Thinkpads Forum

Thinkpads are supposed to be built like tanks. I had my old R40 for three years and never had an issue with it that didn't happen within the first 30 days of ownership. Just curious to see how many people break a Thinkpad.

I'm debating whether or not to buy a three year warranty. They're expensive!!

EDIT (11-02-2007): **** How many people have had warranty issues PAST the one year mark? ****
The standard warranty is one year. If most issues happen within this time period, then the standard might be sufficient.

Check out this thread.

Excellent! Looks like I fall into the majority 2/3rds according to that thread. Since I treat my laptop like a baby, hopefully I won't run into any warranty issues outside of 1 year. From my past experience, it either works or it doesn't.

rxblitzrx wrote:From my past experience, it either works or it doesn't.

Erm, no.

Hard disks tend to develop bad sectors or die. Often after ~2 years. Optical drives in general have a short life span, and after a while may stop reading/writing.

Motherboards can die instantly too, and in fact any electrical component can suddently go *poom* from an unexpected power surge or so.

Finally, LCDs are known to develop weird issues at times.

I replaced hard drives and LCD screens in my machines way past the 1yr mark. And rest assured that I did not cause the damages.

Bottom line is - it's nothing more than gambling. Not to say that it's definitely better to spend extra $$$ on the 3yr warranty, but it can come really handy at times.

rxblitzrx wrote:I'm debating whether or not to buy a three year warranty. They're expensive!!

the 3-year is only $120 retail.   how much did you spend on your glossy screen conversion again?

rxblitzrx wrote:From my past experience, it either works or it doesn't.

i used to think that way, too, until i sold my R50p to a friend and the IPS UXGA panel developed issues and DVD burner went out after six months of him having it.   at that point it was 1.5 years into the 3-year warranty.   the "extended" warranty (which was standard for the R50p at that time) saved his butt.

To me it is simple, if I spend $1200 on a machine with a 1 year warranty, I assume that it will last a year, therefore it will cost me $100 per month to "own it" and it is covered for that period of time. Anything over a year is a bonus, if you change machines oftern than it is not a problem....however, if I know I will keep the machine for more than 1 year I add the warranty into the mix, say $290 for the NBD and TPP Total: $1490 NOW I SPREAD THIS FOR 3 YEARS BECAUSE IT IS A GUARANTEE THAT I CAN HAVE IT FOR THAT LONG (UNLESS IT IS STOLEN). Now that machine will cost me ~$42/month for 36 MONTHS and I will have no further expenses on it for that time period. Basically an assurance that I will have no further costs incurred during the life of the device...THAT IS ALL THE WARRANTY IS....

If you break the warranty down in "months" the added expense is TRIVIAL...and IMHO a no brainer (IF YOU PLAN ON KEEPING IT FOR MORE THAN ONE YEAR)

This is exactly how I look at it too.

draco2527 wrote:To me it is simple, if I spend $1200 on a machine with a 1 year warranty, I assume that it will last a year, therefore it will cost me $100 per month to "own it" and it is covered for that period of time. Anything over a year is a bonus, if you change machines oftern than it is not a problem....however, if I know I will keep the machine for more than 1 year I add the warranty into the mix, say $290 for the NBD and TPP Total: $1490 NOW I SPREAD THIS FOR 3 YEARS BECAUSE IT IS A GUARANTEE THAT I CAN HAVE IT FOR THAT LONG (UNLESS IT IS STOLEN). Now that machine will cost me ~$42/month for 36 MONTHS and I will have no further expenses on it for that time period. Basically an assurance that I will have no further costs incurred during the life of the device...THAT IS ALL THE WARRANTY IS....

If you break the warranty down in "months" the added expense is TRIVIAL...and IMHO a no brainer (IF YOU PLAN ON KEEPING IT FOR MORE THAN ONE YEAR)

I also figure the additional warranty costs as insurance that I will have a trouble free machine for at least that time -- I tend to keep laptops a long time: I had a Toshiba Portege as my road warrior machine for five years (and my kids used it for school for another 3-4 years), replaced it with an IBM ThinkPad 600E at the end of 1998, which lasted until the hard drive died in January 2005, which I then replaced with a refurb T-23 that's still going strong, but now out of the extended warranty.

The only reason the T-23 is being replaced is a change of philosophy to a high-end T61 with a dock at the office and a minidock at home -- and I bought a long extended protection plan warranty for the new T61. If it breaks, they fix. Next Day. My Location. It's worth a lot to me.

My worst warranty experience was with my NetVista small form factor, when the LCD died just two weeks after my extended warranty expired -- and I was told there would be a substantial delay getting a display because they were having problems with them -- a write off as I simply had to buy another desktop and pull out the hard drive from the NetVista.

