17" MacBook Pro - loose DISPLAY HINGE - Is this NORMAL ?

I am posting this for others that may be having this
issue.

I called Apple tech support and was instructed to
take it into one of the stores locally with a genius
bar. When I got to the store, the genius told me
that this was how the notebook was designed, and
there was nothing they could do except send it in for
repair. Just for kicks, I tested every 17" they had
on display, and most of them had the hinge issue. I
called Apple tech support back, from the store, and a
very rude tech told me there was nothing she could do
about it. I was ready to box it up and return it for
a refund.

I have a couple of friends who are engineers at Apple
and they assured me this is not normal and I need to
send it in for a hinge replacement. I called up tech
support once again and got someone really nice on the
phone. He also affirmed that this was not how it was
designed and set it up for me to send it in for
repair.

I will find out very shortly when it is returned to
me if it has been corrected and will update here to
let others know. I find this to be an unacceptable
condition on a laptop that cost me $3,500 out the
door with the warranty. I think you should,
too.

17" MacBook Pro
Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Please let us know what happens. I am not to concerned about it but if it is not supposed to be like that I will have it fixed at a local authorized dealer that does my repairs in about 4 hours. I am not letting this puppy out of my sight for more than a day...

William

Hi everybody ,
I just received my macbook pro 17 and unfortunately I do have the loose hinge problems any time I pick it up I have to be careful not to get the screen on my hands It is quite bad if you have to move it and the screen I noticed is touching the top left part of the computer when I close it looks like the hinge is not well aligned one side is touching the top of the computer when the other side is above 2 millimeters and when I close it I feel there is somekind of resistance and a little scratchy noise which marks the computer I just called Apple to let them know about the problem I'll just retun it and wait for an other one hopefully flawless (this one worked fine and had no whine!!) I love Apple products but lately I think the checklist should be made more carefully I noticed these problems in the minutes I received the computer and there was a little dent on the left top of the trackpad that could be seen with a side light don't think I am just picky but I went on my terrace to work and saw it This is not little money we are spending……

The hinge on my 17" 1ghz PB is tight and stays open when I have it at an angle. All the 17" with the higher rez screens I have used, including powerbooks, have a lot looser screens and fall shut if they are tilted forward.

To everyone with this problem (including myself)...

I just ordered this kit online in hopes it will fix the hinge issue since I'm at school where the closest Apple Store is an hour and a half away...

http://www.radtech.us/Products/Glides.aspx

Seems pretty nice, and with shipping it's only $24. I'm crossing my fingers that it will fix this irritating problem on my MBP which I spent thousands on. (Have to love Video and Photo editing!) I'll let you know if it works or not!

Has anyone made any progress with this?

Has anyone sent a unit in for repair and got it back fixed?

Did the "Glide kit" work?

I have been frustrated with this problem for 9 months. I sent mine one time to address a number of issues, including this, but they said it was "in-spec".

Sad. So sad.

Just sat down in bed with my spankin' new 17" MBP on a Rain Lap Desk, lifted up my knees and BAM... the hinges just give out- never sen anything like it.

I just got it today and this is the ONLY thing I have noticed was wrong so far. I would hate to send it back just for this, even though it is an inconvenience. My powerbook had the "stiff hinge" issue so this is quite interesting.

Will be interesting to hear if the issue is resolved after sending it in- or using the hinge kit.

Hopefully some people repost a report.

While it MAY not be a problem in manufacturing, it absolutely is a flaw. More specifically, a "design" flaw. It is very reasonable to expect that users would want to prop their laptops up on their legs when laying down or reclining in a comfortable position. There has to be a fix here.