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Obtaining Replacement Parts for Your Laptop?
halosfan asks: "I recently broke the LCD bezel (the plastic thing that holds the LCD and related wires together) on a laptop that I bought half a year ago. I checked eBay as well as a few online stores specializing in laptop replacement parts, but still couldn't find the replacement. I contacted the manufacturer, but they were absolutely useless. Local laptop repair shop said they wouldn't replace the bezel without replacing the LCD, which isn't acceptable. It is an extremely frustrating situation, as the bezel is a minor part that I otherwise couldn't care less about, but it is necessary to carry the laptop around. I am wondering what other ways are there to obtain a laptop replacement part? Also, any recommendations for manufacturers that are good about making obscure replacement parts for their laptops available to the general public?" Does your laptop manufacturer make it easy or hard to get the necessary replacement parts?
This is why I dropped the jack for an extended warrenty. Normal ware and tear has cracked the back hinge on my laptop in less then 6mo. It still works okay but its a crack. Before my 3 years is up, this thing is getting fixed so that it will have some life left it in.
Same goes for the keyboard
The touchpad (which is already honky cause it took a static electricity shock)
And the CD drive
etc etc etc.
If you are just going to buy and sit and never work to get shit replaced, then yes -- the warrenty coverage is worthless. Buy it and use it, and then you have gotten something.
The ultimate network admin tool needs HELP!
Always been real happy with Dell and its replacement of busted laptop componets. Although this was as a corporate customer and if they need to replace other parts (the LCD in this case) to fix the problem, it was always warrantied work and no extra cost came to me because of it. I'm guessing the author is a home/personal user, which if the laptop was purchased new I'm surprised the replacement isn't warrantied (don't most come with 12 month warranties?).
Try ebay, if you can't find it there you may be in trouble. :)
If you can read this sig - the bitch fell off.
pbparts.com has come to my rescue so many times, I can't think of buying a tiBook again without having a relationship with these guys ...
... can't do it with a Dell!
Anyway, tiBook. The best 'user-replaceable/serviceable' laptop you can invest in. *tons* of after-market parts.
I've replaced the case on mine 3 times. Not easy, definitely like gutting a fish and expecting it to swim again, but hey
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
I bought a Toshiba 3110CT laptop right when they were getting phased out so I saved some bucks. I sunk $300 for 3-year warranty support.
I dropped the laptop while it had a wifi card sticking out of it. PCMCIA slot now can't register any cards. Brought it in to the Warranty shop, they gave me a new motherboard. 1 day turn-around time.
Dropped again, Harddrive died. Asked for a a new harddrive and they did it while I waited.
Best money I ever spent.
In the future, I would want to not be isolated from my friends in the Space Station.
Some of PB Parts prices were REALLY high. When the inverter cable running through the hinge to my iBook monitor frayed and shorted (I've had hinge issues with both my Apple laptops - my Wallstreet hinges actually cracked!) they were charging $100 for it. Apple charged even more to repair the whole thing. As it turns out, Small Dog sold the part for around $30, although you have to talk to their techs directly to get the price quoted. I'd familiarize yourself with PB parts prices first, and then go ask Small Dog.
---If you can't trust a nerd, who can you trust?
This reminds me of something my Electronics teacher back in High School used to tell us. (Keep in mind this was back in the late 80's) He had been in the consumer electronics business practically for quite some time and the way he put it was this. Back in the early to mid 80's consumers started demanding a product that was cheap enough that if it broke, they could simply throw it away and buy a new one. Consumers began demanding "disposable electronics". Now they are getting it cramed down their throats. He told us the story of an unnamed consumer electronics firm that he had worked for where they designed a product that in theoretically would last 15-20 years without any component failures. Then they changed the specifications of two or three components so that they same product would have an average life expectancy of around 5 years. He ran an electronics repair business while he was teaching high school and he said that it was amazing to see now that people would bring some of these same products in to have him work on, and he could pinpoint the problem in 90% of the cases to one of those three parts.
To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer
According to the Ministry of Duct Tape and High Voltage, the tape was a by-product of World War II. In 1942, after numerous cases of ammunition were destroyed by humidity, the United States government turned to wartime supplier Johnson & Johnson, hoping for a fix. J&J promptly responded with a waterproof tape dubbed "duck tape" by the military due to its ability to repel moisture like water off a duck's back. It did the job admirably, and soldiers soon found an assortment of other uses for it as well.
After the war ended, the resultant housing boom inspired yet more uses for the material. Homeowners soon realized how effective the tape was at sealing off ducts -- leading to a change in name (from "duck" to "duct") and color (from army green to silver).
