HP DV7 Hinge Fail

[tjwatson11]

I purchased a DV7 – 7030us, on July 3, 2012 from Amazon.com.  A few months after the warranty period was over I began experiencing problems with the hinges.  That problem continued to progress to the point where the left hinge is now entirely out of the case and it is apparent that the right hinge will soon follow.  I can provide photos.

I did a bit of research on the web and found that hinge problems are common with models of this type but that there has not been a recall, nor has a general warranty extension been issued by HP.

My previous laptop was also an HP, a DV9920, and it too had hinge failure, to the degree that I purchased aftermarket hinges and made the repair myself.  Ultimately that computer was retired because the power connection failed.

It is surprising to me that a company of the size and sophistication of HP would not have addressed the hinge issues long before this.  I have owned many HP products over the years, mostly printers, and found them to be of good quality; but I would like you to provide me with appropriate relief for the current hinge problem, by which I mean that the laptop should be returned to you for repair at your expense.

Please contact me with your proposed solution.

Regards,

Thomas J. Watson

[george-p]

Hi @tjwatson11 ,

I have sent you a private message. If you are not sure how to check your private messages then this post has instructions that will guide you through the process.

Regards,
George

[tjwatson11]

Thank you for your quick response.

[tjwatson11 · Accepted solution]

I received my laptop from the HP repair facility in Texas today.  They replaced the upper and lower case, the fan and heat sink, and provided me with a new battery.  Everything is clean and in good working order.  I hope that the underlying problem of the connection of the hinge to the case has been resolved in manufacturing and that the problem will not repeat.

Once the process was initiated by an HP person on this site things moved very swiftly and professionally.  I would like to thank HP for standing behind their gear and returning my computer to a useful condition.

I do not know how to mark this as Solved, and perhaps it is not up to me to do so but in my mind it is, indeed, solved.

[The_One]

I  purchased my laptop about 3-4 years ago.  

A few years ago, my computer exhibited the same problem where it looked like the case was being pryed open.  I never really took it apart or did anything since I use it more like a desktop than anything else

Last night I took it apart and found the following:

The right side hinge and support structure is very robust.  The screen hinge attaches to the laptop base through a metal tab on the base (which has a screw insert on the bottom).  The force is distributed very well in this area.  On he left side, I saw that there was no metal support.  The screen metal hinge screws right into a brass looking insert which is just pressed into the plastic base.  On my laptop, the left side insert pulled right out of the plastic, and was basically prying up on both halves of the base, causing the gap when you close it.

When I was trying to rotate the hinges, I found that the left and right hinges took a TON of effort to rotate.  in the closing direction: If the insert is OK, there should be no problems since the hinge is "pushing" itself into the plastic base.  But when you open the laptop, that screw insert wants to be pulled out.  in doing so, it breaks the plastic and causes it to pry the case open, causing the gap.

I think this was an assembly error, not a design problem.  It looks like they intended the right side to bear 90% of the force, while the left side just acts as a pivot.  I think the left hinge stiffness was set way too high from the assembly line.  If you look carefully at the screen hinges, you can see a nut which is covered by the silver looking plastic hinge covers.  You need a 1/4" drive socket set and a 5.5 mm socket.  I was able to do it with a shalow socket, without an extension.

I ended up loosening this nut so you could easily turn it by hand.  Now all the force is taken by the right-side robust hinge, where the left side just acts as a pivot.

I tried to use a metal epoxy in the area, but the stuff I had was too old and didn't bond well.  Hopefully I can find a junk computer and just get the replacement base.

To fix this, you can get a new bottom case for about $100, then loosen the nut on the left hinge so that there is minimal force going through that joint (you should be able to rotate the left hinge without he-man strength).

It also doesn't help that the left side hinge sees the highest temperatures.  The thermal cycling along with the pretty weak cooling system could make that joint more likely to break.  

By the way I took it apart originally becuase my laptop temperatures were crazy high doing non-intensive tasks.  The cooling system was pretty bad.  it only takes a small build-up of dust to block off the exit for the hot air.  Be sure to clean this area if you notice that you can cook an egg on your laptop.

[CurlyEd]

Same problem on a $850.00 laptop.  I have owned more than a dozen laptops over the years and never had a hinge failure.  This particular laptop lives on our kitchen island and is rarely moved let alone packed for travel.  The hinge started popping after about a year and the hinge completely broke a few weeks our of warrant.  I did not pursue the issue because I thought it was an insolated event.  Last week the hinge completely broke and broke the screen in the process.  That let to a Google search; HP laptop hinge.  The result; thousands of broken laptop hinges!    I, like the prevous writer, cannot believe that HP has a problem like this and doesn't step up with a recall.  We do have a choice when we purchase computers and repeat business will always be a companies cheapest advertising investment.

[otr50000]

I posted elsewhere here but I had not one but two of the same models (dv7-7121 nr) break the case at the hinges.  I have gotten nowhere and both were under warranty. I will not buy HP again.

[CurlyEd]

STILL WAITING ON A REPLY.  I NEED THE LAPTOP WORKING.  I VISITED SAMS CLUB YESTERDAY.  THEY HAD HP AND DELL.  DO YOU KNOW THE ONES I DIDN'T LOOK AT!

[george-p]

Hi @CurlyEd ,

I have sent you a private message. If you are not sure how to check your private messages then this post has instructions that will guide you through the process.

Regards,
George

[Anotherday]

My laptop is coming apart at thr hinge at the left side, causing fan overheating issues.  I found tons of hp forum posts where this is a common problem with HP.  I read that a lot of people were able to have this repaired after HP noticed it was their flaw.  How can i get this taken care of?

I have already had to stop buying HP printers bc of the problems with them.  I really do like my HP laptop and hope im not forced to go to a different brand.  Please help.