*Alienware/Dell - Warranty Discussion Thread (Questions Only)*

Dell pays for the shipping..NBD..

 

So, if I understand correctly... I am allowed to re-paste my CPU and GPU if I call them up and ask?? Or do I have to get my laptop, tell them the paste sucks, send it in, have them repaste it with ty stuff, complain again THEN I can do it?

 

Hi guys.

So around 8 months ago i bought an alienware m17x, with 5870m as gpu. Since 3 months ago, every once in a while when the gpu is under load, it would just freeze and display a strip lined screen and must be restarted.

Lately, that occurred more and more often, up to 7 to 8 times a day =/

I had tried a clean reinstall of windows 7, updating to the latest drivers, but it didnt help the problem. So i concluded that it must be hardware that is causing the problem.

So i am wondering, will i be able to get a dell guy to come replace the gpu for me? Since its not like the gpu is permanently fried, and the blackouts only happen every couple hours, how will i be able to prove that there is something wrong with my gpu?

All advice appreciated!

 

I would call and ask Dell. If your still under warranty then they should be able to do something.

 

Voireon, you should be able to repaste your system, but I would call and get verification. I tried to ask them about a repaste and the alienware tech (not dell), told me that as long as my temps are low I am good. He pretty much shut me down in mid question with the repaste.

 

Is anyone else having issues when they look up there system it showing the incorrect information?

 

If your system is an oulet or refurb it may show different information than a new system. I say that but the core information like cpu, gpu, ram ect, should be correct.

 

Well I've had this laptop since August, and when I got it it was awesome.
Everything ran great, no heat issues, no battery issues.

5 months later and it's a headache, heats up real bad, I hit 95's and above.....on the lowest settings possible....on every battery plan.
And my Fps are just terrible. Got the bios update, new Nvidia software....nothing. Same result.

I've tried getting a Coolermaster like some people have suggested and blew some compressed air in the fan...nothing, same result.

About a month ago, the battery would say 100% full, and when I would unplug the AC adapter it would shut off completely, not go to sleep just shut down. That problem went away, without me doing anything.

Now a new a problem, when I restart or shut down the laptop and it boots back up, a message comes up saying "AC adapter wattage could not be determined" And the battery does not want to charge, and it charges back when it feels like it....

Now if I call dell and tell them these problems, and ask for a replacement or maybe my money back, will I get a replacement or money back? will they fix the my current laptop?

Honestly I want the M17x, since I haven't heard about any heat issues or battery issues, while the M14x people have had problems with heat issues.

P.S. I'm going to call Dell on Monday, but I want to know what I can expect from them. I work, and go to school. Real busy atm to call them....

Sorry for the long post, thanks for any help.

 

I'm positive you won't get a refund. If it's under warranty and you did nothing to make it void, I'm sure they will fix it also.

 

When you bought the laptop, there's a term of agreement for refund which usually on most places last for 21 days, other last for 31 days, so your area is depend, but since your laptop is more than a month old then No you wont get any refund, but a warranty for parts, Yes.

About the heat, the thermal paste might have been all gone, you can call Dell for another paste.

 

And how long with the re paste last until it's all gone ? again....

I'm going to try it with a Laptop cooler this time, if they re paste it, to kept temps down even more.

If they fix the battery and heat problems, Think I will sell it on ebay, and maybe save up for an M17x....

 

The paste should last years or the life time of the unit. As far as a replacement, if they can not fix it with in three attempts they will offer a replacement. You can ask but they will feel your pushing for an upgrade which would not help your case. Give them a chance to repair it and if they don't then ask for a replacement you just want what you paid for working. Never ask or demand for an upgrade. They will fix it, replace it, or get in touch with Corp resolutions.

 

1. Does anyone know the cost to get a warranty?(new one, mine expired)
i remember looking around and i once found a price and it was 150$ for 1 year.

2. Does the new warranty cover everything that's happened to me when i didn't have a warranty? things like:

1) My batteries been dead since May of last year(2 months after my warranty expired)

2)My Fan stopped working so i can't do anything CPU intensive unless i have a fan under it(1 Month afterwards)

3)My hinges are loose and my laptop doesn't stay put at one spot, it sways back and forth based on how balanced it is.(recently like 2 months ago)

4)My hard drive is telling me failure is imminent! I get random freezes every 2-3 days. I mean freezes where i can't do anything. So i have to manually shut it down by holding the power button for 5 seconds. That's really bad for the system as a whole.(2 months ago)

5)Recently my charger has not been registering. it would be plugged in and my Laptop would not say it's charging(it cant anyway, batteries dead.) So i have to move my charger around until i get a sweet spot(until it saids it's charging). It kept getting worse and worse until 3 days ago where no matter where i had my charger my laptop would not register it and i couldn't turn on my laptop.

