MacBook Air developing "play" or "slop" in hinge [Archive]

sparkolator

Jun 7, 2008, 09:22 AM

I have recently noticed my 3 month old MacBook Air has 1/2" to 1" "play" or "slop" in the hinge. In other words, the screen will move 1/2" to 1" with little or no resistance. The hinge does not seem to have any adjustment or an easily fixed remedy.

I took it to the Southpark Genius Bar in Charlotte and at first they seemed quick to tell me there's nothing wrong. After further discussion, the Genius took my machine in the back for a closer look by whatever techs they have on site. Upon his return, he seemed much more perplexed and treated me as though I may have a valid concern.

While my machine was in the back I took the liberty of checking the three MacBook Airs on display. Two of the machines had screens with similar "play" as mine, the third one was much worse, maybe up to 2".

I had the Genius make a note of my visit in the computer and told them I would monitor it for now and bring it back if it worsens.

Anybody else notice this with your MacBook Air?

Sparky

rost12

Jun 7, 2008, 11:03 AM

Yup, got that as well. A bit less than an inch of "free play". Not a problem so far, but hope it doesn't get much worse.

VS007

Jun 7, 2008, 12:21 PM

Same here.

Of all the laptops I have seen, only IBM has an hinge which stays strong for long time.

iHerzeleid

Jun 7, 2008, 12:22 PM

when they replaced my thermal pad, the techs messed up my hinges =\

Epicurus

Jun 8, 2008, 08:40 AM

So far my Air has no hinge issues, but I can sympathize. My old PowerBook has an amazing amount of play in the hinge. Honestly, though, the hinge thing didn't start becoming noticeable until a year or two after I bought it.

For those who have had issues with the Air and its hinges, has Apple ever been able to tighten/replace them for you? Is there a cure?

dibara2003

Jun 8, 2008, 03:53 PM

For those who have had issues with the Air and its hinges, has Apple ever been able to tighten/replace them for you? Is there a cure?

In my experience, nope. They said it was within spec. and said that they couldn't really tighten them anyways.

Epicurus

Jun 9, 2008, 11:42 AM

In my experience, nope. They said it was within spec. and said that they couldn't really tighten them anyways.

That sucks. I would have thought that if you have AppleCare and you throw a little fit someone might be able to get this taken care of. Too bad.

Now I'm wondering what percentage of Air's are falling victim to this problem and how long mine is going to hold out... :confused:

gregk205

Jun 16, 2008, 09:59 PM

I have it too... It is so annoying when you are working in a lighted room and it keeps moving when you touch it to type! My sony SZ didn't do it after 1 year. And this is doing it after a few months with less use.

gregk205

Jul 13, 2008, 12:44 AM

Has anyone had any luck getting this fixed?? This is unacceptable on such an expensive laptop.

Tosser

Jul 13, 2008, 02:18 AM

You guys have slop already?
On my MBP (don't have an MBA) I have about a half an inch to an inch slop. It seems to have developed within the last three months.

But then again, my MBP is around two years old (a guess, I can't actually remember, but it was one of the very first 2.33GHz to be delivered), so in my case, I consider it t be "normal" wear - well, for a Mac regretfully. The problem is, if you guys have that amount of slop, how will it be after the same amount of time? In a year? In two years?

In my experience, nope. They said it was within spec. and said that they couldn't really tighten them anyways.

Why am I not surprised?

Alan Taylor

Jul 13, 2008, 05:45 AM

when they replaced my thermal pad, the techs messed up my hinges =\

You should have requested them to fix the mistake. I always test my machines as much as I can when I pick them up before I sign to say I'm happy with the repair.

Pixellated

Jul 13, 2008, 09:05 AM

This happens on the dell in my sig as well. it is a good 1.5 inches. FIne on my BlackBook though.

ScottFitz

Jul 13, 2008, 11:14 AM

My one year old IBM/Lenova T60p has zero slop in it. Tight as a tick. So, I guess I found one redeeming quality.

My air is quite new still. I'm being as careful as I can with the screen itself. I have to ask myself what exactly causes this play. Is the screen being torqued somehow while opening it? I've tried to limit any screen adjustment angle by grabbing the screen at the top middle with one hand. It's tempting to grab one side and adjust. I think this might be where some of the problem is coming from.

Other than that, can any of you think of any reason why this is happening?

My money is on uneven torque to one side.

Tosser

Jul 13, 2008, 11:21 AM

My money is on uneven torque to one side.

Yes, but it could also be the design or materials that have changed from, say, the MBP.

Btw, is that Thinkpad a pink, girly edition?

(Since it's called the Lenova, not Lenovo)? :o:p:D

ScottFitz

Jul 13, 2008, 12:33 PM

Yes, but it could also be the design or materials that have changed from, say, the MBP.

Btw, is that Thinkpad a pink, girly edition?

(Since it's called the Lenova, not Lenovo)? :o:p:D

I refer to it as the piece of crap edition. Is that good enough for you, Herr Spelling Nazi?

Tosser

Jul 13, 2008, 01:36 PM

I refer to it as the piece of crap edition. Is that good enough for you, Herr Spelling Nazi?

I'm not a spelling Nazi. I thought it was a cute typo, hence my smilies :)

EspressoLove

Jul 14, 2008, 04:47 AM

Can not imagine a "play" 1 inch wide .... :confused::eek:
care to post some pics? :p

dibara2003

Jul 15, 2008, 01:08 AM

Can not imagine a "play" 1 inch wide .... :confused::eek:
care to post some pics? :p

you need video to actually see the play, otherwise it's just like taking pictures of moving your screen an inch

scrapit

Jul 15, 2008, 04:17 AM

yep the same with mine. sorry to say the air is a ok machine but by far the powerbook 12 inch was apples best

California

Jul 15, 2008, 04:30 AM

yep the same with mine. sorry to say the air is a ok machine but by far the powerbook 12 inch was apples best

Since I am running the last 12" PB 1.5ghz superdrive with NO PLAY at all in its screen and over a year left of Applecare, I am very happy having it run leopard and my 23" ACD as a desktop.

However this thread is about the play on a MacBookAir.

I don't know how these lappies are put together, but I know when I have disassembled a 12" iBook (more than once) there are screws that dictate the "play" in the screen on the older Apple Laptops.

I had to have Daystar replace a 1.33ghz logic board for me when I was putting a hd and superdrive in a friend's 12" iBook. I did not like the 'play" in the screen and I went back in to pull off the trackpad and pulled off some sockets from the logic board. Daystar had to fix the hinge play when the LB was replaced.

I am not sure if this helps but I cannot imagine that there is no way to tighten the screenhinges on those MBAs. it must be a completely annoying situation.

sparkolator

Jul 15, 2008, 04:42 PM

I just put a little video on YouTube highlighting the MacBook Air hinge/screen issues.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7uEMfJVm4U

EspressoLove

Jul 15, 2008, 06:41 PM

I just put a little video on YouTube highlighting the MacBook Air hinge/screen issues.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7uEMfJVm4U

Oh I see ....
Well if that might be of any consolation, my MB & MBP (both more than year old) have it to some extent.

