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Stiffened hinge on Macbook Aluminum

D

dfuzzion

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 13, 2009
2
0
this was sent by someone in other forum as i have similar problem... =

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".. I got my Unibody MacBook the first day they were available, and since late December, the hinge has gotten stiffer and stiffer, making a cracking noise when I move it after it stays in one position for a few seconds.

I took it to the Genius Bar (covered under AppleCare) but the people there wouldn't do anything about it, saying it's within normal spec and classifying it as a "user perception issue." (The slightly condescending sound of that phrase is for another post.)

Has anyone attempted to lubricate the hinge in their laptop themselves? I removed all of the bottom paneling and looked at the hinge, but didn't see how to separate it from the case easily. Would it be a bad idea to try to squirt a little silicone lubricant into the hinge to see if that helps the issue? Is there another trick I could try.

My mom has a Unibody Pro with a hinge that glides nice and smoothly and it's annoying mine is no longer working properly like this. Any advice is appreciated...."

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what am i supposed to do? .. has anyone succeed doing this ? or has overcome this stiffened hinge problem somehow coz it makes me really annoyed.. such a pricey thing supposed not to have this kind of cheapo problem.. :((

any solution would be much appreciated..

thanks in advance guys..
 
dfuzzion said:
I took it to the Genius Bar (covered under AppleCare) but the people there wouldn't do anything about it, saying it's within normal spec and classifying it as a "user perception issue." (The slightly condescending sound of that phrase is for another post.)
Click to expand...

People give up too easily.

Make the genius go with you to the other MBs and make him compare them. Then start involving the people milling around in a loud manner. The longer you do this the more likely the manager will try to hush the issue up and get it repaired.
 
seriously. you paid way too much money for this problem to be labeled "within spec" by some douchey apple store employee. it's not within spec. go back or call apple care and get them to set up an appointment.
 
Take a friend to the Apple Store. If the first genius doesn't work, send the friend in to another genius (whether or not you take this advice seriously, is up to you) ;-)
 
Same Problem

I have the same problem with my MacBook. It's ridiculous that they wont help you. I agree with the guy that said you should go compare the MacBooks. I want to take mine in too and see what they say. Mine makes the same cracking noise.
 
I have the same problem too. I got mine on release day and it's been doing it for a couple months now.. It sounds TERRIBLE.
 
Huh... Mine seems to be completely opposite. Mine opens/shuts too easily, and I would actually prefer mine to be stiffer (but without the cracking of course)...
 
Is there any kind of a visible screw? You guys could losen or tighten depending on the issue? If not, I would definitely complain until u get it to be the way u want it.
 
I have a black macbook, the model from before they got the Intel X3100 GPU.

I've been to an apple store here for the same problem, but as you, i got sent away with the message that it was 'in spec'...

Mine was out of warranty, if yours is still in warranty, i'd go back and tell that 'genius' to get his boss/manager.

as long as you stay there, they cant ignore you :p
 
I've had mine since november. It has gotten considerably stiffer in the last couple months. It hasn't bugged me enough to get it checked though.
 
i saw a video on youtube of a guy running some dental floss through his hinge, maybe theres just some junk caught in it making the noise?
 
Apple Repairs my MacBook

Alright, so I finally took my MacBook to the Genius Bar to see if I could get this problem fixed. Well, they kindly told me that they would re-torque it, without hesitation that is. I mean, I was kind of expecting them to be a little hesitant to get this problem fixed, that is, because of previous comments.

By the way, I went to an Apple Store in Austin, TX

Aluminum MacBook 2.0GHz

P.S. I tried searching for that YouTube vid from the previous comment and this is what I found

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFlOPY45veM
 
I have the same problem. I got my Macbook, 13" mid-november. I actually brought it into the Apple store a few months ago and had my whole display replaced. About a month and a half later the sound came back and I've been living with it. I notice it mainly does it when it gets hot and is on for a while. I will probably bring it back before my 1 year warranty ends.
 
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