TravelMate P214 N19Q7 laptop developing cracks near hinge after 4 years of careful use,anyone else?

maszalay_22

I bought an Acer TravelMate P214 N19Q7 laptop in December, 2021. I've always used it properly, there hasn't been any accident which could do harm to the hardware. This year, in April, a crack arose on the bottom cover, next to the left hinge. The cover was then replaced. On the 3rd May, I saw that another crack, this time on the topcase (palmrest), next to the same hinge, about 1 in far from the previous one. Is there anybody who experienced such issues with a four-years-old professional Acer laptop? I'm really disappointed and dissatisfied with the quality of the material.

Alejandro_AC

Hi @maszalay_22 I'm sorry to hear about your problem. Personally, my experience with Acer laptops has been good in every way. I haven't had any issues with the plastic casings either.
Without knowing the exact cause of the problem, plastic casings can be affected by internal heat and prolonged outdoor exposure, whether hot or cold, causing them to dry out and become brittle.
It can also be affected, especially in the hinge area, by abrupt opening or closing, which puts pressure on the area and can cause breakage.
To a lesser extent, harsh cleaners can also affect the plastic.
I hope there are more answers that can help you understand the problem.

billsey

It is somewhat inherent in the thin and light design philosophy. To keep them thin they end up using short screws for the hinges and to keep them light they don't put a lot of reinforcement around where the screw seats. They replace case halves when the issue shows up during the warranty period, but not for much beyond that. Careful opening (read that slow and from the center of the screen) does help a lot with keeping it from showing up early, but in the long run the best solution is to rebuild the screw mounts with a hard epoxy while building up more around them. That seems to last as long as the old style machines did, without adding a lot of weight and adding nothing to the thickness. Newer machines seem to either go toward metal cases or metal/plastic hybrids, likely, partially at least, due to the issue.

maszalay_22

Thank you all for the answers.

At the service I was told that it is common among Acer laptops that the plastic parts are not durable. That being said, I am sorry that it is acceptable for a world-renowned company that even their products intended for business use do not last beyond the warranty period.

Alejandro_AC

Was the technical service center an official Acer center? I'm surprised that if it is, they gave you that answer because it's not true. I've had Acer laptops with plastic casings for years, and they've been in my family and are still as good as new.

billsey

All laptops that I've seen over the years that advertised themselves as thin and light, and didn't have metal cases, have the potential for the issue to appear. The first one I fixed was an HP, the second a Dell. It wasn't until the fourth or fifth one I fixed that I ran into an Acer. That's way too small of a population to come up with conclusions about any specific brands, other than they are all susceptible to it.