Though, on a second look, that looks terrible .... I could tolerate it possibly when moving Air .... but NOT when typing on it :eek::mad::mad::mad::mad:

gregk205

Jul 15, 2008, 06:58 PM

I just put a little video on YouTube highlighting the MacBook Air hinge/screen issues.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7uEMfJVm4U

Great video. Mine is loose as well but not that bad yet. But I am sure it will be soon. Apple better fix this problem when it gets worst. This is unacceptable on such an expensive laptop. My Thinkpad gets a lot more abuse and the hinges are tight.. And all of my Sony's and Thinkpad's hinge's have been perfect. I am very disappointed!

Tosser

Jul 16, 2008, 01:23 AM

I just put a little video on YouTube highlighting the MacBook Air hinge/screen issues.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7uEMfJVm4U

I wrote earlier saying my mbp had developed about half and inch to an inch of slop over a couple of years. But seeing your video got me thinking. Either the video "cheats" my eyes, but yours look like the play is more than on mine (=I might only have a quarter to a half inch), and that your screen is more easily moved in between that inch. It's as if there's absolutely none resistance in yours, whereas mine "just" has very much less resistance than the rest of the movement, if that makes sense?

RedTomato

Jul 16, 2008, 04:36 AM

Thanks for the video. I can see how it irritates you, but to be honest, I am not sure if it is a genuine problem.

I have a macbook here, and if I touch the top of the screen, it has the same wobble. If I give it a poke, it wobbles then dampens down very quickly, within a couple of seconds. It's never bothered me. I type with my macbook on my lap or on a table, and the screen never wobbles while I'm typing.

I'm using it on a rather shaky table at the moment, and when I type the screen wobbles slightly but again, not enough to bother me.

If I try to move the screen but don't exert enough force to actually move the hinge to a new position, I can feel a bit of resistance, and when I let go, the screen will end up in the same position as before.

Is yours the same or different? If your screen can flop back and forth about an inch, with no resistance bringing it back to the same position, then I can see thats a problem. I couldn't see that from the video though. And you didn't show any wobble from just typing (with the MBA on a firm desk).

EspressoLove

Jul 17, 2008, 08:19 PM

And you didn't show any wobble from just typing
yeah, he didn't produce Pixar quality explanation and showcasing, so we dismissing it?

(with the MBA on a firm desk).
dude, at last - MBA something more than just a laptop - versatile, go everywhere I go personal companion ...
If you need a computer which is suitable only to a firm desk, may you by some dell?

EspressoLove

Jul 17, 2008, 08:42 PM

Thanks for the video. I can see how it irritates you, but to be honest, I am not sure if it is a genuine problem.

Didn't mean to offend or anything :rolleyes::D
But I'm sure would be mad as hell :mad: if my laptop would become machine I have to use as if crippled - looking for hard, firm, flat, well supporting desks to use at, afraid to breath on it.

... as I stated before, second look through video, really shows that there is a problem - much bigger & easier going "play" than any of us have on our MB/MBPs.
"Play" in itself is not a big problem, as long there is some resistance, and it seems there is very little of it.

steve31

Jul 18, 2008, 12:54 PM

Not sure what the whole "screen slop" issue was till I saw the video on this thread. IMO that is VERY minor. Most notebooks I have had all do this to some point. Just my 2 cents.;)

SirJ

Jul 18, 2008, 01:30 PM

while i don't actually own a MBA (yet) i've played around with one at the local best buy and the display model is horrible. the screen on that one literally has no support, if you raise it to 90 degrees it will fall down to 135 or however far it can go. i assume this is because its a MBA and everyone wants to play with it, but there has to be some way to fix it.
can't apple change out the battery? or disassemble the casing in some way? all you would have to do (presumably) is open the case and tighten some screws, right? perhaps not but it seems simple enough. once you open the sealed case. lol:p

dibara2003

Jul 18, 2008, 01:58 PM

I think I mentioned this before, but my local apple store said that they can't tighten the hinges. To respond to the other poster who said it's normal, none of the 10 different apple notebooks I work with have any issues

dual64bit

Oct 2, 2008, 08:24 PM

I also have this problem with my MacBook Air. I am an Apple Certified Macintosh Technician, which allowed me to take apart my unit and I can confirm there is no way to "tighten" the hinges, the entire top assembly (one piece by warranty standards) needs replaced. This piece includes the screen, so Apple would have to spend $400-500 per unit to replace. I want mine replaced, because it really makes the machine look stupid. When I type the screen shakes, back and forth, it's dumb.

SFStateStudent

Oct 2, 2008, 10:13 PM

Nice scary video! I've had mine since Aug '08 and I notice that mine opens up a bit more than the OP's in the video. I'd say mine fully-extended is about 4" more than the OP's. No play in mine. See attached photo:

n0de

Oct 3, 2008, 08:13 AM

Mine has it too. It is a pre-order, so about as old as it can get +/- a couple of days and I have a full 1" play.

The 5 year old G4 MBP it replaced never had any!!!!

dual64bit

Oct 3, 2008, 10:36 AM

Mine has it too. It is a pre-order, so about as old as it can get +/- a couple of days and I have a full 1" play.

The 5 year old G4 MBP it replaced never had any!!!!

Yeah, mine was a pre-order too, maybe most of the originals have this problem. I didn't start experiencing the play until about a month or 6 weeks ago.

ScottFitz

Oct 8, 2008, 08:21 PM

I've had mine since about june and no play whatsoever...... yet.:cool:

BWhaler

Oct 8, 2008, 11:36 PM

I have the same exact problem. It started about two months ago.

I spent $3,300 with tax on this computer, and it's already got quality issues.

This is totally unacceptable.

Apple's shoddy quality will be the death of them. It's starting to happen.

(Typed on a MBA while the screen wobbles.)

maxdboy100

Oct 16, 2008, 10:57 AM

That sucks. I would have thought that if you have AppleCare and you throw a little fit someone might be able to get this taken care of. Too bad.

Now I'm wondering what percentage of Air's are falling victim to this problem and how long mine is going to hold out... :confused:

my MBA has the same problem are there any other apple places that might fix it.
like a mac store

maxdboy100

Oct 16, 2008, 11:01 AM

Finaly some people that understand my problem unlike the genius at the apple store :apple:

etaylor3971

Oct 16, 2008, 11:24 AM

I've had mine since about june and no play whatsoever...... yet.:cool:

Got mine in February '08 and it was replaced on the spot within two weeks because the trackpad button stopped working.

The screen has shown no play whatsoever and I have it open at various angles and mutlple times during the day. Sometimes I have it nearly closed at 30-45 degrees when I've hooked it to my plasma to watch TV.

So it's been put through its paces without a problem for 8 months now.

Could there have been any physicial maneuver or trauma in the past that could have resulted in the condition? Or just daily wear and tear?

