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Prospects for Warranty Claim re. Battery Demise - Studio 1537
Got a Studio 1537 in May 2009 on which I have 4-year in home warranty support.
I had a bit of trouble with severe overheating culminating in August 2010 in a couple of visits from the Dell engineer during which he-
1. Replaced the motherboard
2. Replaced the heat sink
3. Replaced the AC Adapter.
I have been receiving the following message recently when I boot up-
"The battery cannot be identified. The system will be unable to charge the battery."
And this is born out by the performance of the battery. It is currently at 7% charge level. I earlier turned off the computer and left the battery (which showed 7% charged) to charge but when I booted up after two hours the battery was unchanged at 7% charged. So the battery is finished. Is it likely that Dell might replace it under warranty given the earlier "over-heating" experience on the grounds that the battery may have been damaged by overheating? I've had three Dell laptops before and although the batteries have all deteriorated with time in that the period of time for which the battery will hold a charge is reduced but I've never known a battery which refuses to accept a charge at all! This is why I feel it probably that the battery was "fried" during the over-heating suffered last year. What do you think, please.
kirkd
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January 8th, 2011 07:00
Leave the battery in at all times. With her type of use, the battery can last 3-4 years. If you take it out, why have a laptop? The battery also gives you a battery backup if AC power is lost. Loss of power with desktops is a significant cause of failure because of voltage spikes. She should periodically discharge the battery to about 5-10% charge to calibrate it. This doesn't need to be done too often. Download a battery monitoring program and use it to monitor battery condition. If useful battery time drops a lot, then the battery needs to be calibrated.
ejn63
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January 2nd, 2011 09:00
The chances are nil - no manufacturer will replace a battery that has gone beyond its warranty (which for everyone is 12 months).
kirkd
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January 2nd, 2011 10:00
When the battery refuses to be recharged, it has most likely been discharged to too low a level too many times. If the battery circuity decides that the one or more cells is critically low in voltage, charging is not possible. The reason is that deep discharges can cause a voltage reversal in the battery. If allowed to recharge, the battery can explode. Best performance if the battery is not allowed to routinely discharge below 20-30%. With the new electric/hybrid cars, the battery pack will begin a recharge when the battery is only partially discharged in order to keep a long life; Prius is supposedly only 1/3 discharged, while the Volt is about 2/3 discharged before recharging.
peterdavidfoster
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January 2nd, 2011 15:00
Thank you.
peterdavidfoster
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January 8th, 2011 05:00
As expected, Dell wouldn't entertain the prospect of replacing the battery under warranty.
I've just taken delivery of a genuine Dell replacement which I found on Ebay for £44.99 delivered and I want to make sure I'm not having to replace the thing again in 15 months time.
My daughter, whose PC this is, never uses it from the battery but always on AC power except for a short while when she moves from room to room and needs to unplug from the mains supply for a few seconds. Consequently, the battery should never run down to the 20-30% levels mentioned by KIRKD earlier in this string. Has anyone any tips for me to maximise the life of this new battery given that the PC is AC powered almost all of the time. Should we remove the battery and only insert it when "changing rooms?" Thanks.
peterdavidfoster
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January 8th, 2011 10:00
Thanks for the information and advice, KIRKD.