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HP dv9000 & dv6000 notebook hinge crack results
By admin | December 1, 2007
Many more people are commenting, and emailing, about their situation dealing with the HP dv9000 notebooks and the notorious hinge cracks. We also have some comments about dv6000 notebooks doing the same, although on the right hinge. The dv9000 cracks on the left hinge, at the security hole, and the dv6000 supposedly cracks on the right hinge, but I don’t have many details. If you have a dv6000 series notebook with a cracking hinge, please post a comment with your details.
It seems many people are finding out about this site a few days or weeks out of warranty. While I have no direct proof, a few people have been able to convince HP to fix the problem even though the warranty has expired. I would highly recommend pointing the customer service agent to this website. If that doesn’t work, ask for a supervisor or a level 2 technician. This is NOT abuse, this is due to a flaw in the HP design.
A reader, who shall remain anonymous, sent me their dv9000 last week. I took it apart, and it is definitely a design flaw, not an abuse issue. The processor fan has no easy filter replacement, so it gets gunked up with MINOR dirt and dust. There is no easy way to clean the filter. Over time, a tiny (tiny!) amount of dust causes the processor to heat up significantly. This heat destroys a tiny sliver of plastic near the security hole, which causes the problem. As that sliver breaks off into tiny pieces (from heat), the hinge has nothing to sit in, basically causing the terrible popping sound, the left edge of the screen pushing out, and the need to hold the screen bevel tight as you slowly close the notebook.
It seems as if this problem still exists in recent dv9000 models, so I would be cautious in purchasing another one. I absolutely love my dv9000, though, because it is a great notebook. I used compressed air to try to blow out my processor dust, and it did make a slight difference. In the past, the notebook would get extremely warm within 10 minutes of use, now it takes over an hour. This means that you CAN slow down the effect of the design flaw, but you can not fix it. The heat level generated by the faulty “filter” and air flow will always cause your hinge to fail. I believe in the next 3-4 weeks we will see hundreds of people finding this site, as more and more people exhibit the same problem.
Please keep up the comments, and kindly follow up what HP did to resolve your situation. If they charged you, how much? If they warrantied the repair, for how long? If you sent it in, who did you do it through (HP, Best Buy, Frye’s, etc)? If you sent it in, how long did it take to get back? What was the process?
There are probably thousands of people out there who are going to spend $300-$400 needlessly fixing this design flaw. This means millions of dollars for HP that should be covered by a warranty.
I am currently discussing the options with a legal advisor, who currently says that design flaws such as these should trump warranty periods, if it is an obvious problem that rears its head before the normal warranty runs out. If he tells me we have a case, and HP refuses to fix anyone’s notebook, we will move forward to promote the website heavier and find resolution for all of us. At this point, I am refusing to send my notebook in. I have spent over 150 hours of my own time tracking people down, finding solutions, working on dead notebooks, and talking with various tech support reps. I am no longer going to be without my notebook for 3-4 weeks, since I am the head figure in getting things going.
If anyone is interested in supporting a move for more resolution, I’ll post details of a small fundraiser to pay for a lawyer to review all the cases. The lawyer I have dealt with in the past charges a fair $1000 to get everything together, and then a flat fee (instead of a percentage). I hate class action lawsuits, the lawyers win, and we lose. I want resolution for everyone, not a $37 check from HP that does nothing. We need to tell others about this problem, so please link to this site on blogs and forums if someone else complains about this very problem. The more people that discover that this is a design flaw, the better the result of communications with HP about fixing it.
Again, this is a design flaw, not an abuse issue. It is a flaw in the entire dv9000 line that up to now still does not look to be fixed in design. My recommendation to HP is an easy fix, but I won’t give it to them without a significant payment up front — this is something that designers should be prepared for, not end users.
My recommendation if you have’t had the hinge crack: blow out your processor air flow holes with compressed air with the notebook off, and wait 10 minutes to turn it back on. Compressed air is EXPENSIVE, around $5 per bottle, but doing it twice a day (once before booting up, once after powering down) should push the problem out of your hair for a little while.
FWIW, I use over 12 notebooks on a regular basis, and this is the only one with this dastardly error.
December 3rd, 2007 at 8:07 pm
I also have had this problem spring up on my dv9000. It is exactly as the others have described. It started a few weeks before warranty expiration and I figured it out a couple days after the expiration and called about it. At first they said no go on fixing it, Later I went on the chat site and finally got someone to say they would send a pickup for repair. However it has been several days and I have yet to recieve it. Time will tell.
December 4th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
My HP DV9207US from compusa has the same problem. The hinge on the left side is cracked and I just contacted HP for a warranty repair.
I bought this laptop in April 07.
December 5th, 2007 at 3:10 pm
My HP dv9217ea (a European version sold in France) has developed the same problem on the left hand hinge near the security lock hole. The back of the screen has started to peel away and little bits of plastic (apparently from a ring-like”washer”) have fallen through the crack. Bought in March 2007, still under warranty. PS Thanks for putting up this website - it helped me find out I was not alone.
December 6th, 2007 at 10:30 am
My HP dv9207us has the same problem. I bought it in May of 2007 from Office Depot and with in four months I started to notice the hinge popping. Today when I closed the computer the hinge stayed open. I’m calling HP now and hopefully they will offer to replace it.
December 7th, 2007 at 8:00 am
We had hinge popping (dv6000) and didn’t think a lot of it, until yesterday when the screen will no longer stay up. I took it apart enough to see that the problem is the part in the hinge that is cracked and broken off on both sides. It doesn’t look like something I can fix myself, though.
December 7th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
Update:
I just spoke to HP Level I support. I advised them of this website, which the rep said they were unaware of. However, as I was calling in my repair order another customer with the same model and hinge problem was speaking to another customer service rep. That got Level 2 support involved. Fortunately, unless I physically abused my laptop (did not), HP will repair it free of charge. They send out a prepaid shipping box in a couple of days and are quoting 7-9 working days for repair turnaround. Overall, I was pleased with the service so far from Mike at HP and their sincere concern with getting their design problem resolved for me. The question is what will HP do for those units that are out of warranty?
I don’t think that legal action is needed unless HP Service and Sales & Marketing become a dead end. Now that this blog is up, and HP can witness all these consumer complaints, I have to believe that they now have enough negative feedback and description of the root cause of the problem to issue a voluntary recall or similar type of notice.
Still, I have to wonder what HP will do, not to repair the broken monitor case, but how to prevent the CPU overheating from causing the case to crack again. Anyone out there have an update on what preventative measures HP has come up with after fixing your dv9000? (I don’t think that blowing compressed air into a laptop twice a day is considered a fix.)
December 7th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
I bought an HP Pavilion DV9030us in Circuit Ciyt last year, and after 8 months I have the same problem with the left hinge, one day it was broken, and I couldn´t apply the warranty because I am not in the US anymore, so I had to get all the pieces, the hinge, the back cover and the frame, and repair it my self, it was expensive and hard to get the pieces, it took me like 2 months to get them. Now the laptop is working perfectly the only thing is that the fan has a very wierd sound, it is not quite anymore, I already check the fan and seems to be ok, I really don´t know what is the problem
December 8th, 2007 at 7:30 am
An update here - I received my dv9035nr back, repaired. The service receipt says they replaced the LCD Bezel, LCD Cover, and 2 hinges. It was repaired by HP, and took about twice as long as they initially said (2 weeks turned into a month), and several calls just to get an update on how much longer it would be. Almost as good as new now - hopefully it doesn’t just end up being a patch that needs to be fixed again in 11 months.
December 10th, 2007 at 7:21 am
My DV9000 was bought for me by my company in January before I was relocated from the UK to Australia for a 9 month work experience trip to our Melbourne office. In September (9 months later) the left hinge broke a couple of days before I returned to the UK. Upon my return our I.T manager contacted HP who said they’d fix it but that it must have been dropped and therefore wasn’t covered under warranty. We tried to argue with them but in the end paid for the service and repair.
A week after it was fixed I found this website.
I showed my I.T manager and he contacted HP to complain as it is obviously a design fault in the product and he wanted a refund for the repair costs.
Again they told him that the machine must have been dropped, that it would not break like this for any other reason. He mentioned this website, but they claimed ignorance, basically called him a liar for insisting that the machine wasn’t dropped and refused to contemplate a refund.
Needless to say, we’re not very happy and our company will not be purchasing any more HP equipment!
December 10th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
Purchased my dv9033cl from Costco shy of 12 months ago.
Last night as I’m closing the laptop, snap, crackle, pop.
Sure enough it’s the left hinge area.
HP is sending a box to ship it back to them for repair. I too as others take great care in handling this unit. As noted it appears to be a design issue.
Shy of this I’m happy with the unit. I just purchased A DV6000. I suppose I’ll have to contend with that hinge in 12 months as well.
December 11th, 2007 at 5:52 am
Hi, I have the same problem with my DV9050 laptop, which may or may not still be in the warrenty, although I do doubt it. I did however take out insurence and I am hoping that this will cover me.
I cannot at this point afford to put my computer in to be fixed because I use it for work and I have to hit a deadline in Feb, if I were to send it in then I would use time when I most need it and I could have a disaster on my hands. I am therefore just using my laptop as a desk top and never shutting it, I am lucky that at the moment I do not have to do the travelling with work that I have been doing over the last 12 months.
I would be interested to see what the outcome of this is because as I see it, any fix made would only be a quick fix and it would probably go wrong again in time.
