Regular return trip to EzServ = Hell

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Navck · #1 Post by **Navck** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 2:02 pm

For some reason, I've had a strange "watermark" or "stain" of some sort in my T43's LCD, and I just recently called Lenovo, the problem is that the guy on the phone says that my warranty might be voided because "water condensed inside the LCD." Anyone have any idea whats going on here. (And then again, my T43 has been back and forth from EasyServ for a while...)

Update - "Spill damage" somehow within the chassis or LCD...
Well this gets to kill my 3 year warranty + 3 year accidental and onsite warranty. I guess the tech spilled soda on my laptop at my expense? Also they blame the liquid for the reason my BIOS and embedded controller won't flash...

Update - Fun, they say I don't have accidental coverage, and I need to find the receipt that came in the box of my T43 which was in June or so of 2005. Something that was probably thrown away and had the accidental coverage because it cost way more than the expected price that was there. Oh yeah, something about the photos coming on tuesday, probably after they drown my laptop in water, then demand ransom.

Update - Well there are the photos, of the exact same thing I see. I wonder how water/liquids can get into a LCD at 90 degrees.

Well I sent a email to Lenovo sales and hopefully they have the purchase on record... EZScrewed is the only thing I can say as of now.

#2 Post by **rkawakami** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 2:06 pm

If possible, could you upload a picture of it and then post a link here? If not, I can host it on my site, just e-mail me. From your description, it sounds like it could also be a cracked LCD

. The only way that you could have gotten water condensation inside the screen is if you were taking the laptop from one temperature/humidity extreme to the other. Was this something that you have subjected the system to recently?

Navck · #3 Post by **Navck** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 2:22 pm

Nope, haven't done anything extreme with my T43, so that rules the water out. I'd have to say my T43 has sat at home for a month with the LCD problem

Some of the images are manual focus, so they're blurry, but you can still see the spots.
http://img331.imageshack.us/img331/2030/dsc0606jf2.jpg
http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/4618/dsc0603dz1.jpg
http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/5610/dsc0605yb8.jpg
http://img331.imageshack.us/img331/2030/dsc0606jf2.jpg

#4 Post by **rkawakami** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 2:30 pm

If you are talking about the white "splotches" along the blue Windows taskbar in those images, then I would say that's what are normally called "pressure marks". Quite common with the T2x series that I've seen. Usually caused by the application of some constant pressure upon the screen. Say, putting something heavy on the closed lid and then the keys on the keyboard pressing up against the LCD.

christopher_wolf · #5 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 3:04 pm

I agree with Ray, those aren't stains but aberrant areas of light diffusion caused by pressure marks. Most of the ones that I have come across are fairly tiny and occur in irregular shapes often near the edge of the screen due to pressure. They don't completely go away, but they can fade considerably depending on the conditions in which the LCD is used. They can also be of a darker color or gray as well. On the whole, unless you are getting too many of them or large clusters that blob together (which is an indicator of a far more serious problem), I wouldn't worry too much about it.

#6 Post by **rkawakami** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 3:12 pm

And to answer one of the OP's questions... no, I don't believe that this is something that would be covered by any warranty. You could stress/insist/deny/lie that NOTHING you did caused those marks to appear and see if that falls on sympathetic ears, but I wouldn't hold out too much hope for a "free" resolution to the problem.

Hanson · #7 Post by **Hanson** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 3:32 pm

If you have accidental coverage, then those pressure points will be covered.

#8 Post by **rkawakami** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 3:37 pm

Hanson wrote:Unless you have accidental coverage.

Really?? For pressure marks? Is there a limit as to the size or the number of areas?

christopher_wolf · #9 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 4:10 pm

Even so, I would be very hesitant to send a whole Thinkpad in for service for just a few pressure marks. It just increases the chances that you will get it back with some other problem caused by fiddling.

Hanson · #10 Post by **Hanson** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 12:16 am

rkawakami wrote:
Hanson wrote:Unless you have accidental coverage.
Really?? For pressure marks? Is there a limit as to the size or the number of areas?

Sorry, I should've rephrased my answer to "it should be covered by accidental coverage". I didn't exactly send in my laptop because of pressure points, I sent in my laptop because I accidentally spilled milk into the screen and it left a grainy white strip about half a centimetre wide and 4 centimetres long. No questions were asked. I live in Canada in case that may be a factor.

The marks left over from my spill is nothing compared to the large pressure marks on the bottom left corner of his screen, hence my reasoning that if the damage I caused was covered by accidental warranty, his should be too.

