From: Randal Whittle (rwhittle_at_usa.net)
Date: Tue Sep 04 2001 - 19:15:51 EDT
At 05:20 PM 9/4/2001 -0500, you wrote:
>My faithful T20 cracked today. The case cracked directly to the right of
>the right cursor key. This is also forms the top left corner of the media
>bay. Now the right side of the keyboard bounces up and down as I type.
I have this *exact* same crack on the *exact* same laptop PC (a
T20)! It just happened a couple months ago. Mine is just a bit over 1
year old (purch. May of 2000). I'm guessing yours is right about the same
age, indicating a problem that appears around the same time. If this was a
car, it would be recalled to fix this.
>Since it is just a simple crack, I might try to glue it. Otherwise, time
>for repair.
>
>Question is, might this be covered under warranty?
>Believe it or not, there was no abuse. In fact, it was not cracked this
Same here--no abuse on my part. The problem is the design of the
case (and now that its happened to you, it confirms my suspicion). Its
just a very weak point in the system case design, subject to stress every
time you open the lid, adjust the angle of the lid, or ever pick up the
computer with the lid open. It wouldn't be a big deal, except that
particular point is so tiny and weak that it simply breaks. and some time
or another.
>morning when I booted up. This afternoon I come back and start typing, and
>notice the bouncing keyboard. Just one of those things. Now that it is
>broken I can tell it receives a fair amount of stress when the lid is
>moved back and forth. When I push the screen back, the cracked part sticks
>up in the air :(
Actually, it probably would/should be covered under
warranty. Clearly you and I can't be the only ones this happened to. This
is a design flaw. Much like when they replace keyboards that have letters
worn off of them. This is but one reason I purchased a "real" thinkpad
instead of an i-series. 3 year warranty, and once upon a time they didn't
point the finger at you for "causing" the problem--it was fixed, no
questions asked.
But for now, I used some 2-stage plastic glue to re-join the two
parts. If I do it well, it lasts for a few weeks before breaking apart
again, then I have to clean it up (generally requires using a file) and
re-glue. When I can find some time to be without my T20 for a few days,
I'll arrange for a warranty repair. How about you?
- Randy Whittle
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