I guess if you plan on keeping the laptop for three years then a warranty would be justified. Hopefully I won't run into issues. I still can't justify the extra money to tide me over for another year of warranty since I don't plan on keeping this for more than two years.

if you buy with amex...you can get an additional year of warranty for free!

eyecon82 wrote:if you buy with amex...you can get an additional year of warranty for free!

Makes sense.

I think there is a limit and depends on how long the warranty is. I don't think they will add a year if the original warranty is 3 years to make a total of 4 years.

Brad

Yeah many credit cards in the UK do that too which gives you a 2 year warranty, despite all the ThinkPads I have had normally lasting longer than that without a failure, I wouldn't use the same system for more than 2 years anyway so anything more is a waste

I use ThinkPads for electronic medical records in my office. Each doctor, each PA, and each nurse or medical assistant carries an R50 or R51 with them all day, from room to room.

My R50p would need hockey puck construction to avoid repairs. I carry it with me everywhere. It has made several trips to EasyServ and in the end it is alive and well four years into its useful life. I love the R50p and have recently bought six more.

Of our half a dozen R51 laptops, a couple have gone back to EasyServ during their three years of use and four never have. They haven't been dropped, but they do travel in and out of patient rooms all day. I AM IMPRESSED! Each one gets plugged and unplugged to the ac adapter about thirty times a day, five or six days a week.

My judgment is that ThinkPad warranty with ThinkPad protection is a good value. I tell my staff to be careful with the computers, but to remember, they are meant to be used, and "accidents happen." ThinkPad protection, to me, means that if a child vomits on the keyboard or if a nurse spills coffee on it, we have an inconvenience but not a big worry.

I just bought a T61p with four years of ThinkPad protection. No regrets. I just paid $259 for two additional years of warranty on the "like new" R50p I purchased on ebay for my mother-in-law two weeks ago. That R50p arrived DOA but cosmetically great. Luckily it had two weeks of EasyServ warranty left, so it is getting repaired at this very minute.

My experience is that most ThinkPads with hard use will have some repair issues. I don't think they're tough as hockey pucks, but they are pretty darn great!

Batteries go bad in one to three years. That's life. Optical drives can go bad in one to three years unexpectedly. I've had two hard drives go bad in the last 12 years, one on a 760ED and one on an A21p. I've never had a hard drive fail on the 14 or so ThinkPads I've bought since 2003. Having said that, I back up every crucial hard drive.

Barry

i just got a 3 year warranty with my t61p (not shipped yet), you all would do the same if you've been using a flex-affected t42 for the past year straight. It's built tough, but there's always something that can happen. Even if all you do is replace one motherboard that goes bad somehow, it'll pay for itself.

******************* How many people have had their issues occur PAST the one year mark? ***************

I only ask because the standard warranty lasts one year. If a majority of issues happen within one year of ownership then the standard warranty might be sufficient.

rxblitzrx wrote:******************* How many people have had their issues occur PAST the one year mark? ***************

Once, I had a screen go out the day before the 3-year warranty ran out.

rxblitzrx, warranties are for a peace of mind. The fact that you started this thread shows that you are concerned about having problems with your Thinkpad down the road. So, I suggest that you get three years of warranty. Otherwise, you would be constantly worrying, and that's unhealthy.

rxblitzrx wrote:******************* How many people have had their issues occur PAST the one year mark? ***************

I only ask because the standard warranty lasts one year. If a majority of issues happen within one year of ownership then the standard warranty might be sufficient.

Power adapter (inside the motherboard) broke 1 month after the 1 year warranty ended. Flex problem came up 3 months after that was fixed, still not under warranty.

i just went with the 1 year standard...using amex gave me an extra year...after the 2 years are up, I plan on buying a new one anyways

eyecon82 wrote:i just went with the 1 year standard...using amex gave me an extra year...after the 2 years are up, I plan on buying a new one anyways

That sounds like the best strategy!

pianowizard wrote:

eyecon82 wrote:i just went with the 1 year standard...using amex gave me an extra year...after the 2 years are up, I plan on buying a new one anyways

That sounds like the best strategy!

I don't think all AmEx cards offer this though.

I was concerned that the citibank card I initially used did not have this. However, when I called amex they said "99.9% of the amex cards have it"

all cards through citibank amex do and everything listed on www.americanexpress.com

