need a new backlight

Question

Im sorry if this is the wrong forum, but i couldnt find any shipping/price info blah blah forums or such.   Basically my laptop (Inspiron 1150) suddenly broke 6 days after my warranty expired, and i cant find any local places to repair it (since my backlight is broken and most places wont touch a laptop, let alone the LCD screen on one) and Dell will charge me to ship and repair it themselves.   Anyway, I just need a price estimate on how much this will cost me, (im from Toronto, Canada, but somehow i keep winding up on the USA Dell site from dell.ca...so i'm giving up and trying my luck here) so if anyone could help me by pointing me in the right direction (who to call, what webpage to visit, or even what it would cost me) would be MUCH appreciated.   Scotty. A Desperate Canadian

ejn63 · Answer

Here's one that will give you an idea of the cost. http://www.lcdrepair.net/

lilscotty · Answer

thank you very much! it doesn't really say how much they charge for my problem (number 4 on LCD backlight repairs) but i'll contact them and ask,   but does anyone know what Dell themselves would charge me in total for shipping and repairs?

ejn63 · Answer

Dell will not repair the backlight - they'll replace the entire screen. Figure on $500+ (USD) for that.

RoadiJeff · Answer

If you know someone who is handy with soldering the backlight can be replaced without having to send it in for repair. If you'd like to pursue this option use the search window at the bottom of the page for backlight solder. There are many discussions on this.

Here's one about one owner who replaced the backlight on his i-8100 for $13:

http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=insp_video&message.id=79356&query.id=259813#M79356

lilscotty · Answer

uhhh...............................   oh my

lilscotty · Answer

thanks so much jeff! i'll look around, $13 is a heck of a lot more finanacially friendly to me than $500.

ejn63 · Answer

If you decide to try to replace it yourself and have never done it, buy two bulbs - you will almost certainly break the first one you try. They are incredibly fragile.

The cost to have a bulb replaced by a pro is nowhere near $500- it's more like $100-150 (in USD).

lilscotty · Answer

well thanks, i'll ask around my area at computer shops to find a more exact price.   Thank you every one for your help!

RobAtPace · Answer

so what was the update on this?

lilscotty · Answer

Update is i'm scr*wed, but since i can just hook up an external monitor to my laptop and use it as a PC, i'm going to not repair it at all and give Dell the finger.

smalldonkey · Answer

I too am the victim of screen that does not work when I turn on the computer (12 months and 3 weeks after purchasing it), but will work if I hook up a desktop monitor to it (so much for the convenience of a laptop!). Reading through the treads it seems that this is a failrly common Dell problem. Have any Toronto Canada users had this problem fixed any place other than through Dell? Where? What cost?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

smalldonkey · Answer

This burns me up. Thanks for your response, but I would rather smash it to 1000 pieces then send it to Dell to fix. I just wish they would stand behind their product. I feel that the warranty just gives them an excuse to make a garbage product.

Well, I will continue my quest for a repair shop who will do it for less than $600. At that price plus the price of the product in the first place, I could own 2 knock offs, maybe 3, which I would expect to only last 13 months.

Well, never again. Lesson learned. On to my quest to find someone to fix it!

lilscotty · Answer

I felt the exact same way, mine broke 6 days after my warranty expired.   I also warn everyone I know about Dell now, having only heard horror stories before, but now i have my own to add to it.    Good luck on your quest! I suggest doing some googling to do more research about it all as well.

corina914 · Answer

My backlight just went out on my Inspiron 5150... how do i fix it and where do i get the bulbs?

RoadiJeff · Answer

See these two threads for some help on this.   Backlight Repair More Backlight Repair

Locked Topics – Laptops General

need a new backlight

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