Before you laugh, you can make your own parts in plastic.
Plenty of books out there to teach you how to create a mould and cast your own out of scrap plastic.
All it takes is a bit of patience.
---- Booth was a patriot ----
funny i dropped my laptop and they replaced the screen no problem
i even told them i dropped it
you must have bought the wrong support option
He is in the sweet spot -- the time where his new-ish machine is obsolete, but not enough have died yet for their parts to become available on ebay. If he waits a couple of months, the parts should start to become available.
The problem with ebay is that all the electronics sellers have decided that $10 is the minimum shipping charge, even on a small part. I had a guy charge me that for an LCD inverter (weight: less than 1 ounce) and mail it to me unprotected in an envelope 1st class ($0.37 stamp).
If the part prices are truly a problem, he can desktopify the laptop and get another, they are cheap these days. I did that with a Thinkpad T23 with broken LCD -- it is now a firewall/spam filter left on 24/7.
To use an analogy from a car. Say you need to replace a spark plug -- it's not just like an expensive spark plug -- this is like a manufacturer refusing to sell you a spark plug without the entire replacement motor.
Now I hear what you're saying about laptops just being "that way"...but it doesn't make it OK. I don't have much intention of buying a laptop until they're user servicable and suitable replacement parts are available (it's probably clear by now that I have no specific need for a laptop and when there is, my job will probably provide one). Point is, it's about as lame as Apple's iPod battery debacule, except it's an accepted industry-standard parctice.
-Turkey
Now this is a great post! It really is too bad that we in corporate america see fit to paying the big laptop distributors our hard earned cash when they do not provide real service and attempt to hide the parts so you buy new again.
But we gotta dell dude!
:-( --- argh. Despair, I owe again.
My personal choice is Ebay. I had an old Gateway Solo 2500 I bought for $150. Catch? Bad keyboard, and bad touchpad. I scope out google, prices are like US$70-80 each! So then I hit up Ebay, got the touchpad for about US$16, and the keyboard for about US$10. On another occasion, I had some guy drop an old Compaq Armada E500, broke off all the plastic on the corner and ripped open the screwholes holding the hinge together. Estimates ran like US$800 for a new screen, which would not even address the dead plastic! So I hit up Ebay yet again, got an "as-is" unit that was only missing a cd-rom drive, floppy drive, battery, and hard drive, all of which were good on my unit with the dead plastic. I buy it for US$160, open it up, swap the good floppy, hdd, cd drive, and battery, works splendidly. So I guess I am 2/2. It honestly depends on what sort of part you are looking for. If it is a relatively simple part like a keyboard or a touchpad, do not expect to get reamed, but if it is like a screen, or processor, seriously consider getting a new laptop. It may just be too much hassle to justify the expense. My advice is to keep checking Ebay, try changing up your search terms, look for "as-is" or "for parts" units. Also, check if your laptop manufacturer sells a "plastics kit" for you particular unit, I have had luck with those before, they have all sorts of plastic doodads that tend to break off. Good luck man!
I hate sigs.
Nope. I've carried it through airport security many times, even after 9/11 with no complaints or extra attention.
The explosives sniffers/analyzers are tuned to very fine spectrums of chemical fingerprint.
I used "no more nails" on the crack on my palmax. Im not sure it was the right kind of glue for the job, but it sticks anything to anything. It doesn't actually look too bad.
Unfortunately now the battery has died, and that one is *way* trickier to find. Ironically my old 486SX IBM PC110 Palmtop PC uses standard batteries that I can replace at any DV camera shop.
While this isn't something everyone can do, it's good to know some hardware repair geeks. This is exactly why.
;-)
Repairing laptops is getting harder and harder these days, because the manufacturers, in general, are getting very picky about what is in and out of warranty. It used to be that you could get by with everything under the sun short of a cracked screen. That's all changed with all the big manufacturers.
And more than that, often you have to mail your laptop in, rather than take it to someplace local. When you do that, the manufacturer cuts you off from your equipment, and the tech off from your plea as to why this wasn't a case of "misuse."
It's been my experience that what you need to do is to just plain know someone who does warranty repairs on the type of laptop you own. I mean know the technician by his first name. This is the part where you need a friend, badly.
Those horror stories about the $75 hinges and $56 for four hinge screws...they're true, because there's markup in there! A company has to make money at repairing things, and service is where companies get margin. Usually that margin on 'little' stuff like this is in the neighborhood of 100% or more. Cut that $75 and $56 in half, and isn't that more reasonable?
The trouble is, the company has to make a profit on the item, plus they likely had a 'shipping and handling and administrative fee' for having their folks order the parts for you, recieve them, etc.