IF it's not possible to fix these issues with a new warranty i would be shocked. i tend to be very careful with my electronics ever since my Xbox 360 broke(yes yes, we know faulty Xbox 360's are a norm) but it's a horrible feeling to shell out hundreds of dollars for something to unexpectedly break down when no physical harm was done.

 

as far as I know, dell will only let you extend the warranty when your current one has not expired

 

I am not sure of Dell's policy, but I know most companies will not let you buy an extended warranty after the 1 year warranty has expired.

 

i'm actually quite sure that you can buy a warranty while yours is expired. i remember my last repair one of the bosses(she had told me to be very careful with the hinges cuz it's been my second time) told me that it would cost something like 40$ extra if you don't get an extension. But i'm not 100% sure i'm just telling you what she told me. I may have been ill informed. no offense but i doubt it.

 

The 150.00 was to extend warranty at time of purchase. I just bought a extended warranty and added complete care on top to 2014 was 1004.16
would of been 650.00 for just 2 years. Because I did not add at time of purchase. Now as far as I have seen here on the forums Dell will not add warranty back on if it has expired. Nor extend past 5 years.

 

Hey Sanche, yeah you can buy a dell warranty for your system but its gonna take a lot to get it done. First you have to get your system re-certified by dell to be eligible for warranty. I have no idea what that is or how to do it, but when I was reading the fine print on the dell warranty I remember reading that. Second the battery is gonna be on you, I don't think the battery is covered under warranty but I have seen some people get replacements within the 1 year warranty.

 

I've been trying that too. Unfortunately Dell doesn't allow you to extend your warranty if you have been off for more than 6 months, IIRC. Worth a shot though

 

A friend tried that, and they insisted that he had to pay for a technician to do an "audit" on the machine to asses if there was any issues with it. He opted against paying for that.

 

Just call them up and tell them you need to get the price on a reaplcement video card or something like that. They will try to sell you a warranty even though it's been over six months and even though they know there is an issue with it already that will requier service. They do that to me every time.

 

They send replacement video cards?

 

You should definatly call them up!! i have lost my warrenty for now because i did not call them first.

I think this is a bit harsh, when previously with my M17x they sent me out new graphics cards to relace myself!!

I have asked DELLChrisM if this is the norm, he didn't think so.

Dell have since offered for me to send my M18x in to them so they can give it the once over, then they would re-instate my warrenty, but i would be charged for this service!! Why do we pay for a premium warrenty!!!
This is an enthusiast gaming rig and we should be allowed to do something as simple as repasting!!! Christ the amount of threads on it in this forum, and the amount of work some of the guys on here have done for dell and Nvidia to try and solve the throttling issues, your telling me they never re-pasted!!! when doing this, dell didn't seem to mind then!!!

 

rdalcroft: Hey man I know what you mean. I went ahead and read the Dell warranty terms and it gives you very little wiggle room to do self maintence. Pretty much it seems you have to wait till a problem arises and call them.

On another note, I am about to renew my warranty and get what's called maximum duration. I think that's for 3 years, but what I could not find was on how to transfer to a new system. I would like to buy a m18x in a couple years when the r2 is out. Does anyone know can an extended warranty he transfered from an old system to a new system? As always thanks in advance.

 

I'll be purchasing a used M15X with an expired warranty and I'm trying to find out how much it will be for a 1 year warranty.

I tried talking to a few reps through chat (AW) and I'm getting various answers. One guy says add 80% ontop of what it would cost if you purchased warranty on a new machine, another guy says 120%, another 70%.

So what's considered a good deal?

Also, is it a better idea to get the seller in the US to add it for me or can I just do it myself? Will it be similar pricing between US and Canada? Will I have any complications?

Thanks team!

 

Well to give you a ball park figure Voodooi, for me it costs $279 if I want to extend my warranty for one year for my outlet system, so I could only imagine it would be more to restart it. I also hear that there is some recertification fee that is required that is around $100.

 

ok im looking at 2 laptops.. well im bidding on 2.. ive one 1 and im waiting on another.. first system is a (per seller) Like new lightly used Alienware M17x r2 purchased on 07-04-2010 still have original receipt. Has 4 year warranty that is still in effect till 2014.

