Thinkpads Forum

Hello all!!!

I have a W520 that I ordered on the Lenovo web page. It is only a month old now but the right side speaker distorts badly above 50% volume. I contacted Lenovo and a box arrived today to send it in for a repair.

1. Should I cancel the repair, upgrade to the in-home repair service, and then re-file the claim? I have heard bad stories of peoples computers coming back re-assembled incorrectly.

2. If I go ahead and send it off, Should I remove my upgraded components such as RAM and SSD?

3. If I should remove my components, do I need to install the old HDD, and does it need to have an OS on it? Or can lenovo handle that on their own?

Sorry for the questions, but I am nervous about sending off my machine. Thanks in advance. -Mike

Arty_harvy, see here.

My understanding is that, if you send it to a depot, they will remove your hard drive and put in a drive with a standard Lenovo build of the system for diagnosis. Whether a technician who comes out for onsite service will do that, I don't know, as the problem presumably would have been diagnosed over the phone, and he should already have the part with him. In any case, I would make sure that you have everything (system, documents/data) backed up.

Good luck!

arty_harvy wrote:1. Should I cancel the repair, upgrade to the in-home repair service, and then re-file the claim? I have heard bad stories of peoples computers coming back re-assembled incorrectly.

Either way if they have to disassemble and reassemble, there is a chance it will not be done 100% correctly, whether at their service center or in your home.

arty_harvy wrote:2. If I go ahead and send it off, Should I remove my upgraded components such as RAM and SSD?

Not necessary, although I would document any upgrades you send (so that they don't accidentally lose them and later claim they never received them, not that it ever happened to me). Any drive containing personal / sensitive / important information I would remove, just in case.

arty_harvy wrote:3. If I should remove my components, do I need to install the old HDD, and does it need to have an OS on it? Or can lenovo handle that on their own?

No, they will handle it just fine as QFoam had said. I've send machines in before without hard drive, optical or battery - no problems.

arty_harvy wrote:Sorry for the questions, but I am nervous about sending off my machine.

That's perfectly understandable. And if you continue feeling nervous about it, you may choose to upgrade to onsite services as you suggested, just for peace of mind if not for the extra convenience.

Thanks for the great info guys. I think I will hold off and upgrade to on-site repair service. At least then I can over see the repair process.