That's the way the ThinkPad crumbles...

[Lockheed]

Thanks, Brian10161. But as I mentioned, this is not about regular warranty cover:

Customers' rights last for six years

The law says that a customer can approach you with a claim about an item they purchased from you (directly or through a retailer) for up to six years from the date of sale (five years after discovery of the problem in Scotland).

This does not mean that everything you sell has to last six years from the date of purchase! It is the time limit for the customer to make a claim about an item. During this period, you are legally required to deal with a customer who claims that their item does not conform to contract (is faulty ) and you must decide what would be the reasonable amount of time to expect the goods to last. A customer cannot hold you responsible for fair wear and tear .

The six-year period is not the same as a guarantee, but it does mean that even where the guarantee or warranty supplied with the product has ended, your customer may still have legal rights.

[precip9]

My ThinkPad crumbles.

I had my R61 since two years and all this time the case has been slowly crumbling. Even when doing nothing, various parts of it just fall off. I occasionally find bits and pieces of it either in my bag or around it on the desk.

It's like the case has been made too brittle. The bottom case is covered with long cracks, in the vent outlet 50% of ribs missing. Two long cracks on the inside, and a nail-sized piece fell off from under the USB post.
The LID cover seems to be made properly as it does not wear any cracks or signs of crumbling.
Any ideas or comments welcome.

Consulting the document "Systems reference withdrawn.pdf",
the case is made of " Polycarbonate/Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (PC/ABS) plastic"
whereas the materials of the case of the premium T61 are given as
"Super-Elastic PolyCarbonate (SEPC); Bottom: Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Plastic"

ABS has been used in laptop cases since the beginning, although it has been replaced in premium laptops by carbon fiber composites, aluminum, etc. ABS is the most common structural plastic. Everybody has tons of it around the house. ABS has generally worn well, but with notable exceptions. Apple had a problem with the material, resembling your plaint, which may have pushed their switch to aluminum. But I have had laptops over ten years old, with no degradation to the case material.

A friend of mine happens to have a beat-up R61 that I worked on. I found no evidence of case degradation. So you may be a victim of the "Chinese supplier syndrome", which goes like this: Some guys showed up with a big truck at the door of one of Lenovo's plastics contractors, and offered them an ABS blend at a cut-rate price. Fraud in the supply chain is big in China.

Edit: I have removed a reference to Lockheed that was intended as a joke, but could be misinterpreted.

[rkawakami]

@RBS and Lockheed: Keep the discussion on-topic without any personal attacks.

[ajkula66]

Customers' rights last for six years

The law says that a customer can approach you with a claim about an item they purchased from you (directly or through a retailer) for up to six years from the date of sale (five years after discovery of the problem in Scotland).

Right then and there, you don't have a case that holds water in *any* court. End of story.

[cadillacmike68]

OK, this one went way off the deep end quickly.

Lockheed, have you ever used it outside? How much? Did the first user use it outside?, The sun will bake things like you would not believe.

The fact they you bought it when it was 2-3 years old and that it was disassembled at least once and not re-assembled with new screws as per IBM / Lenovo requirements, could have definitely had an effect on what has happened to the bottom parts of the case.

I wish you luck with the EU claim. It may very well be a case (no pun intended ) of a materiel defect, but don't hold your breath. Then again as you were not the original purchaser from Lenovo or one of their authorized retailers, you may be SOL.

Lastly T series were built with better components including titanium composite cases, so they ARE different and Better than R series. otherwise i would have moved over to T series a long time ago.