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

[slickie88]

We'll see. There have only been hints so far that may end up not panning out. Nothing official yet.

[KSSR1211]

Just got finnished reading at the dell forum about the hinge problem. I feel encouraged by the comments that Chris is making and feel quite positive about the direction of developments.

As in any forum please remember that the people who read have feelings too. Do not leave spitefully directed comments about Chris. We all are upset about the hinges, but remember that working for a large corperation has it's drawbacks also.

[THX5334]

I'm actually pretty content with the LCD panel now, it's still miles better than any screen I've seen on a netbook. My biggest concern for if my hinges fail will be that I get a worse panel.

THIS.

Is exactly where I'm at after finding dust under my screen. So far it's not showing up when on, so I'm living with it. But should it start to show, or the hinges fail, that is my exact concern.

I also believe they're going to continue to fix this issue even if it's out of warranty. Hopefully with a new part that will keep it from happening again.

[MICHAELSD01]

Even if Alienware doesn't use different panels than those in circulation now, there is a big flucation in panel quality already. Mine has proven to be one of the better, with good black levels and contrast, but poor viewing angles and shadow detail. Some have been measured to have awful contrast, while others like mine, are just about average. But mine reproduces color much better than any netbook screen after a simple calibration.

Anyway, slickie88 where did you hear about a new part for February 4? I'll be really annoyed because that's four days out of my return window, and I don't feel like going through a repair, period, on my new system, but want the peace of mind.

[slickie88]

It's rumored here:

M11x Hinge/Screen touching Keyboard Discussion (R1 & R2)

and the date is referenced again here in tvtripper's post:

Re: m11x hinge issues? - Alienware Forum - Alienware Club - Dell Community

Not definitive by any means, but promising.

EDIT: And returning your current one and re-ordering would very likely not give you the new fixed part if it exists. There's probably 30 container ships sitting somewhere full of M11x R1s and R2 that your new one would come from. I'm exaggerating of course, but really it is quite possible that a new part isn't necessarily going to be inserted into pre-existing production lines until later on. Hard to say.

[philby]

The cost in Ausi (including postage and gst) is $390AU - there is not difference in price between the WWLAN and non WWLAN screens. You can't just buy the backing plate, but the entire screen.

The only reason for the purchase is - firstly I'm sick of pulling the unit apart to fix the screen - have done this 3 times so far. First time was the best but I dropped the laptop off my lap - yes I know. Second time I was in a real hurry and forgot to mix the two pot adhesive together (to be fair is was 12.30am and I was stuffed!!). Last time was on Friday and because I used the screen over Christmas I managed to stuff the posts further.

So while they are holding together I believe they will re-crack again.

So after I heard the rumor that this may have been resolved I thought stuff it I only paid $700 for this laptop which I salary sacrificed (wonderful thing you can do in Ausi - comes out of pre-tax income) so I paid around $500. I normally buy laptops from Graysonline which by default have no warranty. You can buy a warranty but for a unit which has cost $500 the cost would be close to $350 so I tend to just take the risk and this is the first real issue I have had doing this. I normally make a profit doing this - because I use this for work I also depreciate it in my tax return and after 2 years sell.

As a rule I come out ahead

[MICHAELSD01]

It's rumored here:

M11x Hinge/Screen touching Keyboard Discussion (R1 & R2)

and the date is referenced again here in tvtripper's post:

Re: m11x hinge issues? - Alienware Forum - Alienware Club - Dell Community

Not definitive by any means, but promising.

EDIT: And returning your current one and re-ordering would very likely not give you the new fixed part if it exists. There's probably 30 container ships sitting somewhere full of M11x R1s and R2 that your new one would come from. I'm exaggerating of course, but really it is quite possible that a new part isn't necessarily going to be inserted into pre-existing production lines until later on. Hard to say.

If there's a new part list, the service tag for another system would probably mention the new part. Maybe I should wait to see what other owners say. I'm definitely selling this before my warranty is up, either way. I see no value in an extended warranty and I won't keep it when Alienware systems have historically had fairly high failure rates in one way or another.

For everybody considering extended warranties: selling and buying a new revision before your warranty is up is a much better value. For your sale price, that extended warranty money, and a little extra, you get a new and improved system instead of the same system that wears over time and deals with the hassle of repairs.

[BatBoy]

I'm closing this thread with the release of updated information from Chris. If you want to comment on his update, you can do so here -

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alie...1-24-11-a.html