Battery Recommendation???

Question

Good day everyone,

I've had my inspiron 6400 for a little over a year now (of course. . .just after the warranty expires this all happens!) Anyways, my laptop is giving me the three (or four) orange flashes followed by a green on the battery light indicator.

From reading the forums I understand this means that my Battery is on its last legs (even though the battery test button on the unit still give me 5 green lights). As such, I'm looking to replace the battery (Unless I'm mistaken and someone has an alternative fix to this problem!)

The purpose of this post however isn't to complain about the flashing lights, it's about batteries.

Now, I'm currently using the 11.1V type KD476 85 Wh Battery.

This has always served me well however it's only lasted a year and it's now dieing. It doesn't build my confidence either that on the dell website they charge $300 for the same battery and the user ratings are around 1 of 5 stars.

Does anybody know of a good quality battery that has a reasonable price and will work with this machine? I would welcome any and all input.

Thank you kindly

Eugfarr · Answer

I have joined the list of dissatisfied Dell customers who's laptop battery is indicating a flashing orange "near death" status. The thought of having to spend $300 plus tax does make me consider abandoning my Inspiron 6400 and purchase another brand name notebook with a reputable battery history. At this rate, I can purchase a new laptop every 2-3 years by not replacing the battery. In essence, the laptop computer is disposable once the battery dies; in my case, 16 months. I purchased Dell for its reputation for a building a quality instrument. I purchased a 3 year extended warrantee but it does not include the battery. Doesn't Dell care about its customers? How can Dell expect us to purchase batteries at $300 every 12-20 months? If I can find a compatible battery that would fit the description for less than $300, I would most certainly turn my back on Dell. Does such a battery exist?

Regards,

Eugefarr

Abradel · Answer

Thank you,

I appreciate your response and I am going to ask you to take it slightly further if possible. You mention LG Chem, does this company offer any other kind of sales outside of going through the big names? Can you recommend anything? e.g. Is it wise to simply bite the bullet and spend this outrageous amount on a new Dell battery or is there another route which can be taken (factory direct? "no name" brand etc.)

Please, if you could go into a little more detail about your own experiences or expertise I would appreciate it.

Cheers,

ejn63 · Answer

The normal lifespan of a lithium ion battery is 18-24 months, and no one warrants them longer than a year. The prices on Dell, HP and ASUS batteries have spiked of late- all three use LG Chem as their major battery supplier, and whose main plant in Ochang Korea is offline due to a major fire.

ejn63 · Answer

LG makes the battery cells, not the battery packs - those are made by contractors to Dell's major suppliers (Quanta and Compal Computer).

wyfwong · Answer

I have exactly the same problem as yours. Did you manage to buy a new GD761 53Wh battery or but a new notebook?

The original faulty battery was from Sony and Dell has to replace the battery worldwide. It might be of this reason that the battery is selling much higher price to recover their losses.

I have two Dell notebooks and a HP notebook. HP notebook lasts much longer than Dell.

Eugfarr · Answer

I purchased a new battery from Simplemicro.com online.

"Replacement 9 Cell battery for Dell Inspiron 6400 and E1505 Price: $ 79.00 Amount: 1 Total price: $ 79.00 ". With shipping charges it came to $100. It fits and works very well. Highly recommended.

bobf57 · Answer

Food for thought. KD476 battery (<ADMIN NOTE: Broken link has been removed / replaced from this post by Dell>) $189.00. Go to the Tech Specs tab and look at the bottom of the list. Max Recharge Cycles   500 (Maximum Recharge Cycle is the maximum number of times the battery can be charged in order for a device to work) That's $3.78 (plus shipping) per recharge You do The math! My inspiron ran 2 hrs on just the battery one day and had a permanent failure the need to replace the battery the next (per battery health in F2 setup)

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Battery Recommendation???

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