Latitude E series long term ownership thread

Issue #1: I am noticing paint peel/permanent discoloration on inner plastics. It started appearing on screen bezel, top LED cover, and now palm rest is affected as well. Pattern is a long horizontal line going across all the way from left to right in affected area.





I noticed Dell removed rubber feet from prototype when they went into production. I assume removing rubber feet increased aesthetics but at a cost of these problems. For now, my Completecare should cover periodic replacements but I would like to see a permanent fix for it.

 

One of THESE should help with the bezel wear.

 

My comments after 230 days (since 28 Aug 08) of ownership with everyday usage:

Screen bezel marking palmrest started months ago on my E6400. I have now invested in 3 of these which have been located on the top corners of the display bezel and one just to the right of the latch. You have to trim them to about half thickness after sticking them on but they do an excellent job of keeping the bezel and palmrest apart. However, it's a shame that Dell couldn't afford the extra 30c on a £1000 notebook. Cosmetics can't be an excuse, the black bumpers are barely noticeable when placed on the display bezel but they would get in the way if placed on the palm rest.

I've got a hint of paint loss on the two front corners which, I think, is caused by the zipper on my bag.

Some of my keys are also developing a shine, but I can't complain as long as they keep working.

The battery is also showing a little wear. When it is fully charged, RMClock shows a remaining capacity of 57720mWh and a fully charged capacity of 54246mWh. However, after about a minute of running on battery the remaining capacity drops to 53968mWh.

Cosmetic wear and battery wear aside, since these are to be expected, the real issue is how is the computer performing. In this respect, many of the grumbles mentioned in my review have gone away. The burning problems disappeared (may have been caused by the Intel matrix storage stuff); the computer now works properly with a 65W PSU and the Dell software is less buggy (but still not perfect). Unfortunately, the excess weight (relative to the headline weight) hasn't gone away and the audio quality is still poor, even by business computer standards.

The hinges, which were tight when new, have loosed up and there is now about 10mm free play at the top of the screen when opened.

On the other hand, this is a notebook that I don't need to mollycoddle. It has worked in operating conditions that I have found unpleasant (+1 to +35C) and it has visited some places off the beaten track.

John

 

I don't think the discoloration here is caused by paint or the lack of it. I think the palmrest and display bezel is naturally black and that the plastic is simply wearing down (due to the lack of rubber pads). That being said, my current E6400 is a three-month old refurb and it already has some wear on the edges of the palmrest and display bezel.

The wearing of the plastic doesn't really bother me, but the the keyboard shine does, and it also develops very fast. I was starting to have a little bit of shine on the second month with my original E6400, and such is the same on my current machine.

 

Had a similar issue and the Shaggymac not only buffed away all the marks, it protected against future occurrences.

 

does that mean your fingers / palm are oily.... or you have oily skin....?

 

Yeah, I saw this exact same effect on my original E6400 and the exchanged one. In addition, I thought at first I didn't have the problem with the newer one, but now it's getting worse. I just can't believe Dell couldn't have just put two of the same bumpers on the top part of the screen like next to the speakers. I talked to a tech about it, and he said that I might be able to get a temporary NBD on-site replacement of the bezel later on.

 

I have 2 rubber pads below each speaker grill (came installed that way) and I have similar scratches at the top of the screen in the corners. They occur at the height of the webcam but are in the corners. It looks "shiny" but they are actually scratches and you can see them on the bottom lip (that strip between the mouse buttons) along the edge as well.

My laptop is only 2 weeks old!

 

After my new E6400 is already showing some wear and tear on the top screen bezel...I just posted a thing in Dell's Ideastorm.

http://www.ideastorm.com/ideaView?id=087700000000SyFAAU

 

It's a shame that Dell doesn't just stick on some rubber bumpers (see my previous post).

Maybe Dell can't afford the extra 30c manufacturing cost (would actually be much less if they buy in bulk).

John