i must be one in a billion...
I first bought my DSL on launch day... about 2 or 3 months after the hinge crack started showing up on these forums, mine cracked. i sent it in to nintendo, and they replaced the whole DS. I cant say enough good things about Nintendo USA customer service. They send YOU an envelope with a pre-paid label in it and all you need to do it find a box and pack it. I live a couple states away from the repair center, so i recieved the DSL back in less than 1 week. i hadnt flashed it, i used a passcard, so i had no worries about my warranty being void. The ds was a completely new DSL with the same serial as my old one (i know because of dirt and debris inside of the clear plastic) AND they gave me another YEAR's warranty on it... i was extremely happy. About 3 months later, a crack on the same left side (above the L) appeared. Now i'll admit, the cracks never impeded my gameplay, but i was a whiny baby, and didnt want a cracked DS. So i made another return slip on nintendo.com and they shipped me another label, and all was good. The new ds was the same DS, but i couldnt blame them for it (i accidently got a resin stain under the plastic cover, so i could easily identify it) and gave me a another year warranty (not 1 yr and 6 mon. from the other warranty, but just a straight up years warranty from the time of the repair.)... i dont remeber the dates exactly, but once again, my dsl is cracking. this time with 2 cracks, one on the hinge, and one on the back of the housing above the R button. now, i want to mention that my DS gets heavy heavy usage... included alot of openings and closing... I play it at work, so i close it anytime someone opens my office door (i'm hidden behind a cubicle wall, so it's easy to conseal). So i cant complain about the Customer Service of nintendo, but maybe i should stop opening it up all the way to play on my desk. Overall, i plan on sending my ds in again, and again, if it breaks a fourth time. But i must also mention, my girlfriends pink ds has never had a problem... but she doesnt play it often.
Dude, try emailing them. See what they say. Maybe they can help, maybe your just outta reach. it's worth a shot.