Related
Well it went and happened last night...
While getting out of a car, the belt clip release button got pressed in by my stab-proof vest that I wear for work (this is a design flaw in it's own right, in that any other belt clips like this I have seen, slot the handset 'down' into a channel, and not hang on a hook like the default XDA2 one does - this means that at least then, if the button release becomes pressed, it still needs the device to defy gravity before coming detached - with the XDA2 belt clip, as soon as the button is pressed, as it's just a hook, it falls off).
So my XDA fell just a couple of feet, if that, onto the ground. And even then, it had its standard leather cover on. But of course, the standard cover is less than cr*p, in that it leaves nearly all of the sides exposed!
And now I find I have a slight dent on the side of my previously impeccable XDA2. But worse, slight scuffing or scratching too.
And this is where my issue comes from. With any other device, a rough scratch could be polished out. But with the bl**DY stupid XDA2 material, this is the opposite, in that the normal finish is a brushed, fairly matt aluminium.
But if it gets even slightly scuffed, what actually happens is that it reveals the under layer, and produces in effect, a shiny polished scar. So polishing it is no use at all.
I have owned 28 mobile phones, blackberries, and various other devices in my time. And this is the first device I have ever owned, that has been scuffed beyond apparent easy repair. And worse, I have only owned it a month at most.
I am foaming about this - especially given the series of shortcomings with the device and cover/clip etc, that lead up to this.
But what I need to know now, given that my XDA2 works fine, is this:
Has anyone yet discovered a good way to 'get rid' off minor scratches or scuffs on the material of the XDA2, to cover the shiny material that gets exposed, and leave it with the same sort of brushed matt finish the it normally has, or any paints/primers/touch up cans, that match it?
Please help anyone!
I've attached a photo below, but it doesn't capture it too well, especially as what I HAVE done, is cover it all in lead pencil, then rub it in.
This has reduced a lot of the shine, but of course, this will soon polish off again, so I need a proper solution.
Not sure how to get the dent out, but just get another leather case, a better one than the free one in the box. That should cover the unsightly mark and you won't have to look at it any more. Either that or claim off the insurance if you have it, but then again they may not pay out for cosmetic damage
Some fair advice there mate - cheers.
Only thing is though, you can see it all to well when its on the cradle, and I don't like it cased up too much (both issues of perception I know).
Additionally, I do have insurance, but it's an extension to Home Contents, so my premiums would jump up next year, they would not pay for cosmetic damage, and if I were to even consider a failed ROM upgrade death by pulling power half way through (and I wouldn't dream of that now would I?), then the problem is, the scratches would make it look like the (THEN) failed unit was caused by dropping it.
So I couldn't do a warranty claim, and would be back to the insurance one.
So, given that I can live with the minor dent, has anyone found any cure or solution for scratches, to cover it up back to the original finish of the XDA2?
There must be some solution, paint, primer, filler, or something out there?
Sob sob...
This is funny... I have some scratches too (my XDAII I mean ) but underneath these scratches ale looming some dark material, nothing shiney at least.
I couldn't get rid of the scratches, but polite polishing removed the jagged edges so I won't cut my ear anymore while on the phone.
You could try going for a radical approach and give it a paint job.....either a can of spray silver/aluminium effect, or metallic or matt black - WOW. There are some great effect paints (although less is more in my view).
Use insulation tape (or masking tape) to cover off the screen, buttons, holes etc. You can use the covering as you see fit - you might want to leave some areas (top) silver.....
Hows about getting a dummy XDA II and swapping the cases over?
There is one on ebay at the mo
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4183588276&category=32242
Is it the same real aluminium, and is it difficult to swap over?
Has anyone done this, can give me an idea what is involved?
Although i haven't done it before, i would have thought it was a few torx screws on the back of the case to undo?
Dummy phones are usually proper phones without the internals, usually display models in shops. From my experience the ones in shops are the full casing, just without the inside.
