Here is an update on adding or changing memory (or the hard disk) for an Acer Aspire 5253. The memory and hard disk reside under the so-called maintenance panel. The Under the Hood review gives you the big picture of the Aspire 5253. The Notebook Review forum post has the best picture of the Aspire 5253 memory cover so you can see the very thin tabs you will need to gently push aside to open the cover. An Amazon review by Mojoman also verbally describes what needs to be done. I am also reposting (with permission) excerpts of "Adding RAM to Acer Aspire 5253 - Users Beware!" that deals less with the technical details of removing the memory cover but the challenges in working with so-called customer support.
I've added/replaced RAM and hard disks from numerous laptops so I've seen a fair amount of designs for the memory and/or hard disk cover. The Aspire 5253 is one of the most unconventional designs I've seen. The roughly 11 inch by 3 inch cover is for both the memory and the hard disk. There are two screws holding down the cover. However there are 11 thin plastic tabs that hold the cover in place (two on each end, 4 and 5 along the length of the cover). Unless you know that those tabs exist you'll never get the cover off without breaking it.
I realized this right away and contacted Acer support. It seemed like a poor design and prone to breakage - better Acer tells me how it is designed before I blindly try to remove it. I know the customer is allowed to upgrade the RAM because the generic user guide instructions say "The RAM memory on this notebook can be replaced by the customer." Therefore, it seems logical that an Acer customer should be able to ask for instructions on how to remove the cover. After all, other Acer models have instructions provided on removing the memory cover (e.g, Acer 5000). Guess what I get back? You must contact customer support and pay ... Acer strongly recommends you do not remove the cover. I ask why other models have instructions but Aspire 5253 does not - this is the link I got in reply - system specification of Aspire 5253. I'm not sure what this has to do with the memory cover. Well at least the support person got the correct model # even if it is irrelevant to the question. I gave up after 4 tries.
Verdict: Acer Support is trying to beat Dell Support to the bottom for making the least sense in its replies. I long for the day when a customer support rep will actually answer your question. I must say that once I got through to someone knowledgeable in Dell I got straight answers even if it took months to resolve. On the plus side for Acer, they do respond within half a day. But overall, Dell edges Acer on penalty kicks (for you soccer fans).