Do not tighten the screws!

geodim · 07/18/2009, 09:59 PM

I realize that the screws under the battery cover really have nothing to do with the slider, but a lot of users here said that it helped. Because of this, I decided to give it a try. My Pre had a pretty bad "oreo" effect.

After tightening the screws, I noticed that I had actually cracked the casing. In the dark, two cracks on the gesture area were clearly visible, with light bleeding through them from the screen. The actual surface was stil smooth, so the cracks were only internal. I also broke the palm sticker on the top right screw, not realizing that it was there. The device seemed to be slightly tighter after doing this, but this could have just been my imagination.

The next day, I brought my Pre to the Sprint store to get a replacement, citing unrelated problems. Thankfully, the tech never even took off the back cover or noticed the cracks. They gave me a replacement and even threw in a touchstone battery cover...very cool. There wasn't actually anything wrong with it, but I don't feel too bad about it, as I shouldn't have had to try to manually fix the hardware in the first place...there should have been better QC out of the factory.

This new was built on 6/24, but the entire thing feels so much tighter than my first one ever did. And it feels even better with the touchstone back.

So, just take my stupidity as a warning. Even though the screws seem loose, they're loose for a reason. And I haven't taken the device apart, but I'm pretty certain that the top screws have nothing to do with the sliding mechanism.

akarol · 07/18/2009, 10:08 PM

Indeed. Screws have nothing to do with the slider.

Luin · 07/18/2009, 10:14 PM

I would suggest to take a print out of the instructions and take your pre to a sprint store and let them do the work. You are risking damaging the pre even worse if you decide to do the work on your own.

Muyiwafly · 07/18/2009, 10:20 PM

Not to say your wrong but, your assessment of the screw tighten method is not accurate. I noticed the light bleeding on every pre I checked and even the ones in the sprint store for demo. I never tightened the screws on the back of any pre but I did notice the light bleeding in all for corners of the pre. I checked this light bleeding pre on 15 palm pre, and out of those 15, 15 had light bleeding. Most people dont realize it until they are in complete darkness with the pre lit. The peoples pre that I looked at swore they had no light bleeding, well at least until I pointed it out. I am 90% sure every pre has the light bleeding.

My replacement phone, which I got july 16 two days ago, had less twist and felt tighter.

I would of tightened the screws if I actually had a screw that freaking small.

geodim · 07/18/2009, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muyiwafly

Not to say your wrong but, your assessment of the screw tighten method is not accurate. I noticed the light bleeding on every pre I checked and even the ones in the sprint store for demo. I never tightened the screws on the back of any pre but I did notice the light bleeding in all for corners of the pre. I checked this light bleeding pre on 15 palm pre, and out of those 15, 15 had light bleeding. Most people dont realize it until they are in complete darkness with the pre lit. The peoples pre that I looked at swore they had no light bleeding, well at least until I pointed it out. I am 90% sure every pre has the light bleeding.

My replacement phone, which I got july 16 two days ago, had less twist and felt tighter.

I would of tightened the screws if I actually had a screw that freaking small.

No, these were definitely cracks in the casing. They were clearly visible to me after tightening the screws. I'm very anal about my gadgets and I would have noticed if the cracks existed prior to this. Don't tighten the screws!

Muyiwafly · 07/18/2009, 10:36 PM

If it was a regular crack, you would be able to feel it and it would not be the exact same crack on every pre. It is the same exact light bleed down to the nail on every pre.

Gup · 07/18/2009, 10:38 PM

Perhaps the title should actually be:

Do not foolishly OVER tighten the screws.

We are dealing with plastic after all...

Mistermarc · 07/18/2009, 10:54 PM

I have to agree with Muyifly on this one, I've had 3 pres , I didn't notice it until after a week or so with the first one I went into a dark room and reset my pre to look for dead pixels, that's when I noticed the light leaking from the gesture area at angles.and the going up the sides, the next 2 I've had have had the same thing, this one I still have is very little but still there, seems to be a common problem, but definitely wasn't caused by tightening ur screws

fr4nk1yn · 07/18/2009, 10:55 PM

I was coming here to post in the "fix" article but I'll post here.
I loosened the screws, excluding the one behind the Palm sticker, then tightened lighlty them lightly with very little pressure.
Initially I thought it was much tighter then I closed the slider and my wobble was still there.
That's when I took a hard close look and the screws indeed have nothing to do with the slider.

