Keyboard issue - should I call this in?

It looks like part of my keyboard is slightly higher than the rest... its about 8-10 keys and when I press down on it that part of the keyboard dips down slightly, almost like it wasn't properly attached to the bottom. The rest of the keyboard does not dip down at all. It doesn't really bother me while typing but if you look closely at the keyboard you can see that it's there.

Any opinions on whether I should call this in? Can Dell replace just the keyboard?

I also have a small unrelated issue on one of the front grilles that some other people seem to have too...it seems one of the layers of translucent material on the other size is not properly sticking and I have a small line of color that is brighter than the rest of the grille. When I press it down it goes away. It's not something I would normally ask a technician to fix, but can I ask Dell to fix this if/when they come to fix my keyboard?

This is my first laptop from Dell/Alienware and I don't know exactly how their customer service works or what kinds of issues they will send out technicians for.

 

I have this keyboard thing too and they said they'd send a guy around to replace it, I'm just waiting to hear about getting a new display fitted before I arrange a time. They were very understanding about it, I actually offered to fit the part myself but they wanted a tech to do it.

 

It's because it isn't attached properly to the bottom. From what I've heard there's no screw on that side to hold the keyboard down and stabilize it. Apparently it's because the GPU and CPU is located right underneath and you wouldn't wanna drive a screw through that.

A lot of people are having the same "problem" and i doubt it will get fixed by getting a replacement keyboard :/

 

It is there on many peoples, mine is the around the RF area.. I don't notice it anymore.
I did think the keyboard was cramped but now getting used to it much more.

 

Yes, this. A replacement will do nothing. Keyboards on every M11x suffer this problem because it is inherent in the design.

 

Actually, the area that is generally reported as having more flex than the rest of the keyboard is the WEASD area. That's the area that sits above the CPU/GPU/Fan. The mag chassis doesn't extend to that area like it does on the right side which means there are no screws securing the underlying tray that's beneath the keyboard. The 890 area is very solid on mine and really should be on everyone's.

Since the 890 area is directly supported by the sub-tray, which is screwed directly to the chassis, I'm not sure what might be causing that are to have any appreciable amount of flex compared to other areas on the right hand side of the keyboard. There is a flat cable that runs from the F10 key straight down the the space/ALT keys. Maybe that's not lying in its channel properly, but if anything that would cause it to be raised and not subject to flex really.

I would take a look at all of the supporting screws. There are five of them in underneath the battery - two of which screw into the keyboard itself in order to secure it. There's also the two on the top side at the top of the keyboard (F3 and PAUSE) that you'd want to check. Perhaps one of them is missing or not screwed in properly.

If you don't feel you're up to any of that then I'd take photos and send them to Dell support requesting that it be fixed under warranty.

 

I'm having the same problem myself. The middle of my keyboard is flush but both sides seem have lifted somewhat, so much so that when I close the lid it sticks up about an 1/8 of an inch or so. Also have noticed a slight grinding on the hinge when I open the laptop. :/ Thinking about calling it in...

 

There are clips on far left and right sides of the keyboard. Try pressing down firmly on each side to see if that helps.

I'd call in about the grinding. The sooner the better.

 

haha i know this is a douschy thing to say but.....sucks for you guys ha mine's perfect for me

 

Well what do you know, I guess the tec who swapped my motherboard missed it.

 

Sorry, I wasn't very specific about the location of the keys. The 8-10 keys was the number of keys, not the location. It is actually around the WSDE area which appears to be the same problem area for everyone else.

When you say to press down on the clips, do you mean press down on the actual keyboard itself on both ends?

 

the keyboard is basically "bendable"... meaning if a corner is sticking up higher than rest of keyboard, you can follow the youtube video for m11x teardown to remove and "reshape" it accordingly. keyboard is easy to remove with just a few screws.

 

I took mine apart and had a look, I flexed the keyboard a bit and repositioned it carefully which did lessen the bulge a fair bit. I can still squish the keyboard a bit but maybe I'll try again and be a bit more forceful

 

My bad. I completely misread that.

Yes, pressing the actual keys at each end will ensure that they're clipped in properly. If things appear to be flush at each end then things are already clipped into place.

Sorry for the confusion.

 

I opened it up again and reseated the keyboard and whilst I was there I checked under the problem area and yes, it's not the keyboard that is the issue it's what's underneath supporting it. A flexible bit of plastic, so I'm not going to care or moan about this any more and just get on with my games because this small problem can't be fixed anyway

 

So I guess there's no point in calling Dell since it's not a fixable issue?

It's not really a big deal anyway... it's still easy to type on, it just looks a little funny.

 

Up to you, I guess if it's really bulging it might be worth it and you've got nothing to lose in calling out a tech. I just followed the online manual and it's flat now. It still flexes a bit due to the structure underneath.

 

I would get it fixed. My keyboard isn't like that. It is fixable. Do not accept it because its a common problem. I got lucky and have a perfectly built system. But for 1500$ it BETTER BE PERFECT. So weigh your options. I would get it fixed.