What are HP going to do to keep their customers happy, if they have addressed the problem on a later model as has been suggesten in this forum, then could they not replace the case on each lap top so that everyone did not just come back with the same problem in a number of months time. Would the price of mending it several times for each person not be greater than just replacing it once?
December 11th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
I have the same problem, casing separating at the left hinge. I bought a dv9000t from HP in November 2006. Hinge failed December 9, 2007, 24 days out of warranty according to the HP telephone tech support talker. I’m trying to get HP to own up to this, been quoted $298 for a repair. Working through HP tech support is a real chore, with multiple hang ups and failures to folow through by HP staffers. I’ll post any developments. Thanks for a great site.
December 11th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
We purchased a dv9000 a year ago. Right before the warranty expired, the left hinge broke. I called technical support and they told me that it was covered under the manufacture 1 year warranty, but they had the purchase date wrong. I sent them copies of my receipt proving it was still within the 1 year warranty period. I waited 3 days and never heard anything. So I called them back again. Then they told me that it wasn’t covered under warranty. I even mentioned this notebook hinge crack website and told them it was a design defect and they didn’t care. They told me if I want it fixed, I have to pay for it. The manager, Sean, that I talked to did not care about the problem or the fact that I wasted hours trying to get this resolved. I saw on this website that other people have gotten help from this website, so we are hoping you can help us out too. Thanks for all the help.
December 12th, 2007 at 11:40 am
My HPnotebookZE2000z recently suffered the same problem. Left hinge pops out of the groove, clicking noise when I open it. Most comments seem be regarding the DV series, but can anything be done about ZE in terms of there being a manufacturer design flaw as well? Anyone have suggestions?
December 13th, 2007 at 11:12 am
I purchaced a DV9010US in September 2006. Pleased that I forund this site and sorry to say I am having exactly the same issue with the left hinge. HP tell me that it is out of warrenty and that it is MY PROBLEM. They will repair it but I have to pay for repairs. I will not give up and will keep pursuing this with HP. I urge everyone that has the same issue to do the same. We all bought these notebooks in GOOD FAITH and the big boys are exploiting us. Next step is Corporate in CA.
If you are having trouble and always getting a human in an overseas call center, try calling. the HP main switchboard in Canada. Their # is 888 - 447 - 4636. They are open from 8am - 8pm Est time. I will keep posting my progres. Great site.
December 13th, 2007 at 11:15 am
Wish I saw this a few days ago. Took my HP9000 to a service shop to get fixed. Exact problem as outlined here. Guess once they give me the quote I will pick it up and complain to HP.
December 13th, 2007 at 11:44 am
Great News !!!!
I have just come off the phone with a very helpful gentleman that is here in the USA and my issue should be taken care of. He assures me that he will look at this site and I beleive he will. Maybe others will be one step closer to fixing this problem with their notebooks.
The box from HP to return my DV9010 should arive in the next day or so. I will let you know.
To the gentleman I spoke to:
Thank you for taking the time to listen and for your personal attention to my situation. It was a pleasure.
December 13th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
I talked to a “Scott” who answered the HP executive office telephone in Palo Alto, CA (800 756-0608, option #7) on December 12th, discussing the hinge problem, and referring him to this site. I got the number by sending an email to Mark Hurd, the HP CEO, given in a link in this site. “Scott” sounded sincere, but made no commitments. More later as this develops.
December 13th, 2007 at 5:16 pm
This is unbelievable. I just checked out HP’s website, but so far there is no statement regarding this issue. Anyway, i was wondering if it is possible to narrow down the exact models that has been affected so far. I have a dv9220us, and upon checking haven’t noticed anything unusual (crack, creaking noise, etc. - not that i’m looking forward to them!). Like so many others, I treat my laptop with utmost care. But since I bought it March 07, I am worried now that i might start having problems after the warranty expires next year. Hopefully by that time HP would already have issued a recall/solution to this problem.
To admin, thanks for starting this blog. I will keep posting!
December 14th, 2007 at 9:36 pm
Yes, I purchased mine in July of 2007, and I seem to have the same problem, my hinge just popped, but I also have the problem of needing my computer daily for work. Otherwise I love my computer!
December 15th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
I wish I had seen this site sooner, I may not have stayed with an HP. My HPs have been great performers BUT, I had a laptop Pavillion dv9009NR series I bought November 2006 and the lid started having play in it getting looser each week it seemed. Two weeks before the HP warranty ran out I took it back to Best Buy and the Geek Squad guy said no problem. We will send it in and they repair it and send it back in a couple weeks. I said ok but DO NOT mess with the hard drive, it is not backed up and I have hundreds of family photos, if not a thousand or more. He said ok and made a note of that on the repair ticket. Well it was gone two weeks and I inquired, where is it? Oh you get a brand new computer, HP said to do that and I said well I need my stuff off it first or transfer. I learned that once it is determined to be replaced for you, they go ahead and tear it apart and destroy the HD to protect privacy information. So I lost everything.
Now I have a brand new HP Pavillion DV9428NR, well basically the same case so now I see this website I am concerned to put stuff on this new one. I am getting an external hard drive for back up. Also that first one got real hot, this one too but not like the other one.
BTW, I give it superior care. But also know that HP and Best Buy said to give me a new one. Best Buy was great except for not telling me about if it is determined to be replaced they immediately destroy it. But they let me pick any brand I wanted and I got this new HP since I had not seen this site. They also swapped it straight across and this is a lot better, i.e. faster, bigger HD, more RAM, etc. Just wanted to let others know.
December 17th, 2007 at 9:59 am
Hi all, yesterday I noticed that my laptop lid was separating at the seam right above the place you stick the lock on the left side. I immediately googled the problem and found this site. I was a bit worried hearing all the grief you guys were getting from hp support. I called hp and they are sending me a box to ship it back—-my only concern is my hp is not actually broke but it seems to be going down the same road as others. I have an hp dv9060 and it was purchased in March of 2007 with a two year extended warranty. I will post my resolution once they receive my laptop and call me on the fix. Many thanks to this site !!!! Hopefully mine will be repaired before it actually breaks. One other thing — the HP call rep. Mick seemed very helpful, he also mentioned that there seems to be a lot of calls on this particular issue.
December 17th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
Here is email response from HP after emailing them when calling failed. Really shows how they stand behind their products.
Thank you for contacting HP Total Care.
I apologize for the delayed response. Since we are experiencing a high e-mail volume our response time has increased.
I understand from your mail that the LCD screen hinge at the left side of your HP Pavilion dv9000 notebook. However, you have already contacted the Phone Support regarding this who could not assist you as your notebook was out of warranty.
Michael, I regret to say that we would not be able to assist you with a free repair of this issue as your notebook is out of warranty and the issue is not a known one with dv9000 models.
I am providing you with two options to initiate a repair process. Please choose the option you find to be convenient.
Option 1:
———-
We would be happy to pick up the notebook so that our technicians can diagnose the issue. However, as your notebook is out of warranty, the service will be charged a minimum of $298.
If you want us to pick up the notebook, please respond with the following information, so that we can initiate the service request:
Contact Information:
* Full Name:
* Organization:
* Mailing Address (No P.O. Boxes):
* Apartment/Building/Mailstop:
* City:
* State:
* Zip/Postal Code:
* Phone Number (including area code):
* Convenient Time for Callback:
NOTE: The callback hours are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (MST), 7 days a week.
* Alternate Time for Callback, (if we are unable to make contact the first time):
Product Information:
* Product Model Number (ex: C1234A):
* Product Serial Number (ex: US12345678):
* Product Purchase Date:
* Power-on Password (IF any):
* BIOS Password (If any):
* Windows log-in Password (If any):
Once the information has been updated in our database, one of
the representatives from the Advanced Support Group will
contact you at the phone number you provided, within the next 48 hours.
Option 2:
———-
You can take the notebook to your local Authorized service providers for service.
Go to the following Web site to locate your Authorized Service Provider:
http://hp.infonow.net/bin/findNow?CLIENT_ID=HP_LOC_USA_SRV
This will take you to the “find a US local HP authorized
service provider” page.
Then follow the steps below:
1. In the category menu select the appropriate HP product.
2. After selecting the appropriate category you will get a list of
HP products in the Family box. Select the family in which your
product is located.
3. After Selecting the family of the product you will get a list of
products under the product list.
4. Select your product from the list under the product section and click Next.
5. Follow the instructions on the service options page.
I regret any inconvenience this might cause you.
If you need further assistance, please reply to this message and we will be happy to assist you further.
You may receive an e-mail survey regarding your e-mail support experience. We would appreciate your feedback.
For information on keeping your HP and Compaq products up and running, please visit our Web site
at:
http://www.hp.com/go/totalcare
Sincerely,
Owen
HP Total Care
December 19th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
I am experiencing this crack problem too. I thought it was just normal wear and tear.
-DV6105ca
-1 year, 1 month; crack after 6-7 months
-Crack on the Notebook Lock feature, bottom left of the screen/lid.
December 20th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
Dear folks:
I just read a few of these posts here and I wish you all to know that I share with you fellas the same frustration with HP but for a different reason.
My dv6060ea bought in Norway started to heat up too much a few months (three to be precise) after I bought it and in the end, it went dead. It wont turn on anymore!
Now living in Brazil, I contacted HP and they refused to do a thing saying that I imported a DIFFERENT laptop without HP’s authorization. God damn how angry I was with them! I am a well traveled fella and that made me notice that these laptops are ALL the same. They only change a few letters here and there in the model’s plate and that’s it.
