I've owned the HP DV8408US Laptop for almost 3 years now. During this time, this laptop has suffered from multiple issues that I attributed to the environment I operated it in. After the hinges broke again last week, and dropped $1400 on another HP laptop, I googled DV8000 hinges. Lo, and behold, multiple hits came up regarding issues with the hinges, and the laptop overheating, causing it to shut off. My laptop suffered from both of these issues quite a few times.
HP, as of yet, refuses to admit a design flaw in the manufacturing of the hinges for the DV8000 series laptops. It has admitted fault with the DV9000 series. I've performed the hinge repair a few times on my DV 8000, and pretty much know how to do it pretty well. The hinges that are available are still substandard, and will break again, until HP redesigns the hinges.
The DV 8000 series laptops also suffer from a overheating problem. The problem is the fan that cools the CPU, and chipsets. I can't really place blame on HP for this one, as I've used fans from different manufacturers, and still had the same problem. One issue that can probably be attributed to HP is the design of the heatsinks that the fan cools. These heatsinks can get clogged up with dust, etc. causing poor airflow, and eventual overheating, even if the fan is working properly.
* - You provide new hinges. Available on Ebay, or direct from HP.
§ - Labor only. Does not include any shipping, or additional parts.