While maybe expensive to replace, I think Apple ought to.

epark89

Oct 23, 2008, 11:11 AM

Hi. I've just had the same problem.
It starts like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7uEMfJVm4U

Then quickly becomes this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKJLUMBCF98&feature=related

And will end up like this (all within a few openings and closings):

http://mindspacemind.blogspot.com/2008/06/macbook-air-damaged-hinges-little-too.html

So far, the "Genius" Bar says it's not a "known" problem. I guess if you don't know about it, it's not known. But it looks like people are having the same problem. I'd guess it's like a loose shoulder joint that just pops.

The Apple customer service said they'll take a look but no guarantees. Once again...this was not forced open. It is a slop evolving to a click, then a fracture in the plastic or fracture in the hinge.

I'll let y'all know what becomes of it.

madmaxmedia

Oct 24, 2008, 11:39 AM

I'm ressurecting an old thread, but interested if the problem gets worse over time, or if others have this problem.

From a little googling around, it seems the problem is not the hinge itself. The problem is in how the hinge is mounted/fixed to the display. The hinge seems to be surrounded by plastic, and it's the plastic that tends to weaken over time. Thus the tiny (or not so tiny) amount of flex that develops.

The other Mac notebooks have different hinge mechanisms, there's no plastic and everything is screwed on pretty well. The hinges may go soft over time, but the mounts are good.

HiFiGuy528

Oct 28, 2008, 02:52 PM

mine is less than 24hrs new and it has the same issue.

oscillatewildly

Oct 28, 2008, 04:04 PM

Do you have a Sale Of Goods Act in the US? Legal action? A website to register instances of Slop? Don't accept this.

Cheers,
OW

silverblack

Oct 28, 2008, 05:59 PM

Mine is developing the same problem. It was tight as a rock when it was new, so the problem definitely developed as I opened and closed the unit day by day.

ducatidoc

Oct 28, 2008, 08:38 PM

Do you have a Sale Of Goods Act in the US? Legal action? A website to register instances of Slop? Don't accept this.

Cheers,
OW

sniff, sniff. what's that i smell? incensed customers with core-shutdowns and bad hinge joints? nope, just a good ole' american class-action lawsuit cooking....

bidwalj

Oct 28, 2008, 10:23 PM

mines had that and core shut downs. My apple store replaced the entire lcd panel to fix the hinge and installed a new logic board for the core shutdown. My fans had died too and they replaced those as well. They did all this with no questions asked.

maxdboy100

Nov 3, 2008, 04:44 PM

my MBA has the same problem i bought mine in march when the first batch of them was introduced. do you think apple geniuses could do something about it.

Thanks
:confused:

MontrealMonger

Nov 3, 2008, 05:35 PM

Very discouraging to read this as I'm seriously considering buying a new MBA. It's unacceptable for the company to expect consumers to fork out so much money to fix a design flaw on an already-costly machine. I wonder if Apple strengthened the hinge on the newer models?

twist2b

Nov 3, 2008, 06:00 PM

Does it effect your lappy "experience" in any way? Becuase the hinge only goes so far anyways. I am just saying, you usually push it ALL the way back anyways right?

Let me know.....

edit - I have OAKLEYS, its an O2 model (plastic-ish) and the hinge is actually plastic. Over time it actually wears out SLIGHTLY. Even though in this case it doesn't matter, I really wonder how they designed the hinge o_O

jessica.

Nov 3, 2008, 09:37 PM

FWIW, I had similar play on my MB (late 2008) before I returned it and it exists with my Rev D PowerBook. It never bothered me nor did it have any affect on my computing experience.

darkdss

Nov 4, 2008, 04:54 PM

mines got it too.
anyone have a fix? can we diy?

also my unit was a preorder feb 2008

maxdboy100

Nov 5, 2008, 07:41 PM

yes it does affect me a little bit because when it's on my lap the screen shakes when i type.

tomgallagher

Nov 12, 2008, 08:44 AM

I have the same problem (about 1" of play or 'wobble'). Took delivery of one of the first batches in the UK and paid around £2,300 for it plus apple care. I also notice a larger gap to the left side of the right hinge on my model.

Is this now a recognised fault?

houstonray

Nov 22, 2008, 08:04 PM

Ditto here. Got mine back in March, and a few days ago, the hinge began to jack up on one side and now if I try to close it about halfway and leave it, it just falls forward and closes all by itself.

I came here and found this thread. Wow, seems like this is a major problem. Anyone have any suggestions yet? Any luck at the Apple store? Knock on wood, this is my only problem, I've loved it, but now, not even a year old, and I can't have the screen at one angle or it will just fall over and close by itself?? That's unacceptable, especially for the co$t.

happyslayer

Nov 25, 2008, 12:08 AM

Mine's not as bad yet, but it is starting.

It has about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of play. I have noticed that temperature affects it. Not as bad when it's cold.

I noticed about a week ago that closing the lid does not feel as tight anymore. It will now fall shut where before I had to push it closed.

No screen wobble when typing yet.

Purchased mine March 08.

ursi

Dec 27, 2008, 05:18 PM

and then it lays completely flat. And then the Genius Bar people will tell you it is not under warranty because you must have done something to "break it".

I was basically called a liar today at the Genius Bar in Reno Nevada. My MacBook Air is only 7 months old. Always was loose and made weird creaking noises on the left hinge and on Christmas eve, while surfing and typing, I heard a loud SNAP and the monitor flipped backwards.

Since when does typing cause an "accident"?

They have it right now and I am almost certain they will call me on Monday and tell me it is my fault and they can't fix it.

We were planning on buying a MacBook Pro in the spring. No way now. Not after the way I was treated today.

Back to Dell. After 10 years of laptops, I can honestly say they have the best warranty program and I was never called a liar. Macs are overhyped and overpriced.

And their $350. warranty is worthless to me.

dancogswell

Dec 28, 2008, 12:44 AM

Apple fixed this for me. I sent my MBA in for repair because the sound wasn't working. On the screen, I attached a sticky note that said "this hinge is loose" and I got back my same laptop without any slop in the hinge at all.

So they can fix it.

ursi

Dec 30, 2008, 07:55 PM

Talked to them today and they are going to fix it and honor my warranty. They haven't seen this problem in their store but are hearing that this has happened to some Air's at other stores/regions. So don't give up, people.

All is forgiven. My new Air will still be new.

Mr Ikasu

Jan 15, 2009, 10:07 AM

Just another quick post to say that I was having this problem and Apple have no replaced the whole top screen for me under warranty.

They told me it probably wouldn't fix it and that was how they were but that they could replace it if I wanted to. Might as well get it fixed now before it ends up getting any worse.

Oh and thanks, without seeing this thread I probably would have just lived with it.

madmaxmedia

Jan 15, 2009, 11:10 AM

It seems pretty obvious this is a design flaw. It doesn't happen to everybody but can be improved upon.

I think the hinge itself is metal and reasonably strong, but the screen assembly is attached to the hinge by plastic, and it's this plastic that bends and develops the 'play' until at some point it no longer holds onto the hinge at all.