Anyway, I had to sue HP Brazil to get things done but in the end, all I got was a message from HP Norway saying I have to send my laptop all the way back to Europe to be fixed cuz it cant be done here in Brazil. HP Brazil insists they have nothing to do with HP Norway or USA, that they are a “different” company. Great maker, these people are nuts!
Now I’ve got my hands all tied up here cuz many people are saying they sent the devices to be fixed and after a few days, the problem came back like an annoying ghost. I would appreciate if anybody here could tell me if there is anything I can do but to send my laptop to Europe paying 100 + dollars to get the darn thing there risking to have the same problem again soon.
If anybody wishes to write me, the email is kingofneo@hotmail.com
Regards,
Fred Felix
December 21st, 2007 at 2:33 am
experience the same left side hinge crack open near the security lock for dv9207us purchased at compusa on May 2007. Fortunately still under 1-year HP warranty - thus HP willing to repair the the laptop zero cost.
My other laptop dv9205us is still ok but I am very concern of it hings relaibility /quality after seeing this website. Ask HP about their recommendation on how to avoid this. Their response - never heard of this problem until I forward this website - hP agree to look into the problem for other customers abd advise thsi si a rare case and not of the norm.
Anyway -thank you to those who create this website - great info sharing. Hopefully the rest of us can get everyone fix their bad hinges laptop…
December 21st, 2007 at 2:26 pm
My warranty has been up for 32 days and it happened to me just like all the others posts the left hinge side cracked open and i have tried to have them repair it and they want $300 dollars and no supervisor will budge especially the ones in india that just read a script. action needs to happen quick whats the next step???
December 21st, 2007 at 2:44 pm
I to have the broken hinge problem but mine is a couple months out of warrenty. We mistakenly blamed our daughter for breaking it. (Bad Parents!) It broke about 6 months ago and have not closed it since. I contacted HP about it and they called it accidental damge. I then pointed them to this website and also told them to google the problem and they then agreed to send me a mail in box and they would take a look at it. This is a defect not accidental damage and they should take care of it just like they are taking care of the wireless problem that also just occured on mine. I will update this when I get an answer from HP.
December 21st, 2007 at 3:08 pm
i actually just got a hold of the case rep and he wouldn’t budge on repairing my cracked hinge for free but i at least got it at half off due to the good argument that this is going to be a a well known flaw soon enough, and that they should at least knowledge they are going to be recieving a lot more calls from people on this and maybe it would be nice to start with me..
December 22nd, 2007 at 12:06 am
I purchased a HP DV9235nr laptop from Best Buy on 3/2007. Last month I noticed the left hinge popping when I opened or closed the case. Soon thereafter the case (LCD bezel) began to seperate. I contacted HP via their website, and they are sending me a prepaid FedEx box to return my laptop for repair.
I found your web site on a Google search trying to find a solution to my problem. I referenced your site when I contacted HP. Fortunately mine is apparantly still under warranty, so there should be no charge.
I will repost as soon as this is resolved.
Thanks for the site!
December 22nd, 2007 at 10:57 pm
DV9010US purchased Nov. 2006.
Here is what I found on disassembly: Hinge and LCD frame are riveted together to form one piece. 4 molded-in nuts hold each hinge to the rear cover. I found that the LCD side frame had broken free of the hinge proper, and that all four nuts had broken free. As each part supports the others in turn, the plastic failure due to heat seems most likely. Once the plastic fails, additional loads are transferred to the LCD frame/hinge connection, and it in turn fails. I found the right side plastic beginning to fail as well.
I will talking to HP shortly and will keep the site posted with any progress.
PLEASE… Keep track and post names & numbers of folks you discuss this issue with at HP. If you make any forward progress, please post it so that others may benefit.
Thanks for the site -Clay H.
December 23rd, 2007 at 1:39 am
I purchased a dv9295ea from Dubai in April 2007. I brought it back to India and have been happily using it since then.
Around 5 months back, the laptop started having overheating issues and would shutdown within a minute of running in “high performance mode” in Vista (the battery was also not charging and the battery ‘lightning’ LED used to blink. So the only usable solution was to run the machine in the “Power Saver” mode. Both problems was subsequently fixed by the F.29 BIOS update that HP released in November (2007).
The display casing cracked at the left hinge a month or two after the overheating issues surfaced. It happened a little by little until I couldn’t close the screen at all (the left screen lock would not align with the slot). I have figured out a way to close the screen just in case I have to transport it:
- holding the inner and outer edges of the display bezel near the security hole tightly, move the screen towards the close position.
- as it becomes nearly closed, apply enough pressure on the left outer edge of the display casing to prevent it from opening up as you close your screen.
My biggest problem is this: My laptop’s warranty is not covered for hardware in India in spite of the series being sold here. I can take it abroad for repairs but I can’t stay there for long and I know HP can take their own sweet time in shipping the parts.
I seriously doubt I’ll be able to take the laptop abroad before April 2008… Sigh…
At least if I got the parts, I might be able to replace it myself (something I won’t risk within the warranty period though) since I’ve got the dv9000t series service manual with me in PDF format.
I’ve got 2 questions:
1. How exactly would you argue the HP personell into admitting its a design flaw (considering the rest of the laptop is in pristine condition with not even a scratch on even the imprint finish)?
2. Is there a definitive way to get HP to acknowledge that the laptop was damaged within the warranty period if I’m unable to submit it at some foreign location of their choice before the warranty period expiry (there are plenty of service centers for HP in India)?
December 23rd, 2007 at 5:30 pm
This site has seriously helped me out. This is now happening to my DV9050EA laptop, and I have had a hard time convincing my parents that I have not dropped it. I think my laptop might still be in warranty, but hopefully this site can help me in getting a repair even if it isn’t. Mine was purchased Decmber 30th of last year. So its coming up to a year old. From PC world in the UK.
December 23rd, 2007 at 9:18 pm
Yesterday I had the exact same problem happen with my dv9005 laptop. Cracked by the security lock, I was able to close the laptop, but now I’m afraid to open it, because it looks like the whole plastic piece on the front of the screen will snap off if I force it open. My laptop was purchased last November, so I’m out of warranty. Have called HP twice now (once before I found this site, once after) and they claim the case manager will get back to me (I’ll believe it when I see it). I told them about this site, and I will tell anyone I get in contact with about it.
December 24th, 2007 at 4:35 am
Well… they are going to pick it up on the 27th and repair it free of charge. I hope. For anyone else in the UK with this problem: try 0870 010 4320
Very helpful people. If a bit quiet.
December 24th, 2007 at 7:57 am
I took my laptop to the HP service center where I live in Taipei today and they were able to help me open the laptop. I can open and close it now by hold the left corner really tightly, just like some others here have said. However, to actually fix it will cost about $500 US.
I really hope there is a recall for this. I recently got a recall notice for this laptop for other problems… apparently some people couldn’t even start the computer. Hopefully if we make enough noise, we can get a recall for this problem as well.
By the way, out of curiosity, has anyone had a problem with the DVD drive popping open randomly? My friend also has a dv9000 and he and I both are having this problem. Not as bad as the hinge crack, but still annoying. This product seems to have so many problems. Very frustrating.
December 25th, 2007 at 7:14 am
I purchased a dv9207 back in April ‘07. I noticed the overheating issues, but just kept my notebook elevated above the desk to increase circulation. It was annoying to have to do that with a brand new laptop but I lived with it. Then, 2 days ago I started hearing the same popping noise and saw the same plastic separation as you all did. I was pretty fed up but was still able to close and open the laptop if I pressed the plastic around the bevel w/ my fingers. Now, it won”t even open or close w/out risk of cracking the whole d@mn screen.
I called HP and those crooks tried charging me $295 for repair. The rep tried saying the warranty did not cover this type of issue. Then he tried saying that I had caused this damage. I explained to him that I never take this laptop off my desk and there is no way I could have caused this damage. I had an idea that maybe the overheating issues might have contributed to the hinge problems, so while he was on the phone, I did a google search and found this page. I explained to him that it looked like several people were experiencing the same problems. He backtracked and said I could send it in and they would do it for free, but if the technicians thought this was done by my error, then they’d have to charge me. This was still unacceptable to me, so I asked to speak to the 2nd level. The next rep seemed like she knew that this was an issue, but she still wouldn’t admit it; however, she did say that they would fix it for free.
I asked her how I would be assured that the same thing wouldn’t happen again 6 months down the line when my warranty expired. She said that the technicians will fix the problem for sure and that I will never have this problem again. I wasn’t so sure how she could make a statement like this. Obviously there are several things wrong w/ this laptop that HP has failed to address properly. I tried getting a free extended warranty out of her, but had no luck. I figure I will try to get this as soon as I get my laptop back. I’ve got several questions and concerns over the handling of this issue.
1) Obviously many of us have the same problem, and this is a design flaw by HP. It angers me that HP is still trying to rip us off for $300+ (eventhough many of us are still covered by the warranty) when they should be well aware of this problem. If there is no recall, then they should at least inform their 1st level CS Reps of this issue so we don’t have to haggle w/ them over paying a repair fee.
2) Has anyone received a fixed laptop yet? I can see how HP can temporarily fix this problem, but have they found a permanent solution? Are they using a different material or some sort of boding agent to insure that this won’t happen again? It would be a real bummer, to have the same issue occur after my warranty expires.
