Will adding more memory void my warranty?

[YellowJersey]

Just got my T530 and I have a question: Will adding third party memory affect my warranty? I want to get some New Egg or something and boost it up to 16GB. What say you?

[richk]

no problem

[Ron_9972 Support Specialist · Accepted solution]

Yes.  You can add additional RAM (up to 16GB) without voiding the warranty.  The Technical specifications for your T530 can be found here:

http://www.lenovo.com/psref/pdf/tabook.pdf

The user guide is here:

http://www.lenovo.com/shop/americas/content/user_guides/t530_w530_ug_en.pdf

The Hardware Maintenance Manual is here:

http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/guides-and-manuals/detail.page?DocID=UM014941

Let us know if you need anything else.

[hausman]

As others have said, it's not a problem.

However if you can, keep the original SODIMM(s). Should you ever need to return the ThinkPad for warranty service you should install it/them back in place of 3rd party RAM and reproduce the problem with OEM RAM.

This eliminates the 3rd party RAM as a possible cause of the problem. It also prevents the service center from losing your 3rd party RAM in the event that they swap it out temporarily as they rule it out as the problem cause. 

The same suggestion applies to other customer installed upgrades like a different HDD/SSD. (BTW I never send in the HDD unless I'm sure it's defective because I need to have the data that's on it while the ThinkPad is in the shop. That's never been an problem because the servive people have spare HDDs for testing purposes.)

[YellowJersey]

Woot! Thanks everyone. Very helpful.

[grappa24]

@hausman: would you keep the battery as well when sending the notebook for service?

[hausman]

I don't send my ThinkPads in for service very often but the last two times I did so I kept the HDD and the AC Adapter. The adapter is an item that can be easily lost. The service technicians have all standard adapters on their workbench so they don't need yours unless you're reporting a power-related issue. 

I don't see any harm in returning the battery. Lenovo Canada service provides a checklist to record what you included in the return package so even if the battery somehow got lost there's a record that you sent it.

(Note that some shipping carriers may place restrictions on the transport of Li-Ion batteries.)

[bassamie]

Sorry for the hijack but if you have the base 1 year warranty and your laptop is malfunctioning and you need to send it back, who pays for the shipping?

thanks!

[hausman]

Call Lenovo support 1-800-565-3344 and report the problem.

If it's a part you can replace yourself like a bad keyboard, battery, AC adapter, hard disk, etc. (a so-called CRU) then they'll send you the replacement part. They may or may not want you to return the defective part. If they do they'll include instructions and a pre-paid shipping label.

If the problem has to be fixed by a Lenovo technician then they'll send you an empty foam-lined box that you use to return your ThinkPad. The box will also include instructions and  a pre-paid shipping label. Lenovo also pays shipping to send you back your repaired ThinkPad. You can keep that box. Assuming Lenovo has the correct spare parts in stock then the whole process should take 7 to 10 days.