New 6430u smells awful

Hi hotecha, please PM me your service tag so I can check on this.

It has to be the battery, this is the only thing that has ammonia in it.

Our school district has received 67 of the 6430u model and only 1 reported problem of the "urine smell" so far. Several team members have inspected the laptop and there is a definite odor on the palmrest, on the left side, just above the SC slot. We've disassembled the laptop and the odor only exists on the palmrest - we haven't noticed it on the keyboard at all.

How should we proceed getting a replacement part?

We ended up shipping all the laptops back and decided to stick with Lenovo. We have ordered some different Dell models but we have to review them first as this was a huge let down. It is the palm rests for sure. I can't believe this is still happening. QC needs to review why this was slipped up. 

This thread was a very good read. All 5 pages of it.

I appreciate the communication and regular updates from Dell,
the patience, maturity, and willingness shown by the affected customers,
and all the cat jokes.

--
Daniel

Please add me to your list, I bought a refurbished 6430u through dell outlet on 4th October in Australia and it stinks as well like all the other posts. Can you advise if who I need to contact to get this resolved, it is unusable in any shared environment.  Thanks.

You made the right choice.  Dell doesn't seem to appreciate that the computers are untenable. My wife doesn’t want it in the house, and my colleagues don’t want it at work. Are we to take solace that it isn’t a health/biological hazard, or cheer that the root cause has been identified? This is a situation where Dell should have moved aggressively to make it right, outlining the steps to replace the el-funko models. If this is Dell’s version of customer service in light of a public relations disaster, then it too needs repairing.

October 20th 2013...1st week fine...2nd week...I almost started the week with my cat at the vet...getting the needle...but after checking my bag (smelled fine) and the kitchen table (the only place that the laptop wasn't in the bag) I can't blame the cat.  Now I read this...good gosh it stinks.  This has to be a joke because you guys had to notice this...it's almost burning my eyes.

Well, today was our 1st cat litter device roared it's ugly smell. We tried spraying air into the back, striking matches and letting the sulfur cover it up. Not working. We were able to take a Snuggles dryer sheet and apply it to the underside vent to help with the smell.

What are your thoughts?:emotion-14:

I am still waiting on someone to please email me about what I should do about this gross smell.  Please email me at  or call

You need to call support. 

Or call "The Daily Show" and tell them about it.  It would make a great story.

Steve,

I just found this thread. I have been experiencing the same issues with my 6430u. I purchased it one month ago, and the odor has not dissipated - in has a strong odor on the hand rest and keyboard. I have contacted tech support and they did not seem to be aware of any of these issues pertaining to this device.

The computer is basically not usable with this smell. How do you recommend I rectify this?

Thank you.