I used to do the same with my X55 (which is now collecting dust after moving to the Xbox
).
I was a computer service engineer back when you fixed them with a soldering iron and a box of chips
- this was before the advent of the PC.
For me, warranty claims are for when it doesn't work out of the box, or a complete failure of all functions. I'm comfortable enough dealing with minor mechanical problems myself, and even "improving" things on occasion. Once I've owned something for awhile, it becomes a case of "the process and time involved in returning it" vs "fiddling with it myself".