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Black Hinge Cover Loose On MBA 2012?

Khoality

Khoality

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 10, 2013
7
0
The Netherlands
I have been reading along this forum for quite some time now, but never registered. Now I am facing this issue with my MBA, I thought it would be the perfect time to create myself a MacRumors account!

Anyways, heres the deal:

I own a 2012 13,3 inch MBA (which I am pretty satisfied with).
These days, I have noticed that the black hinge cover (that covers the display hinge, duh) is a bit loose. I can move it from left to right, and it feels like it is completely loose from the mechanical hinge. I am thinking this is a cosmetical issue, and defenitely not a critical problem.

Is this a common problem? Have anyone of you had/have this issue, and how did you solve it? I am thinking about just going to the Apple Store to let them look at it, since i still have warranty. I'm just hoping it is a quick fix, and they dont take in my MBA for a 'real' repair procedure.
 
I had the opposite problem. I opened my laptop and it cracked. Took it to the genius bar to had it replaced. The advisor told me that they regularly see problems with the plastic hinge cover. It took two days to get it fixed (not really a part they have in stock) and was covered full under warranty.

Just have it checked out and they'll get you sorted out right away. Unless there is some conspicuous sign of abuse or wear/tear that is the fault of the consumer, Apple will more than likely repair it free of charge.
 
hop on your bike and take it to the fruitstand.
last time i was in Holland I had to move my sister in law's floor by bike - no sympathy from me ;);)


from what you've described i suspect that's a simple fix, but would involve taking it apart. if you're not comfortable doing that then i would take it in.

check out ifixit.com - they have lots of tutorials on this kind of issue if you're interested in giving it a go... but under warranty i would personally take it in before dealing with that.
 
Thanks for the replies!

I have been thinking the same way. It is probably an easy fix (loose screw?), which I can do myself. But since I still have warranty, why not let Apple fix it? I was just hoping somebody at the desk could help me right away, instead of taking it in for a couple days. I hate waking up without my Mac :p .
 
Khoality said:
Thanks for the replies!

I have been thinking the same way. It is probably an easy fix (loose screw?), which I can do myself. But since I still have warranty, why not let Apple fix it? I was just hoping somebody at the desk could help me right away, instead of taking it in for a couple days. I hate waking up without my Mac :p .
Click to expand...

Just to let you know, the clutch cover isn't actually part of the hinge. It's a completely separate piece of plastic that is loose (the way to insert/remove it is to slide and pull! :p).

Best thing to do is just slide it into the center (you should have about 1/8" of play) and forget about it! They're all pretty much the same.
 
So what you're saying is that basically every MBA has this? I checked out my friend his MBA, which does not have the same issue.

My thoughts about the hinge cover was that it is a separate piece of plastic that is attached to the mechanical hinge in some way for cosmetical reasons (prob. screws, I don't think they would use glue :p) I can slide the hinge cover from left to right until it touches the unibody.

I was also thinking about letting it the way it is, unless it is a common issue and can be fixed easily.
 
Make an appointment on a mid-week when they are not so busy, should be able to adjust it on the spot.
 
I will. Now I still don't know if this hinge cover is suppose to be like this or really a cosmetical defect :p. I will just let Apple take care of it :)
 
Brian Y said:
It's not screwed. Step 14 onwards should hopefully explain what I meant (airs and pros use the same clutch cover essentially). It's meant to be slidable - that's how you remove it :)

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+MacBook+Pro+13-Inch+Unibody+Mid+2010+Clutch+Cover/6023/2
Click to expand...

Thanks for the explanation! The pictures are indeed showing the clutch cover as a separate part that is not attached to the mechanical hinge.

Conclusion = this issue is purely random, one clutch cover can be a bit tighter around the hinge than the other?
 
Khoality said:
Thanks for the explanation! The pictures are indeed showing the clutch cover as a separate part that is not attached to the mechanical hinge.

Conclusion = this issue is purely random, one clutch cover can be a bit tighter around the hinge than the other?
Click to expand...

Yep - most have some wiggle room.

The exceptions are the old (original) MacBook Air, all of the Plastic MacBooks, and the original non-unibody MacBook Pro (which were screwed to the display).

The retina MBP ones seem to be much tighter, but they do all differ (the MBA I'm typing on now slides quite easily).
 
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