Best thing to do is ask the seller what his is before you bid any money for it. Also ask the conditoin, as if its been mauled in a shop, it could be scratched as well
Ex-display shop ones also usually have some sort of anti-theft bolt through them, which might be less visually appealing than a little scratch on the side. :wink:
sublimatica said:
Ex-display shop ones also usually have some sort of anti-theft bolt through them, which might be less visually appealing than a little scratch on the side. :wink:
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Click to collapse
Yeah - that's the bit that worried me too...
I'll ask about.
Also, to remove the torx screws, means puncturing a Warranty Void label, which is a bit steep for a scratch.
Oh well...
wats the trouble ... ?
why dun you just get the casing REPLACED?! you had already paied 800usd for your machine ... another 100 bucks will get u a new casing. :idea:
Er no - I paid a mere £120 british pounds (around 150-170 USD?) for it on contract.
And more importantly, as I just put in one of my last posts, that would invalidate the warranty.
So if I HAD paid that much for it, there's no way I would invalidate the warranty for a few scratches.
They bother me a lot, for sure. But spray, or paint, is a bit different to invalidating the warranty on a one month old XDA2.
Cheers for the input though.
your damaged xda2
you can buy a new O2 XDA II Aluminium case athttp://www.mobiledatadirect.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=136_129&products_id=975
ok try that
Er thanks, but that's, well, er, a CARRY CASE, not the phone shell itself mate.
Cheers though.
And the correct link is:
http://www.mobiledatadirect.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=136_129&products_id=975
Help
I've only owned my exec a couple weeks and already I notice the pivot hinge loosening.
Has anyone tightened theirs? If so, any tips?
Get in touch with HTC and see if its warrantied.
Likely just needs something tightening.
Altho I work in a customer service department for a laptop repair workshop and they would likely accuse you of having bent it the wrong way and class it as "Accidental Damage".
In which case you'd be getting a bill for a hinge (£12) and labour (£130).
You may find HTC are a little nicer than my lot tho. Hehe.
Thanks for the reply. I was hoping to be able to unscrew the hinge myself, but I wanted to know if anyone's tried it themselves yet.
My other stupid question is; How do I get in touch with HTC? Anyone have a link? Can't google it.
I bought my unlocked O2 Exec new, but not from O2. I'm in the U.S. and I'm afraid they might not help me because I'm not a customer.
Nowhere I can just drive to for repairs either, because this unit isn't sold here.
Thanks again.
I don't have a loose hinge yet, but I'm sure we will all be at that point eventually. I noticed two small screws on the inside of the hinge (underneath the screen part) when you twist the screen half way around. I wonder if they do anything useful
I've noticed those screws as well. There's also a single screw on the base side. The base metal piece is the wiggly part on the non-screw side (right).
I'll wait another day or so to see if anyone has tried this yet. If I don't get a response, I'll hold my breath and give it a go.
If it works and I end up tightening my unit - great.
If not, then I've just made a very expensive mistake.
Either way, I'll update my post here with the results..
I can't be the only person with an exec/universal that has a loose lid. Pls excuse the pun.
hazer said:
Thanks for the reply. I was hoping to be able to unscrew the hinge myself, but I wanted to know if anyone's tried it themselves yet.
My other stupid question is; How do I get in touch with HTC? Anyone have a link? Can't google it.
I bought my unlocked O2 Exec new, but not from O2. I'm in the U.S. and I'm afraid they might not help me because I'm not a customer.
Nowhere I can just drive to for repairs either, because this unit isn't sold here.
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTC warranty the product unless a third party warranty provider is nominated - which is very unusual in the first year tbh.
Normally you return to the point of sale and they will either repair it or replace it themselves and bill HTC or send it back to the manufacturer.
In this case the product is less than 28 days old? So in the UK you would be covered by the Sales of Goods Act 1979 and entitled to a repair or if you so choose an exchange. This would probably also be the case in some form or other in the USA, but I suspect since this was a product originally intended for the UK market (and if the seller was British) you would be bound by this law.