If you're in a big company, surely you have in-house folks, or people on-staff from then manufacturer (or who come around on a regular basis.) Get to know them, they can be your best of friends right now. Ply them with a lunch, and a soda now and again! You'd be surprised how far a good Tech will go if you feed him once in a while.
And the average tech isn't deaf to your pleas. They understand how badly it sucks to have a broken laptop that you depend on day in and day out, at home and at work. Usually if you treat them well, they'll work to take care of you when you really need it.
Awk! Pieces of eight. Pieces of eight. Pieces of seven... ERROR: General Protection Fault. [Paroty Error.]
Whenever the guy in the shop offers you an extensive warranty ask him why. Then whey he talks about accidents point out you have insurance for that. He'll next talk about the product maybe failing, at which point you ask him if he's telling you the product is unreliable and crap.
In the UK the household insurers have taken to offering equivalent insurance to the shops but at much better prices for product failure.
>cutting edge 1950s technology of a Ford iron-
:) Bullet proof reliable none the less. 5 main bearings on the crank for a 4 banger.
>block pushrod tractor engine shoved in its throat
The 140 and 1975 240's had Volvo B20 engines. These engines are as much tractor engines as anything Ford ever made.
Speaking of tractor engines though.. ever read the story of the origin of Lamborghini?
Nah, some of the V-8 Ford engines are actually pretty
decent. Keep in mind that Ford Crown Victoria
taxicabs routinely make it up to 250,000 miles
of urban driving without a rebuild. On the other
hand, the Peugeot V-6 that Volvo slapped into some
of the earlier 2-series and 7-series (260/760)
cars was pretty abysmal, usually destroying it's
camshafts due to the too-narrow oil passages to the
cylinder heads getting plugged. If I were building
a fast Volvo, I'd either go with one of the later
Volvo inline-5 or -6 engines, or use the 2.3L
turbo 4-cylinder that came with the 740 turbo,
ideally with custom boost control circuitry, because
the turbo controls on those cars were _very_
primitive, unlike those on Saab turbos of the
same vintage which had controllers that sensed
engine knock and cut back on boost.
.
Speaking of abominations, a while back I saw a
Volvo coupe on E-bay with a Mustang V-8 engine and
a Mustang interior. It also had the tiny "boy-racer"
chrome rims, clear taillights, and a huge rear
wing. All I could think was "what a shame..."
Were you issued the laptop from your employer?
:)
If so, your treatment will differ quite a bit from some Joe who bought his laptop on his own.
My experience with Dell through work was completely different than with my personal equipment. Our helpdesk was able to get laptops replaced with no charge, even if they had obvious signs of abuse (droppage, etc).
With my personal laptop, I was unable to have a similar issue corrected as the author, except the hinges that hold the screen on were badly constructed and managed to come apart after 6 months of use.
My final solution was to swap the hinges from my work laptop onto the personal one, then getting Dell to fix my work system for free.
Good thing the office issued Dell Latitudes, otherwise it would have been $89..
Sometime in the 80's, manufacturers found that the American consumer would pay for cheaper products that don't last as long. There are still some people who would rather pay more for a product that lasts longer, but a company can't build two separate products for the same niche...so the "extended warranty" was created for the latter group, who wanted some assurance of a longer product life.
Unfortunately, the presence of an extended warranty has no effect on the quality of the product itself. It's just a way for a manufacturer or a retailer to use one product to appeal to both audiences.
This is somewhat related to product enhancement...in the 80's and 90's, people saw their computers becoming "obsolete" so fast that the working lifespan of the physical product wasn't an issue. In the last few years, many people have started realizing that what they have is good enough. But America is in love with cheap consumer electronics, and the manufacturers have adjusted accordingly.
slightly o.t.: I remember an experiment Sears did with screwdrivers -- they carried USA-made ones that they'd been selling for years, at several dollars each. Alongside, they sold similar screwdrivers, made in China, for $1 each. Both carried the famous Sears lifetime replacement guarantee. I'm sure the rate of return on the latter was higher, but not enough to impact profits -- because they're still selling them.
Do a search on ebay for the same model of laptop, if it works, great, if not great, get it cheap and get several for partsl!
That's how I keep my archaic Toshiba running (that and Linux), I keep pushing back the day when I have to buy a new one!
I killed da wabbit -Elmer Fudd
I bought a screwed up laptop from a guy for 25 bucks, because I wanted the external floppy (was 50 on ebay) and found a Best Buy extended warranty in the case, with two months left on the 3 year warranty.
