Macbook Hinge :: Screw "Tightness"

Hello all...

I have a question that I'm unable to find an answer for on my own...silly as it may be, I just want to make sure that my beloved blackbook is "fine".

The other day, I noticed that one of the screws on the back of my notebook, next to the hinge on the back, was a little loose (slightly hanging out) so I decided to go around and tighten the screws around the case. All were tight except the two next to the hinge.

When I started to tighten them, i notice they do not come to a definite "stop" so I just turned until it was firm and 1/8th turn. I notice on other MBs I've looked at online that they are either flush or slightly recessed--mine are about .5mm recessed but all seems fine.

Now I may be OCD (in fact I'm almost sure of it) but I just want to make sure this is normal. My last Mac was a 12" PB and everything was Aluminum/metal, since everything is plactic I'm naturally a little curious/concerned.

Many thanks!

PS: I can't find a high-res shot of the back of any Macbooks online (each is too small to tell) to see if this is normal.

they should be fine. mine come loose from time to time on my mbp.

the back ones are in sorta a hanger with a threaded hole in it, just make sure its in there, mine dont come to a stop either.

Actually, I am not sure if loose srews are normal and I doubt it. Nothing on my MBP comes or is loose at all (carry it around every day between home and work). If the screw doesn't come to a stop that means for me, that the thread is damaged or worn out. Could even be something from production.
I would go to a store and let them fix it. If they won't or it's not covered and would - for what reason ever - be expensive: Get some thread lock, put a tiny bit on a screw, screw it in as tight as you can get it and let it dry. That should help too...

dekan said:

Actually, I am not sure if loose srews are normal and I doubt it. Nothing on my MBP comes or is loose at all (carry it around every day between home and work). If the screw doesn't come to a stop that means for me, that the thread is damaged or worn out. Could even be something from production.

Click to expand...

Actually it's not that it doesn't seem firm, but that the screws would just keep getting tighter and tighter, so I'm sure the threads are locking. I just put some loctite on the thread and put them in, turned to where it stops and a a tiny bit more.

My friend got a blacbook also and his were a a little loose (only next to the hinge though), but he went ahead and just tightened them. I'm of course always worried that something will break but in this case it seems more "common sense" that they should be at least snug.

Update :: I took it in to the Apple Store (@ Brea Mall) yesterday and spoke w/ the ASM there. My g/f and I have a really good repore w/ him and almost exclusively buy/exchange/return everything w/ him, so it was nice to see he was there to help us. Anyway, he took it back to have their repair ppl look at it and they said they should be tight but also noticed the creaking sound in the plastics. They also said it was just the plastic wearing in/rubbing a little and is nothing to worry about. They did, however, offer to replace the plastics anyway if I felt concerned about it but couldn't guarantee that the replacement bottomcase/topcase wouldn't make the same noises. I like that they gave me the option, so to speak, that "Well, we believe it's normal but we're happy to replace it if it makes you happy." Nice.

Anyway, I'm holding off and unless something else goes wrong (hard drive, DVD, etc.), it doesn't make sense to have them tear it apart for something like this.

Thx for the info all

My black macbook creaks like crazy when I open it. Is there any fix for this?

If by "creaking" you mean it sounds like plastic rubbing/snapping, then from what Apple tells me it is normal/semi-normal. They 'did' however offer to replace it but not without the caveat that it may/may not stifle the plastic noises. Personally, I think it's just the plastics "wearing in" b/c my g/f just got a white MB and it does it as well; if she had gotten it a little sooner I probably wouldn't have posted this b/c I would have had something to compare it to.

If the hinge itself is making a squeak/creak, and only from one spot consistently, then it would more than likely be something related to just the hinge and may need repair.

I'm fortunate enough to live near a good Apple store that has a pretty good mgmt team that "listens" to it's customers so if you also have one of these nearby, then take it in. Otherwise, ring up AppleCare and go from there if it's bothering you. Again, my instance it was the plastics and not the hinge, and so far it seems to have silenced a bit from usage.

Hmmm ... For as much money as we spend on these things, I expect mine to be perfect from the begining.

Mine quietly creaks. It's nothing major