Dell XPS M1730 Battery Failed

If you've run the system for over a year with the battery installed, but never removed AC power, that's why the battery failed early.  It is correct that Dell (and ALL other vendors, Apple included) cover batteries for 12 months - not under any extended warranty.

The adapter itself IS covered under warranty.

It is correct that like tires on a car or printer cartridges, batteries are consumable - they are not designed to last the life of the system.

Dell must know their XPS keyboards and batteries fail within a year, therefore, it wouldn't be financially beneficial to give a longer warranty on these items. Batteries really should last longer than 12 months and 2 weeks.  I shouldn't think it be common place or knowledge to pull the battery from the computer because the ac adapter is being used more often than the battery. Why would the ac adapter cause the battery to fail?

I have an earlier Dell laptop that has its battery in place and has been in place for several years now without failure. The keyboard too hasn't fallen apart as is my XPS...the keys are literally breaking off the board.

The laptop sits on  a Notebook Cooler to keep the laptop from over heating.

I am in support chat with Dell at the moment regarding the keyboard and surprise....now they say it is under warranty.  The support person also tells me "the average lifetime of a battery is a year long and hence we offer only one year warranty on it. The system warranty is valid July 2012. The system warranty covers all the hardware except battery. So, regardless of using the ac adapter the battery would fail in a year.

Groundless, faulty speculation - and plain wrong.  The keyboard IS covered by your extended warranty.

Go to batteryuniversity.com and you'll see it IS common knowledge that the battery should not be left in a system - particularly a hot-running, high-performance system - without being discharged occasionally. 

Older systems ran cooler and stressed the battery less than newer ones do;  simple as that.

Groundless, faulty speculation - and plain wrong? The battery failed just after the warranty expired. No clear information provided instructing to remove the battery if the ac adapter is used because it will cause the battery to fail early. I am not the only Dell XPS laptop owner with the same complaints...there are many on the Dell blog.

Furthermore, I was told by Dell Support the keyboard is a consumable item and it is not covered by the extended warranty I have. Simple as that! 

You come across as if to indicate I'm making this stuff up.

You've made up your mind, so there's not much point in stating the obvious, but I'll do it one more time:

NO NOTEBOOK VENDOR covers batteries for more than a year.  The average life of a lithium ion battery is 18-24 months. 

Leaving the battery in a system run on AC power all the time WILL shorten its lifespan. 

Some batteries WILL fail sooner than others.  For every one that lasts a year, there are dozens that run for three years or more.  A battery pack is made up of individual battery cells - if one or more of those cells fails, the battery will fail.

The battery IS a consumable - it is used up starting from the moment it's built and it sooner or later will wear out. It's no different from your brake pads or tires.

As for the keyboards, I agree that Dell's keyboards are lightly built.  So too are the keyboards on many HP/Compaq models - they just don't stand up well.  On that I agree with you.

To reitereate the words of a Dell Suport PROFESSIONAL, "the average lifetime of a battery is a year long and hence we offer only one year warranty on it. The system warranty covers all the hardware except battery." Thus, battery will last a ONE YEAR and it doesn't matter if the ac adapter is used full-time during the year or not, it's inconsiquential because THE BATTERY LIFE SPAN IS ONE YEAR regardless!  

I get this, do you?

What I see is that you'd already made up your mind about that, so what was said (and IF that was said, it was incorrect) was probably misinterpreted.

When you've an agenda to espouse, the facts often disappear into a blur of emotional response.

SOME batteries may last 12 months - and as I've said (and you've ignored), leaving the battery in an AC powered system all the time is one sure way to make sure they don't last very long.

Though it's very clear you're placing the blame squarely on Dell, the fact is that plenty of Dells (I saw three of them today) have batteries that last quite a while.  Just as riding your brakes by left-foot braking will cause the pads to wear out prematurely, the way you treated your battery did the same.

The decision and opinion presented here is about of the Dell XPS main lithium battery (not other batteries or brake pads as you like to innerject) is soley based on first hand experience and information provided by the Dell Support Professionals. Dell has clearly stated the main lithium battery in the XPS has a life span of only 12 months. Thus, the 12 month only warranty.

My recent experience with the Dell XPS lithium battery is it quickly degraded with little notice to me of a problem. The battery lasted just over a year. I have learned and I understand that the life span for this particular battery is only 12 months.

As I continue to point out and you continue to ignore, the Dell XPS laptop main lithium battery has a life span of 12 months regardless of how you baby it. Leaving this particular lithium battery in an AC powered system all the time or not would not have changed the outcome. The battery was to expire in 12 months regardless of taking the lithium battery out or not.

You may put away your sword now till another day when you feel the need to protect Dell from one of their frustrated product consumer.

No sword needed or intended, nor am I defending Dell - as I said, I agree about the flimsy keyboards.

With the battery however, the problem is not with the system but between the chair and keyboard.  I suggest you do some research before you buy a replacement battery - or the same thing will happen again.

Suggestion noted. However, you seem to be with the idea the battery lifespan would somehow be different if particular measures are taken. When in fact the life span of the battery remains the same 12 months regardless of the measures you prescribe to. You can not make this Dell battery live longer no matter what you do. It has a life span and that's it. Good luck to you with your efforts though.

Good luck as well (this is being typed on a Dell Latitude D800 that's now five years old, and the original battery still runs upward of an hour).  So too does a friend's M1530, which is almost two years old.

The way you treat the battery has as much impact on its life as the way you treat your brakes.  Period.

The topic was and is about the Dell XPS M1730 Battery Failure, not about the Dell Latitude D800 or M1530.

Under normal use the Dell XPS M1730 Battery has a life span of 12 months. The Dell XPS M1730 Battery warranty is 12 months.  :)

The batteries come from the same suppliers, and the builder of the M1730 is the same as the builder of other Dells, so what you're saying is patently ridiculous.

The warranty on an Apple/Sony/HP/Compaq/Acer/Gateway/Lenovo/Toshiba/ASUS battery is also 12 months - so I suppose you won't do better elsewere (applying your logic).

This section is for consumer product review. I made my review. The topic is done.