3) Reading through some of these posts, it looks like several people were blamed or blamed others that they knew (ex. brother, sister, kids, etc.) for breaking their laptops. Who could blame them? It angers me that although HP is FULLY AWARE of these flaws, they have failed to send any type of notice to their customers. They are probably banking on the fact that for every X # of customers who complain, there will be Y# of customers who either ignore the problem, blame it on their kids, are too lazy to do anything, or didn’t find a webpage like this. Kind of sucks, but imagine all the kids out there blamed for breaking their parents computers.
My fedex box should be coming soon, so I’ll let you guys know how this turns out. I’m pretty sure I’ll never be purchasing a HP product again. The way the handled this entire situation is plain shady.
p.s. if you still have your warranty, and even if yours expired, don’t take no for an answer. Don’t get conned into only paying “half” of the full charge to get it fixed. This is their mistake and a critical design flaw. Elevate it if you have to, the higher you elevate it, I’m sure the more likely they have heard about this problem and they cannot ignore it.
December 25th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
My DV9000 is 2 months out of warranty and my left hinge broke Christmas Eve. It is now impossible to close the screen. I heard the cracking for months, but thought something was out of alignment. That makes sense that excess heat on a small piece of aluminum on a stress point is poor engineering and design.
I’ll call HP tomorrow and mention this site and see what happens.
I did find a site that sells hinges, but they’re $99 and HP should be responsible for this. http://www.excelcomputerinc.com/html/details.asp?ref=1589&category=misc
December 25th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
I popped the LCD bezel off today and it appears the hinge is almost completely locked up. It was in the “down” position even though the screen was open. I could barely turn the hinge to the open position by hand. You could see a molded threaded screw area inside that had broken off.
I’m pissed again. I sent my son (it’s his machine) back to Fry’s to have them look at it since I bought the 3 year warranty. Of course they gave him the we damaged it line (he’s not the accomplished “negotiator” I am). I’m going back in tomorrow to talk to the store manager armed with 30 pages of these posts. I hope they offer to refund my money so I can buy another machine. I think this thing’s destined to fail over and over again.
December 25th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
I have a DV9000 with a broken left hinge. The lap top is currently open but i can’t close or open it any further than it currently is or else the plastic frame starts seperating from the front cover. What a pain in the rear. I will be calling HP in the next day or two and let you know what I find out.
December 26th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
My hinge just cracked, same problem as everyone else, dv9000 purchased in February 2007, so it should still be under warranty. This is very frustrating. I can’t believe so many other people are having this problem and HP refuses to do anything about it. I am really nervous about sending in my computer, I don’t want to loose everything, and will this problem just happen again? I will keep you updated.
December 27th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
Another update from me….my last post above on Dec 8 said I received my DV9035nr back repaired. I’m starting to hear clicking noises again from the left hinge…less then a month after repair…. So to Jason in post 37 above, unless this is paranoia hitting me, no it doesn’t seem like their fixes are permanent solutions.
December 27th, 2007 at 10:22 pm
I am having the problem with my dv9023us purchased 12/08/2006. I called tech support and recieved no help. I will be contacting customer support, also my company place and order for new laptops and servers that I will try to get stopped.
December 28th, 2007 at 12:35 am
(from post number 32)
Isn’t it possible to bring this to the attention of a 3rd party so that they turn the heat on HP? Like for example a reputed computer magazine like PC World, or a renowned blogger?
I’m sure if we all team up and create a furore on the web, HP will wake up… I’ve 4 months to go on my warranty but HP won’t honour the warranty in India even though the machine is sold here (I purchased it abroad)…
I’m sure there are lots more less tech savvy people (like Jason mentioned in post 37) who just ignore the problem or fork over cash without even researching the problem… can’t blame them though… Who’d think the world’s largest computer manufacturer could be “wrong” when they state flatly its not their fault?
December 28th, 2007 at 5:00 am
I just got the same issue on my DV9000, left hinge is hosed. I purchased in March 2007 at CompUSA and love this computer. I have not contacted HP yet, but expect to get about the same results as everyone else. I will post any results I get.
I would be interested in a class action if it comes to that. This really is an issue that HP needs to address.
December 28th, 2007 at 9:59 am
I just got the empty box to send my computer in to have them fix the crack on my dv9000 (purchased from Best Buy in April ‘07). I was told by HP tech support that they would look at it, and if it really was the fault of a design issue, it would be fixed under the warranty. I was also told that HP has “advanced technology” to tell if it has in fact been dropped. I’m not really concerned that they will find that I dropped it since I treat my laptop as carefully as my 3 month old nephew. I am curious about their “advanced technology” though. Any ideas on what that may be?
As far as contacting a third party, I’ll be talking with the Better Business Bureau (www.BBB.org) if I have to convince HP that my laptop should be fixed under the warranty.
Today I’m backing up everything, and I’ll send it off tomorrow. I’m wondering how they’ll open it once they get it. I’ve been avoiding closing it since the crack happened because the few times I did, it wasn’t very easy to reopen, and that seemed to get worse each time it was closed.
All I know is that even if they do fix it under the warranty and get it back in a timely fashion (I’m not holding my breath), I won’t be buying another HP. Any company that can make such a defective machine and then not take responsibility for it won’t be getting any more money from me (or anyone who mentions to me that they are buying a computer).
December 29th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
I took it back to Fry’s and they made a copy of all the pages of this board I printed. The asst manager said he sent all the copies to HP to see what they were going to do about it. They are trying to get me to deal with HP and I’m dealing with them. I bought the extended warranty and am dealing with them only. My machine was a refurb so it was only a 90 day warranty. I’ll let you know what I hear.
December 29th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
Interesting read folks, purchased my dv9000 back in Sept of this year and aside from temperatures exceeding 65 degrees C while gaming, I’m having no issues.
I’m wondering whether one of you could tell me whether my GPU temp of 70-80 degrees is overly high, I’m getting mixed responses from some of my peers regarding this.
I’ll be keeping my eyes open for any issues with the hinge and my heart goes out to all of you who are not receiving adequate help from HP.
December 29th, 2007 at 11:47 pm
Bought two HP DV9000’s for my kids Christmas 06. About six months ago the left hinge on my son’s unit broke. Of course I blamed him (he denied anything happening) and purchases a new hinge and cover from Excell Computer. I installed the new hinge myself and did noty replace the cover (back-ordered). Didn’t google the problem either.
Tonight my daughter just told me her laptop won’t open. Guess what, same hinge problem so I google the problem and find everyone else.
It is obviously a defect. Since HP will not admit it does anyone think it would be worthwhile to hit all store sites that allow product reviews with negative reviews? Circuit City, Amazon, and many others usually have a product review site. I have found those useful when making other purchase decisions.
December 30th, 2007 at 10:31 am
I have an HP Pavilion dv9005us notebook that I bought (directly from HP) in February 2007. About a month ago I noticed a small crack in the monitor hinge. It’s gotten worse over the past few weeks.
When I first noticed the crack, I was amazed. This notebook hasn’t been subjected to any damage or stress - it rarely leaves my desk. Until I found this site, I was beating myself up trying to figure out what I did wrong to cause this, when I always try to take very good care of my computers. Knowing that it is a design flaw eases my mind - now just to see how HP deals with my support ticket.
December 31st, 2007 at 10:54 am
Hello, i purchased my dv9009nr about 16 months ago , 8 months in this happened, sent it in got it fixed all was good, 8 months later out of warranty it happened again, and HP said they couldn’t do anything and wanted 300$ out of my pocket to fix it, so i started out at a online technician explained what happened he said he couldn’t do anything , then refereed me to a supervisor who talk to me for like 5 minutes and sent me to a case manager who called me the next day and had the whole repair thing setup and on the way for free in less then 10 minutes. I do believe HP is aware of this problem and just hasn’t said anything, btw I did reefer to this site when discussing the issue and to everyone else good luck i hope you can get yours repaired also.
December 31st, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Well, I have just become one of the Pavillion dv9000 hinge victims. I spoke to HP support and was told that because I was 26 days past the one year warranty there would be a charge for repair. Even though the tech spoke to his manager and referenced this URL, there was no gesture of good will on their part.
December 31st, 2007 at 3:50 pm
I originally posted on #30 above. I e-mailed HP, and they sent me a FedEx box. With the holidays it took about 4 days for the “overnight” box to get to HP. After receiving it though, the turnaround was 1 day, with another 3 days shipping with all of the holiday and weekend days.
They replaced the entire bezel, cover, and hinge.
Hopefully they replaced it with an improved hinge assy. So far I am happy, with the exception of hours of work backing up, copying, and restoring my personal data.
If you have to contact HP, I would recommend e-mail. It saved me an ulcer having to hold on the phone for an eternity.
January 3rd, 2008 at 4:45 pm
My HP pavilion DV9000 is also experiencing the separation issue near the left hinge. The LCD seems to be falling apart and little bits of plastic have broken off. It is two months out of waranty. (Fortunately I purchased the laptop on a credit card that doubles the warranty.) I really appreciate these posts and will use them to get HP to fix this issue. Please keep me posted.
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:32 pm
I am shocked to find this website, since my dv9207us purchased in May just spontaneously developed this exact same problem!! You have described it to a T, and it is infuriating. I discovered it because the part of the plastic screen where the lock is kept popping out, and then I looked closer and noticed that it is cracked on the inside. I am certain this could not be because of anything I did, I treat my notebook extremely well. I have not yet contacted HP, but am thinking about doing so now.
January 4th, 2008 at 7:56 am
Hinges broken on my dv6000. Very cheap design. Never “I invent” again. IBM Lenovo rocks! I call HP and I was told the product was registered 1 year before the purchasing?!
HP parts were not able to locate the part(totally incompetent.