The slider mechanisms, as simple as it is, can be seen under the battery.
The rails are attached to the rear of the phone and the front, screen area, is attached by two small points. There's some teflon or something on the rails to smooth it.
It's very simple and no way to tighten them. there would need to be a third attachment point or at least 4 points on the two rails, with the long slide there's no way to do that, so we're boned in a sense.

geodim · 07/18/2009, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muyiwafly

If it was a regular crack, you would be able to feel it and it would not be the exact same crack on every pre. It is the same exact light bleed down to the nail on every pre.

It was an internal crack. It could possibly be the same thing that others have reported, but my Pre definitely was not like this before I tightened the screws. Maybe their Pres' screws were already overtightened in the factory, causing the same cracks as mine.

I'm not sure how you can be so certain that I don't know what I'm talking about. I use my pre in low lighting very often and I would have noticed this type of thing on the first day I purchased it. I saw the before and after and I just wanted to let people know that overtightening the screws can lead to internal cracks. Not to mention, there is really no reason to tighten them in the first place. I only tried it because people on here said that it helped, but in retrospect, it was a dumb thing to do.

Muyiwafly · 07/18/2009, 11:32 PM

Ok, did it look like this guys? It may not be as much light leaking as his but I'm guessing yours looked like this, right?

http://forums.precentral.net/palm-pr...ml#post1704295

I_Ryan · 07/18/2009, 11:57 PM

Well atleast this story had a happy ending, my second pre was produced later as well and it feels much more stable than the first one I had. The only issue I have had was my text messages randomly deleting.

ScaryHumor · 07/18/2009, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geodim

The next day, I brought my Pre to the Sprint store to get a replacement, citing unrelated problems. Thankfully, the tech never even took off the back cover or noticed the cracks. They gave me a replacement and even threw in a touchstone battery cover...very cool. There wasn't actually anything wrong with it, but I don't feel too bad about it, as I shouldn't have had to try to manually fix the hardware in the first place...there should have been better QC out of the factory.

Wait, so you broke your phone, and then ripped off Sprint in the process?
And then you blame them for it?

geodim · 07/19/2009, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScaryHumor

Wait, so you broke your phone, and then ripped off Sprint in the process?
And then you blame them for it?

LOL it was either that or be out $100. Besides, I wasn't being a ****** about it like some people. If they told me no, I would have just went along my way. This Sprint store won't replace Pres with bad sliders (they say that they're all like that, which is not true), so you kind of have to lie to get a replacement.

geodim · 07/19/2009, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muyiwafly

Ok, did it look like this guys? It may not be as much light leaking as his but I'm guessing yours looked like this, right?

http://forums.precentral.net/palm-pr...ml#post1704295

No, it wasn't nearly that bad. Just two cracks where the screws are.

joe8617 · 07/19/2009, 12:25 AM

This is so sad.

(QUOTE=geodim;1760515]I realize t

hat the screws under the battery cover really have nothing to do with the slider, but a lot of users here said that it helped. Because of this, I decided to give it a try. My Pre had a pretty bad "oreo" effect.

After tightening the screws, I noticed that I had actually cracked the casing. In the dark, two cracks on the gesture area were clearly visible, with light bleeding through them from the screen. The actual surface was stil smooth, so the cracks were only internal. I also broke the palm sticker on the top right screw, not realizing that it was there. The device seemed to be slightly tighter after doing this, but this could have just been my imagination.

The next day, I brought my Pre to the Sprint store to get a replacement, citing unrelated problems. Thankfully, the tech never even took off the back cover or noticed the cracks. They gave me a replacement and even threw in a touchstone battery cover...very cool. There wasn't actually anything wrong with it, but I don't feel too bad about it, as I shouldn't have had to try to manually fix the hardware in the first place...there should have been better QC out of the factory.

This new was built on 6/24, but the entire thing feels so much tighter than my first one ever did. And it feels even better with the touchstone back.

So, just take my stupidity as a warning. Even though the screws seem loose, they're loose for a reason. And I haven't taken the device apart, but I'm pretty certain that the top screws have nothing to do with the sliding mechanism.[/QUOTE]

fr4nk1yn · 07/19/2009, 03:30 AM

Yup. I'm cracked now too. Can't really see it with the Rocketfish case in place but there's cracks and I didn't tighten much or apply much pressure when loosening or tightening.
Only saw it upon booting.

