Thinkpads Forum

Have you ever used you waranty for a thinkpad, particularly an r-series?

How glad were you that you still had it?

I'm thinking of upgrading, which would void my 2 years left waranty. This question seems like one than should be asked by someone sometime though, right?

I have used my warranty on my T41 to replace the system board. T4x's had (may still have) a rather common system board problem with cracking / cold solder joints that occur however gently you use the machine and occur more frequently and faster for those who pick up the machine by the corners.

I have had a variety of client machine issues (nothing abnormal), and one client has now just paid for a 5th year of maintenance. The machines work just fine, are fast enough, and run XP for five years. The next rollout (a year or so away) will likely be Vista (if - a big, big, big, big IF - Microsoft can ever make it work with today's bountiful list of useful software).
... JDH

jdhurst wrote:I have used my warranty on my T41 to replace the system board. ...

Me, too, a few weeks ago on a nearly 3 year old T41p. I have also used the warranty for a new keyboard, on the same laptop, as the keycaps kept coming off. Thank goodness for the warranty!

I have sent in a few R50/R51's for various problems. They have always done a good job repairing them. I have also sent in a T23, T42 and a T60 with good results. I hope it stays that way. (fingers crossed)

On my T42:

* I broke two keys on my keyboard on two different occasions.
* My Flexview display developed a strange defect where it seemed as if there was a hole in it and backlight was shining through.

On my old Compaq Evo laptop I had the hard disk develop bad sectors.

On all these occasions, the items were replaced under warranty - no questions asked. So, yeah, I was (and for T42, still am) happy to have warranty.

However, not any upgrade will void the warranty on everything else (in principle it does, in practice, it is possible that they will honor it). Like - if you upgrade the CPU - why wouldn't they replace the LCD if it dies? (and vice versa)

So I recently dropped my thinkpad and cracked off the plastic on one of the corners. If I have an unrelated problem, (such as excessive heat and poor 3d peformance) do you think they will still repair it under warranty? Or are they going to say "oops, we don't cover accidental damage," even though the two problems are unrelated.

Maybe, maybe not. That depends on the particular tech you get and the mood he is in that day. They can deny you coverage since it was dropped but they can also fix it if they wish. That is unless you have thinkpad protection coverage. Then they will fix it.

so am I better off buying a new plastic case off ebay or something and fixing that before I send it back in? There are pieces of the frame that don't quite fit right anymore so I think I need to take it apart anyway. Anyone know if it's even possible to do such a replacement?

Sure it is possible. Just go get the Hardware Maintenance Manual. http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... 39298.html
It will guide you through tearing your Thinkpad clear down and putting it back together. It is very easy to follow.

I added a post warranty-warranty after I purchased a used R40 last year. I only used it for a replacement hard drive (drive was heating up to 90C), so that was a complete waste of money. I sold it a month later.

I have sent in a previous machine several times to get it fixed, and was happy with it. Turns out the motherboard was cracked from picking it up on the edge, which the newer models have roll cages.

For my older laptops, I have not extended the warranty since I can find that I can buy parts online/ebay easy and cheaply. Lot of people seem to part out thinkpads. Most things are easy to replace, such as replacing a keyboard, or replacing the entire lid/display. For disk drives usually you can get something faster/bigger for a lower price than the extended warrany.