Called support center - product is no supported. Cost for replacement 295 usd. HP NEVER AGAIN!
January 4th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
This is a followup to #28 above. Well HP is going above and beyond the call of duty at least in my case. My DV9010us laptop is being repaired at no cost to me. They also found some what they call fluid damage on the motherboard and keyboard. They said it looks like a soda was spilled in it. So they are also replacing the motherboard and keyboard no charge. My laptop is 3 months out of warranty. the hinge problem started 7 months ago though. They were very easy to deal with and I truly think had my best interests at heart. Thank you HP!! After I get it back I am going to call back and find out if they will fix it again if the hinge breaks again. I wonder if a couple drops of 3in 1 oil on the hinge might increase it’s life. Good luck everyone.
-Mark Cowan-
January 4th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Regarding #37 (Jason):
“3) Reading through some of these posts, it looks like several people were blamed or blamed others that they knew (ex. brother, sister, kids, etc.) for breaking their laptops. Who could blame them? It angers me that although HP is FULLY AWARE of these flaws, they have failed to send any type of notice to their customers.”
I was told in January by 2 HP support center people that they have a memo to the opposite effect: that NO hinge breaking or screen or case damage to that area is EVER covered by warranty and can only be caused by abuse. It seems pretty clear that -if- HP is aware of this problem they are doing everything they can to protect their bottom line and give the finger to their customers.
I hope they find this site and correct this horrible error with apologies, refunds and free repairs to anyone they’ve screwed so far.
January 5th, 2008 at 1:16 am
PLEASE BE AWARE MORE EXTENDED WARRATIES DO NO COVER HINGES AND MOST CONSIDER IT PHYSCIAL ABUSE. I HAVE THE DV6226US WHICH IS THE 15.4″ HP AND I HAVEN’T HAD ANY PROBLEMS SO FAR I AM GUESSING IT HAS TO DO WITH THE 17″ HP LAPTOPS AND ESPECIALLY IF YOU USE AN AMD PROCESSOR.
January 5th, 2008 at 7:22 am
I had cracked hinges on my ZV6000. The issue is that the hinge pin is made from awesome stainless steel but the hinge knuckle in the screen is made from crappy pot metal. After fussing around with HP I fixed my own hinges and it appears to be working.
This is how I fixed them:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=204356
I believe HP will not fix this problem because it is an engineering problem and would require a remanufacture and total recall of the poor hinge half. Just replacing it with a like hinge will not solve the problem as it will crack again. Hp will sell you a whole new screen with new hinge halves for @$200.00, yeah right.
January 5th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
I bought my HP DV 9000 on april 6th 2007. On Dec 20th 2007 I got the left hinge broke. In Brazil, HP don’t have support for “imported” models. (we don’t have DV 9000 here). I honestly don’t know what to do.
January 5th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
I’m glad I found this site. The left hinge on my DV9005US cracked the other day. I had an ext’d svc plan from Circuit City, but apparently they didn’t sell me the plan that covered “accidental damage”. I thought I had bought the one that covered everything. The tech guy at the store said it didn’t appear to be damage, but wear. The warranty co disagrees. I will definitely contact HP now to add my complaint to the many so far. It is, unfortunately, 2 months out of warranty. I guess I can hope…
January 6th, 2008 at 12:23 am
You guys are all freakin’ me out now… I bought my dv9203tx in March ‘07, just noticed (after finding this site) that the hinge is in fact clicking on open and close. I’m in a similar situation to a few people, my laptop is my only home and work machine, it’s pretty much essential!
Does anyone know of some preventive maintenance that I could do?? I’d rather not wait until it breaks!
Cheers
January 6th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I recently bought a refurbished HP Pavilion dv9000 and everything was going great. Everything was working perfectly, you know, no problems what so ever. Although on night I noticed that the touch censored volume control’s light was not on, which worried me but didn’t bothered me, seeing that it still worked. The next morning I go to open my laptop, but it seems to be stuck, I look at the hinges and find that it had been cracked. At first I thought it was something I’m sure could be repaired with a little pressure, but unfortunately it didn’t work. I got really pissed off, and googled the matter and ended up here….please someone, what should I do?
January 6th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Its nice to see im not alone my dv9000 screen hinge started making poppy noises when i opened and closed it about 10 or 11 months after purchase didnt think much of it now my warranty is out and the left lower side of the plastic screen cover has cracked open and the screen wont close good, choked to say the least im going to email hp today see what happens
January 7th, 2008 at 3:08 am
yup, I have a dv6208nr…
left hinge cracks, got it fixed and the same damn thing happens again
I’m angry, I love my notebook, but I hate the cracking noise
January 7th, 2008 at 3:36 am
This is a follow up to 36 above. I called HP’s corporate offices and managed to be put through to the case manger for HP laptops. She seemed surprised that I contacted her directly without having any case #, but after just a few minutes, she agreed to fix the laptop for free even though its out of warranty. They’re even willing to fix it in April when I’ll be back in the US (currently I’m overseas).
I do appreciate them willing to fix it for free, but like many others here, I’m worried about it happening again. Lets hope we can get a recall eventually and HP finds a real solution for this problem.
By the way, I mentioned this site to the case manager… She claims this is the first she’s hearing of this problem, which I find a little hard to believe, but hopefully all of us will eventually force HP to do something about their design flaw.
January 7th, 2008 at 11:46 am
I wanted to update #41 above. After calling HP my computer was still under warranty, so they sent out the packaging to send it back. It was received at my office on 12/31, but I was out for the holiday. I brought the computer in on 1/2 boxed it up and sent it off, it was received by the repair center on 1/3. I got an email on 1/4 stating it was received and the estimated return date was 1/14. Then I got another email on 1/6 stating that it had been repaired on 1/5 and had been shipped back to me. I tracked it and it was scheduled for delivery today, 1/7, which it was delivered around 8am this morning. So I sent it in on a Wednesday and got it back the following Monday. I am very impressed with this turn around time.
The repair looks good. According to the included slip, they replaced the LCD Cover & Bezel and they made special note to mention they replaced 2 hinges, so I assume they replaced the non-broken one as well. I hope they came up with a new design so it does not break again. I have not been able to test the computer yet, because I am at work and the hard drive, battery and charger are at home, but I will give it a full inspection tonight. So far I am very pleased though (except for the fact it broke in the first place).
I HIGHLY recommend though if you are sending your computer in to remove the hard drive first. They clearly don’t need it, and that way in case anything happens at the very least you have all your stuff. It is very easy to do, there are instructions on HP’s site if you can’t figure this out.
Good luck to everyone else sending their’s in and lets hope this fixes it!!
January 7th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
I posted on here about 2 weeks ago and cant find exact article that I posted to. But I purchased a dv9000 and had the hinge crack. I lucked out and contacted HP on December 27th which happened to be the last day of my warranty. I renewed my warranty and they offered to do a mail in repair at no cost to me. They shipped me an empty box with prepaid shipping labels and I sent it back right away. Within a week (today) I got my laptop back and the screen is like new. I hope those of you who have the same problem get the same service from HP.
If you are out of warranty and they deny you repairs don’t take no for an answer. As a last resort, offer to renew your warranty. Cost me $150 and I am covered for another year!
January 7th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
I have had my DV9000 for 13 months and suddenly the plastic started to shatter around the hinge. I had purchased the CompUSA extended warranty, which they told me covered any manufactures defects and damage but of course when I called for service they refused to cover it - typical extended warranty BS. I called the HP call center in India and of course got nowhere with them either.
Next I called the operator at HP and asked to be connected to the “Executive Customer Relations” line, which they transfer me to. I spoke with one of the most friendly support people I’ve ever encountered in my life. I told him the issue, mentioned that this issue was all over the net, ect. Without any hesitation he said that this was clearly a manufacturer defect and that HP would fix it despite me being out of warranty. They are sending a box to return it in. I will post my results.
January 7th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Measured the broken hinges today with calipers. The wall of the interior pot metal hinge is 40/100th of an inch thick. This is thinner than a dime by far. The hinge pin sticks in this @ 5/8th inch. These is a faulty hinge design folks. The only way the could have pulled this off was to machine the hinges from stainless like the hinge pins.
January 7th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
I have a dv6000, yes the smaller 6000, not the 9000. I purchased it in March 07 at Best Buy and it is still under warranty. I too have a crack on the left hinge extending out from the security lock hole. After finding this site (THANK YOU) I just spent over a 1/2 hour arguing with HP support, including speaking with a “supervisor”. He said this is not covered by the normal hardware warranty and it is caused by “accidental damage” not a design flaw (not that they are willing to admit). I referred him to this site and we digressed into an argument about the legimitacy of third party sites. What a bunch of b/s. He said HP Recovery will look at the laptop and determine if they are willing to pay for the repair or if they are going to charge me. I will post the results of their decision once I hear back from HP Recovery. I can say this. I’ve had an IBM ThinkPad at work for three years and that thing gets slammed around on conference room tables, in and out of docking stations, etc., etc. and never once a problem with it. My HP Pavillion dv6000 laptop sits on my desk at home and virtually never moves. It has been completely babied. I am offended that HP insinuated that my laptop was damaged because of “accidental use”.
January 7th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Same problem with my DC 9000. I sent it in once to HP, and they claimed that the hinge problem was caused by me (joke-I treat this thing like my baby). I found this website today, called HP back (today is the last day of my warranty) and they’ve agreed to fix the problem. Let’s hope they actually do this time!
