Plastic on Hinge Cracked

[Goatllama]

2009 13" Macbook Pro. As the title says, hinge (or hinge cover?) is in somewhat poor shape, cracks throughout the surface. Device itself opens and closes fine. Any knowledge as to whether the appearance is just cosmetic? Should I be worried? Thought about painting it with super glue or something.

Repair guide I found seems like a lot to do: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+13-Inch+Unibody+Mid+2009+Clutch+Cover+Replacement/6018

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[MacInTO]

It looks like it's been painted and the paint is flaking off. It's just black plastic. Is your machine running hot and caused that?

The clutch covers break all the time. I don't replace them until I have another reason to open the machine because it's a long process to replace the cover.

If it is easy, I would glue it. Just be careful not to glue it to the aluminum case.

 

[Goatllama]

It looks like it's been painted and the paint is flaking off. It's just black plastic. Is your machine running hot and caused that?

The clutch covers break all the time. I don't replace them until I have another reason to open the machine because it's a long process to replace the cover.

If it is easy, I would glue it. Just be careful not to glue it to the aluminum case.

Thank you for your response. Indeed, my machine probably runs fairly hot, I didn't consider this as being part (all?) of the cause of this! If it's really just a cover then I'm not so worried about it. Is there like a metal bar underneath or something that actually takes the stress of opening and closing?

 

[MacInTO]

Thank you for your response. Indeed, my machine probably runs fairly hot, I didn't consider this as being part (all?) of the cause of this! If it's really just a cover then I'm not so worried about it. Is there like a metal bar underneath or something that actually takes the stress of opening and closing?

If you look at the last photo on the iFixit guide, the hinges are on the left and right side and there might be a wifi board in the centre. The monitor cable is also routed under the clutch cover. The clutch cover is mostly to protect those items.

The hinges are metal and are pretty sturdy. If they are making noise when opening/closing and/or the screen feels wobbly, the screws holding it may have loosened.

Also, if the machine is running hot, it may be a good idea to remove the bottom panel and clean out the dust that has been accumulating.