Slashdot Mirror
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?).
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
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.
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.
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.
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!