January 7th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
I have a DV9000 series that cracked on the left hinge a couple weeks ago. It is out of warranty by a month or two, and I don’t really have any faith in HP fixing it for free due to previous experience.
But, it’s reassuring to see that some people have been successful, so I’ll give it a shot as soon as I can find my warranty info and report back to everyone.
January 8th, 2008 at 9:16 am
Amazing. Bought my dv9000 HP back in Dec 06 and just now started to have this hinge problem. Never had any overheating issues, no problems with this laptop at all. If I hadnt googled to see if others may have had this problem, I would have probably paid a good amount of money to get it fixed, even out of warranty.
Going to reach out to HP as soon as I can to reign holy hell on them.
What is appalling is how HP can state (as shown in Post #23):
“Michael, I regret to say that we would not be able to assist you with a free repair of this issue as your notebook is out of warranty and the issue is not a known one with dv9000 models.”
Disgusting. How many complaints must they receive for someone to identify this as a design issue with this series of laptops?
January 8th, 2008 at 10:57 am
I reported them…. everyone should.
Thank you for using the Better Business Bureau’s Online Complaint System.
Your complaint has been assigned case # 280265.
Correspondence regarding this complaint will be emailed to : buzz@homemail.com
Please print a copy of this for your records.
Filed on : January 8 2008
Filed by :
Robert Trombley
203 Randomwood Lane
New Bern NC 28562
Filed against :
Hewlett Packard
3000 Hanover St MS1247 Building 6A
Palo Alto CA 94304-1112
Complaint Description:
By observing http://www.notebookhingecrack.com you can see that the HP 6000 and 9000 series notebooks are being sold with an inferior hinge design. HP refuses to acknowledge the defect and accuses consumers of neglect. The inferior part is made from cheap pot metal and is destined to fail. These machines cost of $1000 a piece and rendered useless for their intent by screens that will not stay in an open or upright position. They need to recall and repair the defective hinge.
Your Desired Resolution:
Recall the bad hinge half and replace with a remanufactured part suitable for the application. Replacing the defective part with a like part will only lead to continual failure of the hinge. Or… they could give me the $1100 I spent on the machine so I could get one worth owning.
This case will be reviewed by a complaint specialist at the Better Business Bureau, and then forwarded to the business for their response. It is our policy to allow the business 30 working days to respond to your complaint. You will be notified when the business has responded.
January 8th, 2008 at 11:39 am
To Buzz Trombley above, when i received my repaired dv9000 back, I popped off the bottom edge of the bezel and looked at the new hinge, it does look like it has been replaced with a thicker piece. I should have taken pictures of the broken one to compare with the new one. If it is not too late, maybe you can get a picture of the broken one and we can see if this is fixed. As I said in my follow-up post #68 above, they noted they replaced both hinges, even the non-broken one. So hopefully it is a permanent solution.
January 8th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
I purchased my DV9000 in October of 2006. In August of 2007 my laptop began to separate on the left side and made the cracking noise just like everyone else’s. I didn’t think it was a major issue and let it go because I usually leave my laptop open on my desk. As I began taking it to work and opening and closing it more often, it continued to become worse. Finally, it had pulled out so far that it must have pulled any connecting wires loose because while my computer turns on, I cannot see anything. I have called HP and tried dealing with Circuit City who I bought a 3 year extended warranty through, but have gotten nowhere. I feel like an idiot for waiting now because it’s past my HP warranty, but I had no idea this was such a big issue. After talking to another HP ‘Help Line’ person, I was told first that I would have to pay to get any help b/c my warranty was up. I believe it was a $49 fee for them to just talk to me on the phone. Knowing that they couldn’t fix my problem over the phone I argued with them b/c I had never called in and used my warranty at all. He said that since it was my first time calling they could help me for free this time. After describing the issue, I was told that they would have to replace the entire screen and that it was going to cost me at least $698. Considering that I paid $950 for it, I am not going to put another $700 into it. It was also claimed to be accidental damage but my laptop rarely left my desk and I’ve always taken great care of it. It also angered me that after telling me how much the repair would cost, the guy tried to sell me a new computer. Do you really think that after buying a defective laptop from you 15 months ago, I’m going to purchase a new one through you?! Give me a break. I will also be reporting them to the Better Business Bureau.
January 8th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
I have an HP DV9005us, I bought it as a present for myself on January 1, 2007. In May the left hinge cracked, not only did the hinge crack but the metal bracket inside ripped into pieces. I had bought the extended warranty from Circuit City. I had to ship my laptop off in a box, it was gone for two weeks. When it returned the hinge felt great to open, I turned on the computer and found that they had replaced my hard drive for some reason. I did however back up all of my data before sending the laptop off, and deleted anything personal off of it. Now the left hinge is starting to feel loose again like it did before it snapped the first time. I also no longer have any wireless connection at all. I know that there are a lot of people with that issue as well, and before anyone thinks that it is a router, driver, firmware, et al.. I am a linux and network engineer. I also know that there is nothing wrong with my wireless because my PlayStation3 has no problems connecting. Anyway I am going to back-up my data again and send it off for more repairs. The bad thing about this is that HP and all of the other PC vendors don’t make their own computers anymore. All of these are made by Quanta Computers or Chicony.
January 9th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
I purchased the dv9000 from Circut City with an extended warranty. About 2 months after my HP warranty expired, my left hinge cracked. I tried to get it covered under the extended warranty from Circut City but they don’t cover manufacturer defects (or anything apparently, but that’s a different story).
And along with my cracked hinge I have a bad hard drive which I ‘ve heard from a few places is a problem caused by an overheated processor.
January 10th, 2008 at 1:30 am
Follow up to entry #31
After a few days of head scratching, I decided that I could fix my DV9010 better and faster then HP. I did it the hard way and rebuilt the broken parts. I repaired & reinforced the broken hinge (LCD frame to hinge joint), and did a lot of work to stiffen and repair the rear bezel. I would personally recommend buying new parts and adding some epoxy (such as JB weld) to bolster the way the nuts are mounted in the rear bezel. In my opinion, heat was not a factor. I think it was a design flaw where a combination of issues came into play:
1. The hinges selected were too “tight”, requiring too much torque to move. In this model, the LCD side frames are part of the hinge, and have a weak spot at the connection point to the actual hinge.
2. The rear bezel does not have enough material (the plastic should be thicker). It needs to be stiffer, the embedded nuts break free easily.
Here is what I think happens: When opening or closing the screen with one hand, the force required to move the screen is enough to flex the entire screen assembly, and after “X” number of cycles, the joint where the LCD side frame is connected to the hinge fatigues and fails. This allows even more flexing of the screen, causing the plastic-embedded nuts in the rear bezel to break free. The rest is history.
(As a side note, I think that if a really bored person were to take a survey, the DV9000’s with broken left hinges would be owned by right-handed people, those with the right hinge broken belonging to lefties.)
As to cooling (or heat) problems, I don’t think that heat was really part of the hinge issue. I do think it is a problem, and since I had the beast apart, I did a bit of work on that… The solution I chose was to increase airflow. I removed the thin plastic film screens that were stuck to the inside of the case vent grills. I removed a cover closing off the grill at the left corner. And on the case grill at the fan I carefully removed every other vertical rib. It was not a lot of material to remove, but every little bit helps. The result is noticeable; unfortunately I do not have before/after temperature readings.
Keep after HP; they know they’re going to have to address this issue. They are no doubt busy running damage control scenarios to select the most cost effective solution to this problem.
Good luck,
Clay H.
January 10th, 2008 at 7:48 am
I just got off an IRC with tech support. Here’s a copy of the transcript:
HP: Hello Jay.
HP: Welcome to HP Total Care for Pavilion Notebooks.
HP: My name is xxxxxx. How may I assist you today?
J: I purchased an HP Pavilion back on 12/22/07 and the hinge on the left side has caused some separation between the back and front portions of the screen. Am I still under warranty or, if not, what will it cost me to get this fixed?
J: It appears the screw has stripped the threads on the left side
J: (the one that holds the two screen halves together)
HP: I am sorry to hear this.
HP: Yes, i completely understand.
HP: Thanks for explaining the issue in detail.
HP: I will try my best to assist you in this regard.
HP: Let me just check up the warranty status of your notebook.
J: Thank you.
HP: To better assist you, could you please give me the Serial Number (eg: CNS34915MC) and Product Number (eg:DS542U) of the Notebook? You can find the Serial Number and Product Number of the Notebook by locating on a sticker attached to the top or back of the Notebook.
J: xxxxxxxxx
J: I purchased this through newegg.com, if that makes any difference
J: xxxxxxx is the product number
HP: Thank you for the information.
HP: I am checking it up.
HP: Please stay with me.
J: You’re welcome. Thank you for any assistance you can provide.
J: In the event we become disconnected, my email for any response is keggerlord@hotmail.com
J: I’m currently at school and the signal for my laptop is a little dodgy.
HP: Just to confirm, is this your notebook model no: dv9010ca ?
J: DV9005US
HP: Alright.
HP: Thanks for the confirmation.
HP: Thank you for staying online.
HP: I am sorry for the delay with answer.
No problem, I understand.
HP: I have checked out your notebook warranty status and I am really sorry to inform you that your notbook warranty has just expired about 5 days ago.
J: Damn. Is there any way to get an extension? It’s only 5 days, and the problem did begin about a week and a half ago
J: Again, if you can provide some help with this, it would be greatly appreciated.
HP: Well Jay, you can upgrade your notebook warranty with an extended warranty plan.
J: What would that cost?