I would be very hesitant to buy a used unit say on EBay, unless I could check out the unit in person and make sure the hinge assembly is nice and tight.

buckawheat

Jan 17, 2009, 11:35 PM

Mine had the 'play' in the hinge of about 3/4 inch, however, I also had one of the hinges lifting out of position - broke inside somehow. Apple replaced on warranty the entire screen assembly (screen and top shell), the entire aluminum bottom piece (around the keyboard, trackpad, etc.) and the bottom plate (I'm still trying to figure out why the bottom plate) to fix this.

No play now and I am treating it very delicately from here out.

I am still amazed that there is no way to just tighten the hinge.

Rev A - 1.6 - Great machine for what I need it to do.

AIRniloc

Jan 18, 2009, 12:32 AM

In my experience, nope. They said it was within spec. and said that they couldn't really tighten them anyways.

i just quit my job as a mac genius...next time a genius says that something is 'in spec', ask him/her what 'spec' is for that particular issue, and then watch them squirm...whatever they tell you is a lie.

there is no such thing as 'specs' on any machine for anything aesthetic, cosmetic or such on the exterior machine (except for pixel anomalies).

tubbymac

Jan 18, 2009, 12:34 AM

i just quit my job as a mac genius...next time a genius says that something is 'in spec', ask him/her what 'spec' is for that particular issue, and then watch them squirm...whatever they tell you is a lie.

Oh I like that idea! Devious.

Srai-W

Jan 18, 2009, 03:17 AM

yep the same with mine. sorry to say the air is a ok machine but by far the powerbook 12 inch was apples best

That's what I'm on and the screen is still as tight as it was originally. I have lost the "P" key, but can live with that - gives it personality!!! :D One thing I have noticed - my 12" G4 seems to be "zapping" me though. I am too lazy to check if there are any threads on this, but has anyone else had this problem???? :o

chunter

Feb 3, 2009, 07:29 AM

Same problem has happened to my apple air. last week when closing the lid the hinge plastic came out. Took it to apple care they said that hinges are not covered under warranty! and that I broke it. Nice of them to put down a man that is without his air.

After that I called apple care for an hour (singapore). All they could say is take it to another care centre. When I got to the next apple care centre the first thing they said to me is hinges are not covered by apple warranty. Got them to take it. Hope tomorrow they will fix it.

The funny thing is, I was going to buy a new apple air rev.b yesterday since i can not wait a 1 week for it to get fixed, as I am traveling to Sydney, Perth, Singapore, Saigon all in a week for business. but how can one buy a laptop knowing it has a DEFECT and that apple will not provide any warranty for this DEFECT?

So I have just bought a eeepc901 :) 500AUD

Photo below
http://flickr.com/photos/landung2008/3247328478/

Purchased mine 28th feb 08. rev A.

Apple Air is the BEST laptop yet for me personally. light, 13" screen, full size keyboard, multitouch huge touch pad, nice casing, no dvd play who needs that now days? and osx :)

Christiaan Hunter

manhattanboy

Feb 3, 2009, 10:04 AM

I have recently noticed my 3 month old MacBook Air has "slop" in the hinge.

I took it to the Southpark Genius Bar

Sparky

Seriously: no.
But not seriously: I can totally believe that Terrence and Phillip had no idea of how to fix it :cool:

manhattanboy

Feb 3, 2009, 10:06 AM

Purchased mine 28th feb 08. rev A.

Seems like this is a rev A problem.... anyone with the rev B had this problem?

mikey28

Feb 3, 2009, 12:05 PM

I have both Rev A and B.
There is a bit of play in my Rev A, which I THOUGHT wasn't too bad...until I got Rev B, which is tight as a drum.

So now I am very annoyed. Overall, I am VERY pleased with my new Rev B. (and I love my Rev A or I would not have gotten the B) But I can't help but think that THIS should have been the FIRST version that they released...

madmaxmedia

Feb 3, 2009, 01:52 PM

I wonder if they actually changed the design of the Rev. B though.

I once came across an Apple patent involving insulating the LCD from shock. The patent didn't seem to be obviously related or incorporated in existing notebooks, but then I thought maybe the reason for the plastic housing around the hinge was for impact protection.

justit

Feb 3, 2009, 02:11 PM

Same problem has happened to my apple air. last week when closing the lid the hinge plastic came out...
Photo below
http://flickr.com/photos/landung2008/3247328478/

Purchased mine 28th feb 08. rev A.

Hard to follow how it popped out on it's own, the grey plastic has 4 screws (2 on each side) to secure it. You would have had to crack the plastic from the inside which means you had opened the insides. I'm just saying ... :D

chunter

Feb 4, 2009, 12:47 AM

Hard to follow how it popped out on it's own, the grey plastic has 4 screws (2 on each side) to secure it. You would have had to crack the plastic from the inside which means you had opened the insides. I'm just saying ... :D

I was closing the lid of the apple air because the apple was overheating for no reason (normal for revA) when the hinge defect happen.

I think the problem could be heat related, the constant heating and cooling around the hinge could cause some sort of fatigue problem. Its the left hinge so there is some relation with the CPU heat on the left side of the air.

Apple declined to warrant the repairs today. They said "it might be accidental damage, warranty repair declined"

From my understanding apple has a policy not to fix hinges under warranty.

I just called apple Australia, but got transferred to apple singapore customer relations. Gave them the case number, and then they asked me which apple care centre i took the air too? and asked for there phone number.

I would strongly suggest not to buy apple macbook air until they delare the defect hinge. As they will not fix the defected hinge under there own internal policy.

I have posted a blog about the problem on the website below. It has links to other posts that have the same problems.
http://www.crashzone.com.au
http://www.crashzone.com.au/2009/02/04/apple-macbook-air-has-a-defect-hinge-problem/

Christiaan Hunter

MacFever

Feb 4, 2009, 10:03 AM

Same here.

Of all the laptops I have seen, only IBM has an hinge which stays strong for long time.

Funny you should say so.

I looked in this thread for the same reason for my current Lenovo Thinkpad T61p

and it too has a 1" play or free flopping loosely.

It has been accepted by Lenovo as an issue and should not be like that in the first place. usually indicates a strained or faulty hinge of some sort...

buckawheat

Feb 5, 2009, 08:30 PM

I was closing the lid of the apple air because the apple was overheating for no reason (normal for revA) when the hinge defect happen.

I think the problem could be heat related, the constant heating and cooling around the hinge could cause some sort of fatigue problem. Its the left hinge so there is some relation with the CPU heat on the left side of the air.

Something is just not adding up about your post:
1. Why would you close the air if it was overheating? That is just trapping more heat.
2. Rev A (if you are up to date on Mac updates) doesn't get the overheat issue like it used to - fans kick in earlier now.
3. The apple store just replaced my entire shell for a broken hindge - on warranty. - they are seeing something that is not looking defect related to them.
4. It would have taken some force to pull the plastic away like this.
5. You are the only user I've ever seen to encounter this exact issue on these forums in the past year.

madmaxmedia

Feb 5, 2009, 09:09 PM

There's little point in questioning his claim, since Apple is not using our judgement to approve or disapprove his warranty repair.