Since you're in the US you will likely have no warranty with the retailer ie. o2 since large companies often operate warranty services within the borders of the nation it was originally purchased in and never beyond.
So you're best bet is to contact HTC - whom are an international company - and they will assess the claim and arrange shipping to and from either a) an authorized local repair agent or b) back to the main repair and warranty facility in whichever country that is.
As far as I am aware you should definately either contact the point of sale if a large company and enquire as to the repair service route or just skip them compeletely and go for the manuafcturer.
For the European Union the warranty provider is: http://www.htceurope.com/
There doesn't appear to be one for the USA.
I'm sure there is but its likely going to be a case of shipping it back to Dubai or wherever anwyay so ping them some mail and see what they say.
Either way you must act quickly and keep a record of all correspondence.
In the UK we call consumer rights 'statutary rights' and the electronics world often goes far far beyond these in terms of warranty repair/s.
The only caveats are often companies assume that since you arent asking for or invoking your rights on a certain issue that they don't need to inform you of them.
YES, I have opened mine up & can give some insight. firstly it's all very robust and safe to open the hinge on the base side (have not opened screen side). it'a ALL metal - screw, plate u can see, & chassis screw goes into - so little/no danger of loosening things by unscrewing.
u will 1st find that the single screw on the base side may be half a turn loose. tightening it with a jewelers screwdriver will make a hug defferenc4e. possibly same benefit screen side but there r more screws there so I doubt it.
if u undo screw, base pops out as it hooked at one end, and thus only held by this 1 screw. u will find a nice, strong, ropey cable linking 2 halves - NOT a ribbon that breaks the moment u open this up - so safe again.
next, u can bend the plate slightly so that it sits lower in the middle. this makes a huge difference to screen looseness or play when in position. it's like tensioning a bow.
so, all very easy and safe FOR BASE SIDE. screen side looks way more delicate & hopefully someone will update this thread with similar info.
I found that when I dropped mine a few times, the screw came loose. a bit worrying cos it means a thread miust have skipped. but now I know that if the screw ever strips I can get it re-tapped by a jeweler and a new screw put in. there's enough chassis 4 this I think. please let us know how it goes.
Shame no pics ...!
:lol:
yeah, exec battled 2 take pics of its own arse when dissembled
First let me say THANKS to Gubbs and Craigie!
Unfortunately it's now past closing time at HTCEUROPE, so I'll have to try and call them tomorrow.
I tried to take the pda apart and concur with Craigie regarding its simplicity. The wiggle in my Exec comes from the pivot and not the base plate with the single screw. I tried to remove the lid side plate by unscrewing the 4 screws that hold it, but it cannot be removed w/o spreading the plastic housing which holds the LCD. Scary.
There are 2 additional screws which bind the plastic housing (can be seen w/o taking anything apart). There are also 2 rubber inserts at the tip (tried, but can't pull out). So, my theory is that by removing the 6 lid screws and these rubber inserts, I'll be able to separate the plastic halves and remove the metal plate. Again...SCARY.
I'm hoping there's a screw which tightens the pivot. From what's visible it is made up from a press fit washer and a bent spring washer around a metal shaft. If there is a screw, it's on the side I can't get to. If there isn't a screw, then it's got to be another press fit washer used to hold the assembly together. I can use pliers to squeeze the opposite washers toghether if I can get to them.
If I have to, I'll send it to HTC. But I'd rather try and fix it myself to save the time lost and expense. Granted I should stay away from coffee or any other caffinated products before I do.
Just seen this posting by "stot" selling a replacement screen for the Universal, he gives a link showing instructions for stripping down the Universal, any help with tightening the hinge?
Thanks Stot!
http://www.artworkfiles.com/XDA/
Regards
When I did open up the screen there is no inherant way of adjusting the tension of the spring. It is basically a rivet with a curved washer that gets squashed and provides the tension.