Original thread should be nuked.

joshewah · 07/19/2009, 08:41 AM

I went to tighten one and the screw broke. They are mad tiny too. There's one screw near the bottom missing, but the phone is fine.

The slider still wiggles a bit, I might take it in and get one of the newer ones.

tripsbacks · 07/19/2009, 09:40 AM

I never touched the screws. I have had my pre since launch and it has been perfect except for a slight "oreo" twist. I used the super glue method that was posted in this forum and I have NO "oreo" at all! The phone is so tight when closed now.

geodim · 07/19/2009, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joshewah

I went to tighten one and the screw broke. They are mad tiny too. There's one screw near the bottom missing, but the phone is fine.

The slider still wiggles a bit, I might take it in and get one of the newer ones.

Oh yeah! I forgot to mention this haha. My bottom left screw broke too. I had to use super glue to put it back in before I brought it to the Sprint store. This was an extremely botched job by myself that I'm not very proud of. I probably would have been too upset to post this if I hadn't gotten a new one.

07/18/2009, 09:59 PM	#1 (permalink)
geodim Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: North Shore, Boston, MA Posts: 278 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 25 Thanked 40 Times in 24 Posts	Do not tighten the screws! I realize that the screws under the battery cover really have nothing to do with the slider, but a lot of users here said that it helped. Because of this, I decided to give it a try. My Pre had a pretty bad "oreo" effect. After tightening the screws, I noticed that I had actually cracked the casing. In the dark, two cracks on the gesture area were clearly visible, with light bleeding through them from the screen. The actual surface was stil smooth, so the cracks were only internal. I also broke the palm sticker on the top right screw, not realizing that it was there. The device seemed to be slightly tighter after doing this, but this could have just been my imagination. The next day, I brought my Pre to the Sprint store to get a replacement, citing unrelated problems. Thankfully, the tech never even took off the back cover or noticed the cracks. They gave me a replacement and even threw in a touchstone battery cover...very cool. There wasn't actually anything wrong with it, but I don't feel too bad about it, as I shouldn't have had to try to manually fix the hardware in the first place...there should have been better QC out of the factory. This new was built on 6/24, but the entire thing feels so much tighter than my first one ever did. And it feels even better with the touchstone back. So, just take my stupidity as a warning. Even though the screws seem loose, they're loose for a reason. And I haven't taken the device apart, but I'm pretty certain that the top screws have nothing to do with the sliding mechanism. __________________ Sidekick Color > Moto MPx220 > HTC Typhoon > Moto Q > HTC Apache > HTC Hermes > HTC Tilt > Palm Pre > HTC EVO 4G > HTC EVO 3D iPad 16GB WiFi > iPad 2 64GB WiFi
	Liked by

07/18/2009, 10:08 PM	#2 (permalink)
akarol Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 166 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 5 Thanked 13 Times in 11 Posts	Indeed. Screws have nothing to do with the slider.
	Liked by

07/18/2009, 10:14 PM	#3 (permalink)
Luin Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Nixa, MO Posts: 47 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 17 Thanked 14 Times in 9 Posts	I would suggest to take a print out of the instructions and take your pre to a sprint store and let them do the work. You are risking damaging the pre even worse if you decide to do the work on your own.
	Liked by

07/18/2009, 10:20 PM	#4 (permalink)
Muyiwafly Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 89 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 3 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Not to say your wrong but, your assessment of the screw tighten method is not accurate. I noticed the light bleeding on every pre I checked and even the ones in the sprint store for demo. I never tightened the screws on the back of any pre but I did notice the light bleeding in all for corners of the pre. I checked this light bleeding pre on 15 palm pre, and out of those 15, 15 had light bleeding. Most people dont realize it until they are in complete darkness with the pre lit. The peoples pre that I looked at swore they had no light bleeding, well at least until I pointed it out. I am 90% sure every pre has the light bleeding. My replacement phone, which I got july 16 two days ago, had less twist and felt tighter. I would of tightened the screws if I actually had a screw that freaking small.
	Liked by

07/18/2009, 10:36 PM	#6 (permalink)
Muyiwafly Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 89 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 3 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	If it was a regular crack, you would be able to feel it and it would not be the exact same crack on every pre. It is the same exact light bleed down to the nail on every pre.
	Liked by

07/18/2009, 10:38 PM	#7 (permalink)
Gup Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 6 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Perhaps the title should actually be: Do not foolishly OVER tighten the screws. We are dealing with plastic after all...
	Liked by