Sometimes people try to cover up accidents, other times ***** happens and stuff breaks through no fault of their own.

When people first started reporting MacBook case cracking, people here were accusing them of abusing their computers and causing the damage. Later it was pretty clear that there was a design defect.

He might be closing the computer to put it to sleep for a bit, if the fans were running high and he was worried about overheating.

And Apple has denied a lot of warranty repairs at first, only to recant later when it turns out there may be a design defect after all.

In any case, who knows for sure.

Something is just not adding up about your post:
1. Why would you close the air if it was overheating? That is just trapping more heat.
2. Rev A (if you are up to date on Mac updates) doesn't get the overheat issue like it used to - fans kick in earlier now.
3. The apple store just replaced my entire shell for a broken hindge - on warranty. - they are seeing something that is not looking defect related to them.
4. It would have taken some force to pull the plastic away like this.
5. You are the only user I've ever seen to encounter this exact issue on these forums in the past year.

chunter

Feb 7, 2009, 04:46 AM

1. Why would you close the air if it was overheating? That is just trapping more heat.

Closing the lid puts the laptop in sleep mode, in sleep mode cpu does not produce heat.

2. Rev A (if you are up to date on Mac updates) doesn't get the overheat issue like it used to - fans kick in earlier now.

Yes all updates. But if your an revA user you will know it will still get very hot. Try running 720p movies and surf youtube at the same time.

3. The apple store just replaced my entire shell for a broken hindge - on warranty. - they are seeing something that is not looking defect related to them.

Thats great to hear, perhaps your not in Vietnam and they have seen the same problem. Apple Asia reply "the warranty policy that any signs of physical or accidental damage will void the warranty. "

where in the warranty does it say physical?

Please note that the tech at the apple care centre said "only physical damage was the hinge as per the photo. machine in a1 condition for 11months old."

4. It would have taken some force to pull the plastic away like this.

Not if the hinge is defected. I closed lightly the lid.

5. You are the only user I've ever seen to encounter this exact issue on these forums in the past year.

in this thread you have these users with the same problem.
user : tomgallagher, houstonray, ursi, buckawheat

If you this blog you will find more.
http://mindspacemind.blogspot.com/2008/06/macbook-air-damaged-hinges-little-too.html

PS I got an email from Apple Asia saying final rejection two days ago. So I ran USA where they have agreed to fix it. Before fixing my laptop I plan to and get this problem on the know problems with Apple Air. I will post the defect code if there is such a thing on this forum. And the blog www.crashzone.com.au

So that everyone after me does not get told they broke there Air. And have to take there apple air to three repair centres, and make 6 calls to apple, including 3 hours of international calls to Singapore and USA before they will listen to you.

This is a defect with the Apple air and perhaps the new macbook models too, only time will tell.

Christiaan Hunter

designed

Feb 8, 2009, 08:56 AM

I just watched the video on the first page of the thread to see what you were talking about. I've always regarded that sort of play as a... feature or character of the Airbook's hinge design. Not that it would be better if there wasn't any play but it's certainly not the first hinge in my world to behave like that.

The reason I checked out this thread was to see if the sloppiness becomes a bad issue with age, my pre-order MBA has somewhat more playful hinges (opening, closing, carrying the computer around when it's on) than it used to, but looks like I'm still cool.

Revtop22

Feb 24, 2009, 02:22 AM

I just wanted to add my two cents since I've got experience with these stupid hinges. These are possibly the worst hinges ever created. There is a bar that is gripped by a row of very tiny C-shaped clamps....it cannot be tightened for any reason. And for good measure, Apple purposely hid them behind the screen bezel (which is attached using the strongest adhesive known to man).

So to remove them, of course you have to heat and pry the super thin aluminum bezel which is adhered to both the screen and a metal frame. Then and only then can you remove them.

That isn't the big issue though. The big issue is these hinges are made to fail. They are not meant with reliability in mind. There are two parts to each hinge where as the old Macbook Pros and even the unibody's are made with one-piece design. There is even a small amount of grease applied to each of the bars so they will not squeal when the lid is opened. How quickly will that wear away? One year?

If anyone wants a course on how to build a lemon of a laptop, this is it. To top it all off, Apple doesn't even sell the hinges to ANYONE (even resellers) since they are all part of the display. And of course they want $600-900 for the display. They even require resellers to send the displays in to be warrantied. You know your design stinks when your average Mac tech can't properly install the only moving part on the laptop.

At some point in the future I might just as well CNC my own hinge/bezel design and sell them on ebay for a few bucks. I know I'm not alone here.

editonmac

Feb 28, 2009, 12:15 PM

mikey28

Feb 28, 2009, 05:42 PM

I have both Rev A 1.6/80 AND Rev B 1.8/128SSD.

Rev A has quite a bit of slop. I think that it has always had it, it didn't develop over time. But it IS stable, meaning the the screen is not so loose that it slides around or wobbles when I type.

The Rev B is tight as a drum. And I am watching it carefully to see if it does develop slop.

asoccorso

Mar 2, 2009, 03:17 PM

theres alittle bit of play but not alot i think the hinge is actually doing pretty well. i made a video of it and my experience with the refurbished air

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh1jD3NDNEs

tsubikiddo

Mar 4, 2009, 02:10 AM

I was thinking about getting a Rev. B MacBook Air as a secondary computer to surf the net, email, IM, etc. This is because, who seriousley likes carrying a santa rosa 17" MacBook Pro everywhere? I think it's good for Final Cut, but now I am beginning to reconsider.

Is anybody who has a Rev. B MacBook Air having the hinge problem?

I have a MacBook Air rev.B base spec
no hinge issue at all.

the display tends to either lean forward/backwards though,
this is especially the case when you raised the Air with the display open

cedar

Mar 7, 2009, 03:45 PM

I've had my Air a year. Just wait. Mine started off with a sloppy hinge that finally broke. I bought Applecare, but the Apple store told me it wasn't covered and it would cost $650 to fix. I had been a long-time defender of the Air, but no more. I would never recommend this product to anyone again. Too bad because I love the operating system but hate the quality of the encasement.

Revtop22

Mar 8, 2009, 12:48 AM

cedar

Mar 8, 2009, 08:52 AM

Is the hinge broke or just very loose? I've got a few extra hinges and even a full display .....took forever to find.

Broken. The whole top slips out of alignment. The "genius" at the Apple store said that he had never seen an Air with a broken hinge, therefore it must be my fault and not covered under warranty. I told him to google "apple air hinge problems" and he might find a few others with the same problem. The jerk was very smug and arrogant.

rroback

Mar 8, 2009, 11:01 PM

cedar

Mar 9, 2009, 04:39 PM

My rev a hinge had finally got fairly sloppy. the screen has about an inch of wobble in the top, and it's a bit annoying. not super bad, since I can use the computer fine, but I do notice it. I certainly know that apple won't do anything for my current annoyance, but I worry the hinge will begin to break.