:)
I went down and told them I wanted an exact replacement of the laptop (166 I think). They told me that they can't get me a 166, but they will give me a new 800Mhz, which was about the same price when both were new. I told them no, that I wanted either this one fixed or an exact replacement, and nothing else would do. I kept talking to "supervisors" getting louder (but very polite) each time.
To make a long story short, I walked out with a $1500 store credit and they got the $25 laptop. I think they had changed their warranty policies after that warranty had been bought, but before the claim, so it was grand fathered
While its always great to hit on home run on a deal like this, its extra sweet when you can legitimately put the screws to Best Buy.
Wait...I take that back...it feels great to screw Best Buy, legitimate or not.
Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
Not all laptops are like this. You can still find the field replacement manuals for many many IBM Thinkpads from IBM's support site. They are the equivalent of a Haynes Auto Manual; you can use it to practically tear-down the entire laptop and rebuild it.
Fully licensed blockchain psychiatrist
What's the matter, do you think Best Buy's prices are too high? Could their prices be reasonably explained by the fact that if you ask a salesperson a question he/she responds immediately rather than a couple days later as at Internet stores? That you can walk in and out with your purchase in a matter of minutes? That you can try everything out before buying? That you can take back anything except software it turns out you didn't like it for some reason
No I think Best Buy is misleading in their advertising, inept in their support, and their salespersons lie. This is my experience. Their prices are usually somewhat reasonable. My experience with Internet stores has been better service, primarily since I don't buy from internet only stores, and only from those that have physical stores. And I have yet to be able to try much before I buy at Best Buy. Usually, the salesperson will explain that he doesn't have the key, batteries, it requires a supervisor, etc. I have tried many times, and frankly, I just don't buy from them anymore. I did use my instore credit to buy what was then a new Nikon 990, but I didn't get to try it before I bought it, either.
If none of those reasons fly with you, consider that maybe their prices are higher because of dishonest, predatory behavior by people like you.
Not only was my behavior NOT predatory, but the extended warranty was transferable, and the terms of the warranty said exact replacement or store credit, which I recieved.
Seems to me that I demanded they honor their own warranty, and for once, they did, except I had to talk to several people and talk loud to get them to do it. If there were as honorable as you seem to think they are, they would have given me store credit immediately instead of giving me the run around hoping I would just give in.
So pardon me if I knock you off your high horse, since I did nothing dishonest. The problem is that Best Buy is the one usually dishonest, and its rare that someone can actually get them to honor their own warranties, to the letter.
Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
$3000 plus for a TV is a heck of a lot, but $3000 on home repairs or decorating vanishes pretty damn quick.
I suspect that quite a few of the people buying plasma TVs are doing so because it is cheaper to buy a plasma TV at current rates than to try to work a decent sized CRT TV into a decor scheme.
My Sony Wega works really well in the corner we have put it in, but there is no way we could have a CRT TV of any decent size in any other room downstairs. The original plan was to mount a plasma screen in the library over the fireplace.
On the HDTV thing, don't be too sure that the high definition feature is going to be the most important one. I can see the point of HD movies - HBO in high definition is a no-brainer. But CNN, CNBC and PBS? I just don't see the value add HD gives for monster garage or the new yankee workshop.
The real value of going digital is to have more over the air channels. In the US that is not a big thing since you can get 200 channels on satelite and at least 40 odd on most cable networks.
Looking at what they have deployed in the UK today you can see real value and a workable business model. I don't see any coherence, value or business model for the US HDTV scheme.
Looking for an Information Security student project suggestion?
Try http://dotcrimeManifesto.com/
> So many people pine for the old HP laserjets
;-). One of them was no longer in use because it didn't work. Replacing the toner cartridge corrected the problem ;-)
> (series II and III) that I'm thinking of buying
> one of those off ebay instead of trying to find a
> "modern" printer that won't need a replacement
> drum in 6 months which costs almost as much as
> the printer did.
That's what I did. I didn't have to buy them, they were given to me by someone who wanted to get rid of them. They each were experiencing a jam at the pickup roller. Easily fixed with a kit from fixyourownprinter.com. One has been in service for over a year since then with only one problem. A screw fell out. I put the screw back in & it is back in service.
I also have a Laserjet 4 & a Laserjet 4+. Another giveaway
As a retailer of complete computer systems and repair work, I can only say one thing. It's good to do your homework BEFORE you buy ANYTHING. Steer clear of name brands and when dealing with smaller companies check around with people who have worked with them in the past.
My company has been retailing custom PCs and notebooks for 10 years now, and I stayed with the same notebook distributor for 8 years until they screwed me badly on a notebook claiming there wasn't anything wrong with it when the video memory was bad.
