Replacement casing for Dell Inspiron 1545

catnia

The casing on my Dell had been cracked for a while and now, with a little help from my 3 year old, some of it is completely off. It's out of warranty (not that it would probably cover accidental damage anyway!). I rang Dell as I couldn't quite locate on the website the specific replacement part I need. Got a bit of a shock when I was told that an engineer could come out and replace the part for £120!!!! When I enquired about just purchasing the part I was quoted £73.
Does anyone know how I can replace this part cheaper than the above? Anyone know any websites I can buy the part from that are safe? We live in NI so if anyone knows any shops etc I can take it to for the repair please let me know.
Many thanks, Catriona.

FrugalFriend

When you say casing exactly what part do you mean? For example, are you talking about the base (where the battery is), around the screen, around the keyboard or the lid (the part with the Dell badge visible when closed)?

If it's easier for you, you could take a photo of the damage, put it on a free photo sharing web site like Imageshack and post a link here.

cit_k

ebay is likely to be your best bit, most plastics/chassis/whatever you want is usually available for most laptops on ebay.

As the seller questions though, dont go by the description alone, far to many laptop / laptop parts sellers are clueless on ebay.

Check it is cosmetically as described, check its the actual item, not a stock photo, check it is the right part, lost count of the number of people who dont know one end of a laptop from the other selling parts.

FrugalFriend

Yes I'd agree, Ebay is probably your best option. £70 for a laptop part is cheap for Dell! :eek:

Thats where a photo would come in handy. If one of us could see the damaged part we could suggest the correct part to order from Ebay. Then it's just a matter of fitting it ....

catnia

Oh thank you, I will sort out a photo asap and post for you to see. It is the part that would house the screen if that makes sense. So when you are looking at my screen the 'border' of plastic around it is broken off all down the left side, part of the right side, part of top and a little on the bottom. What I can see in those places is metal. I think the Dell guy was saying that the whole section is replaced, to include the part that says Dell when the lid is closed and the hinges, even though the lid when closed is perfect, as are the hinges. Anyway, I will try and sort out a photo. Thanks again!

FrugalFriend

What you're describing is called the bezel, it's the piece of plastic surrounding the screen. Good news is it's a fairly simple job, it can usually be replaced separately from the hinges and lid. Plus I don't think the part should cost a lot.

Replacing the bezel needs to be done very carefully so as not to damage the screen. If that happens its major hassle and expense.

If you are 100% sure there's no other damage to anything else, then all you'll need to search for is a Dell Inspiron 1545 bezel on Ebay.

You've a choice whether you want to do this yourself, or take it to a repair shop, such as PC World. I wouldn't recommend you do this yourself. There's quite a bit involved, you can take a look here: http://blog.parts-people.com/2011/01/19/dell-inspiron-1545-lcd-display-bezel-removal-and-installation/

On the other hand, if you feel you're up to it, or have a handy techie friend, then go for it....

I also live in Ireland, so if you could get your laptop to me, I could do this for you.

Hammyman

The Dell guy was correct. 9/10 when the bezel cracks on a Dell it is usually because of a fault on the lid but it looks like a hinge fault to the uninitiated. What happens is the rivets on the metal plate in the lid where the hinge screws to get worn and then allow it to pivot in a place it isn't designed to. This pivoting cracks the bezel and eventually the hinge goes through the lid as well. Leave it long enough and it'll also crack the screen.

To be honest, you need not only the bezel but the lid as well.

macman

If you do take it to a repair shop, please not PCW!

Hammyman

macman wrote: »

If you do take it to a repair shop, please not PCW!

Excellent advice. I would say you could DIY as its only screws but having read a thread in the motoring forum where someone couldn't work out how to fit brake blocks for a bicycle that had left, right and forward printed on them, I maybe over-estimate peoples abilities sometimes.

macman

If PCW were a bicycle repair shop, I certainly wouldn't trust them to fix the brakes... they'd insist that you needed 2 new wheels...and completely delete the entire contents of your saddlebag...

FrugalFriend

Hi Catnia, I'm going to sign off on this thread for now. If you need any further help you can message me through the MSE forum. Good luck.