J: Also, do you know about how much it would cost to repair what I’ve described?
HP: Let me explain you.
J: I actually have to run to an appointment. Could you please email the response to me? Again, sorry to have to cut this short, but I have to go.
HP: Jay, in order to upgrade the notebooks warranty with an extended post warranty plan.
HP: The notebook should not have any hardware issue or for that matter it should be in a good condition.
HP: However, you can still go for the paid mail in repair service.
HP: Also, you can purchase the extended warranty plan along with the repair service.
J: Ahh, I see. So, if it were in good condition and developed this condition ‘later’, it would then be covered?
HP: The mail in repair service will cost you around $298.
HP: Yes, you are right.
Got it. Thank you very much for your help.
J: Have a good day!
HP: I mean if you purchase the extended warranty plan when the notebook is in a good condition and if it happen to develop any hardware issue then it will be definitely covered.
HP: Anytime, my pleasure.
HP: You to have a great day ahead.
HP: If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
HP: Thank you for contacting HP Total Care Real-Time chat support. If you
need further assistance, please contact us again at:
http://www.hp.com/support/chat. Chat support is available 24 hrs a day,
7 days a week.
HP: Goodbye Jay.
=======================
I went ahead and purchased the extended warranty (nearly $200 after tax, but still cheaper than a $400 repair bill) and I’m going to wait a couple days before sending it in. I’m still pretty ticked about this whole situation and I’m glad I discovered this website to know that this is a common defect. Hopefully, someone at HP will actually take the comments here seriously. If not, there is always Acer, Toshiba, etc. to grab our business the next go-around….
January 10th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Hi all. I have a dv9339us and after looking at this website i took a look at my notebook. The left hinge and the left lower part of the lid case are still “normal”, but i can see that they arent as firm and fitted as the right side. I have the warranty until april, but i m travelling abroad in Feb for a good time… What should i do? Try to convince HP tha my lid is loose and the parts are starting to break, hoping for a replacement of the hinges?
I use a laptop fan behind mine, and i dont use it long hours, so this can be reason that it still holding on.
i d appreciate any comments!
Thanks!
January 10th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
I originally posted #46, and I just got my laptop back today. It was fixed under the warranty, although I have no way of telling if the faulty part has been replaced with something better. I still don’t know what advanced technology they used to be able to tell that I didn’t drop the thing.
I was looking at the Best Buy site and noticed that all the reviews for all the dv9000 models are pretty much 100% positive. Maybe we all need to start putting this information in the customer reviews on the site? I know before I bought mine I checked out a lot of online reviews, and, had I seen anything about this, I would have purchased something else. Purhaps that would put some pressure on HP to do the right thing and issue a recall? Dare to dream.
January 10th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
One more thing…am I still allowed to file a complaint with the BBB since they fixed it under the warranty and it didn’t take too terribly long?
January 11th, 2008 at 10:56 am
After initially telling me that they knew nothing about this type of problem and insisting that I would have to pay for the repair since my dv9000 notebook was 3 weeks out of warranty, HP finally agreed to perform a free repair, as a “one time” courtesy. I had written to the CEO, whose email I found in this website. Eventually this led to a call from a Case manager. I referred first “Stacy”, then “Ethan” to this site as they had never heard of any hinge cracks and knew of no internal bulletins within HP on this problem. After a few days the case manager agreed to make the repair as a warranty repair with no charge to me. I received a box to send it back and actually got my repaired notebook back within 5 calender days. The repair ticket claims they replaced the system board, the lcd bezel, the lcd cover, and 2 hinges. I don’t know how long this will hold up. Thanks for a great service through this web site. My experience suggests that if you keep at them and don’t accept no, escalating your claim in the company, they will eventually fix your machine.
January 11th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
All you people with expired warranties HP will fix your laptop. Mine was 2 months out of warranty and they fixed it. You need to let them know of this site and that this is a defect not a accidental abuse thing. After you talk to a hp rep (I used their online chat ) They should send you a free fedex box to send your laptop in. Then when they give you a 700+ dollar estimate call them and ask to speak to a case manager. A case manager will call you back within 48 hours. make sure you let them know that if they google this problem they will come up with many other people with the same problem. Also be courteous! Goes a long way. I found HP support to be very helpful and felt they truly wanted to do the right thing. I have worked tech support and they are good at what they do. My only question now is if it happens again are they going to fix it again? Good luck!
January 12th, 2008 at 1:08 am
Follow up to my posts 31 & 81;
My repair seems to be holding, but I still went to the HP site and began the process to have this problem recognized & repaired. The online form has three areas where you can write in comments. here is what I sent in:
——————————–
Problem description:
Left hinge and rear bezel has failed (broken). Please reference this site for additional information: http://www.notebookhingecrack.com
———————————
troubleshooting : DV9010US purchased Nov. 2006.
I have removed the front bezel to inspect the hinge area. Here is what I found:
The LCD sideframe had broken free of the hinge proper, and that all four hinge mounting nuts attached to the rear bezel had broken free. As each part supports the others in turn, once the hinge fails, additional loads are transferred to the rest of the components, and they in turn fail. I found 2 of the right hinge mounting nuts broken free of the rear bezel as well.
Please reference this site for additional information: http://www.notebookhingecrack.com
———————————————–
setting changes : No.
The software functions of the notebook are fine. But untill a repair is made I cannot move the notebook from it’s temporary support frame.
Please reference this site for additional information: http://www.notebookhingecrack.com
——————————————-
I recieved from HP the standard email stating that the notebook was out warrenty, but they would be happy to fix it for $298us amount (see entry #23 for the same email).
I politely replied with: “This appears to be trend failure with this model notebook. Please elevate my request to a higher level where it can be addressed.”
I quickly recieved an answer that a case manager would call my contact number within 48 hours.
So far so good. I’ll let you all know what happens next.
-Clay H.
January 12th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
I, too, just experienced the left hinge crack problem that has been seen by others so often. I own a DV9000, other that Vista, I and have been happy with it until now.
Has anyone had any success with HP and repairs?
January 13th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
We purchased our dv9000 in Jan 07, in late Nov/early Dec of 2007, the left hinge made the crackling pop noise also. First we emailed support and they said to send back our info as it would be covered under the warranty. After sending back my info, and getting no reply, we called the service center only to be told “Sorry, you were misinformed and it is going to cost $298 to fix the hinge.” They finally decided to send out a return kit and agreed to look at the computer. If so many people are having this same issue, why don’t they realize that this is a design flaw and not “normal wear and tear”
January 14th, 2008 at 9:06 am
I purchased mine in early 2007 and about 3-4 months ago it started to pop, then split and just this morning the side of the screen/case has actually broken in half about an inch above the hinge. Before that the seam on the side had split all the way to the top. While it is good to know I’m not the only one having this problem, I’m afraid I will be out of the warranty period. I did always wonder why this laptop ran so hot.
It started with the popping and I didn’t think anything of it. If you hear the popping get it taken care of asap.
January 14th, 2008 at 9:27 am
I have a dv9000 - left hinge cracked at 10 months. Purchased in March 07 and hinge failed in Jan 08.
HP will repair under warranty unless it is “accidental damage” - obviously it is not!
January 14th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Here is the address to the HP maintenance & service manual for the dv9000 series. It may come in handy for those of you who like to tinker. (300+ pages of what’s inside your DV9000):
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c01311536/c01311536.pdf?jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN
January 15th, 2008 at 9:57 am
I purchased my dv9210us in march 2007 and it got the same left hinge problem last week : the hinge cracked, the bezel pop and split.
I want to start the process of requesting free repair but unfortunately my classes started and I need my computer every single day. So I am starting to think that repairing it by myself would be quicker that waiting 2 weeks for getting a solution from HP. I am really confused about what to do.
January 15th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
I was under warranty when my dv9035 problems developed and was one of the first group of posters here. Best Buy did a good job getting out of the 3 year warranty I had with them by claiming I damaged the notebook. I subsequently got a refund for that warranty-telling Best Buy that if they are not going to honor it then I want my $ back which they obliged. I did try posting a neg review on the Best Buy website about the notebook but Best Buy did not approve the review. So, as a caveat -be aware that if you are reviewing a product ,from say Best Buy - those reviews are the reviews Best Buy allows and chooses for you to see. So I had no luck with Best Buy + Geek Squad. I did however this week get the notebook fixed under warranty free of charge from HP. The HP case managers were very friendly and polite , the customer reps not very helpful. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the same problem does not resurface with the notebook. Anyhow I think this website did help me a great deal in getting the notebook fixed. Thanks to Adam for starting this site - a small donation coming your way soon. Best of luck to others here and I hope you all get your issues resolved.
January 16th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
So I purchased my dv9000 in September of 2006. I just started having the left hinge problem last month (December of 2007). Thanks to your website I knew that many people were having this same problem, and it wasn’t just me. I was going to use this knowledge to better my situation if they tried charging me a ton to fix the problem, since I was past my 1 year manufacturers warranty. When I called HP I talked to a lady who basically asked what my problem was and recorded my notebook’s product and serial numbers. She let me know that I was indeed outside of my warranty period. She then passed me along to a supervisor who really did nothing but pass me on to a case manager. The case manager I spoke with asked if I dropped the notebook ever. I explained to him that it simply sits on my desk in my home office. He spent a few minutes typing and recording what I told him. He then came back to me and said they would fix the problem FREE OF CHARGE! I have a postage paid box on its way to my house. He told me it would take 7-9 business days after they receive the notebook. Keep in mind that I was out of my warranty period, and I never once mentioned this site or my knowledge of other people having the same problem. I think that shows that you have made some really great progress!!!
