17 R2, can't remove wireless card

I only discovered I have the exact same problem.  Cannot believe they actually glued in the wifi card and made it impossible to remove/upgrade without damaging the system.

Oh, Dell is very happy to fix provided I box up, ship and pay all of their out-of-warranty repair costs, shipping costs.

Hi @Ranisz & @Mark0212 this is the Alienware Support video for 17 R2 Upgrade/Replace Wireless Card. There are many reasons why parts should be removed, such as replacing battery. It should be easy to remove the Wireless Card. If the Wireless Card cannot be removed, Dell has not followed their assembly process. 

Stuck wireless card

I agree.

If you look carefully you can see the adhesive used, which has now turned to cement.

Heard back from escalated customer support. Cannot tell if they are human as they just reiterate same thing as previous two autonotons said.

This system was purchased by grad level university as part of their program, which subsequently passed on to me and covered through financial aid. 

So, ultimately, this is fraud on US Dept of Education, as well as the  university. 

Hi @Mark0212  Dell quality control is not what it has been in the past. 

The call taker is told to read from the scrip provided by Dell. They are not allowed to give any other response. Users can ask to talk to their supervisor, who invariably are "not in the office". Users can request escalation of fault to a senior supervisor, but they never call back. Click on @DELL-Cares and send Private Message requesting assistance. If Dell Warranty expired, DELL-Cares is unlikely to respond. 

Hi @crimsom ,

Issue has been escalated twice now.  I think this is their highest level at whatever call center I have been routed to.

Have yet to talk to anyone in the US.

Whatever written warranty that originally applied and expired is not the whole story, despite what the manufacturer (or their off-shore agents) falsely asserts.

"What you should do. If you discover that something you bought is defective—even after the written warranty has expired—contact the retailer and manufacturer to ask for a repair, replacement, or refund. It doesn’t matter what the retailer’s return policy is or that the manufacturer put a notice on the box telling you not to return the item to the store."

"State and federal laws provide consumers with remedies for products that were defectively designed or manufactured or do not perform as advertised. This is true in many cases even after the warranty period has expired."

Dell should be aware of this. 

I will do as you suggest and see how far that goes.

Thanks for the advice!

Looking at the video it only shows a small amount of adhesive under the leading edge of the card. I'd try using a thin flexible pry tool to cut this adhesive away.

@mattyb3 

I have already tried (using several different tools, wedges, etc...) and I am breaking the molding in the process.

I can even see the motherboard start to buckle.

It is thoroughly glued in now.  Whatever adhesive they used has had several years to solidify.

Hi @Mark0212  motherboard is a high value item, advocate paying Dell for 'Out of Warranty' repair. Dell will assign their contractor to fix this problem. Dell is then obliged to pay to correct any damage that their contractor inflicts on your system. Making a good photographic before and after record is essential, if this option is used. 

Hi @crimsom,

Definitely agree on letting Dell fix it for all reasons you mentioned.

But not until I file complaints with bbb, ftc and Texas Attorney General - or - they agree to cover cost. 

I would probably heat it up, just a little bit though to remove it as my laptop was overheating for a while and it made the tape turn into cement. I heated it up to the point where it was warm to the touch (not hot) and remove it gently.

Hi @Mark0212  Issue has been escalated twice, is not sufficient to reach the appropriate tier that has authority to get Dell to fix this problem. Try asking for escalation to the top tier. 

Now they're soldered on. 

Hi @AlaskanIV  the 17 R2 has a wireless card slot, and wireless card is not soldered on.

The Alienware video did not include adhesive tape, and this is not required as part of the authorised factory assembly process. If custom and practise introduced adhesive tape, Dell quality control is required to rejected this unauthorised assembly practise, because laptop internal environment is known to get hot and adhesive tape will age and become a rigid bond.