New 6430u smells awful

Did you get this resolved?  I've had my new laptop for a few weeks now and all of the sudden today it started smelling like cat urine....

Nope, no resolution as of yet.

This is beyond weird.  I just got the same computer and am having the same exact issue.  It's humiliating in class.

Hi,

I'm in europe and i have the same smell problem with that nice 6430u.

Since mid of august, we're trying to find a solution for that horible odor with Dell support.

1 st : palmrest was changed

2nd : Motheboard changed

3rd : yesterday palmrest again

Damn that 6430u still smell like a litter cat.

Quality service is now in the loop....

I see the same thing.. the smell is terrible.... i cannot use it to or at work.. have to give it back as i guess one cannot replace the softener of the plastic parts... ewhhh... and i hope it does not turn out to be hazardous..

We really appreciate everyone's patience as we work thru this issue. The problem has been resolved and the past few weeks I have been waiting on engineering to release detailed information on a root cause and resolution. We are currently waiting on final engineering failure analysis for a definitive root cause which is expected to come any day now. Once we have this, we can make an official comment. In the meantime, I'll provide a few details of what we do know.

• The smell was related to a manufacturing process that has now been changed
• The smell is not in any way related to biological contamination
• The smell is not at all health hazard
• If you order an E6430u now, it will not have the issue

As soon as we have final engineering failure analysis, more information will be posted on how to immediately resolve the issue. We hope to have the information this week so please keep watching this thread.

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Hey holysmokecp,

As mentioned above, no biological hazard was involved and we do know that a manufacturing process was the root cause. That process was changed which resolved the issue on newly manufactured units. As for everyone out there with a unit that still exhibits the symptoms, we haven't forgotten about you and will make things right. Keep watching this thread and as soon as more info if available, we'll let everyone know.

SteveB,

Thanks for your purrfect attentiveness to “the symptoms.”  Whoopee!  Frankly though Steve, I think the fine Dell engineers have struck on a fantastic idea that could revolutionize the industry … scented computers. The current model would be the “Catitude,” which doubles as a computer and kitty scratching post. Or, “Attitude,” which comes in edgy colors and smells of Montale Oud Cuir D'Arabie. And what about “Platitude,” which smells of expensive cigars? Then, you could have (“Gratitude”?) other flavors such as “brownie,” or “macaroni and cheese,” cross-marketing with Jenny Craig and selling them to people who are trying to eat less.

And, in the spirit of “will make things right,” might I reverently suggest that in addition to giving us a new scented or unscented computer of our choice, that you also consider spraying us with a few other things:

1.  A link to a youtube video where the Dell engineers, in cat costume, sing the catchy Disney tune, “Everybody wants to be a cat.”

2.  Orchestra seats to the Cats purrformance of our choice (I’ll take two in Istanbul … here’s the link: http://www.catsthemusical.com/tickets/2013-ukeurope-tour/)

3.  A complimentary week in Hawaii in a certified cat-free hotel.

I look forward to your speedy reply.  Not another peep out of me.

That's actually pretty funny, I'm going to forward it to the engineers working the issue. On a more serious note, I can assure everyone that this is being treated as a top priority but anytime you make an change to a component on a system, there is a process it has to go thru to ensure that the issue is truly resolved, posed no hazard and that no other parts of the computer or manufacturing process are affected.

Hi Theduce2,

Please read the other posts in the thread for more details.

Hello,

I just received a 6430u last week, and on yesterday I noticed a cat piss smell coming out of it, which is impossible because I don't own a cat.  Can you help me with this?

Dear SteveB

This thread has been pending w/o a result and action for a very long time now. Unfortunatelly your feeds are with full of confusions only. Once you say you are close to the result. Than you say still working. Now you say it is related a production process failure. If smt has been determined as the root cause pls also announce the corrective action IMMEDIATELLY without putting off any further.

Either  Dell must announce a solid root casue analysis and commit on a corrective action plan for the users ASAP!!! or else We'll start thinking that you olny keep posting same messages just for keeping the case calm.

If you have anaylised the problem and close to an end . Why don'y you start giving some real and meaningful explanations like ;

"the number of effected products DELL produced?"

"serial numbers of the producds which are affected?"

"corrective action put in place?" etc

My S/N <ADMIN NOTE: Service tag removed as per privacy policy> -  I have been using this laptop for   ~3 months now and the odor is not disappearing. Pls do not put off  anymore. Or should we escallade the problem (creative product from DELL with a smell)  or spread to internet forums everywhere on earth?

We completely understand everyone's frustration regarding the issue and can assure everyone that we are doing all we can to resolve this. I speak with engineering on a daily basis for updates and we all agree that putting out specific details without confirming the facts first would not help the situation.

What we do know at this time is that this smell is absolutely not urine or any other type of biological material. The parts have been tested and we have confirmed this 100%. The smell is caused by a manufacturing process which has now been changed and we are confident that the issue is resolved for all new E6430u currently shipping.

For everyone who currently has an E6430u affected by the issue, it's going to require replacement of a part but we must make completely sure that we have sufficient stock for everyone and also that any parts we are sending out do not also have the same issue. We are working on this now and everyone involved completely understands the urgency. We appreciate everyone's patience. As soon as we have more info, we'll put it out immediately.

I just received my 5th replacement 6430u yesterday and the smell is still there...