T42 build quality - Photo's.

[apollo46]

Fellow Thinkpaders,

As I mentioned in previous posts, I bought a brand new T42p -KTU from our dear friend Bill which he shipped over to me in London. (Great service!). Unforetunetly, I received a very bad example of a thinkpad! I dont know how it passed through IBM's quality control! The build quality made a Dell feel like a rolls royce. I am shipping the laptop back to IBM and am awaiting the next release of the T42 as I dont think the current quality is at any level acceptable.

I have taken a number of photo's to show those defects that can be photographed. This includes the screen gap, the loose battery and the dvd drive gap. The other issues such as a really cheap feeling (clicky) keyboard, creaking palmrest, rightside keyboard flex, broken microphone input could not be photographed.

If you are interested, pleae have a look at the photo's and compare with your own model. I think we are being forced to accept lower quality builds from the factory in China. This is my 4th thinkpad and by far the worst. I encourage all to complain and make it known that the quality of these machines needs to be addressed. I have already logged formal complaints with both IBM in the US and the UK. Btw, dont even think about getting any service from IBM UK, they were completely unhelpful and unsympathetic, forcing me to return the laptop at great cost and inconvience to IBM US.

http://www.nickshome.com/thinkpad/defects/

Click on the photo's to see a description of the defect.

Regards,
Nick.

[efsman]

I think most of these gaps are strategically designed stress releving points so that excessive pressure does not destroy your laptop.

[MommyT]

how did you get ibm to take it back?

[JHEM]

how did you get ibm to take it back?

You have 30 days from purchase to return it for any, or no, reason.

Regards,

James

[MommyT]

that's if you bought it direct from IBM. Nick here says he bought through Bill, so that's why I'm wondering....

[Volker]

I remember my old 760C Thinkpad. That was like a tank, nothing even thought of flexing on that case. One could probably beat somebody to death with that thing.

Compared to that, my T41 is flimsical. I could certainly break it by a medium strength punch.

Now, do I want to go back to the 760C? Heck, NO. The brick was nice at the time, but compared to today's hardware it is way too heavy. There is simply a tradeoff between portaibility and sturdyness, and if it is possible to shave off a pound of weight in exchange for a flexing palmrest, so be it.

The T4x series is certainly sturdy enough to survive every day use, and anything more would be a waste on the super-thin notebook series.

[JHEM]

that's if you bought it direct from IBM. Nick here says he bought through Bill, so that's why I'm wondering....

Bill is an authorized IBM reseller and, AFAIK, is covered under the same 30 day return policy as buying direct from IBM.

If that's not the case I have no doubt that he'll chime in here to correct me.

Regards,

James

[BillMorrow]

[chime]

when you buy from bill you get personal service..

i saw nick's pictures and some of what they show is unacceptable..

that said, i would have to reserve judgement as to whether i would have returned or just repaired until i see the thinkpad but time constraints require that it go directly back to ibm..

i do pixel checks and cherry picking for a fee but you still get it below the ibm web list price and even if i have to charge (as on all express models) list the saving on sales tax helps many..
however, since i will replace a defective machine its better for the customer to inspect and return for replacement..

no one, IBM, me or customer wants an unhappy customer..

[p0ser]

I think most of these gaps are strategically designed stress releving points so that excessive pressure does not destroy your laptop.

Perhaps .. but with all due respect, i wonder why IBM does not tout their highly engineered pressure relief technology on their website then?

[dpb]

Interesting. I checked my T42 just now and found all the same gaps shown in your photos. Yet there is 0% loss in functionality.

If you are willing to accept a less capable or heavier laptop or, as you suggest, no new laptop at all, that's your right. But for me, it would be like choosing your car based on the tightness and uniformity of the shutlines. It would be the last point I would base a purchase decision on. I'm delighted with my T42.

[BillMorrow]

i sould use some stress relief after two hurricanes visited in sept...

but if stress relief space IS what it is then it works..
how do i know..??
a customer called thursday to say his girlfriend had driven his truck over his T40..
crushed.. !!
the thinkpad was badly damaged too..
BUT, aside from the kaleidoscope colors on the display and the fluid slowly oozing out, it still works..

[JaimitoBond]

LCD hinge doesnt look right. Batt gap is a bit too big for a 9 cell. Otherwise, it is normal. CDROM bay gap is needed for 2nd HDD adaptor. Left plam squeaks due to the thinness, required for fitting a type III card. The keyboard will flex onthe right because there's no hardware mounting under that side.

This DYI will fix KB and batt flex issues.

http://www.ds-labs.com/ibm/batt_key.htm

[benz]

I read new threads about this almost every week, but I have YET to see some hard, concrete evidence of a part BREAKING due to these 'defects'. If it doesn't affect your use of the laptop, then its not a defect, no matter what it looks like. If the battery is actually disconnecting under normal use, then thats a defect, but a little shifting here and there isnt anything to worry about.

Bottom line - if this kind of stuff bothers you enough to log complaints and threaten returning it, then you probably won't be very satisfied with much of anything. By the way, I don't think there is a single OEM that operates anywhere but asia, so you are guaranteed to get some "China" parts somethere down the line.