The company I use now ONLY sells to retailers and not the general public, but they do assist you to find a local retailer. They support their hardware for as long as it's possible. They actually have the knowledge and tools to find what little I can't find in my shop...oh, and they speak english. I've had nothing but great luck with them since I started using them. The name of the company is "Spartan" and can be found at www.spartanco.com.
And to the guy that wrote this article.....you're not checking the right shops if they're telling you they can't replace just the plastic around the display. Coming from someone who's worked on just about every laptop ever made....as long as it's not 4 years old or older, they shouldn't have a problem finding ONLY the parts they need.
Which goes to what I always say, just because the shop is a local shop, doesn't mean they won't try to screw you just like the big boys.....again you HAVE to check them out with other people. Our shop always costed a bit more than any of the others around. We were $50/hr while everyone around us was only $40. But we also only charged 2 hours where someone else charged 3 or 4, plus we didn't sell you parts you didn't need. We had even been known to repair your part instead of replacing it when the cost to replace was too high.
Anyway, I get kind of annoyed by so called geeks, who don't seem to understand these painfully simple rules. If it's THAT big of a deal....there's this wonderful little product out there called "Tech Hold"....find it, use it on the plastic and be done with it. You'll be able to carry it again.
Hi, I work in a hock shop/ second hand shop in Sydney Aus. Throughout the years a huge amount of cudos has been given for repairing items (mostly electronic). It sounds hugely geeky but when you have finished repairing on a restaurant table (dinner party with friends) a cute womans nokia with a toothpic and you get her number, you get a rush of blood to the.... head. Then the woman at the table next to yours says "I have a problem of *object name* that needs your attention at my home . can you come tonight?" And all for just doing my job and learning some of the most frequent ways things can stop working.
I think [I say this so the manufactures wont send out secret agents to silence me] that some (read 'all') companies make their products to fail. There is the rumour of the "salt circuit" that fails exactly on 1 year after the plastic is opened exposing internal circuits to air. If you dont think the inside of a phone gets air then look at your screen and see how much dust is inside. I'm sure there are lots of things like this to make a product break on time.This is obviously to keep the part and labour repair industry going. Dont tell me a manufacturer spends $20 mil designing a product to be sueproof and not know that it will fail on the 14600 to 14700th opening of the lid. They want 95% of the item to JUST pass the 1 year warantee and the consumer to be happy to pay the bloated price for the privilage, then tell their friends to buy it as well. Then when it breaks not complain just buy a new one. All the while yelling from the top of our lungs what a good product it is, well I'm not going to take it any more * I scream from my window*
I agree with previous contestant that HP lazerjets are great. they are the only printer we touch that is not in a box, new. Also, old CRTs are good if they are from a good mftr German or japanese. Some 20 year old Sonys still come in to my shop and they work better than any 20 year old plasm. prove me wrong. You can tell the diference the good stuff weighs more, try lifting it. In the shop we have an old wooden tv set up as a joke. It has a sign on the screen saying "broken , do not turn on" inside conected to the mains are some cracker spark squibs and a smoke machine. what do they do? They turn it on! and the look on their faces is a reason to keep living. just to let you know if your in a shop and theres a sign.....
Nicad and NiMh batteris love to be used, the more the better, and used up till there is no more juice. Then recharged till they are full, not half full, or recharged all the time. Thats what causes them to fail. All the time we get cordless phones with dead batteries . LiIon is diferent. It loves to be recharged all the time and hates to be run down. I found out why recently from an electrical engineer. There is a circiut in them that measures how much charge is left If it goes less than 60% of full capacity the circuit kills itself thus rendering the batery useless. This act of hari kiri is designed so that you cant repac the battery case and you have to buy a whole new one from the manufacturer. Ever notice why they keep changing the shape of the bat from year to year? so you cant put old ones into new machines. Self terminating laptops will be next when they figure out that chips will be soo much fast and the programs will be sooo much better that we wont want our old laptops any more, WILL WE!
On the question of Glues I've found a combination of plastic meltind and Aroldite is the best for strength and for how it looks. I use the melting glue to smuge the 2 surfaces together and blur the lines between edges, you get a sort of glug as the clear glue turns the same colour as the plastic. Then as that is semidry aply some 2 part apoxy (I use Loctite 3801 as it is fast, he said while cheesily holding up product to camera) and hold in place till cured. If you want a flat finish put flat sticky tape over the top and rub slighty. when cured peel off the tape and sand down if necesary. The ability to fix a customers (tv case usualy) thing w
"Persistance is Fertile" - Me. I can quote myself if I want to.