HP Envy Broken Hinges Absurd Amount of Money for replacement parts to fix design flaw

[Huffer]

The best advice: don't sit and watch it get like that. At the first sign of trouble reach out because it can possibly be fixed early much easier and cheaper than when it get like the one in the last picture. 

[iomare]

Hi @Adam32

It seems like a never ending thread. I could probably fix the PC in less time than reading all the stuff here about hinges.:smileyhappy:

I agree with @Huffer that the best action is not to wait, as it will not get better with time. Like any part of the PC one can decide to fix on ones own or not (like replacing RAM or hard drives, processors...) However not everyone is up to it and if you take a look some members have taken apart the PC for some fix or other only to end up with a dead computer. What is easy for you might not be so easy for others and what is easy for others might not be so easy for me.

Now your fix looks good, I believe i gave advice in other threads very similar to what you have performed, and believe me that I have performed fixes of this kind on many different brands of PCs, with top covers, bottom covers

On the forum you will find a lot of hinge problems as the forum is designed to deal with problems, however how many Envy computers are out there. My personal computer is an Envy (similar to your model) which I have been using for the past few years without problems. 

You have shown us your personal fix, let us know how long it lasts which could be interesting for helping others in the future.

All the best,

David

[Adam32]

After reading another persons post:

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Hardware-and-Upgrade-Questions/HP-Envy-Defective-Hinges/td-p/...

The person talks about sending it in for repair, paying for the repair, and the problem happening again two years later and not getting any help from HP Support.

I think this serves to highlight the importance of getting the correct amount of pre-load tension on the hinge. The hinge pre-load is set by the nyloc nut on the hinge assembly.

For anybody attempting to repair your case halve you must loosen and lubricate your hinges or else it wil happened again, the design flaw is not corrected by installing new case halves and new improperly engineering hinges. When this is done you are fixing the symptom of the problem and not the problem, too much tension (preload) in the hinges is the engineering defect that needs to be corrected for any fix to last.

After you epoxy the case halves back together they will most likely not be as strong as they original were. I loosened my hinges after lubrication so the screen would barely stay up in upper range of screen motion.  After a couple weeks the oil began to dry / migrate and the friction increased slightly, now the screen is perfect, I just have to be careful not to let it "fall down" if it gets too far from the upper position.

I put  a little more tension on the left hinge because it has the screw and nut to firm it up a little better.

Good luck with your repairs and if anybody is in the middle of doing their repair and has any questions, please post and I will try to help.

[Adam32]

It was brought to my attention that I really didn't provide a step-by-step procedure for the repair / diagnosis process. In an effort to assist those who are dealing with the same issue I have wrote up a basic process to go through:

1: Research and find tutorials about how to disassemble the machine i.e. where are the screws and where to pry. If you search for a tutorial for example "how to clean the cooling fan for HP Envy Model 15-j1100dx" you find many results for the common procedure (you have to remove the bottom cover to get to the fan / assess the hinge situation) if you cannot for some reason find a tutorial titled "HP Envy hinge repair" that outlines the disassembly procedure. Failed hinge / case halves are so common in the consumer grade HP products I would think you could find ample hinge repair information on just about any model.

2: Once apart you have to assess the damage. Your goal during damage assessment is to determine if you can epoxy the threaded inserts into what remains of the plastic stand-offs (do you have something to glue to)

3: Research other peoples repairs. I know a couple of the links in my thread are for videos where people have documented their whole repair process, I did not video mine, other people have and it is helpful to watch and learn from their experiences.

4: Your goal is to glue the brass inserts into their former locations, a little extra will be a good thing so long as the extra glue does not interfere with anything else, you need to make it sturdy again. (Be mindful that while performing this repair the computer will most likely be screen down on the table, be careful not to put too much pressure on the screen especially on the middle of the hinge area, it does not take much to crack the screen)

5: Once you have the brass pieces glued in, see if your left hinge has the security hole that aligns with the aluminum body, this provided much of the sturdiness in my repair, if it does, go to the hardware store and buy the screw / nut / washers. Buy multiple sizes and lengths as they are cheap to make sure when you get home you have the right size (length and diameter) I notated in my thread the size that I used earlier in the thread by the pictures (pretty much the smallest metric screw at the hardware store in a couple different lengths is what I did) I took pictures of the screw / washers / nut in earlier in this thread so you can see how I did it, use this as a guide.

6: Loosen up the hinges (the hex nuts on the hinge posts that you can see when you open up the hinge covers and look inside) and lubricate with a high quality oil, I used Kroil brand.