I would take it in to get it on record. I was told by the Applestore that mine would have been fixed under warranty if I had brought it in earlier. Makes no sense, but that's what I was told.

Tobeb

Mar 9, 2009, 05:17 PM

Reading this thread makes me a bit worried.

I am considering getting a refurbished Macbook Air Rev. A and it seems like a lot of people have had hinge problems. Should I be worried about this? Have people that have bought a refurbed Air lately have hinge play problems?

Is it a great % of the air's that have problems or is it pretty isolated (being that the Geniuses are saying they haven't seen it before)? And am I likely to be getting a refurbished air that was sent back due to hinge problems???

:(:confused:

Should I maybe stick to the new Macbook Unibody? Although I am buying this primarily for the portibility (and the nicer screen) mainly to travel.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, sorry to hijack thread.

jeremybuff

Mar 9, 2009, 08:53 PM

Hey all-

I just thought I should throw my 2 cents in. My dad has a MacBook Air which has virtually sat still for the last few months. In fact, it has only been on vacation once, and that was in a car, no in an airplane. It's been well documented how bad the hinges are for the 1st MacBook Air. Recently BOTH of the hinges broke, just "popped". I can't believe this, and I may be joining forces with others who will *not sue* but ask (demand) compensation. Apple is very nice to some people and they fix the problem, but to others they slam down their fist and say no.

Does anyone else have any idea about this "asking of compensation"? I am just interested, that's all. Not looking to "get back at Apple", because I like the company and understand things happen, especially with such a tiny computer. However, this problem needs to be dealt with.

Take care everyone!

SonicRage

Mar 9, 2009, 10:34 PM

Tobeb:
I ordered the refurb'd MBA, was quite fond of it, but the "sloppy" hinge pushed me to sell the unit and buy a unibody MB. I just can't enjoy a machine if I am constantly paranoid of these sort of issues. I was in the market for a secondary machine to carry around the house (and very occasional trips) so the portability factor was not a deal-breaker for me. I must say that I do miss that MBA display though...

On the optimistic side, this hinge problem is getting quite a bit of press so I would not be surprised if Apple begins honoring all hinge-related issues in the near future.

kinkster

Mar 9, 2009, 10:50 PM

Quite a bit of press?

editonmac

Mar 9, 2009, 11:13 PM

You can never be too cautious. I don't think i'll get the MacBook Air now, just to be sure. A regular MacBook with some upgrades will cost about the same, be faster, and have no possible hinge issues.

Revtop22

Mar 10, 2009, 12:13 AM

If apple gets a ton of bad press over it and is forced to respond, it's their own dumb fault. This would be a non issue if they made the hinges & bezel available on the aftermarket for cheap. People are ticked because they can't get it repaired (cheap) by anyone local and must be forced to pay through the nose for Apple to repair it.

They could've fixed the entire problem by designing a better hinge/display in the first place. I don't know how this got past their brainiac engineers. This is the kind of problem you run into when all you focus on is the look.

Tobeb

Mar 10, 2009, 01:22 PM

madmaxmedia

Mar 10, 2009, 01:28 PM

Don't see many people that haven't had problems commenting here... Have there been many of you that have not had any problems with the play or broken hinges?

Really like this machine, but I am really concerned about this potential problem.

Such people are unlikely to read this thread, much less post. But you may want to start a new thread with poll- I would be interested in the results.

DarrenT

Mar 10, 2009, 02:27 PM

i saw a thread while looking for some other stuff tha had a hinge poll in

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=658308

it was quite a small sample though.

wangchunggti337

Mar 10, 2009, 09:24 PM

Has anyone had success at the Apple Store getting the hinge tightened up?

gsampson

Mar 10, 2009, 09:37 PM

I'm getting pretty freaked out that my MBA Rev.A won't be fixed if the hinge breaks. Mine has about an inch of play, and by reading all this posts I'm scared it might finally break. I was thinking about selling it for a new Macbook, but I really love this machine... Anyone go into the store to "log" the problem incase it were to break so that it would be covered? I have Apple Care til 2011.

Revtop22

Mar 11, 2009, 12:50 AM

Has anyone had success at the Apple Store getting the hinge tightened up?

These hinges cannot be tightened, only replaced. I'll take some photos of the hinges themselves tomorrow. I had some bezels waterjet cut the other day but one of the radius' were off so I'm redoing them. Cad interpreted my drawing all wrong. Will have some photos by the end of the week hopefully.

Not sure if I'll be able to make a hinge replacement on the cheap but I'm still working on it. It'd probably be easier to find a factory worker in china to grab a bag of hinges for sale on the aftermarket though.

gsampson

Mar 11, 2009, 12:54 PM

I called Apple Care today to see what they thought of the play in my hinge. I explained the problem and was told to take it in to the Genius Bar or have it shipped in for repair. I said I would be willing to take it in for repair. I'm going to be upset if I'm told at the store it normal. I have a case number that Apple Care gave me, so hopefully this will force them to repair it even if they don't want to. :)

Revtop22

Mar 11, 2009, 08:47 PM

Here's a photo of the hinges on the right and the C-clamps (that loosen over time) on the left. Once you take the little metal cap off the hinge you can see the tiny sleeve that goes around the bar and C-shaped clamps that grab onto the bar. All of it's greased up. I don't think any of Apple's other hinged products require grease. In general I think the design stinks. You'd think they'd have a set screw or some other mechanism to tighten it but noooooo.

http://img9.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hinge1.jpg

gsampson

Mar 12, 2009, 07:50 AM

Has anyone had success at the Apple Store getting the hinge tightened up?

Took my loose hinged MBA to the Apple Store last night and they are going to fix it and anything else that might be wrong with it too. Should be back within 4-5 days I was told.

macsince1999

Mar 23, 2009, 09:23 PM

tubbymac

Mar 23, 2009, 09:35 PM

Why is the second generation not experiencing hinge issues? What was changed, and why?

We don't know yet that the second generation is free from issues. Remember, it hasn't been out for that long yet. We'll see in a year or two.

Revtop22

Mar 24, 2009, 12:30 AM

I totally baby my first gen MBA. Got it for Valentine's Day 2008 for $3,000+. Have already paid $800 TWICE for issues we feel sure we didn't cause, and now the hinge crack issue! Of course it's out of warranty, but wouldn't have mattered anyway. Why is the second generation not experiencing hinge issues? What was changed, and why?

Unless it was a very minor minor minor change in the diameter of the bar that the little c-clamps hold onto, there doesn't appear to be any physical diff.

etaylor3971

Apr 4, 2009, 09:31 PM

Has anyone had success at the Apple Store getting the hinge tightened up?

Mine had increased "play" over time, though still wouldn't spontaneously close no matter how close the screen was to the keyboard.

Nonetheless, the screen tended to vibrate or wobble when I typed while the MBA was resting on my lap.

I neither called AppleCare nor spoke with a Genius.