google "buyers assurance program" or "extended warranty program" for more info

here is more info https://www124.americanexpress.com/card ... efitDetail

here is more info

Extended Warranty Product List & Disclosures

Extended Warranty Coverage

AT&T Universal Savings Platinum Card
AT&T Universal Savings and Rewards Card
Citi CashReturnsSM MasterCard®
Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
Citi® Diamond Preferred® Rewards Card
Citi® Dividend Platinum Select® MasterCard®
Citi® Dividend Platinum Select® MasterCard® for College Students
Citi® Driver's Edge® Options Platinum Select® MasterCard®
Citi® Gold / AAdvantage® World MasterCard®
Citi® Home Rebate Platinum Select® MasterCard®
Citi® Platinum Select® / AAdvantage® World MasterCard®
Citi® Platinum Select® MasterCard®
Citi® Platinum Select® MasterCard® for College Students
Citi PremierPass® Card
Citi PremierPass® Card -- Elite Level
Citi PremierPass® Expedia.com Card
Citi PremierPass® Expedia.com Card - Elite Level
Citi® Upromise® Platinum Select® MasterCard®
The Home Depot Rewards MasterCard®
Citi® / AAdvantage® American Express® Card
Citi Chairman® American Express® Card
Citi® Diamond Preferred® Rewards American Express® Card
Citi® Dividend American Express® Card
Citi® Platinum American Express® Card
Citi® PremierPass® American Express® Card
Citi PremierPass® American Express® Card - Elite Level
Citi SelectSM/ AAdvantage® American Express® Card

The terms of the original manufacturers' U.S. warranties (of one year or less) may be extended up to one additional year on most of the items purchased with these cards.

Extended Warranty coverage (duplicates the manufacturer or store warranty up to a maximum of 12 months on most items you purchase and is limited to repair or replacement of the lesser of the amount charged to your card or $10,000) is underwritten by Virginia Surety Company, Inc. Certain conditions, restrictions and exclusions apply. Details of coverage will be provided upon cardmembership.

nonny wrote:Once, I had a screen go out the day before the 3-year warranty ran out.

Did you manage to get a replacement for free? In Singapore, if our remaining warranty is less than 3 days, we might not be able to get a free replacement..

My T42 had it's motherboard replaced within the year. The LCD completely went out RIGHT AFTER the 3 year warranty was over. The hard drive developed issues at around the same time.

On a T61 now, would be nice to have the T42 working but it isn't. So the entire ThinkPads are built like tanks may be true for some laptops but not all. That T42 purchased while the ThinkPad line was still under IBM ownership.

NS wrote:Did you manage to get a replacement for free?

Of course.

I've encounter very few problems with the few Thinkpads I've owned.
Thinkpad A22e: Bought August 2001, 1-year warranty: Only had a hard disk replacement on the LAST day of the 1-year warranty!
Thinkpad T30: Bought September 2002 - Sold May 2007 (3-year warranty). Unfortunately the memory slot error occured outside those 3 years, sold laptop with that problem (512MB ony, instead of the 768MB in the dead slot)
Thinkpad T42p: Bought August 2006 (warranty expired this year): No problems whatsoever with this machine. It has no serial number, no Windows/ATI stickers on the palmrest, was those laptops sold to IBM employees, and made a good deal to get it.
No problems whatsoever, only change within the warranty period was the swap of the short fan with the long fan.

I think primarily you should have a surge protector box (don't know it's correct name) so that when the voltage changes your laptop would not suffer.
My first laptop died from a surge power failure (Compaq Presario 1685)

I think Lenovo quality definitely doesn't compare to the original IBM. However, they still feel sturdier than other brands out there. True, the plastic is annoying, but they still make a good product.

As far as warranty is concerned, I hope I never have to send mine in for repair. I don't mind replacing a hard drive or some other minor malfunction. If the warranty service is as bad as you guys say it is... well, I think I'll be shopping another brand in a couple years.

The warranty service I got under IBM on my old R40 was EXCELLENT. They sent the box, picked it up, fixed it, and returned it all for free. Only took a week too.

rxblitzrx wrote:I think Lenovo quality definitely doesn't compare to the original IBM. However, they still feel sturdier than other brands out there. True, the plastic is annoying, but they still make a good product.

As far as warranty is concerned, I hope I never have to send mine in for repair. I don't mind replacing a hard drive or some other minor malfunction. If the warranty service is as bad as you guys say it is... well, I think I'll be shopping another brand in a couple years.

The warranty service I got under IBM on my old R40 was EXCELLENT. They sent the box, picked it up, fixed it, and returned it all for free. Only took a week too.

Yeah, I'm afraid the time when you call IBM customer service and they actually fix the machine and return it to you is all gone. Now if they really have to replace a malfunctioned part they would, but if they suspect it to be the customer's fault they just ship it back, and in my case, toss it around a little bit, and all the screws were not tightened up properly.

rxblitzrx wrote:snip......The warranty service I got under IBM on my old R40 was EXCELLENT. They sent the box, picked it up, fixed it, and returned it all for free. Only took a week too.

That's what IBM does. It's still a service provider (warranty and support services) for lenovo products, the process is exact same too, ofcourse varies on one's warranty type and geography. Although guidelines provided by lenovo are a little different nevertheless you get same exact same top notch services from IBM. I am not saying lenovo/IBM are perfect and flawless in providing these services, mishaps occur but look at the overall scale, in today's computer industry IBM's warranty services are ranked second best after Apples.

If you're overly concerned about EasyServ warranty services (which you shouldn't) then you also have an option of purchasing on-site repair/replacement service.