Hacking Will I NEED a new case, too?

[TheJorsh]

After going through the hell that is Nintendo's repair service (like 7 times, too, but I'm not going into that),
4 games of Mario Kart DS, and year and a half later, my hinge has broken again, so I'm thinking about replacing it myself.

So here's my main questions:

1. When the hinge breaks, that tiny plastic piece breaks off.
Is that actually part of the hinge that needs to be replaced, or is it just part of the DS lite's casing?

2. Will I NEED to get a whole new case, too, or is it alright to leave it with that little hole there after I replace the hinge?

3. Does anyone know what causes the hinge to break in the first place (besides crappy material)?
Like, where exactly does something go wrong, and would there possibly be a way to prevent it?
(this one isn't too important, it just might be helpful for others in the future)

Just making sure I'll be doing everything right before I spend any money.

 

[Bently]

After going through the hell that is Nintendo's repair service (like 7 times, too, but I'm not going into that),
4 games of Mario Kart DS, and year and a half later, my hinge has broken again, so I'm thinking about replacing it myself.

So here's my main questions:

1. When the hinge breaks, that tiny plastic piece breaks off.
Is that actually part of the hinge that needs to be replaced, or is it just part of the DS lite's casing?

2. Will I NEED to get a whole new case, too, or is it alright to leave it with that little hole there after I replace the hinge?

3. Does anyone know what causes the hinge to break in the first place (besides crappy material)?
Like, where exactly does something go wrong, and would there possibly be a way to prevent it?
(this one isn't too important, it just might be helpful for others in the future)

Just making sure I'll be doing everything right before I spend any money.

1. The casing

2. You need a new case, since that plastic hinge part is attached to the top half of the DS system

3. Well if you bought the Cobalt black or crimsion black colours the bottom and the plastic (besides the top glossy part) is matte finished so in my experince
of owning a crimsion black system the hinge is more likely to break. Get a new case with the glossy plastic, or try and protect your DS by getting a carrying case to prevent this from happening. If you sometimes bring it to school/uni/etc. and bring a bag, get a hard carrying case to help protect the DS further.

 

[TheJorsh]

So replacing only the hinge wouldn't help at all?
That sucks.
I guess I'll be waiting a little while until spending $20+ on a case doesn't sound so bad.
:/

 

[KidIce]

As already said the problem is the case... If you decide to replace it it will be pretty clear why the hinges on lites break. It's a horrible design and having put my DS in a new case, I'm shocked that it lasts as long as mine did. But hey, at least you have an excuse now to customize your DS w/ a stylee new translucent case or something.

Your hinge is likely still in the top portion of the case (it's unlikely that it fell out) and you probably don't need a new one. If you take a look at the top part of the case where it used to connect to that piece that broke off you'll see a bit of metal, that's your hinge. There is no mechanism in the piece that broke off, just a slot for that bit of exposed metal to fit in.

 

[TheJorsh]

Ah, I see what you mean now.
Well, I'll probably wait until my birthday in a couple weeks to get a replacement, since I always end up getting money from my grandma.

Thanks guys.