I simply showed up to my local Apple Store and asked to "Quick Drop" my MBA for repair. The concierge hooked me up with a "specialist" who opened up a case # and asked me to type in the details of my repair request. (I also requested repair of a Super Drive with a frayed cord where it connects to the drive).

Later the same day, a repair Genius at the store said it the MBA hinge problem was a covered item and he needed my permission to ship it to the repair depot since that was not a repair they do locally.

They shipped it overnight, it was repaired the day it was received, shipped back overnight to my local store. Roundtrip was 48 hours.

The same repair genius at the store called me to inform me of the completed repair and they replaced my Super Drive with a new unit.

(Before it was shipped to the depot, I did ask if they would simply swap my unit out for a new one, but because it was the unit's first repair, they declined. I asked this because the week prior, the manager replaced my 1.5 year old iMac 24" that needed two things repaired with a BRAND NEW iMac 24" - list price of $1500. I did purchase ProCare and used it for both sets of repair requests, but I think it had the biggest effect on my iMac repair/replacement).

Big fan of AppleCare so far (had it for both the MBA and iMac).

UPDATE: after reviewing my AppleCare repair ticket, not only did they replace the hinges and bezel, but they replaced the logic board (I had complained about system slowing/spinning beach ball), the hard drive ("wouldn't mount" according to the technician), and the fan ("noisy/slow"). I practically have a new computer!

shrtmkr

Apr 7, 2009, 02:07 AM

My macbook air's hinge finally broken yesterday after being sloppy for a while.
Info on the machine: I have bought my air little over a year ago and recently I purchased apple care to extend my warranty. Not to mention I took care of my unit well.

After the failure of the hinge yesterday, I reserved an appointment with a "genius" today. He inspected the machine and told me that it was caused by the user(me) and will have to charge for it. After speaking with his manager, he agreed to send the machine to the depot and let the service people decide it is user made or not. The service center is in texas and they send the units overnight, so I will hear from them by thursday. I believe the failed MBA's started to pour into the service center and hopefully they will notice this and fix it under warranty.
However after seeing all the people turned down by the same problem, I have little hope.

I will keep you guys posted.

BTW it looks exactly as this
http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/26/macbook-air-hinge-defect-not-covered-by-apples-warranty/

:mad::apple:

dubhe

Apr 12, 2009, 03:40 PM

Yo shrtmkr what happened with your hinge? Mine is exactly the same as the one in the YouTube video, I am using a 3 month old Rev.B and I only noticed the play a couple of weeks ago.

If anyone has had any luck at the apple store I may try and get mine fixed :)

Anybody any experience of the apple store in Cambridge, UK?

stoconnell

Apr 12, 2009, 05:49 PM

Yo shrtmkr what happened with your hinge? Mine is exactly the same as the one in the YouTube video, I am using a 3 month old Rev.B and I only noticed the play a couple of weeks ago.

Ugh. I hate to hear that :(

I hope you are able to get it repaired without a hassle, and hope it isn't something that will afflict Rev Bs as they age. Though, if Apple didn't alter the hinge design between revisions, we could all be facing this eventually.

oldblue

Apr 12, 2009, 08:54 PM

It's really getting loose on mine despite the fact that I've put very little wear on my machine and only use it for business trips. I'm very concerned about waiting any longer to take it in for servicing and will go ahead and take it in for repair now, before the condition worsens.

stoconnell

Apr 12, 2009, 10:40 PM

d94

Apr 13, 2009, 12:55 AM

iv barely had my rufrub rev b for over 2 months with a case on it all times
and the screen now goes 180 degrees, the hinge is loose once it hits a certain point. the system sometimes slutters on video, fan gets very noisy, and theres bright spots on the screen..im wondering what'll happen when i bring it in!
and iv treated the system very well, never held by screen or dropped. heck when it bends past the normal point it pops part of the case off! so im not sure how that could of happened.

Revtop22

Apr 13, 2009, 02:08 AM

I have a Rev B full display sitting here and the hinges are the exact same on the Rev A I'm replacing it with.

I do think this will turn into a long term problem for the Air. It should have been completely changed when Rev B came out. I'd imagine they didn't have much else they could engineer in such a tight space.

SLCentral

Apr 14, 2009, 04:54 PM

On Sunday, my hinge finally cracked, after about 6 months of it being "sloppy." I brought it to the Apple Store (Boston, Boylston Street), planning on putting up a fight to get it fixed. My warranty expired a month ago, on March 10th, 2009. The genius I was set up with originally implied that I damaged the machine myself. When I pulled up this thread, he talked to another genius. Five minutes, later, I was signing the repair papers.

No charge to me, and I just got a call (24 hours later) saying that my computer is ready to pick up. Looks like Apple has fully accepted the problem with the MBA, seeing as how they fixed mine at no charge, even out of warranty.

That said, I picked up a 15" MBP yesterday, and will be selling my Air. The machine is just too damn slow as a primary computer, even as a college student.

shrtmkr

Apr 14, 2009, 11:22 PM

dubhe

Apr 17, 2009, 06:12 AM

Just to confirm with fellow hinge sufferers, the play seems to be not the hinge itself, but the attachment of the hinge to the rest of the computer.

When looking down at the hinge (ie as I type this, looking at the hinge below the screen) the lighter grey plastic and aluminium of the hinge seem to move together, the play being in the join between the lighter grey plastic and the computer somewhere inside.

maestrokev

Apr 17, 2009, 05:27 PM

Rev.A MBA bought when it was first released. Very gently used as I also had a MB and MBP. The hinge has less than half inch of play, not enough to bother me but I'm hoping others are having luck getting it fixed for a reasonable price as I'm sure it will soon be my turn.

dubhe

Apr 19, 2009, 11:21 AM

My MBA is only two months old, I'm going near an apple store in a week's time, think I'm going to take my sloppy hinge in and see what they say. If nothing else, if it does break in a few months time I will have a record of my earlier visit/concern.

I really want my MBA to be perfect, I don't want to buy a MBP (and I wouldn't buy a MB for the screen), but this screen (hinge and grey lines) is making me think I should call it quits and sell on eBay...

dschur

Apr 20, 2009, 01:34 PM

My 11-month old Rev A was getting sloppy so I sent it in to Apple.

They replaced 4 parts in total for the loose hindes, including the full bezel, which had black marks from the trackpad button I think. It was back in my hand in 2 days.

I was quite pleasently suprirsed that they addressed it, so you might want to try if you have loose hinges.

hower1k

Apr 22, 2009, 08:44 PM

maestrokev

Apr 23, 2009, 12:51 AM

SO my hinge just broke last night the middle plastic piece popped out on the left side of the computer, its a revision a that i got on the first day of retail, and apple said they wont fix it, so i'm not sure what to do.

Won't fix it? Did they give you a quote on how much you'd have to pay or is it just irreparable?