January 16th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
My gateway 6400 series did the same thing. WE WANT CLASS ACTION. THIS IS A NO BRAINER FOR ANY LAWYER WHO FAILED HIS BAR ON THE FIRST 5 TRIES.
January 17th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Just got my laptop back, fixed out of warranty, free of charge from HP! They overnighted the box to me the day I called, which I sent back on Tuesday then got back from them on Thursday. I would say I am VERY satisfied with how HP handled my case. Additionally, everyone I spoke to there were incredibly friendly and didn’t waste any more of my time than they had to, making the process as simple as it possibly could be.
For those of you who were not able to get service, make sure you call the operator and ask to be connected to the “Executive Customer Relations” department. The call centers in India can’t do anything for you. Once through, you will be assisted.
Thanks to the creator of this site for making this issue public. Once I knew there were many others who had this problem I knew just what to do.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Success! My Dv9050ea came back today! It’s 3 weeks later than anticipated, but they completely replaced the back screen panel and hinge, it’s now like new.
I don’t know what they did, but I hope it holds. Again, I can’t thank you enough for creating this site.
January 18th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
My son bought a DV9000 in Sept of 07, developed a problem this fall but didn’t completely fail till Dec. after warranty (of course - did they design it that way???). Did an online chat and was told: “There are only a few notebook that are listed under this offer for free replacement of the hinges and also the notebook must ne under ADP plan to avail this service.” So, now I guess I have to start calling around until I hit the jackpot like some of the others here have done….
Maybe CNN would be interested on a slow news day???
January 19th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
I purchased a dv4000 in September of 2006. ). This is suffering the same problems as the dv9000 on your site Thanks to your website I know that many people are having this same problem, and it wasn’t just me. Both sides of my laptop hinges are coming though the casing, which is causing it to make the top casing raise up, sometimes I have to press down on these for my laptop to come on. Also have problems with over heating. My warrantee has ran out so no help so ever from H P what so ever, could this problem be with all laptops in the dv range?
January 19th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Christian Villegas: hello
Christian Villegas: ?
Payton: Hello Christian.
Payton: Welcome to HP Total Care for Pavilion Notebooks . My name is Payton. How may I help you today?
Christian Villegas: Hi Payton
Christian Villegas: I have a HP Notebook with a hinge crack
Payton: Please go ahead with the Notebook issue.
Christian Villegas: notebookhingecrack.com states to contact you guys about the issue
Payton: Sure, I will help you with this.
Christian Villegas: Great!
Payton: May I take 2-3 minutes of your time while I find a solution that will help us to resolve this issue.
Christian Villegas: Sure!
Payton: Thank you.
Payton: Please confirm that you are residing in US.
Christian Villegas: I am
Payton: Thank you for the information.
Payton: Could I have the Serial (eg: CNS34915MC), Product (eg:DS542U) , Model Number (eg:Pavilion zt3000) and the Operating system installed (eg: Windows XP or Vista) in the Notebook?
Christian Villegas: Serial number: xxxxxxxxxxx
Christian Villegas: Model: dv9033cl
Christian Villegas: Windows XP
Payton: Thank you for the information.
Payton: I apologise for the delay.
Christian Villegas: It’s ok.
Christian Villegas: I’m at work right now anyway
Payton: As this is a hardware issue I recommend you to send your notebook for service to HP.
Payton: This would cost you $298.
Christian Villegas: They are trying to make me pay
Payton: Do you wish to continue?
Christian Villegas: Exactly as this is a design defect
Christian Villegas: I would like to speak with either a case manager
Christian Villegas: or a executive
Christian Villegas: please check notebookhingecrack.com
Christian Villegas: as I will be reporting HP to the BBB if I am not contacted by monday
Payton: As you are out of warrenty the service is not for free.
Christian Villegas: I understand
Christian Villegas: as this is a design defect
Christian Villegas: I would like to speak with someone higher
Christian Villegas: this is happening to multiple people
Payton: I apologize for the inconvenience.
Payton: I have contacted my case manager.
Christian Villegas: Thank you
Payton: I am glad to inform you that we will provide you a free mail-in service for the hinge damage.
Payton: Is that okay with you ?
Christian Villegas: Yes that is ok
Christian Villegas: As quickly as possible as this is my means of working though
Payton: Sure.
Payton: I am in the proces of the creating the case.
Christian Villegas: Great!
January 19th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
left hinge crack like everyone else on hp dv9000. called hp and only answer is repair for $298. I declined and have filed a complaint with the ohio state general attorney’s office. If this doesn’t work I will keep at it. Never,Never,never give up.
January 20th, 2008 at 1:27 am
Working with a company involved in multimedia, we work with the dv9000 series and have one HP tx1000z.
So far, after over a year 4 out of 6 dv9000s have this problem, and one of them is in the early stages. the tx1000z is great, no problems. HP took in the dv9000s for repair seen as they were purchased with an extended warranty, they took them in last week. They are great laptops, i just hope the flaw can be fixed without it happening again =/
January 20th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Same Issue you guys are describing: Screen casing cracking and coming apart on the left side at the security hole. I got the computer about 6 months ago over the summer in anticipation of starting college. Being a student, I have to carry my machine around a lot, but i’ve got a nice bag for it and have been as careful as possible with it so i know this issue is caused by no fault of my own. Fry’s told me the issue isn’t covered under the 2 year warranty i have since its considered “accidental damage”. They gave me the number to HP. After about 15 minutes of talking to them the guy told me it is a “known issue” and that they would take it and repair it free of charge!!!! (turn around time is about 2 weeks). Definitely talk to HP ASAP if you haven’t recently as they seem to have realized that this is an issue now! They guy did say that once this goes off their alert list it may be harder to have this addressed.
January 20th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Just to add to what i said, i recommend that when you call emphasize that the problem is not your fault and that you have taken good care of the machine so hopefully they will realize that it really is a defect and not just you bashing it around.
January 21st, 2008 at 10:57 am
I just sent in my computer to HP to fix but they say it is beyond economic repair? and they want to charge me 1200$ to fix it. That’s more than i payed for the god damn thing. Never going to buy another HP product again.
January 21st, 2008 at 4:46 pm
At first it was just the right hinge. Today the left on went and now the screen will not stay up. I have just found this site.
January 22nd, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Hey everyone, I just got the crack in my dv9000 over the last few days. As in most cases, I’d heard it making some noise in the weeks prior as I opened a closed the case, but just figured it was the usual squeakiness that develops in hinges.
I’m not yet sure what I want to do with it (I refuse to send it in with my hard drive installed), and I really can’t do without it for a few days right now, but I just wanted to give a heads up that yet another person out there is having the same problem.
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:57 am
Follow up to #90–I received my box to send into HP last Friday, dropped it off at Fed Ex shipping center on Saturday. Today (wendsday) Fed Ex came back with my notebook dv9000. I was surprised due to how much resistance I was getting on the phone that I did not receive a phone call stating that we had to pay the $298 to get it fixed(I had asked for a case manager to review but then the case # changed when a new problem developed, but was ready to ask for one when they called and said to pay). We didn’t and my notebook now is fixed. They replaced the LCD bezel, LCD cover, hinges heatsink fan, and also my ac adapter(another issue that developed after I originally called them) I also got a brand new battery as mine would not hold the charge(supposively due to the excessive heat that the computer was giving off–per one of the HP techs). I am an overall happy customer right now, and hopefully will not have this same issue as my laptop goes out of warranty at the end of this month. Thank you for showing me that others had this problem also as it seem to work out in my case.
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:58 am
PS–I forgot to mention that they did not wipe my hard drive as the techs said may happen. We had hoped they would not, as when the 2nd issue developed we could not even turn the notebook on to back up the data. It came back the exact same as when I sent it.
January 23rd, 2008 at 1:22 pm
I have the dv9374, and have ALMOST the same problem.
My hinges are not cracked, but very very loose. I can wedge the LCD screen about an inch without the hinges moving at all.. very annoying. It has become progressivly worse last 4 months. The laptop is about 6 months old, purchased in Norway, where I live.
So, no cracks, or holes. Just a very hot, fan-happy dv9000 with a loose lcd screen.
Joel
January 23rd, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Self Repair on dv9000 - Success
I finally gave up with HP and CompUSA were I bought an extended warranty, and attempted some self-repair on my dv9000. It actually wasn’t hard, and worked out better than I thought it would. I took a few screws out from under the battery (five I think), carefully popped off the plastic screen (dv9000)with the touch volume controls and power (very carefully, these are very delicately attached), and was able to unscrew and pop out the hinge. On my laptop, I discovered the hinge was stuck in one position and as a result the plastic around it cracked and split (up the left side of the screen and the bottom left). From there I improvised.
After the hinge was out, I cut it (having a hacksaw in the garage was very helpful), so the part that actually attaches to the screen and that was stuck and caused the plastic around the screen to crack would no longer be blocking it from opening and closing. In other words, I was left with just the part that I unscrewed from the laptop and a small metal bar (for lack of the proper terminology) that sticks out of it. I wrapped the “bar” part of it with some tape to make it a little thicker, and put it all back together. Replaced the plastic hinge cover that popped off when it cracked, put a little invisible tape on the back underside of the frame and it’s almost as good as new. You could never tell by looking at it .. just have to be a little gentle when opening and closing. I can deal with that. Still unhappy with HP and CompUSA on this but at least I have a laptop I can travel with again.