Laptop Lid Cracked

Hi all,

My Toshiba laptop lid is cracked on both sides 1/2 inch above the hinge.

My search shows this problem as a manufacturing defect (hinges too tight), Not covered by Warranty.

I received a call from Bondo makers of fiberglass repair kits.
The tech said I should use an "Epoxy Resin" possibly with the cloth tape.

Has anyone attempted this or have any knowledge of how to go about it?

Thank you very much.

 

1.) Checked with Bondo fiberglass and resin will NOT stick to hard plastic lid.
2.) Went to sign company acrylic glue, Lexan, etc will not stick to plastic lid.
3.) Crazy glue will cause cracks adjacent to glue.
Epoxy alone is not strong enough.

We Are Not Amused !!!

Bondo suggested "Bondo Marine Epoxy Resin" "part 3202
upc code 076308032029.
Unable to locate in Canada.

I am thinking Rad Repair kit Black with nylon resin, but it may eat the plastic.

Someone Must have an answer??

 

My searching uncovered this:

ABS is black.

This is from a site explaining how to repair ABS parts on motorcycle saddlebags.

In this case, the liquid used was "methyline chloride" and the person shaved the ABS with a cheese grater.

 

plodr,

Thank you.
Toshiba tells me the lid is made of PVC.

Chris.

 

grrrr back to the drawing board!
http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cach...C"&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=19&gl=us&client=firefox-a
Repair Bond. They have a toll-free number.
Of course, you could also visit a plumbing shop and inquire what might be used to repair PVC letting them know that you aren't intending to cut out a section of PVC pipe and cement a new piece in its place.
Weld-on http://www.ipscorp.com/weldon/specialpurpose.html products 810 and 811 says used for repairing PVC.
Perfect glue http://www.perfectglue.com/theglues/nusPFG_PerfectGlue1.jsp works on PVC.

 

plodr,

Here is a response I received.
I will combine it with your suggestion using a sheet or piece of PVC.

Thanks
Chris.

Chris,

Personally, I would use #1, the Oatey PVC adhesive. Be careful during the
application, as I'm sure you will be. This adhesive contains PVC, That's
the CAS# 9002-86-2 for Homopolymer PVC. The solvents in there actually
dissolve and weld the 2 substrates together, just like gluing PVC pipe
together for plumbing applications. The Epoxy or Polyurethane is only
interacting on the surface of the substrates. So the Oatey material much
more effective since it causes the PVC in the adhesive to go into solution
with the PVC for the Laptop lid.

All the best,

Tom

Huntsman - HATC
Tom Gaston, Sr Tech Service Engineer
8600 Gosling Rd.
The Woodlands, TX 77381
281.719.7566 Office
281.719.7500 Fax
281.851.9961 Mobile
www.huntsman.com

 

You can try a wee bit on part of one crack and see how it works before you do the entire crack on both sides. Good luck!
Actually it seems wrong of Toshiba not to replace something that is a defect in manufacturing caused by them and not by any abuse on your part.

 

The Oatey PVC cement worked great!

I used a piece of 4" white p.v.c. sewer cap, cut to size and shape then hand crafted with files, sandpaper etc.
I used a propane torch to heat and shape the p.v.c. exactly.
No cleaner / primer was used, I was concerned about melt thru.

I did sand both surfaces to be joined.
I decided not to bevel the edges, I should have.

Looks like "Pauly from the Sopranos" :cool

 

It is not a defect in manufacturing. It is a flaw in over use. Same thing happenned to my whitebox notebook made by uniwill. I am opting to see if my Brother-in-law can craft a new lid out of aluminum when I can ever get the plastic parts shipped to him. :confused

candive, we are glad to hear you did not burn the house down with that propane torch!

 

Depends on how you look at it. Is there a lifecycle on plastic parts?

Over-use is a vague term, and I've never seen any warranty written as such that you have a limited amount of times allowed to open and close a laptop lid.

 

Here's 1 Picture.
I have not decided if I will paint the plastic additions to match.

 

Try again.

 

Looks good. Hey, tell everyone it is a laptop case mod that isn't finished yet.

 

It's not finished yet!

I have not decided if I should clean up the white or paint it to match the lid.
I think the White Makes Statement.

I know, Black & White squares!! Chess Board!

 

One year later, how is the lid holding up??????? Is the PVC still doing its job by holding it all together???

 

The Laptop was dropped by accident about two months ago I stood up while standing on the power cord.
It spun like a top into the ground smashing the screen.

BUT The Lid Held Together no damage to the exterior.

I still use it with an external monitor.

So there you go the p.v.c. repairs worked extremely well.

 

Good to hear the lid repair worked but not so good that you dropped the laptop.
Yesterday I used your repair method on my 3 year old Toshiba P100. coz a hairline crack had appeared on the lid near the left hand hinge and, despite care in opening and closing the lid, the crack was getting worse – now about 1in long.
At this stage I have only done the left side but I will make my pvc piece for the right side in readiness for when that one starts to crack.
As I dont intend to ever sell the laptop - the appearance doesnt bother me.
I used your method just from your instruction/description – I couldn’t view your photo coz I wasn’t register. Since my repair I am now registered with this forum and to my surprise my end result looks pretty much like yours.
I have attached a pic of my version.
It is now 24 hours since my repair and it seems to be holding very well.
thanks for your helpful post to solve my "cracking" problem.
appreciative Aussie.

 

Nice Work !!

 

Do you have a picture of your results? I like the way the PVC job turned out, but I'm not going to be turning on a welder's torch or anything.

 

See attachments at the bottom of post 12 & 17 for pictures.
A propane torch is approx $16 Canadian.

http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/...Ntx=mode+matchall&recN=0&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber

It is a small hand held torch approx 3 inches diameter by 10 inches tall used to Solder copper pipes used to supply water to the taps in your residence.
Use it to Heat the plastic SLOWLY from a distance do not let the flame come into direct contact.As soon as the plastic becomes flexable stop heating it and without burning your hands hold it on the area you want to mold it to until it cools and holds its shape.

If you have any problems ask here there are two of us here who have done the repair successfully.

 

http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/...Ntx=mode+matchall&recN=0&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber

See the bottom of post 12 & 17 for attached pictures.

 

I made a neat patch cut from the case of an old TV which is the same colour and material (PVC) as the cracked laptop lid (HP dv4000; bad design). I used PVC pipe cement to glue the pach over the cracked part of the lid. Works great after 3 months.

 

My Lid Mod is still going strong.
Eventually I plan on putting a new LCD in it.