XPS 13 9370, wobbly screen hinge

Question

The laptop screen lid on my XPS 9370 is very, loose, wobbly.

I noticed this few months after I purchased (June 28, 2018) the laptop. Before this, the battery died out on the laptop and had to be replaced. I raised the wobbly screen issue with technical support (along with an issue I faced with the touchpad, where at times it did not register a tap on the top left area) in December 2019, but was unable to follow up with the repair due to my research work and travels. Then the pandemic and lockdowns soon followed. I tried to follow up with technical support again, a couple days ago. They now say that such a wobbly screen is normal during the course of usage (2 years/4 months) and nothing much can be done. I spent top dollar for this laptop along with 4 years premium support plus. Not happy with the explanation provided.

The issue was noticed within the 1st year of ownership itself. My mistake was I should have addressed it then itself. But couldn't afford to have a gap in my research work.

Even if I were to go by the explanation of age and usage (given by technical support), can a premium laptop degrade so quickly? Primary use of this laptop has been Word processing and web browsing!

Would love to hear from others if they have faced a similar issue and what can be done. Thanks!

DELL-Cares · Answer

Thank you! We have received the required details. We will work this issue. In the meantime, you may also receive assistance or suggestions from the community members.

jesj · Answer

Dell Tech Support (on this forum) just re-stated that the issue is age related. This response is most unfortunate and fails to provide a reason as to why such a problem should have even arisen within the 1st year of ownership.

With this response Dell seems to be disowning the quality of workmanship and the durability standards of their premium line of laptops (XPS). If they consider 1 or 2 years as aged, I made a mistake choosing Dell over Lenovo's Thinkpad series of laptops. To top my regret I paid for 4 years of Premium Support Plus to be told within the 2nd year that my laptop was no good. Very regrettable!

Make no mistake, this laptop is good, sleek and I still like it. But their response today has made me revisit my opinion of the present generation of Dell laptops (I have a Dell Precision M20, almost 20 years old, that even works now). Sorry state of affairs!

Expected a solution to the problem, not an expression of regret and dismissive response from the manufacturer.

U2CAMEB4ME · Answer

Welcome to the Dell Community @jesj  ' PM ' Preventative Maintenance' Most people do not take the time to perform periodic PM's on there laptop. Times like this show that a little PM every once in a while will prevent things like this from occurring. XPS 13 Service Manual: https://www.dell.com/support/manuals/en-us/xps-13-9370-laptop/xps-13-9370-servicemanual/before-working-inside-your-computer?guid=guid-5d3b1051-9384-409a-8d5b-9b53bd496de8&lang=en-us The 2 most common cause of screen wobble is loose screws or broken hinge screw mounts. To prevent broken hinge mounts perform a periodic PM of tightening the hinge screws. The more the lid is opened and closed the more frequent the PM should be performed. Your lid seems to have six screws used to secure it to the base. You will need to remove the base to tighten the four internal screws. Best regards, U2

jesj · Answer

Thanks for the reply! But won't taking apart my laptop void the warranty? Moreover, I don't have the required tools or expertise to perform such intricate tasks.

U2CAMEB4ME · Answer

@jesj

It would not void any warranty if you take the Base Cover off.

There are only eight screws on the bottom to remove the Base Cover

The two in the back are also hinge screws.

Base Cover.PNG

You could just try tightening those two or remove the eight screws and tighten the other four that are screwed into the same hinge plate.

https://www.dell.com/support/manuals/en-us/xps-13-9370-laptop/xps-13-9370-servicemanual/procedure?guid=guid-ea98c4f1-9a65-450c-876f-88b2d5afe0e9&lang=en-us

Regards,

U2

jesj · Answer

The laptop lid swings open even in the closed position (if tilted) and it does not close shut fully. It comes to rest on the keypad. So, my concern is whether tightening it further will help or cause any more problems. Will need to get a tool kit for those screws.

lynn1227 · Answer

My screen does that too

xshawn · Answer

so I found the plastic board under the hinge(and the DC input) are broken, half of the piece shown in the picture here and another half is hidden under the DC connector, where can I get a replacement(don't even know how to search that as I don't know its name).

Dell really should not put plastic in a high traffic area like this, a piece of metal might be two pennies more, please it's one of your flagship products.

U2CAMEB4ME · Answer

Welcome to the Dell Community @xshawn

From your picture it is hard to tell what part needs to be replaced.

The manual is posted above and the best place to look for your parts is here.

https://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=category&id=143&subid=1200

Best regards and good luck,

U2

29hifi · Answer

Hello,

I am also experiencing the same issue. Have only had the xps 13 2 in 1 for 1 year now and the left hindge is very loose. I am worried it will eventually interfere with the function of the screen. A little dissapointing considering the cost of the laptop and I have taken good care of it.

U2CAMEB4ME · Answer

Welcome to the Dell Community @29hifi  Have you performed the PM posted earlier??? Best regards, U2

amcferrin90 · Answer

You I love and hate Dell. I have used Dell laptops of varying type for years and never experienced the problem I have with the only 2 premium XPS laptops I've ever purchased. They both have hinge pin problems, starts with wobbly screen and eventually you can't close the laptop without one back corner popping up. I love the PM information and that's helpful if those screws come loose. how about some thread lock? So many people with this problem, a little thread lock would prevent that. However in my case on both laptops the hinge pin screws weren't even loose. The back of the laptop was missing screws where they've fallen out. But the hinge pin screws were still tight. So is there something about a PM function for this? Probably not because on one laptop I've had the hinge pin break damage repair done twice. In my case it's the plastic standoffs that break off. You might say it was dropped? I don't think so. There's no other physical damage. I'm upset because my 4 or 5 year extended warranty expired 5 months ago. I agree with others. It seems like a QC problem to me for sure with the loose screws but also with the plastic breaking.

XPS

XPS 13 9370, wobbly screen hinge

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