Navck · #11 Post by **Navck** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 3:10 am

The only problem to this is that these marks only appeared a month ago, but the laptop has been sitting on the table in the same place for over 2 months, and maybe the occasional dusting for the keyboard.

danage · #12 Post by **danage** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 4:38 am

hmm i seen keyboard and pressure marks on lcds before but they looked different. it looks indeed as if there was humidity getting inside. i wonder how they can just say "this is your fault" as ive seen water condensing from the air on a lot of surfaces (windows, for example).

the marks look like just that. the capillary effect has pulled water between the sheets of the lcd.

i would send it in, they should to replace it. this doesnt look like your fault at all to me.

christopher_wolf · #13 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 11:26 am

I am pretty sure those are pressure marks and not humidity, but they aren't caused by the keyboard. If it was hyumidity, there would have to be some sort of path it could take to seep in from the outside and that would be markedly visible and occur in a significantly higher percentage beginning around the edge of the LCD.

Navck, you have cleaned the screen from time to time along with dusting the keyboard though, right?

Navck · #14 Post by **Navck** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 4:57 pm

Yeah, by dusting it with microfiber or tissues. Otherwise I put a little rubbing alcohol onto a tissue and wipe the screen with it so any dried spit is lifted

Edit: I'm already on the line with DHL with my T43 packed up

Navck · #15 Post by **Navck** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 6:49 pm

"There is a spill in your laptop"

And they're sending me pictures of this to prove it, how this can happen, I don't know, there goes my 3 year warranty + Accidental into the wastebin..

#16 Post by **Kyocera** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:32 pm

I thought accidental was supposed to cover accidents? Like dropping it, etc. Man it sounds like your getting ripped

Navck · #17 Post by **Navck** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:53 pm

It sounds like the guy working on my laptop spilled his soda and decided to blame it on me. The thing is that I only use rubbing alcohol to clean my laptop, thus it should evaporate no matter what...
That and they claim the liquid damaged my systemboard so it won't flash the BIOS or embedded controller.

#18 Post by **draco2527** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 1:10 am

Navck wrote:It sounds like the guy working on my laptop spilled his soda and decided to blame it on me. The thing is that I only use rubbing alcohol to clean my laptop, thus it should evaporate no matter what...
That and they claim the liquid damaged my systemboard so it won't flash the BIOS or embedded controller.

Well I can't say, based on the pictures that they are pressure marks...HOWEVER...I have seen this before!! Pressure marks are usually well defined; these seem to have "odd" shapes

Too much "cleaning solution" is deposited on the LCD, running into/behind the several layers of reflective material; as the water evaporates the residue/stain will remain and create the "pressure" marks.

Or something was spilled on LCD!

Hypothetically:

Temperature differentials in that extreme (to cause that damage) would have cracked the display! The laptop is most likely transported in a case, so even if there are rapid temperature changes the case will act as an "insulator" and make condensation in that extreme almost impossible. If the laptop went such a drastic temperature change it must be "hot" and cooled or "cool" and heated...in my personal opinion this is not the case....since the unit would have to be "powered on" shortly after (from freezing trunk, to inside of house and powered on...or from a hot house to freezing weather outside...)

EDIT Either way, accidental protection should cover it...if you look at the accidental protection contract..it will not cover being left out in the rain!!! or acts of war, nuke etc

christopher_wolf · #19 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 1:22 am

Navck, they shouldn't be able to use that as an excuse. Not only do you have the 3 year warranty, but also the accident coverage which should cover spills in any case. I also find it very strange that they should take apart the Thinkpad to the point where they could get a good enough view of the planar to say there was spill damage; at least that is what they are implying by saying that; why did they need to open it up like that in the first place? I haven't heard of a spill onto a planar that has *selectively* knocked out the machine's ability to do a BIOS flash. If that was the case, basic level functions of the system would be comprimised as well and would be very obvious to the end user.

You should bring that up and see what they say since, frankly, it sounds like you are being had.

Navck · #20 Post by **Navck** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 1:46 am

Does anyone have a link to the warranty by chance, I'm going to call tomorrow when I'm a bit more awake and find out whats going on over there...

Navck · #21 Post by **Navck** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 5:13 pm

Supposed water damage (Which is identical to what I see as unknown stains that are in my LCD...)
http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/7332/31sqjvw1nh6.jpg
http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/3500/31sqjvw3xb8.jpg
http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/4530/31sqjvw2ya8.jpg

Regular return trip to EzServ = Hell

Regular return trip to EzServ = Hell

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