IKEA hinge issue

[Mike13]

I have an ikea wardrobe to repair, did some research about getting a replacement, found some HJALPA hinges that seemed right.
They have arrived, but the screws it uses are 4.9mm thread diameter and the old hinge had screws with a diameter of 5.8mm.
Arrgghh, the new hinge also has a complicated adjustment mechanism, so it will be tricky to drill out the mounting hole.
Anyone have any ideas how to make sure I get the right item.
I need three hinges so that the wardrobe can carry on being used for a year or two. It is only one door of the three that failed. The pins on the swivel mechanism tore out of the mounting holes in just one door.

 

[blup]

You could drill out the old hinge hole, glue in a suitably oversized beech dowel and use the old screw. All should be covered by the hinge.

Blup

 

[Mike13]

The old screw is the one that is too large to go though the hinge into the wood, the new screw is the one that is flopping about in the old hole, not sure I want to try and fit and then drill out 12 dowels to the new size, Much to easy to wander of center and or not glue in properly.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

There are several sizes of these so-called "Euro screws", but 5 and 6mm are the most common sizes (they are slightly undersize, hence 4.9mm and 5.8mm). Will the new hinges take the old screws? (maybe asking the obvious, but...). If not can you redrill the hinges? (needs a drill press, really) Or could you work with hinge repair plates?

Failing that I think it's really a case of redrill the holes to 8 or 10mm (8 or 10mm brad point twist bit, depth stop, drill), glue-in beech dowels, cut them off flush (Irwin Japanese flush cut saw and a playing card or the like), and redrill it for the new Euro hinges (4.2 to 4.5mm twist drill, depth stop, drill). This really isn't such a bad job in bulk providing you make up a couple of accurate plywood jigs first (from 12mm or 18mm plywood - although 6 to 10mm Tufnol would be better) - jigs are the key to getting a job like this right

Sorry, the links are Amazon, but these items are widely available

 

[Old Salt]

IKEA will provide replacements free of charge if you ask. You can download the instructions for your unit, identify the part, part number and then contact IKEA. There is link on their website somewhere.

 

[JBR]

IKEA will provide replacements free of charge if you ask. You can download the instructions for your unit, identify the part, part number and then contact IKEA. There is link on their website somewhere.

If you're lucky.
A couple of years ago I bought a cabinet of drawers for my wife and assembled it myself. At one point during the assembly, I discovered that two of the bolts were of the wrong thread and couldn't connect to the assembly, so contacted IKEA. Nothing. Several more requests - nothing. So I eventually had to write to the CEO of IKEA. Weeks later, I received the correct bolts.
Never again.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

About 10 or 12 years ago I was on a job in Leeds where the client wanted some IKEA bedside units installed, which they would supply as part of the finishing. We had the same issue as JBR, some wrong components. I popped over to customer services at IKEA in Birstall near Leeds and took a number, but there were a number of shelves with trays full of components around the room such as dowels, KD fittings, plastic locators, handle screws, feet, etc which you could self select. Sadly they didn't have what we needed and it took a 1-1/2 hour wait to be seen by someone who promptly told me that the item I wanted parts for was no longer being produced and was out of stock (so could I dismantle the item, repack it and bring it back - and presumably another "take a number" queue). I told the client that they'd have to select another item. Recent experiences with a faulty standard lamp tell me they haven't changed one jot

 

[Mike13]

IKEA currently is a disgrace, they have used the pandemic as an excuse for everything they cannot be bothered to do. I will never buy part orders from them, they quietly discontinue things, make it impossible to confirm stock. One box we bought (in person, in store) was half empty, we asked for about 12 missing items, received about 3, then nothing, will be taking it back for sure. Also make sure you never ask for a delivery, they seem to work to the hermes playbook.

Well the replacement hinge when I looked closer is totally different, needs a larger central hole in the door, different hole positions on door and carcass, so I need to put a small dowel into the existing screw holes. Enlarge the central round depression, but it will be off center to the existing hole, so would need to route it, but my router is heavy and clunky!

 

[foxhole]

You have the wrong hinges, they come in two sizes.Get the smaller ones .

 

[blup]

Years back ikea kept stocks of spare fixings, which they would hand over in the quantity required to customers. I suspect when they stopped offering a fitting service there was no need to keep them in stock any more.​

Blup

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Maybe it's time to think about buying some hinges. A standard kitchen type hingec uses a 35mm hole, about 10 to 12mm deep, but there are other furniture hinges which have smaller cup holes, so it may be worth looking at, say, the Hettich web site to see if the do a suitable hinge before you pull the router out

TBH the best way to redrill the cup holes is really a drill press and a Forstner bit. I have used a 1/2in plunge router with a hinge boring router bit (from Wealden tool) and a side fence before now, but I always found it a bit of a "buttock clenching" operation.

using

 

[Justin Passing]

It's a pain. I've removed pins which have half fallen out and replaced with a 3mm(?) bolt and nyloc nut. OK if the heads aren't in the way. That was temporary, some years ago.

 

[Mike13]

You have the wrong hinges, they come in two sizes. Get the smaller ones .

Its nuts, the larger one uses smaller screws!

I will look into finding out what the other hinge is called in ikea language.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

IKEA is a cheap and cheerful supplier of cheap low quality not life long lasting homewares, always has been always will be anyone who thinks otherwise is deluding themselves.

 

[Mike13]

they were always cheap and cheerful, and items used to be easy to get, but since the pandemic they have turned into unreliable as well. there are many complaints on various forums about missing items in the orders, and they remain impossible to get hold of.