DELL XPS 17 L702x broken hinge

For anyone else with this problem, I've just gone through the same thing and used the 3D Cover, Part No.P5KGW to replace the  existing cover, Part No. 1V0WH (non-3D). It's an identical fit but has a WAN antenna built in.

The hinge screws came loose on mine and destroyed the mounting posts.

Trust this helps.

ENG4244 ,   I just had this happen to me.  The left hinge seemed to sieze up, and when I tried to shut the display screen, it broke the front  Bezel  .    

I am, still under warranty , so I am going to be giving Dell a call to see if a repairman can come out and fix it with some new hinges.

When you mentioned, that the 3D Bezel had a WAN antenna in it, are you sure that is specific to the Bezel part itself?  The Bezel should just be a cosmetic cover.  The mounting brackets around the screen would have the necessary antennae mounts in it.   I am just asking, because I know there are 3 types of Bezels for this laptop.  A plain bezel, a 3D bezel, and a touchscreen Bezel.  the WLAN antenna is definetly important for me, so this confuses me, on why/etc it is on the Bezel, rather than the lid/cover .  I would definetly need to make sure what I buy, if I choose to fix this myself.   I don't want to ship this laptop away, for a week if I can avoid it, and replacing the hinges/bezel shouldn't be too hard as long as I have the correct parts.

Thanks !

Twigleaf,

In my previous post, I referred to the cover, not the bezel. The bezel is the trim piece that snaps around the perimeter of the cover and as far as I know they are all the same on the L702X.

In my case (non 3D screen) my original cover had only a WLAN antenna installed. The wires to this are routed though a channel inside the RHS of the cover to the antenna that is situated inside the front edge of the cover.

The replacement cover I used (described as being applicable to the 3D model) had a second WWAN antenna installed in addition to the WLAN antenna. The wires to this are routed through a channel on the LHS of the cover to the WWAN antenna also located inside the top edge of the cover. (Both antennas are located under the non-metallic top section of the cover).

I also thought my bezel had broken since the LH hinge had become partially detached from the cover anchoring posts and pushed the bezel away from the corner. However, this was not the case and only removing the cover showed the true extent of the damage. The hinge and screen mounting posts had completely pulled away from the cover on the LHS, The screen mount was also cracked at the lower left mounting flange where the hinge had obviously been loose and was flexing.

I had a technician look at this and he attributes this problem to the hinge attachment screws loosening over time. The RH hinge screws were also found to be loose. Unfortunately it appears to be a common problem.

Although I purchased a new bezel, the original has been refitted OK. New hinges came with the new cover and the entire assembly was an exact fit. However, extra care was paid to properly securing the mounting screws.

Trust this clarifies.

Hi ENG4244,

So, it seems that this problem has the ability to reoccur for many users, as the exact same thing happened to me. I am sure that I have to buy a replacement for the front bezel. Also, I can see the screen mounting post (left) broken. But I am really unsure about the further extent of damage, as the hinge also seems locked. I am also not sure if there is a problem with the back cover (silver) as the screws from the hinge to silver cover are also detached. LCD screen itself seems fine as I am writing this post from the same laptop :-p (although I can't close its door). You wrote in your post that you bought the entire assembly with hinges and cover, can you be kind enough to share the link where you bought it? Living in germany, its kind of hard to buy it here. And would buying the whole assembly mean that it will include the screws and mountings? Thanks in advance.

Sorry to hear of your problems. It seems to be related to poor design, the hinge screws come loose and the mounting posts break, although it's not unique to this particular model.

You will have to search on the Internet (ebay) for replacement parts. I purchased a new bezel from an ebay supplier but I was lucky enough to find a complete lid assembly advertised locally by a private seller. Unfortunately that doesn't help you but you should be able to find the parts you need elsewhere.

Best of Luck

Eng4244

Hi, someone else here with the same problem. Love my l702x, it is in mint condition, except for the LCD cover that was ripped to pieces by the loosening screws on the left hinge.

I have a non-3D full HD display. Just for my understanding, the cover for the 3D-version would be a suitable replacement, then? And will I need to match that cover with a 3D-ready bezel, or will my current non 3D-bezel serve? It is cracked, but still serviceable.

Sorry if I am repeating the same questions.

