the machine so much and just having a blast doing such powerful gaming on such a small rig, but this just takes me right back to "Dell's horrible corporate quality control" I was playing on it so much, I left my G73JH-A1 feeling like it got dumped for someone prettier.

You go on the Asus boards and you can find plenty of threads on the G73 series with numerous real problems. But you know what?

I've had mine since May of last year and it's been completely trouble free. Just a beast of a machine that chews 95% of new games up and keeps cranking. Not. One. Issue. I had a GPU repaste as preventative measures, but even before the temps were always way within spec.

But my M11x? Hinge issue, panel issue one after the other. And it's even more frustrating that the continued problems are only with the panel and hinge and the rest of the rig is solid, because it just underscores the potential of the rig that can't be tapped for fear of needing another repair.

It just goes to show that no matter the make, model, configuration or brand. Buying a notebook, especially a gaming notebook, is a F*%@in' lottery. Period. Not even Clevo or Sager can escape it. It's a lottery. Believe it

If anyone has any other ideas, I'm down for input.

Thanks and Cheers

[slickie88]

So you're replacing it yourself?

Did yours break too?

Maybe someone will get their wish and have a calibrated monitor other than an AUO.

Mine's being replaced due to the scratches from the keyboard that I've been living with since about September. They've gotten progressively worse and I'm tired of holding off for Dell to tell us what their plans are for a hinge fix. I figure I'd rather get it replaced now and see if it will last the remaining 150 days I have on warranty. If it fails after that then I'm done with it and will just move on to the next notebook.

In the attached photo you can see the permanent scratches left by the keys and the hinge cover. They extend the width of the panel and start about 1/3 of the way down from the top of the screen. For the first couple of months I used various items to protect the screen - the cloth insert that comes with it, some thin foam that displays are shipped with, my kabuto briefly, etc. - but to be honest it was a pain and I stopped using anything around August or September. It didn't take long for scratches to appear afterward.

My M11x is with me at work, which means it's opened and closed 12 to 20 times a day. I'm OCD about keeping the keys wiped off and free of oil and dust and I'm also in the habit of carrying it by the leading edge so as not to compress the lid in any way. The scratches are from it being bagged every day.

My service call shows that I've got a Samsung coming, but we'll see if that ends up being the case when the tech brings it out. Here's how it's listed:

LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY..., 11.6HDF, WLED, TLF, SAMSUNG

[Silent_Patriot]

You can add me to the list. Purchased my R1 from Best Buy last April and right out of the box noticed that there was a bit more of a gap on the left side and keys left marks on the display every time it was closed. Have been using a dry dusting cloth to keep it from getting marked up, but the hinges have gradually been getting worse with the clicking, creaking, and snapping sounds and I think they're ready to break off soon.

I've had a service call open since October, but have been putting off sending it in since I use it every day and it's a major inconvenience. For some reason they won't send out a field tech to repair the Best Buy units and they have to be sent in to the repair center.

I am very upset with their customer service, especially after finding out this week that an R3 version is coming out and that the hinge issue HAS been addressed on the new model, while they still do not have a fix in place for R1 or R2 units. I have escalated the issue and am requesting a refund to be used for purchasing an R3. Not holding my breath, but seeing as how this is a defect in materials and/or workmanship, may be pursuing a legal action and filing a complaint with the BBB if this doesn't get settled to my satisfaction.