Swift 5 SF514-54T-75X LCD lid crack problem persists for years? Does Acer have bad engineering unit?

SergeCa
SergeCa Member Posts: 4 New User
edited October 2021 in Swift and Spin Series
Hello,
About a yer ago I bought a Swift 5 Laptop - SF514-54T-75X5
A month ago I discovered that the LCD lid has developed a crack which is 2" long and 1" above the left hinge. This happened exactly few weeks past 1yr warranty. A week ago I start seeing same kind of a problem near the right hinge.  Since I discovered that crack I stopped closing the lid to avoid the crack progression. Yet, the ***** plastic is so thin that the lid can develop cracks even under its own weight. 


2nd crack at right hinge


I start googling about this problem and discover this thread which has been started .. in '2014
https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/296148/acer-laptop-left-side-screen-hinge-problem

SO, even 6 years later Acer engineering did not care to improve the ***** lid design? Are you serious, Acer??  Did your engineers ever study the "resistance  of materials" subject in university?

That forum thread has been locked. It looks like Acer does not want even to admit the problem. The answer of this dude (pls see below) is especially shameless.

I've placed a request. If you guys won't fix my laptop, I promise, I will take enough of my efforts to put all of this information into social media, forums, friends, etc in order to inform people of how bad your products and support are.  Because it all looks quite outrageous on your part.

p.s. i.e. my friend's  $1500 (Canada dollars) Macbook has slipped out of his motorcycle saddle bag at 30mph speed. Beside several external scuffs on aluminium case, that 6y.o Mac is still well functional! 
For this Swift 5 Laptop I paid $ CA 1,470.83 at your online store, and it starts collapsing only some 13-14 months later and no abuse.

 - - - here is that outrageous answer of your employee (you better address this issue!)  - - -

Manny0820 Posts: 4,453 Guru
Hi all, 

Sorry for inconveniences but we have previously inform this:

A lot of research, time and development go into the area around the hinges to minimize issues, but laptops have had these issues for 20+ years. The hinge is a common component that produces a lot of stress. Unfortunately, hardware failures can occur with any component on a computer, especially a moving part like a hinge. Several posts have been made to this thread with different products that have similar, but unrelated issues as the original post. We have followed up with each poster in this thread, so I am locking this thread from future posts. We encourage to create a new post so our community can assist if you still have questions or issues you need assistance with.

Thanks,

Acer-Manny


​//Edited the content to add model name.   ​

Answers

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,328 Trailblazer
    >>>I start googling about this problem and discover this thread which has been started >>>

    Try google searching lid, hinge & case etc issues the same way with any major consumer-oriented laptop brands including Apple, Dell, Asus, HP etc and see how many hits you get.  You want ruggedized laptops, you get and pay for metal or composite cases. Otherwise you get molded plastic.

    Jack E/NJ

  • Easwar
    Easwar Member Posts: 6,727 Guru
    Hi @SergeCa,

    It looks like hardware issue. Contact acer tech support,

    https://www.acer.com/ac/en/CA/content/service-contact

    OR book the unit for repair service,

    https://customerselfcare.acer.com/CS2/#/

  • SergeCa
    SergeCa Member Posts: 4 New User
    edited October 2021

    Easwar said:
    Hi @SergeCa,

    It looks like hardware issue. Contact acer tech support,

    https://www.acer.com/ac/en/CA/content/service-contact

    OR book the unit for repair service,

    https://customerselfcare.acer.com/CS2/#/

    Hello,

    this is what I've already done.
    JackE said:
    >>>I start googling about this problem and discover this thread which has been started >>>

    Try google searching lid, hinge & case etc issues the same way with any major consumer-oriented laptop brands including Apple, Dell, Asus, HP etc and see how many hits you get.  You want ruggedized laptops, you get and pay for metal or composite cases. Otherwise you get molded plastic.

    Are you serious?..  I'm over 20 yrs in the IT, had at least half a dozen laptops in my home office and over a dozen of them at work. I've never seen such a problem in my life. Why should I look at some bad examples?
    Why do I need a justification for Acer engineering negligence? 

    "You want ruggedized laptops, you get and pay for metal or composite cases. Otherwise you get molded plastic"
     - are you serious?..  I do not buy this argument. I paid 1470$ CAD for this Acer!  At this price in Canada you can buy a MacBook Pro - it has aluminium housing which never breaks.  How is possible at all to make something which costs over 1K dollars then breaks so soon?! What a rip off by Acer!   It is possible to design a molded plastic case which lasts. I do not care which material they use. I paid enough money and I just want a good product. Period.  In 2009 I bough a $500 Gateway laptop which is all plastic and it still works, mechanically OK and no cracks. My mom still using it.

    I did try to find a replacement lid, but there is  nothing for this model. 
    They propose no solution for me except to pay $880 - I would say it is a price of another laptop.
    WHY DO I NEED TO PAY ACER FOR THEIR BAD PRODUCT DESIGN ??

     880CAD to repair $1470 laptop which is flawed by desing??  Are you kidding, Acer?  What a rip off.

    I will make sure to inform as many people about this incident as possible. I will compose and post a video containing all the information including that mail answer. Acer will lose tens of times more money.
    It is totally unacceptable doing business this way.
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,328 Trailblazer
    Good luck with whatever makes you feel you can get your message out.

