Case Issues chrome book will not close to the keyboard because of the hinge issue

Rubble1953

Good day - the top of my chrome book will not close to the keyboard. The hinge on the left side of the Chromebook has come away from the base and it no longer closes. Not under warranty but certainly seems out of the ordinary to happen. Looking for advice on how to proceed.

[Edited the thread to add issue detail]

Puraw

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/694552/case-issues

The only solution is bringing the laptop to Acer Services in your country to replace the base and hinge assembly. this will be costly. Patching the left side with epoxy cement can help but after time the bezel/panel will start cracking that may even damage the screen.

Rubble1953

I was hopeful that a computer that was only a couple of years old would have a replacement warranty this cant be a common occurrence and if in fact it is I will not be purchasing another Acer Computer.

billsey

It can actually be fairly common with all the newer 'thin and light' laptops. Part of the 'thin' design means the base for the screws holding the hinges is not deep enough to give the best adhesion, part of the 'light' is that those same screw mounts don't have large sidewalls. Between the two the screws are more prone to pulling loose if you open or close the laptop quickly, or flex it by opening from the corner instead of the center. The fix, short of replacing the case halves, is to use a metal epoxy to rebuild the screw mounts and to either lube or loosen the hinge pin (depends on the hinge design, some can't be loosened) to allow it to be slightly easier to open. Loosening it too much though can make it harder to keep open… I've done the epoxy thing on several laptops now and if you use the right epoxy they hold quite a bit better than the stock plastic, albeit with a slight weight gain.

Rubble1953

Would you tell me what type of epoxy to purchase. This will certainly prevent me from purchasing another ACER Chrome Notebook.

billsey

This is what I used on the last one I did:

https://www.amazon.com/J-B-Weld-8265S-Cold-Weld-Reinforced/dp/B0006O1ICE?th=1

Remember, this isn't an Acer specific problem. I have had to do repairs like this on HP, Dell and Lenovo laptops as well. It's inherent on every design that touts thin and light. You just have to be careful in your use to keep it from being an issue during the normal lifespan of the laptop.