Only thing I could suggest would be to squash the rivet section on 2 sides with a pair of pliars, or vice grips may be better so that you can set the pressure, i.e. close the vice crips and adjust them so that they are snug on the edge of the rivet, open them, adjust them closed evvver so slightly and then close them on the rivet. This will basically put more tension on the washers.
Its from the school of smack it til it works but its all I can think of.
Ill put some more pictures up of what I mean on that link shortly.
BTW. wanna buy a screen?! :wink:
Thanks
Stot
I think it was the swivel action some were interested in any suggestions to tightening that mechanism? Photo's would be good too, or is that one a case of squash it with pliers too?
I dont need a screen myself sorry my friend
Hope you find a buyer!
Hi,
Yeah Its the swivel I mean, not the opening mechanism. Pics are up you'll see what I mean.
Just noticed this is the idea Hazer had and ill agree thats the only way to do it.
Cheers
Stot.
Brilliant Stot! Great work my friend, the pictures are perfect. Thanks
Regards
These pics are fantastic gooroo.
All of you who have contributed to this tread - THANK YOU.
As soon as the kids are asleep tonite and the wife is watching tv - I'll get started. I'll need the peace and quiet required when handling such a delicate operation.
Think I'll wear a mask and gloves, just to make it official. I guess I won't be needing my tablesaw or reciprocating saw. Too bad.
I've gotten as far as spliting the lid from the main section, but I was afraid to split the lid in half in order to get at the metal plate. No more.
I'll report soon.
Thanks guys.
Pictures unavailable?
It seems http://www.artworkfiles.com/XDA/ is no more available!
Has anybody downloaded the pictures and instructions?
Can you please sent them to me?
I have the same loose hinge problem...
Thanks in advance
Anton
anton.ruzicATijs.si
Hey,
It's easy tightening the hinge! Mine was lose, and when I say lose I mean basically spinning 360 degrees! So what did I have to lose... nothing. I took my Exec apart.
When you rotate your screen.. to the right of the light sensor and 'Xda Exec' text there is a grey metal panel, with a small standard 'phillips' screw in there. Undo this one screw, and the metal plate will lift of. In there you will find a thick cable that connects the screen and the hardware keyboard. Simply twist the wire up a bit (you'll understand what I mean) and then put the panel back on, screw it up, and the screen will be tight as it was new..
I have started to notice that the hinge is starting to get lose again - wait there and I shall do the above proceedure again (undo the metal plate, unwrap the cable, wrap it back up and screw up) - oh look it's tight as brand new.
Don't worry about loosing anything whilst un-screwing you exec, NOTHING pops out!
Good luck - you won't need it!
I'll keep an eye on the thread incase there is any questions.
Pete
That's a brilliant post Pete. When my hinge comes loose I will not have any fear about following your instructions. Luckily, the missus is an optometrist, so she has plenty of tiny screwdrivers, etc. Maybe I can get her to do it, that way if she breaks it, it's not my fault... :wink:
replacement Screen Help
I read the post and I thought someone said they have a link on where to buy a replacement screen for the HTC Universal. Can someone help me... I drop the device and the screen cracked Lcd.
Hi all, I have broken the plastic part off the stylus...again :roll:
Anyone know if there is a solid stylus available instead of the poorly designed stylus supplied. Yes I know it is because they had to make it black to match the case, but I would have rather had a silver coloured stylus that lasted.
Why they didn't make a completely solid stylus I don't know; other than to generate sales of stylus pens, but they wouldn't do that would they? :shock:
I've even thought about manufacturing some to sell. Would anyone buy such a thing? :?:
funny you mention it, i had to do stylus repairs last night,
the black bit has started to come out of ppc without the rest of the stylus attached,
Tools used for repair : part of a rizla.
