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So I own a Lenovo T60 that, while it has served me well, has some issues. The two most distressing are that it overheats to shutdown rather easily. I can run something intensive in matlab and shut it down without much trouble. Other cpu intensive tasks such as running a full screen game, or watching flash videos at hulu, etc have the same problem. This isn't really a new problem, but it has become much much worse as of late.
It's second major issue involves the battery. At the very least it will no longer charge a battery and it might not even be able to recognize that you've connected one.
I've also cracked the case were the PCMCIA slot is located. It's annoying but ultimately I don't really care about that.
So I stupidly let the warranty lapse after 1 year. So who knows about post-warranty repair?
I'm willing to spend a reasonable amount on this since I do a lot of actual work on this machine (the lab I'm a grad student in has fewer machines that students.)
Posts: 1621 | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
Post warranty repairs will usually run 100 dollars or more per hour from the manufacturer. Considering the litany of problems you're having, I would imagine 4-5 hours of repair work isn't an unreasonable estimate. The parts to repair what you're having trouble with may run as much as 200 dollars.
Laptops are tricky beasts in that they do not have the industry standards of desktops. You have the added bonus of portability, but you pay for that in potential repair costs. In addition, you could be without your laptop for as long as a month, and the repairs may not resolve your issues completely. It may be a good idea to weigh these estimates against the cost (and benefits) of a newer laptop (Used laptops can be great deals or incredible bombs).
There are, however, a couple things you can try to fix things yourself. For overheating, there's a good chance you either are losing or have lost one of the internal fans. I'd suggest taking a can of compressed air to the intake and exhaust vents on the sides and bottom. Use short 5 second blasts until dust stops coming out on the initial blast of air. If this does not resolve the issue, you can likely take the laptop in to a local laptop repair center if you have one. They can usually get the parts and install them for about half of what Lenovo would charge. If it's a good shop, it'll be done within a week. If not, it could be considerably longer.
The battery issue is a tough one, because the circuits that control charging are part of the Motherboard. Replacing this would be basically the same as buying a new computer, but without the added benefits of longevity and speed. Laptop motherboard usually run well into the upper 100 dollar range well until the end of the 5 year life of electronic devices.
Posts: 3003 | Registered: Oct 2004
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Can you confirm if the fan works? It shouldn't run all the time, but it should definitely be running just before a shutdown.
SOme people suggest using a fan control program to always run the fan. According to some sites, this program will work with the T60.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Then again, Sony (I think) very recently issued a recall on laptop batteries because of overheating. So if your Lenovo is using the same type of battery -- or a battery involved in previous recalls -- a bad battery building up heat within the case could be the underlying cause triggering the CPU overheating. And a hot battery will shut down any intelligent charging system.
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I had a Toshiba and it had battery recognition problems. While it was under warranty, I replaced the mother board like 4 times and several other part. It never actually fixed the problem in the long term. It would be better for a little while and then would start acting up again. So, from my experience, I think I would try to find a new computer rather then try to fix it if I was paying for it myself (I think that the repairs would have worked out to be over $500). Of course, my computing needs are pretty basic so when I got my new computer, I got a pretty cheap one.
Posts: 2223 | Registered: Mar 2008
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I had a Dell that started overheating after the warranty lapsed. I found an assembly guide online, took it apart, applied some thermal grease to the CPU and put it back together. Never had the problem again. It was kind of fun, too.
Posts: 2804 | Registered: May 2003
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I also recommend using a notebook cooler to help alleviate heat problems. My notebook cooler brought down the temperature of the CPU from 58-65C to 45-55C.
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I just had this problem. My AC adapter was freaking out (I held the unit in my hand, it wasn't even plugged in, and when I put the end of it into my laptop, my laptop turned off). Also, my battery wouldn't charge if, for some reason, I DID manage to plug it in and turn it on. So, clearly, I need both a new battery and a new adapter. My warranty expired in august.
If you order the stuff directly from the manufacturer (dell, in my case), then a battery runs about $120 and a cord about $80. I am part of a "laptop initiative" at my university, so I was able to get them half price, ordering them through the school. Unless you have something like that, you'll probably just have to buy new ones. :/
The good news, though, is that when you do order new parts, they're under warranty as well, so if they're faulty, you don't have to buy them all over again!
Posts: 7877 | Registered: Feb 2003
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