X230 lid corner broken

X230/X240 series specific matters only
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niko2
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Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2016 6:16 am
Location: Mougins, France

X230 lid corner broken

#1 Post by niko2 » Thu Mar 09, 2017 5:12 pm

Hi all,
I've just bought and changed the back cover lid (the front as well), because is was broken in top left corner (it should have been the right one, but I use more often my left hand to open and close the lid !)
and the new one broke as well after a few minutes :(

this photo shows exactly the broken point
Image

is it a "classic" point of failure ?
is it possible to repair it ? which material is it ? magnesium ? plastic ?

thanks
X230 - i5-3320M - 16Go Kingston 1600Mhz
Samsung 850 Evo 500Gb SSD
Dual-boot LinuxMint 18 / Windows 7 Pro
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TankPad
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Re: X230 lid corner broken

#2 Post by TankPad » Thu Mar 09, 2017 7:54 pm

Yup, I've had 2 that are broken just like that. It makes the black trim thing kinda loose and cheap feeling. I just put a dab of epoxy in there and it was solid. :)

PS, its metal. I'm not sure what kind of metal but it looks like cheap pot metal where the break is.
niko2 wrote:Hi all,
I've just bought and changed the back cover lid (the front as well), because is was broken in top left corner (it should have been the right one, but I use more often my left hand to open and close the lid !)
and the new one broke as well after a few minutes :(

this photo shows exactly the broken point
Image

is it a "classic" point of failure ?
is it possible to repair it ? which material is it ? magnesium ? plastic ?

thanks
| 701c | X220 | T420 | X230 | T430s |

axur-delmeria
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Re: X230 lid corner broken

#3 Post by axur-delmeria » Fri Mar 10, 2017 3:46 am

It's a common failure point, unfortunately-- my X220 has the same problem.
TankPad wrote:PS, its metal. I'm not sure what kind of metal but it looks like cheap pot metal where the break is.
It's actually AZ91D magnesium alloy, same material as the bottom chassis.

The problem with that part is that it's too small-- if it were at least half an inch wide, it wouldn't break as easily (if at all).
Daily driver: X220 4291-P79 i5-2520M

In reserve: X61 T7500, X60 T2300
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Re: X230 lid corner broken

#4 Post by RealBlackStuff » Fri Mar 10, 2017 4:32 am

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niko2
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2016 6:16 am
Location: Mougins, France

Re: X230 lid corner broken

#5 Post by niko2 » Fri Mar 10, 2017 5:22 am

thank you guys, i will try epoxy repair then.
nice to hear i'm not the only one, glad to read Lenovo don't care about quality annymore
X230 - i5-3320M - 16Go Kingston 1600Mhz
Samsung 850 Evo 500Gb SSD
Dual-boot LinuxMint 18 / Windows 7 Pro
IPS 1366x768 Display
fingerprint reader

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Re: X230 lid corner broken

#6 Post by RealBlackStuff » Fri Mar 10, 2017 8:23 am

Someone with a 3D printer should try and make a copy (or copies) of the lid, but without that stupid ridge line.
That should solve the problem (and could make its creator a small fortune!).

TankPad
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Location: Colchester

Re: X230 lid corner broken

#7 Post by TankPad » Fri Mar 10, 2017 6:58 pm

I could do that no probs but the material would be inferior to the OEM. The original feels as if it were pressed in a die and conventional 3D printing couldn't really offer anything as stiff or durable, without getting into very specialist kinda stuff imo.

I actually popped off the bezel on my X230 and beefed up the area with epoxy as a precaution, after the experience with the X220.

On a positive note, i wrapped my x220 lid in carbon fibre and the presence of that little plastic bezel thing makes for a really neat and clean join to tuck the vinyl into. :D
| 701c | X220 | T420 | X230 | T430s |

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