I teared enough rizla off to do one lap around the stylus, after licking the gum of course, then banged the black bit back in, now i cant seperate them so i think ive done enough for it to last a while longer now
Maybe you can try one of the replacement styli. The one with a ballpen on one end which translates to THE BALCK PART REALLY IS REMOVABLE so you cannot really BREAK it and not put it back. It's a ballpen cap
Jorgee said:
Maybe you can try one of the replacement styli. The one with a ballpen on one end which translates to THE BALCK PART REALLY IS REMOVABLE so you cannot really BREAK it and not put it back. It's a ballpen cap
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using that pen/stylus now and another advantage (as was noted on another post in here somewhere) is that the pen/stylus is much more secure in the device than the original stylus. I never had the original one fall out like some have metioned, but now there's not rattle either.
I don't know it the loose fitting stylus was unique to a particular branding, but I have the i-mate Jasjar.
where do you get one of these stylus pens please?
I dunno if this is what kelfor has but you can check www.ppctechs.com or www.expansys.com or any other PDA online shops.
hi all just a follow-up to this post I purchased some styli from expansys, the package was damaged and looked old, or at least poorly stored, 2 came broken the other was fine, I also bought some finger styli for my father - dads and gadgets eh! anyway 2 were missing and again the box looked old and tatty. I reported this and instead of sending me replacements they gave me a refund, they didn't seem at all bothered about it, so I took my business to eBay. I won't be buying from expansys in a hurry.
eBay on the other was excellent bought it from china and was delivered faster than expansys; top service.
PS: stylus and exec are doing fine and I'm really impressed with the xda exec update from O2, it works better than when I had the corp install running.
I purchased one of the ones with a ball-point pen in it, and it was such a bad fit that i had to use a pair of needle-nosed pliers and a lot of force to get it out again!
Rabangus said:
I purchased one of the ones with a ball-point pen in it, and it was such a bad fit that i had to use a pair of needle-nosed pliers and a lot of force to get it out again!
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Click to collapse
I lost one the other day somewhere around my local Tesco's!... Perhaps thats why they ship with a spare :evil:
The only one I've broken so far is the stylus-tip off of a $10 ballpoint one. The ballpoint and top's fine, but I can't use it *as* a stylus anymore. Dropped it onto tile floor in the line at the local supermarket... Oops. Meanwhile, the glue holding the black top bit in my original stylus has come loose, but it's still a tight wenough fit that the stylus works properly. Since I have an MDA Pro, I'd prefer a silver coloured tip anyway.
ther is an all metal 1 floating about, its a nice black 1, cant mind wer i seen it though, but ther is 1 out ther!
Hi guys, when I got my wizard, it had 3 tiny little pin prick sized holes on the middle black section just above the IrDA. Almost like tiny air bubbles that had been popped, it was hardly noticable.
Yesterday I noticed that in this area, some of the black paint had chipped off, at first I thought it was something on my phone so I rubbed it gently and more paint chipped off, it comes off with the gentlest of touches with my nail.
I've taken good care of the phone, it doesn't have a single scratch on it, other than this.
I am not happy, I've dealt with the ridiculous speeds of my phone, the crashing, the complaints that people can't hear me, and now this.
I know it's only a cosmetic defect, but what are my chances of getting it swapped?
I've had the phone 6 weeks.
Cheers
Don't know about swapped.. but at least in NL several users have sent in their Qtek9100 to Qtek.nl's support for the paint coming off of the faceplate buttons, and gotten new faceplates. However, there's also some that are still waiting (20days+) to get their device back... there's -that- to keep in mind as well
Flaky
Until I got my car mount I was jamming mine in my old XDA II mount. This has caused the black paint to flake off big time. However, as the underneath is black too I'm not that bothered. Makes it look kind of lived in.
I have had the exact problem from pretty much the first week I got the device. I have babied it too.
Yep, my paint is flaking off too. The paint on the IE, messaging and soft keys went a long time ago. A little annoying for such an expensive device.
me too.
my IE button's paint is staying but my messaging key's paint is peeling off. also, the paint flaked off from the non-IrDA side, and the Qtek branding peeled off significantly before i cleaned it out completely. the build quality of the outer casing of this device is very questionable.
i can't wait to switch to my next ppcpe, the FS T830.
Wow I guess it's not just me then.
