Laptop prying-off plastic panel problem

[christerlatosa]

Is it normal for the some of the plastic parts of a laptop panel to break? Whenever I open a laptop which is 3-9 years old, some of the plastic that holds the panel easily gets broken, I'm thinking maybe it's because of the heat and also the age of the laptop that causes the plastic parts of it to get "crisp" Is it normal?

 

[toshibitsu]

It's just normal "wear & tear". The plastic housing/frame they use on laptops is very delicate("cheap") on most laptops. Depending on how you hold the laptop, how often you open/close it, etc... can cause that to happen. There's 2 ways to fix it. Either use hot glue(or similar) to try and mend the damaged areas, or replace the housing. Each piece has a part # on it and can easily be found on ebay.

 

[Imacflier]

As most plastics age they lose plasicizers and become brittle. To ease your disassembly breakage, get them warm (NOT hot) by setting them in the sun for a couple of hours before you begin your disassembly. A hair dryer can work, but it is very easy to get them too hot and have the plastic warp....permanently!

Larry

 

[christerlatosa]

Thank you for the answers!