How to repair minor laptop chassis damage (separation)

jadebrain

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Nov 1, 2011
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18,510
Hello,
After being forced to use my laptop a few weeks ago, when my desktop computer got infected with a multitude of high-severity viruses from what appears to have been the same page (as I had asked for help with here, but I don't have enough time in the day to do half of the things I've been needing to do lately, so I've been unable to start the recovery process after all this time), I've been needing my laptop for all of my digital needs. The laptop, an MSI Gaming notebook, has the following model number (copied from MSI site):

GP70 2PE(Leopard)-010US-GG5421H8G1T0S81M

Today, however, I noticed that the chassis pieces are starting to become separated above the Ethernet port on the upper-right, and the hinge that connects the screen is starting to get loose there; I tried pushing it back together, to see if it would "snap" back into place, but it doesn't seem to work that way. I've had a different laptop that functioned (barely, though it had awful specs anyway) with far worse chassis damage, so I would consider this damage to be relatively minor; however, I would rather not allow the damage to go without fixing, because I'm afraid that if the chassis pieces stay "un-sealed" (for lack of a better term), the damage will become greater, so I'd like to fix this as soon as possible. Unlike with the desktop, I don't have another computer to use if this one breaks, so I'll have to work on the repairs as soon as I get the chance.
 
Solution
depends if the vendor msi sells top and bottom case shell and the lcd hinges. some vendors do sell case parts...some dont. i would email msi see what they would change and see what the repair would be from a few laptop shops. when you take the case apart the hard part is not cutting the lcd data and power cables.most laptop vendor like to wrap the cable around most time the left side hinge of laptops. you may pay more for the repair but it come with a warranty...
depends if the vendor msi sells top and bottom case shell and the lcd hinges. some vendors do sell case parts...some dont. i would email msi see what they would change and see what the repair would be from a few laptop shops. when you take the case apart the hard part is not cutting the lcd data and power cables.most laptop vendor like to wrap the cable around most time the left side hinge of laptops. you may pay more for the repair but it come with a warranty...
 
Solution

jadebrain

Distinguished
Nov 1, 2011
6
0
18,510


I had thought of that, but I don't want to cause any more damage, say, if some of the glue got into the electronics. I suppose just a tiny amount of glue would do the trick, and if any circuits were that close to the edge, it would probably have been exposed to ESD already... Still, I'd rather wait for confirmation from the others.



I tried contacting MSI, and I don't think they really read my message. I explicitly stated that I wanted to repair the chassis on my own, but the response was about who I'd have to call and how much I'd have to pay if I wanted to send it to them. Honestly, I was expecting such a response, but I figured I'd try.

Anyway, the warranty doesn't apply to such repairs, since it wasn't "registered" within 30 days of purchase. I was going to register earlier, but there were some problems that resulted from Windows Update errors which, before being solved, would require me to reset the system's software to factory defaults every now and then, since it would get stuck on updates.



I've checked the screws; none are loose. Given the proximity to the hinge, you'd think that there would be more to reinforce that part of the chassis, so that the screws would have to be loose for the damage to occur... No, I actually found a screwdriver with a bit small enough to work with the screws, and they're tight, suggesting that the chassis itself was damaged.