I'll take it back this evening and see what they say, I guess they will initially try to give me the run around.
Cheers for the replies.
sunseaker said:
Yep, my paint is flaking off too. The paint on the IE, messaging and soft keys went a long time ago. A little annoying for such an expensive device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same with me, i have a topic on peeled buttons.
used a needle to clean it up, now looks perfect.
I have had some paint troubles on my i-mate K-Jam too...
I bought it at the end of November '05.
Actually it is in for assistance on many small troubles, but if I sum all of them, they are quite annoying:
- stylus not being retained anymore in place
- keyboard not railing correctly to the end on the left side when opening
- keyboard a little bit loosy (when it's closed you can "gently" press is a little bit and it gets at least two millimiters thin, but this is probably due to the fact it felt on the floor once)
- sometimes files stored on the memory card (SanDisk SD 1Gb) are LOST
- paint on the black chassis (both sides) bubbled and came off
The answer I got about paint on the chassis is that "cosmetical" problems are not covered by warranty, but I replied that garantee covers "BAD CONSTRUCTION" problems, beside "functional or cosmetic" and this has to be intended as "BAD CONSTRUCTION", nothing else.
I'll have to pay, but I'll immediately after go to the court for my rights...
I'll try to contact i-mate in the meaningwhile, but actually their website is offline...
I'll keep you informed.
Ciao
any of you guys gonna send the phone for warranty repaire because of this issue?
somebody in NL did and waited 3 weeks+ to get the phone back... probably not worth it But at least Qtek NL did state that it was a manufacturing error and that they'd take care of it.
Edit: this is regarding the paint chipping off of the buttons; not sure about paint elsewhere / any of the other issues. The loose stylus silo is definitely a known issue; hard to ignore as it's all over the internet
My complain was about the paint which is bubbling and removing from the black sides of the device itself.
This morning (after 3 weeks) I got it back BUT I had to PAY Euro 88,00 for this service as the issue was not recognised as a warranty one...
I did not got the damaged part back (and I don't like this, as it's MINE since I PAID !!!).
This is giving me a lot of PUSH towards climbing the organisation ladder and complaining at every single level, up to my local court...
Just for my reference: if it's a WARRANTY ISSUE, the replaced parts are kept from the service as stated in the warranty document, but if I have to pay for a substitution, don't you think I owe the replaced parts back ?
Just my two cents.
CU
This is the second stylus I've gone through in 2 weeks of owning the phone. Again the plastic bit came loose on the metal shaft (completely detached), leaving the metal part stuck INSIDE the phone when I tried pulling the stylus out. I tried removing the battery and attempted to push the shaft out via the two tiny holes on the side using e.g. toothpick. Nothing worked so far as the stylus is too smooth and shiny to get a grip on using pretty much anything. I wonder if the only way is to get HTC support to open up the casing to get it out.HELP!!!!
I've tried search but surprised that with these fragile styli no one else here has had a similar problem. I've used many other PPCs before e.g. HP and Dell and I have to say their styli are much more rigid then these.
I had the same problem.
When you take the battery out you see a white thing, there you can push it away whit a small knive.
I hope that you now what i mean because my englisch is not so good.
I had the same problem with a Malaysian Dopod. The service center in KL is replacing all "broken" stylus with new ones as a warranty repair. Seems a lot of them are breaking. Also the most failure prone stylus are the black ones. The stylus from thw white 810 do not seem to have the manufacturing defect.
The service center in Hong Kong refuse to replace the stylus even under warrantee (only bought 2 weeks ago!!). To my great surprise they CLAIMED that my problem is unusual and it is rare that stylus can break so easily (and i just had 2 broken in one week!!)
I've tried the whole day today to take the stylus out trying everything. I probably may need to take the phone to be serviced.
I have the same problem and i fixed with a little bir of contact adhesive in the plastic part (very small drop of adhesive). Then i put the plastic into the phone slot and when it fix with the metal part, just pull and rescue and repaired the stylus at once!