17" HP Envy Coming apart at the left near screen hinge

[KG93]

So basically it would be pointless for me to contact HP about the left hinge breaking and subsequently the fan stops working....because a) it is probably after the 1 year warranty and b) it is just going to break again....

[scflmark]

If I had to bet, your fan probably stopped working because a screw or other part is lodged in the blades. To fix, you will have to dissasemble the laptop. 

If you contact HP and make a bit of fuss, they will probably offer a reduced price on their usual "fix" which is to have you ship back and they will either return it or another one in a new frame. Problem is... the new frame is no better than the original so you end up paying about $150 to get the same old crap back. They never fixed the problem of cheap mounts and overtorqued tension adjusters.

Most people can find a local shop or something like Ifix which repairs cell phones. They are probably capable of taking your laptop apart and are sometimes cheaper than a computer repair shop. When they take it apart (takes about 10-15 minutes), they can probably epoxy the screw mounts back in.

Just be sure to have them remove the covers which go over the hinges and adjust the nut that controls tension. it is overtorqued and if not loosened, your laptop will quickly break again. So far, mine has held up for about a year and a half after following this process. 

Good Luck

I guess we have all learned that purchasing HP products is a bad idea. Also... just heard a week or so ago that they plan to lay off a lot of employees over the next few years. Guess they may as well pack up whatever is left in the US and move it overseas just like their tech support.

[ZiggyPiggy]

Product: HP ENVY 17-j110tx Leap Motion TS SE Notebook PC (ENERGY STAR)

Wed 19th Oct 2016

Dear Sir/Madam,

I purchased this high end laptop in January2015 (order date 02.01.2015) order number SCPO533789 for $2299.00 and it has been used primarily by my daughter for her NSW Higher School Certificate Studies. On Monday 17th October 2016 my daughter informed me that there was something wrong with her laptop. She had not dropped it, or mistreated it in any fashion, but she did notice that the left hand side of the base was starting to separate and that the fan had stopped working.

I inspected the problem and found small bits of black plastic falling out from the top left hand side of the base. The separation was quite evident.

Since the 12 month statutory warranty had expired, I went online and found many, many reports on issues with HP laptop hinges.

Therefore, I investigated the actual problem on my daughter's laptop further and completely dismantled the laptop.

I found that the main problem lies firmly with the black plastic which holds the brass inserts that are then used to screw the hinges onto the base.

The secondary issue which contributed to the top left corner of the base separating is the torque setting for the hinges.  This was evidently way too tight for the structural components in the base.

This laptop has always been very tight in opening and closing.

After researching this issue further and reading online forums which included the 20 pages of people with the same issue on the HP forum, I concluded that this is a major design/quality issue. I had the option of purchasing a new base upper for around $350 and affecting a repair and most likely seeing the same issue in another 20 months or less. I found lots of examples of people having experienced similar issues with HP laptop hinges.

I didn’t want to deny access to my daughter as she is now at the end of year 11 and will really need to use the laptop for her studies in year 12. So I decided to try and get the laptop working again, structurally speaking.

I managed to repair the broken hinge by using 2 part epoxy to build up the broken plastic parts of the base and then position the brass inserts in the right location for the hinge. I noticed that the brass inserts on the right side hinge had some cracks therefore I have re-enforced the right hand side hinge with 2 part epoxy.

I found it necessary to remove both hinges completely and loosen the nut by approximately ¼ to 1/2 turn in order to reduce the tension on the hinge and provide some strain relief on the newly repaired sections of the base.

After the repairs, I showed my daughter her laptop and she was happy and thankful that I managed to get it working again. The laptop now opens with what I would consider a normal amount of effort, but only time will tell how long this temporary fix will last.

I am extremely disappointed with the build quality of this product and would be hesitant in purchasing another HP product. I purchased my ASUS G74 back in 2011 and it is still going strong (structurally speaking). The fact that there are many examples of other people having similar issues with HP laptop hinges indicates that there is a real quality issue.

I tried to contact the HP smart Friend Service on 1800 144 998 which is meant to be 24/7 remote tech support as detailed on my purchase invoice, only to be informed that the number was disconnected. Hence I signed up to the HP online forum to possibly get a response from someone in HP Australia about a possible recall/replacement/refund option and also to inform other consumers.

I have asked my daughter to be extremely careful with her laptop and she will now use it as a desktop only device in order to make it last past her HSC exams next year. (ie leave it on her study desk and not open and close it). This is not what I had hoped for when I made the initial purchase. 

I have taken pictures and video of the fault and the repair process. I have included five of these photos with this letter.

The first photo shows the broken bits of plastic from the left hinge some of which were caught in the fan. The second photo shows the product serial numbers. The third photo shows the underside of the main body with the left hinge in the open position. The fourth photo clearly shows the points of failure on the left hinge attachment points. The fifth photo shows stress cracks on the right hinge attachment point. I am willing to provide further photos and video including the temporary repair on request.

As stated in the HP Australia Customer Support Charter:

Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law

Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or a refund for a major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure.

I only wish to get fair compensation/resolution for what is primarily a design/build and quality issue. I plan on filing a complaint with Fair Trading Australia if this is not achieved through direct contact with HP Australia.

(FYI: I have tertiary qualification in electrical engineering and computer technologies both hardware and software and have worked in the telecommunications field for the past 21 years).

Yours Sincerely,

xxx xxxxxxxxxx

[AlexChanceUm]

I'm experiencing the same problem with my HP Envy Touchsmart. The glue/screws or whatever holds this thing together is coming apart. Unfortunately for me, I'm out of the one year warranty.

This is the last HP laptop for me.

[ZiggyPiggy]

Hey Alex it's a shame that your HP laptop is out of warranty as is my daughter's laptop. This still does not exclude HP from  being liable as stated in the paragraph below .

Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law

Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or a refund for a major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure.

(This was pasted from the HP Australia website).

The failure of the components on the hinge are due to the design and build not being of acceptable quality.

I have received a request from HP wanting photos which have been mailed. I am awaiting a further response from HP Australia. If there is no satisfactory resolution, I will pursue my rights under Australian Consumer Law.

Fortunately in Australia we do have some consumer protection written in law. 

[ZiggyPiggy]

The First photo...

[ZiggyPiggy]

The Third Photo...

[ZiggyPiggy]

The Fourth Photo...

[ZiggyPiggy]

The Fifth Photo...

[mayaREguru]

Same here!  Started less than a year after getting my machine, and now I can't even close my laptop. This is ridiculous.

I got my kids each a 15 inch version and the hinges are totally different, they were just purchased in October and December 2016 respectively, while mine was in August 2015, but this started in the summer, I thought one of the kids dropped it but they are not allowed near my machine and it is getting progressively worse and I have not even closed the laptop in the last 6 weeks because it can't physcially. The plastic hinges and pieces won't even go back into place and the touch screen splits apart if I try to close it.

I decided to google it and saw a previous class action suit and the top post on this topic and said "I knew it wasn't damage, but function!"

So, HP what say you????