E6520 Spill

Rykoshet · Jan 30, 2012

allfiredup said: ↑

If your keyboard starts having any problems or it doesn't "feel" right, it is simple to replace. DELL considers the keyboard a "user replaceable" part, so they ship it to you and you install it yourself. That way you won't have to worry about whether or not they will discover the spill and if it will affect your warranty coverage.

For future reference, here are a few CRITICAL tips for dealing with a spill-

You stated that you "turned it upside down, wiped some of the water off and turned everything off.."; all very good things to do! BUT the order in which you do things and how quickly you do each of them can make all the difference. Some spill-resistant keyboards are better than others and two seconds may mean the difference between LIFE and DEATH! What kind of liquid you spill can also factor into the equation- milk may take a few more seconds than water to leak beyond the keyboard, buying you a few critical seconds. But you will definitely need to replace the keyboard after a milk spill, while after a water spill you may not..

REACTION TIME is EVERYTHING!!! Rip the power cord loose and yank the battery out as quickly as humanly possible! Killing the two power sources instantly shuts down the machine. If the spilled liquid goes beyond the keyboard, and makes contact with the motherboard while it still has power- youre screwed!

Its like the time I was driving in left lane of the freeway at 80mph and the oil pressure light suddenly came on! Instinctively, I bumped the gear shifter into Neutral (dropping engine speed from 3500rpm down to around 800rpmidle speed). Then I barely glanced over my shoulder to determine what was in the four lanes I need to cross to get to the right shoulder. I swerved across all four lanes and immediately killed the ignition because I could manage to stop and move to the shoulder without power brakes or steering at that point. I had it towed to the nearest Honda dealership and learned that the cam seal had blown and the engine lost over 3.5 of its 4quarts of oil! Even running another 5-10 seconds longer than it did could have done major damage!

I was not a happy camper considering that my Accord was just over two years old with 42k miles on it. But it turned out to be GREAT PRACTICE for when it happened again at 98k miles and a third time at 119k miles!!! All in less than four years! I convinced Honda to cover it under warranty each time, even though the warranty had expired at 36k. I also told them that if it happened a 4th time I would be creating a DRIVE-THRU in the middle of the dealership!!! But just two days after that last repair, it was totaled in a freakish single-car accident. I was driving at night and swerved to miss a goat, er...dog, or maybe a deer...and I ran off the road and into an embankment...the freakish thing is that the car apparently backed up and slammed into the embankment three more times before the airbag popped and disabled the vehicle....I tried to remember but my mind's a blank....but I digress....

After you cut the power, FLIP the system over and shake as much out of it as you can, While still holding it upside down, blot the keyboard with dry paper towels and repeat until the towels arent absorbing anything.

DISASSEMBLE- Gently lay the laptop down in the upside down position on a soft towel (with the keyboard and display face down on the towel. DO NOT sit the laptop back in the upright position because any liquid that made it past the keyboard could seep further into the system and you want to avoid that. This is very important for Damage Control whether that means preventing further damage or preventing any visible clues that could hinder that warranty claim.

If you dont know how remove your keyboard, figure it out now! And remove it while keeping the system in the face down position. If you have another computer or way to access the internet, use it to find the service manual for your laptop and follow the instructions to remove the keyboard.

When you have the keyboard removed, put it aside and take a look inside the laptop. Do you see any signs of liquid where the keyboard was just removed? Take a dry Q-tip and double check areas you cant see well and corners by running it over them, then checking it for moisture.

If all appears dry, STILL leave the laptop face down on the towel and dont touch it for at least 12 hours.24 hours is even better! Yes, this is annoying and a real pain in the , BUT you should use this time to repeatedly thunk yourself in the forehead and calling yourself a , followed up by some time spent reflecting on what you did, how stupid it was, how embarrassed you would be if your friends found out AND, most importantly, how youll handle it the next time it happens (because it will happen again at some point)we are creatures of habit above all else.

By the way, Ive spilled water, milk, beer and even a Bloody Mary on my trusty old Latitude E6400.and it has survived them all. It will be three years old in about two weeks and still going strong.but I have replaced the keyboard six or seven times.I buy them in bulk and keep one or two on hand all the time, just in case.

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Thanks for that crazy (in a good way) story!

I did most everything you mentioned, but unfortunately, twice along the way I said "hmm, maybe now" and tried to put it back together and boot!

Oh well, it runs great now, and just in case I'm being careful about my data!

I have an 8GB card that serves as a mirror for My Documents folder, and I'll see if I can get a RAID 1 going when I get my ODD caddy!

Glad to hear your computer is standing up to the spills....may I suggest a toughbook next time around?

Log in or Sign up

E6520 Spill

Rykoshet Notebook Deity

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

E6520 Spill

Rykoshet Notebook Deity

Share This Page

Useful Searches