"New" T500 - replacing hinges

[rhombus]

I recently acquired a used T500 in reasonably good condition. It is the model with the ATI HD3650 and switchable graphics.

The one issue it has -- and I am aware this is a problem with all the widescreen T6x, T4xx and T5xx -- are the hinges. The screen stays up, but there is about 1 cm of play. Yet the hinges are so stiff that you can only open the laptop two-handed.

It's obvious why this happens - the wide hinge design was a dumb idea. It might look "solid", but with a wider design, the tolerances have to be very small to prevent wear failures like this.

That said, I would like to replace the hinges. I have read that there are hinges from different manufacturers, and one is supposed to be better than the other. I have looked on ebay, but the manufacturer is never mentioned.

My questions to you:

Have you ever done a hinge replacement on these machines or know somebody who has? Where did you get your hinges? Any pitfalls I should be aware of?

[rhombus]

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