Stressed Out Hinge

I purchased the DS shortly before the Lite version came out, and my son loves it. Unfortunately, we have had several problems with the hinge breaking in the same place. The smallest piece seems to literally pop off with the slightest bit of pressure. We left it like this the first time, thinking it was cosmetic, but it caused the top screen to stop working. I can see the stress put on this piece from the cable inside, which doesn't extend trough the other side of the hinge. I have had so much trouble from Nintendo about this, they always say it's physical damage, so they wont cover it under warranty. I think it is an engineering flaw that was corrected with the Lite version. We have had it repaired 4 times so far, and it is broken again. This time I think I will buy a new housing for it and fix it myself. Is there anyone who has had this same problem?