DarioK

Apr 23, 2009, 01:38 PM

My MBA Rev A hinge broke last night. We don't have Apple Stores in Spain so I went to an authorized dealer who told me it was my fault and I would have to pay. I told him that I have never knocked it or anything and it's still under warranty (Since June 08). Knowing from what I read here, I said I would speak to Apple directly. I called them this afternoon and was told to send in pictures and they would get back to me..... :-( Still waiting.

hower1k

Apr 23, 2009, 08:21 PM

mrrippey

Apr 24, 2009, 02:27 PM

I think the best thing to do Rev A or Reb B is once you get some slop in the hinge, send back to Apple (provided you have AppleCare) to get it fixed. Once it breaks, I think you are a dead duck.

DarioK

Apr 24, 2009, 04:25 PM

I think the best thing to do Rev A or Reb B is once you get some slop in the hinge, send back to Apple (provided you have AppleCare) to get it fixed. Once it breaks, I think you are a dead duck.

.

dubhe

Apr 27, 2009, 03:55 PM

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8310/4.5.0.110 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/179)

Update!

Took my MBA to the apple store today and showed the sloppy hinge to the genius. At first he said he would log it (against the serial number) so if it did get worse we would have a record.

I asked about what they could do, he said they would tighten the screws but if it didn't work they would have to replace the part, which is the whole screen.

I advised the slop had gotten worse over the past few weeks and was afraid it would break (as others have). I requested he took it in to see what they could do.

The genius said OK, and ordered a new screen in case it was needed. I should have my MBA back either way by the end if the week.

I'm very happy with the service received so far by the apple store, in the UK at least they don't seem to want to blame the user for everything.

I'll let you all know when I get it back.

dubhe

May 2, 2009, 04:01 AM

Ok, still waiting. Phoned the store yesterday and they said they were waiting for an engineer to have a look at the hinge, I got the impression the genius' were a bit stuck on what to do. Hopefully this means they are unable to tighten and they are looking at replacing the screen (which they ordered when they took my MBA in, it is on the repair receipt).

Being a bank holiday weekend in the UK it will be at least Tuesday now before I got my MBA back as I am away. I dug out my old PB12 from the loft and am typing on it now, so glad I kept hold of it, over five years old and still going strong!

I am thinking about this hinge issue seriously though, is it a design fault or just a QC problem that can be fixed by application of a new screen by a careful apple store genius?

If it is a design fault should I be selling my MBA once it is back and whilst it is still in warranty (I only bought my MBA in February) and in a very good condition? I would hate to have it fail again out of warranty (I don't buy applecare as I have that many Macs it works out cheaper to take the risk and if required sell on eBay as spares/repair and buy a new one).

spacecadet610

May 2, 2009, 07:19 AM

Had a broken hinge on my rev A this week.

It just happened randomly.

Took it to the Applestore Tuesday morning and then gave it back to me fixed later that night.

dubhe

May 5, 2009, 01:27 PM

Got my MBA back today with a new screen, took them over a week apparently because the first replacement they fitted the iSight didn't work so they had to order another one in.

Hinge is wobble free now but I am still worried it might do it again, going to give it a couple of weeks then I might just sell it and buy a MBP...

For info, the screen cost £233 + VAT (£267.95) and Hardware repair level 1 cost £40 + VAT (£46). All covered by the warranty no problems.

That's a total of $475 including VAT using today's exchange rates.

Screen is a 9C90.

mykoljay

May 5, 2009, 03:28 PM

Anyone have any luck with getting repaired for free out of warranty? Mine didn't break yet, but it's starting to develop the slop.

mhnajjar

May 6, 2009, 12:18 AM

Anyone have any luck with getting repaired for free out of warranty? Mine didn't break yet, but it's starting to develop the slop.

Did you read the previous post? Absolutely NOT :p

mykoljay

May 6, 2009, 08:05 AM

How amusing that a google ad had popped up in between posts for 'Laptop Hinge Issues' directing to the class action lawsuit at www.sfmslaw.com.

It comes up when you're not logged into the forum.

SLCentral

May 6, 2009, 10:36 AM

Did you read the previous post? Absolutely NOT :p

Actually, you're mistaken. A couple of people in this thread, including myself, have gotten the hinge repaired out of warranty. I brought my Rev. A in one month after my warranty ended, and they fixed it with little to no hassle. Had a brand new top casing (including new screen) within 24 hours, and $0 out of my pocket.

three

May 8, 2009, 06:54 PM

My friends MacBook Air has developed this problem a couple months ago and it has just of gotten worse and worse to the point that the screen is about ready to fall off the hinge.

dubhe

May 9, 2009, 04:00 AM

My friends MacBook Air has developed this problem a couple months ago and it has just of gotten worse and worse to the point that the screen is about ready to fall off the hinge.

Take it in quick! They can log it against the serial number, then if it does break your friend can show it was something that gradually got worse, not the result of misuse.

three

May 16, 2009, 11:28 PM

My friend called Apple and they replaced the screen and the hinge for free. I was surprised they didn't charge her for it.

herminette

Jun 19, 2009, 09:44 AM

i just posted this on apple's website in reply to a thread about the mba hinge and they removed it! i was wondering why everyone was praising apple!
i bought my air when it first came out. a few months ago my hinge started making crackling sounds and then like everyone elses the guts came out. took it in - was turned away by the apple store (unless i wanted to pay $900 - they said it was abuse) then went to an authorized dealer and they said the repair would cost $800. they told me to call apple and try to convince them to comp it. i called and they finally did agree to comp the repair after telling me how generous they were being. they replaced the entire monitor piece. now, about 2 months after i got it back - the hinge is crunching again!!! and loose!! they made it VERY clear that it was a one time only comp. what now?? i have been a loyal mac customer for more than 15 years.
hate to say it but we need a lawyer.

hodgeheg

Jun 19, 2009, 10:31 AM

Actually, you're mistaken. A couple of people in this thread, including myself, have gotten the hinge repaired out of warranty. I brought my Rev. A in one month after my warranty ended, and they fixed it with little to no hassle. Had a brand new top casing (including new screen) within 24 hours, and $0 out of my pocket.

I couldn't even get this repaired under warranty on a three month old machine with AppleCare. The Manchester Arndale Store "Geniuses" told me all MacBook Airs have floppy hinges and this is intentional design and thus impossible to fix because it wasn't broken. They also told me my machine must have been like this from new, despite my obvious protestations. This would be one reason why wild horses wouldn't drag me back in there!

So well done/good for you finding a decent service response! I wish I'd been able to print this thread off and take it into the store when I had this problem. I might still have an Air!

xerenthar

Jun 22, 2009, 11:44 AM

I couldn't even get this repaired under warranty on a three month old machine with AppleCare. The Manchester Arndale Store "Geniuses" told me all MacBook Airs have floppy hinges and this is intentional design and thus impossible to fix because it wasn't broken. They also told me my machine must have been like this from new, despite my obvious protestations. This would be one reason why wild horses wouldn't drag me back in there!

So well done/good for you finding a decent service response! I wish I'd been able to print this thread off and take it into the store when I had this problem. I might still have an Air!
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=714989