Given all the criticism I expressed towards Dell, I am happy to say that I had an exceptionally great service experience by Dell. After I reported the damage, they reacted fast, competent, friendly and had a technician sent to me to repair it. Again, it was a very annoying damage, but the service really exceeded by far my expectation. I do not have a special service plan, everything was covered within the mandatory 2 year warranty period in the EU. Well done!
Remove and dispose of the battery immediately -- it is indeed a safety hazard.
All lithium cells that don't have metal shells (which is what you'll find in most notebooks these days) can swell when they are at the end of their useful lives. It's not Dell-specific - it's just a downside to the technology used.
The swelling doesn't take place overnight - the thing to do at the first sign of it is to replace the battery before it swells enough to damage the system. The first sign is usually a trackpad that becomes difficult to press, or that appears stiff. There's usually ample warning before serious danger arises.
Thanks for the comment. Also for others who read this, the swelling took place from 0 to 100% within 10 minutes. Dell will have to repair this as its still covered by warranty in Germany I guess. True its not Dell specific, there are galaxies of differences in quality between some Chinese manufacturers and Japanese manufacturers. I do not know which batteries have been used for the Alienware, nor how serious the quality check prior to assembly by Dell is taken.
mikenovember
4 Posts
0
June 3rd, 2020 05:00
ejn63
10 Elder
•
30.6K Posts
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May 27th, 2020 06:00
Remove and dispose of the battery immediately -- it is indeed a safety hazard.
All lithium cells that don't have metal shells (which is what you'll find in most notebooks these days) can swell when they are at the end of their useful lives. It's not Dell-specific - it's just a downside to the technology used.
The swelling doesn't take place overnight - the thing to do at the first sign of it is to replace the battery before it swells enough to damage the system. The first sign is usually a trackpad that becomes difficult to press, or that appears stiff. There's usually ample warning before serious danger arises.
mikenovember
4 Posts
0
May 27th, 2020 06:00
Thanks for the comment. Also for others who read this, the swelling took place from 0 to 100% within 10 minutes. Dell will have to repair this as its still covered by warranty in Germany I guess. True its not Dell specific, there are galaxies of differences in quality between some Chinese manufacturers and Japanese manufacturers. I do not know which batteries have been used for the Alienware, nor how serious the quality check prior to assembly by Dell is taken.