Question Regarding Kickstand Hinge

[Saskamoose]

Hello to the forum. I've lurked for awhile but this is my first post.

I have a question regarding the kickstand. My kickstand has noticeably warped over the course of three months of ownership and now a small crack has formed right at the center mounting point. I was wondering if anyone here has had their kickstand replaced at a Microsoft retail store and whether that's a repair that can be performed onsite. I do have Microsoft Complete but I am loathe to exchange this Surface because aside from the kickstand it is relatively bug-free and I have already had to exchange once due to terrible light bleed and a big yellow streak on the display on my original Surface. I just don't want to play the refurb gamble again. Any advice would be appreciated. I don't have a store available in my city but I will be near one while I am travelling in the near future so if it's possible I will arrange it.

I have attached pics if anyone is curious to see the damage, if you look at the edges on the straight up and down angle the warping is obvious. The crack is small but it is getting bigger by the day. I haven't put it through any unusual usage cases, I do draw in Illustrator with the kickstand fully extended on occasion though.

Thanking any responders in advance!

 

[Saskamoose]

Hello to the forum. I've lurked for awhile but this is my first post.

I have a question regarding the kickstand. My kickstand has noticeably warped over the course of three months of ownership and now a small crack has formed right at the center mounting point. I was wondering if anyone here has had their kickstand replaced at a Microsoft retail store and whether that's a repair that can be performed onsite. I do have Microsoft Complete but I am loathe to exchange this Surface because aside from the kickstand it is relatively bug-free and I have already had to exchange once due to terrible light bleed and a big yellow streak on the display on my original Surface. I just don't want to play the refurb gamble again. Any advice would be appreciated. I don't have a store available in my city but I will be near one while I am travelling in the near future so if it's possible I will arrange it.

I have attached pics if anyone is curious to see the damage, if you look at the edges on the straight up and down angle the warping is obvious. The crack is small but it is getting bigger by the day. I haven't put it through any unusual usage cases, I do draw in Illustrator with the kickstand fully extended on occasion though.

Thanking any responders in advance!


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No comments eh? It was probably too much word salad...There was question buried in there though and any help would be appreciated. Here it is:

Can the Kickstand be replaced on a Surface Pro 3 or do I need to exchange the unit"?

Also

If so can the repair be done in-store?

Thanks in advance to anyone who has any info.

 

[ptrkhh]

Theoretically, yes it is possible to replace the kickstand on-site, or even on your own given you have the replacement parts. But I have no idea how MS will treat this.

I would recommend to just continue using the device, since you still have months left in your warranty anyway. Lets see if the crack gets larger or not, since the rest of the parts are glued/attached quite strongly to the kickstand.

 

[VickiFL]

I've only had my SP3 i5 a couple weeks, so I don't have this problem. I imagine you could make a MS Complete claim, but would probably get a refurbished unit back. I'm not sure, though. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

 

[Saskamoose]

Hey thanks for your responses folks. I'm going to take advice from ptrfhh and hold off for now. I really like this particular Surface and for now this issue isn't compromising performance, it's more annoying then anything. I'm a little surprised it's warping/cracking in the first place since the kickstand seems so solid.

 

[malberttoo]

Hello to the forum. I've lurked for awhile but this is my first post.

I have a question regarding the kickstand. My kickstand has noticeably warped over the course of three months of ownership and now a small crack has formed right at the center mounting point. I was wondering if anyone here has had their kickstand replaced at a Microsoft retail store and whether that's a repair that can be performed onsite. I do have Microsoft Complete but I am loathe to exchange this Surface because aside from the kickstand it is relatively bug-free and I have already had to exchange once due to terrible light bleed and a big yellow streak on the display on my original Surface. I just don't want to play the refurb gamble again. Any advice would be appreciated. I don't have a store available in my city but I will be near one while I am travelling in the near future so if it's possible I will arrange it.

I have attached pics if anyone is curious to see the damage, if you look at the edges on the straight up and down angle the warping is obvious. The crack is small but it is getting bigger by the day. I haven't put it through any unusual usage cases, I do draw in Illustrator with the kickstand fully extended on occasion though.

Thanking any responders in advance!


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If it was ME... I'd wait until you can take it into a Microsoft Store and see if you can do the exchange there. I for some reason doubt that Microsoft would send you any parts to repair it yourself, and I know exactly what you mean when you say you are happy with the unit and don't want to chance getting a lemon in exchange.

 

[Saskamoose]

If it was ME... I'd wait until you can take it into a Microsoft Store and see if you can do the exchange there. I for some reason doubt that Microsoft would send you any parts to repair it yourself, and I know exactly what you mean when you say you are happy with the unit and don't want to chance getting a lemon in exchange.

Yeah I'm definitely going to drop into a store when I'm near one to discuss options. Swapping even for a brand new unit is a real pain due to a pile of different software licenses I would have to move to a new machine.

Its been highs and lows for me with the sp3. On the one hand I'm in awe of the concept and design and it has genuinely allowed me to work more efficiently and creatively. On the other hand it is both the most expensive and the most trouble plagued electronic device I have ever owned...

 

[EMINENT]

I don't think that's a crack. That silver colored strip where your crack is actually a sticker that runs along the edge of the stand. Part of it slides in the body of the Surface. Mine has lost color throughout ownership as it's actually black in color underneath. It happened on my Surface 2 as well.

It looks like a small tear in the sticker. Personally, I wouldn't care as it's bound to happen with normal wear and tear.