    Jack E/NJ

  • ttttt
    ttttt Member Posts: 1,947 Community Aficionado WiFi Icon
    @SergeCa

    It is not uncommon to see this kind of cracks for laptop lids, and for Acer laptops in particular. Some Acer laptops are famous for broken hinges too.

    I guess it is an engineering tradeoff between light weight, thin materials to durability. 

    While Apple's Macbook can be considered good quality product and rather expensive, but I have a Macbook even with multiple crakes at the lid with time.

    Don't be too frustrated. For the mean time, go get a roll of black color Gorilla tape to mend it, hopefully that can prolong the life of the laptop for a few more years.
  • AWE64
    AWE64 Member Posts: 2 New User
    Hello Everyone,

    I agree 100% with SergeCa. I also bought exact same laptop and, it suffered the same issue as mentioned by SergeCa. Luckily I have 2nd year warranty from Costco and, they just replaced the LCD back cover as well as CPU fan that was making some funny noise at high usage (Occasionally the laptop shutdown automatically due to overheating). I am also in IT for last 20+ years and, never experience such a poor construction in my entire career at this price point.

    Shame on you Acer!!!

    As you can see  this problem happened to more than one unit therefore I can safely say that it is a manufacture defect.
  • SergeCa
    SergeCa Member Posts: 4 New User
    AWE64 said:
    Hello Everyone,

    I agree 100% with SergeCa. I also bought exact same laptop and, it suffered the same issue as mentioned by SergeCa. Luckily I have 2nd year warranty from Costco and, they just replaced the LCD back cover as well as CPU fan that was making some funny noise at high usage (Occasionally the laptop shutdown automatically due to overheating). I am also in IT for last 20+ years and, never experience such a poor construction in my entire career at this price point.

    Shame on you Acer!!!

    As you can see  this problem happened to more than one unit therefore I can safely say that it is a manufacture defect.

     thanks for your support buddy.
    Lucky you having bought your laptop through Costco. It was smart move.

    If I was you, I would reinforce the newly replaced\installed lid with a plastic sheet by gluing it over the top surface which has that "ACER" gold writing. Otherwise one year later it will crack again. I doubt if Costco warranty will cover it for you once again.

     I need to figure out a solution for me on my own to fix or replace this cracked lid. ...ohh, Acer screwed me up for $1450
  • AWE64
    AWE64 Member Posts: 2 New User

    Hello Again,

    SergeCa As you pointed out, my laptop has resurfaced with the same problem and I am no longer covered under Costco's warranty. Is there a permanent solution for this issue that anyone knows? Acer can you do anything ?

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,328 Trailblazer

    https://community.acer.com/en/profile/AWE64

    Acer can you do anything ?>

    Go to this link. Enter your machine's serial number id (SNID). If it's still covered by the Acer warranty, use the chatline or other contact methods provided to Acer customer service to find out. If the SNID can't be found, then the Acer warranty period has probably also expired.

    Jack E/NJ

  • SergeCa
    SergeCa Member Posts: 4 New User

    Hello,
    I fixed it myself. Actually there are at least two solutions possible.

    Solution #1. Replace it.

    I saw a replacement lid on AliExpress, i.e. check this one

    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005293351017.html

    but this does not guarantee that the replacement lid won't crack again. It sucks by design.

    So my solution was #2 - please keep reading below

    Solution #2. Fix-reinforce your cracked lid.
    I bought

    Open your laptop case, unscrew the screen, remove bezel. You need the lid to be free of everything else. There is a lot of vids on YouTube how to do it. Take your time, do not rush. It IS doable.

    Cut the carbon sheet to match exactly the top surface of your lid. Remove the protective PVC film from one side only. Sand and smooth out the carbon edges, etc. Sand the surfaces to be glued: the carbon and the lid. The lid is made of aluminum. You don't need to sand it down to the metal, just remove the painting then you'll see the gray priming layer - no need to remove it. Also try to do not make a hole while sanding. It is just only a tiny bit thicker than beer can foil is. Cut the plywood (or plastic) to match the inner surface of your lid - the area where your LCD screen sits. You will need to squeeze the lid + glue + carbon sandwich in between the sheets of plywood using C-clamps. But it must not squeeze the framing edges of your lid. This is why the plywood must be able to get placed inside the lid. Prepare the epoxy resin, mix it up, apply very thin layer to both surfaces, to the lid and the carbon reinforcing sheet. Put them together. Check carefully the edges, remove the excess of epoxy. Finally, put the plywood to the top and bottom of your sandwich and clamp it together. Leave it to cure for some 24 hrs. Then you will need to re-assemble things back to enjoy your reinforced nice laptop.
    I attach a couple of pics to give you better idea.
    I think my result is well worth the effort. This laptop is good fast hardware in a badly engineered case. This is why I took time to fix it.
    Good luck!

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,328 Trailblazer

    I think my result is well worth the effort.>This is why I took time to fix it.

    Nice work! 🙂

    Jack E/NJ

  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,436 Trailblazer

    Make sure you have good ventilation when cutting the carbon fiber, the dust is very bad for your long term health.

    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.