7: Screw the hinges to the top base cover and carefully tighten the hinges, you are now setting the pre-load, the tighter you make the hex nuts the tighter the hinge feels and the more stress you are putting on the glued and screwed parts.

8: Use the trial and error method for finding the correct preload. I tightened the left hinge more than the right because the screw / washers / nut provide much sturdiness compared to the glued parts in my opinion.

9: Tighten the hinges so that the screen barely stays up by itself when opened, over time the oil will become displaced and they will naturally tighten up. (It may be slightly annoying at first but you have to keep the tension off of the plastic or it will break again.

10: Assemble and baby the thing, be extra careful and mindful of the hinge issue

Note: When taking the thing apart I noticed that a magnet is what lets the computer know if the screen is open or closed. When I hook my laptop up to my docking station (USB Hub with a bunch of goodies) I place a small screwdriver with a magnetic end on the left side aligned with the power button but on the edge to turn the screen off without having to close the thing

Note: I have been taking my laptop with me every day now for maybe 5 weeks or so, it still gets opened and closed multiple times per day and is holding up well

Note: The problem that people have when they send their computers into HP is the fact that HP simply fixes the symptom of the problem, not the actual problem. Meaning that they repair the plastic case halves and do not address the hinge preload or lubrication. If you look at the forums it is commonplace for people who sent their computers into HP for repair for them to break shortly thereafter because of this. In other words, the engineering defect is in the hinge pre-load, not necessarily the case construction (but likely partially responsible)

Good luck and I hope this helps

Remember that as consumers we vote with our dollars, make you next vote wisely!

[Concerned2day]

I have had my HP Laptop for 14 months. The top has always been very tight when opening and closing, and has always made a popping sound when opening. One time when I went to topen it, it made a very loud crack and the right hinge broke. Yes it just had the warranty expire, and now HP wants to charge me just to ask support a question. How and to whom do I contact with HP to express my disappoinment and anger this hapened to a relatively new computer? I saw online someone had filed a class action lawsuit on the very same problem, as far back as 2009. This tells me HP has been aware of this for a long time, but now I seem to be cheated by them.

Can someone please help me contact HP about this without having to pay? Thank you,

[danny-r]

@Concerned2day

I have brought your issue to the attention of an appropriate team within HP. They will likely request information from you in order to look up your case details or product serial number. Please look for a private message from an identified HP contact. Additionally, keep in mind not to publicly post personal information (serial numbers and case details).

If you are unfamiliar with how the Forum's private message capability works, you can learn about that here.

Thank you for visiting the HP Support Forum.

[Concerned2day]

Thank you very much for your quick reply!

[Adam32]

Hello Concerned2Day, sorry to hear about your bad situation, my computer at least made it a couple years before my hinges went.  From your description it sounds like your situation is very similar to mine with the knurled pieces pulling out of the plastic. When HP contacted me after the same canned response I essentially got a marketing person who was offering me a discount on a new computer or HP item from the website. I was offered a slight discount for repair at first but that was later retracted. The only thing I can tell you if you are out of warranty yout will also most likely be offered a deal that involves you spending more money for an engineering defect that has been aparently been going on for years and years. Hopefully your situation will turn out different but I doubt it. Read and search and you will find out very few get any sort of appropriate action that an engineering defect deserves. My laptop is stil going strong with the epoxy, nut, and screw. I am now shopping for a new one which I will purchase on Black Friday. Customer care / service will be at the top of my list when making my choice. I will not go through this again. Good luck and I hope you have a better turn out than I did.

[Concerned2day]

Well I most certainly learned what not to say on the forum. I've had several posts red flagged. Di you get a chance to see my pics yet? Is this the same thing that happened to you. It also seems like a safety issue to me, and I say that with experience in the field. I wonder if HP should put out some kind of safety alert or bulletin? I wouldn't want to see someone loose and eye or the tip of a finger in the hinge. I know the metal hinge smashed my index finger when I was trying to pry it open. Thank you.

[Adam32]

Hello Concerned2day,

I did not see your pics, did you upload them to this thread? In terms of a safety bullitin / alert, (or a recall which is typically done when a product defect is discovered) I would not hold your breath. My laptop is quite old, just for laughs I googled some of the newer models like mine and they are plauged as well. Unfortuately there is no good answer or solution for your problem. This has been a problem years ago and still is. You just get to sit there angry, feeling taken advantage of and ripped off, and there is really nothing you can do about it except to vote with your dollar for your next computer. Some will try and discredite, downplay, and minimize your situation and your feelings of discust, anger, and sadness as you realize how the wrong will never be made right.

I will keep an eye out for your pictures