Thanks,

Steve

I somehow found the front bezel and the left support for the screen (20 euros only for these two used things). But similar to your case, the left hinge is completely frozen and the housing in the lid cover for the screws related to hinge is also damaged. So, I indeed need the lid back cover along with hinges. Searched the whole internet but could not find any, except for a few which cost more than 200 dollars. So, I am stuck with it and have no idea where to fine these in some affordable range.

But a question, if the exact same thing happens to so many persons, isn't it a design fault? If yes how to make Dell cover it after the warranty expires? A company with such a big name but you end up with such a thing after spending a lot of money.

Same boat Steve.  I have just been delaying fixing it.  I have not been able to close my screen in 5 months almost.  It wants to break the LCD screen bends it.  So, I need to tear it down, which is a major process, all starting with one screw to remove the DVD drive.  I just need to find the parts, and Ebay is the only place it seems.  not even Dell sells them, unless you sign either a repair job, or a warranty repair.  Neither of which is price friendly for a 2011/1012 system .   I assume all the Bezels fit, they just look different, due to a camera, etc.  Otherwise, I think the outer lid cover is fairly generic.  I thought I saw 2 models of hinges though.  I don't think you can go wrong with any part that covers the WLAN antennae.  You need to make sure any part you buy has the fittings for the 1/2 antennae that go around the internals of the screen.  This is the entirety of your wireless networking.    There is a reason, when dell fixes these things, they just fix both the Screen Lid cover, and the Base... because they don't always know which part the mounts cracked.  They send a technician out with both parts, and have him just replace all the guts into both the lid and base.  They DO NOT like to deviate from that plan, and will have you on the phone with a supervisor if you alleviate from their repair plans.

I have not found the teardown difficult at all, using this service manual: ftp.dell.com/.../xps-l702x_service%20manual_en-us.pd

Cheersf

I also have this problem. As for the person who wrote up there, my HD failed a few years ago giving SMART technology errors all over. I still use the HD, and the problem isn't as bad as it used to be so who knows.

As for the front trim bezel, I don't know what happened, but the left side just popped out and completely messed up my laptop. I have not closed it for about 6 months now because doing so makes it worse and crack, but I had to take it on a trip so I closed it and it did close however a bunch of plastic pieces started falling out from the front left side near the hinge and now the bottom part of the trim is bent. The entire bottom part of the trim sticks out now. I have the 3D model that I bought in 2011. Everything else works fine, just this trim situation. I wouldn't mind trying to fix it, but I just don't know all the things needed to fix it or which parts. I assume the front trim bezel does not fix the hinge situation either because I guess that part is also broken. Any ideas? Also the guy who linked the pdf...the entire url is not displayed therefore the link does not work.

Attached are pics of the situation

Hi all!

I also have the same problem, and it started about 6 months ago. At first, the front left side of the inside black plastic screen bezel snapped, and since then, I have not been able to close the screen. If I tried, it all warped and plastic pieces came falling out. It's been getting progressively worse, unfortunately.

I had to remove the bezel, as it looked like it would make the whole screen break. Now the silver metal bit of the screen cover, which sits just next to the left hinge, has snapped, and it's only a matter of time before the whole thing falls apart.

This is still a good laptop, and scrapping it feels like a waste of money. I have been looking for replacement parts, and may have found a screen cover for the L701x - will this work for the L702x too? How difficult is it to replace this?

Thank you!

Hey Alex, try this site . They show how to take it apart and how to order parts. blog.parts-people.com/.../dell-xps-l702x-lcd-hinge-removal-and-installation

They have one for bezel removal too. I might end up buying both and replacing it. It's really easy.

Hello,

I faced the same problem. LCD is working perfectly fine. Hinges pushed the LCD Bezel out and broke. The posts for the hinge screw on the front cover is shattered and so I cannot close the screen.

I have been a loyal customer to Dell for the last 15 years and bought several computers in the past. Created an order for the front cover / hinge assembly with Dell in November 2015. Dell revised the delivery date about 9 or 10 times and then automatically cancelled my order. I have to stay away from Dell now for my future needs if this is the support I am going to get.

Regards

Sanil

Hi All,

Does anybody knows, or have experience whether such damage to the back cover, part no. P5KGW (plastic mounting studs for the hinge screws broken) and a broken bezel is covered by the dell warranty?

Thanks in advance!

Stiertjuh