07/18/2009, 10:54 PM	#8 (permalink)
Mistermarc Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 54 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	I have to agree with Muyifly on this one, I've had 3 pres , I didn't notice it until after a week or so with the first one I went into a dark room and reset my pre to look for dead pixels, that's when I noticed the light leaking from the gesture area at angles.and the going up the sides, the next 2 I've had have had the same thing, this one I still have is very little but still there, seems to be a common problem, but definitely wasn't caused by tightening ur screws
	Liked by

07/18/2009, 10:55 PM	#9 (permalink)
fr4nk1yn Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 251 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 65 Thanked 57 Times in 21 Posts	I was coming here to post in the "fix" article but I'll post here. I loosened the screws, excluding the one behind the Palm sticker, then tightened lighlty them lightly with very little pressure. Initially I thought it was much tighter then I closed the slider and my wobble was still there. That's when I took a hard close look and the screws indeed have nothing to do with the slider. The slider mechanisms, as simple as it is, can be seen under the battery. The rails are attached to the rear of the phone and the front, screen area, is attached by two small points. There's some teflon or something on the rails to smooth it. It's very simple and no way to tighten them. there would need to be a third attachment point or at least 4 points on the two rails, with the long slide there's no way to do that, so we're boned in a sense.
	Liked by

07/18/2009, 11:32 PM	#11 (permalink)
Muyiwafly Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 89 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 3 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Ok, did it look like this guys? It may not be as much light leaking as his but I'm guessing yours looked like this, right? http://forums.precentral.net/palm-pr...ml#post1704295
	Liked by

07/18/2009, 11:57 PM	#12 (permalink)
I_Ryan Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 91 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 3 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Well atleast this story had a happy ending, my second pre was produced later as well and it feels much more stable than the first one I had. The only issue I have had was my text messages randomly deleting.
	Liked by

07/19/2009, 12:25 AM	#16 (permalink)
joe8617 Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 71 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 53 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts	This is so sad. (QUOTE=geodim;1760515]I realize t hat the screws under the battery cover really have nothing to do with the slider, but a lot of users here said that it helped. Because of this, I decided to give it a try. My Pre had a pretty bad "oreo" effect. After tightening the screws, I noticed that I had actually cracked the casing. In the dark, two cracks on the gesture area were clearly visible, with light bleeding through them from the screen. The actual surface was stil smooth, so the cracks were only internal. I also broke the palm sticker on the top right screw, not realizing that it was there. The device seemed to be slightly tighter after doing this, but this could have just been my imagination. The next day, I brought my Pre to the Sprint store to get a replacement, citing unrelated problems. Thankfully, the tech never even took off the back cover or noticed the cracks. They gave me a replacement and even threw in a touchstone battery cover...very cool. There wasn't actually anything wrong with it, but I don't feel too bad about it, as I shouldn't have had to try to manually fix the hardware in the first place...there should have been better QC out of the factory. This new was built on 6/24, but the entire thing feels so much tighter than my first one ever did. And it feels even better with the touchstone back. So, just take my stupidity as a warning. Even though the screws seem loose, they're loose for a reason. And I haven't taken the device apart, but I'm pretty certain that the top screws have nothing to do with the sliding mechanism.[/QUOTE]
	Liked by

07/19/2009, 03:30 AM	#17 (permalink)
fr4nk1yn Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 251 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 65 Thanked 57 Times in 21 Posts	Yup. I'm cracked now too. Can't really see it with the Rocketfish case in place but there's cracks and I didn't tighten much or apply much pressure when loosening or tightening. Only saw it upon booting. Original thread should be nuked.
	Liked by

07/19/2009, 08:41 AM	#18 (permalink)
joshewah Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 360 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 10 Thanked 66 Times in 35 Posts	I went to tighten one and the screw broke. They are mad tiny too. There's one screw near the bottom missing, but the phone is fine. The slider still wiggles a bit, I might take it in and get one of the newer ones.
	Liked by

07/19/2009, 09:40 AM	#19 (permalink)
tripsbacks Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Nederland TX Posts: 341 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 24 Thanked 24 Times in 20 Posts	I never touched the screws. I have had my pre since launch and it has been perfect except for a slight "oreo" twist. I used the super glue method that was posted in this forum and I have NO "oreo" at all! The phone is so tight when closed now.
	Liked by

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode