MacBook Pro 2012 "Squeaky Hinge" - Fixed

Hello all,

Since about August '13 my mid-2012 MBP has had a squeaky hinge... Every time I opened or closed my computer or adjusted the screen angle, a popping sound, creak, or squeak would eminate from my screen and draw a handful of looks from those around me during lecture.

After scouring the internet, my options seemed to use waxed dental floss every couple days to lubricate the hinge (a pain in the rear), WD-40 (yikes...), or taking it to an Apple store and have them tell me they can't do anything about it. I also found a person who suggested filing away at the aluminum body of the computer with emery paper to prevent the plastic hinge from rubbing against the metal.

But that got me thinking, why is this happening in the first place?

After investigating the hinge with a flashlight I noticed the left side of the hinge was ~1.5 mm offset from the aluminum. The right side (where the sound was eminating from) was flush. This explains why the one post suggested removing the extra aluminum to free up more space for the hinge to move. But how could I solve this without permanently modifying the device?

I decided to move the hinge back into place instead of modifying the device itself. I braced the left side of the computer body with my left palm, placed my right palm on the top right of the screen, and opened and closed the hinge many times while pressing my hands together. To my surprise, the plastic hinge shifted a small amount to the left and the creaking sound was quieter. After 30 seconds of moving the hinge, the creaking stopped.

I have no idea if this solution is "permanent" or not, but I hope this helps someone else out there who wants to stop the creaking in their MBP hinge.