Specs: Nebula Red special edition, 17" wide xga+ display, Core I7 7200M 1.60 ghz, (2.8 ghz turbo mode), 6gb ddr3 ram, 8x DVD +/- dual layer drive with quicksilver, 1gb ATI Radeon Mobility HD5870, 500gb 7200 rpm sata-11 hdd

includes original acc box with Alienware Hat, Mousepad and Restore DVD's as well as owner portfolio.

and what i wanted to know is this an ok system for 910.00?
also what do i need from him to transfer the warranty? ive requested the receipt and the original owners info for the warrenty form on dells site.. am i missing any thing?

and lastly i defiantly want to ad the second 5870 for cf.. what will i need to do this.. what parts exactly and part numbers would be great as im going to buy them.. and is there any thing special i need to do to the second card?

thanks a ton..

 

Yeah that sounds like a good deal considering that the warranty alone is around $300+. As far as tranfer of warranty, he has to contact dell and complete a warranty transfer form giving ownership to you. Hit up this page Ownership-Tag Transfer | Dell

As for the Xfire, make sure that your 5870m is a mxm 3.0 type B. I recommend using a dell one. Also you will need a heat sink and fan, xfire cable, and a multi-gpu vbios. Now I say that but being under warranty your best bet is to get it transfered and call dell and have them install it so its covered under warranty.

 

SO here is exactly what the warranty page says..

System Type: Alienware Laptop M17xR2
Ship Date: 7/10/2010
Country: United States
Description Provider Start Date End Date Days Left
Next Business Day Support BSC 7/11/2011 7/10/2014 895
XPS Technical Support DELL 7/11/2011 7/10/2014 895

so this is a good warranty? sorry im new to alienware and well this is alot of money for me lol

 

Yeah that looks about right, whats usually happens you call alienware about your issue and they remote diagnose your problem using Aliencontact (XPS Tech Support). If they cannot fix your problem they send someone out to diagnose and fix your problem usually a day or two later (Next Buisness Day Support). There are some instances were you may have to send your system to a dell repair facility, but they take care of that for you.

The warranty you have is the norm for the m17x, others supplement there warranty with accidental protection (drops, water damage, ect).

 

thank you.. i called and got the warranty transferred and i asked about the accidental damage warranty and the rep said i had it all ready and the only thing i didn't have was the software warranty and they wanted 249.99b for it..

 

Anytime I was in your boat about a week ago trying to figure out what warranty I needed to extend. Yeah I really don't understand the software warranty part. They charge a ton of money to guide you into installing windows or setting up device software and all that. To me its a waste of money, especially when there are a cornucopia of great minds on NBR forum.

 

I think if there is anything Dell/AW got right perfectly is the warranty,frankly can't see any problem there

Coming to the software part of things...leave it be..get the max.hrdwr.support u can afford...you'll always find some one competent here or at home to help with sftwr issues (unless it's punkbuster where the ppl who created it and the ppl who applied it aka EA (bf3) have no idea how to fix it)

 

That is the great thing about this forum, I can find how to reinstall Win7 with alienware feel, at the same time find info on how to install 6 series ati cards in a r2.

 

How many times do fix my dell alienware before I get it replaced? they have replaced a disk system board changed its rules last Friday they held until Saturday morning. so called support today and they were DOA on the new motherboard

 

The norm is if they have to preform 3 or more repairs and they cannot repair your problem they send the system to the a repair warehouse for full system check/repair. If they cannot repair the issue they may replace the system with a same spec or better spec system, usually a refurbished system.

 

Hi Guys,,

My M15x is one year old and its warranty runs out in a few days.

I have had the guys from Alienware phone me twice in the last couple of days to try and get me to sign up to another year or two.

They want about £120 for a year and about £220 for two. They say though that it will NOT cover me for accidental damage (which kind was kind of the best part of my previous deal as i have 2yr old),,,

And it dosent cover the battery either , which I know isnt cheap as I currently have the larger one.

So is getting the new coverage actually worth it ?? They always try to frighten you into it with stories of fried motherboards etc,, but a lot of things can be replaced as and when needed for not much more than the overall cost of a new warranty.

And if I upgrade parts myself like RAM for eg,, cant that invalidate coverage,, they where a little unclear on that one

What you guys think ??

 

stevotrueblue:
I did buy the extended warranty for my m17x r2 just so my system was covered for a motherboard . On my last alienware (m9700), the mobo cost me $400 and the one for my m17x runs about $450+. As for the ram, and self upgrades those you can do on your own. Upgrading a systems HDD or ram can be done but dell will not cover the warranty for the parts of the upgrade. They warranty will still cover the OEM parts that are purchased from dell.

 

you should try to call them and ask for extended accidental warranty. to be honest, if you bought it with advanced warranty (aka accidental damage included), then they should give that to you as well. But either way, yes, take it, because the price sky rockets once your warranty expires. so get it now either way.

Again, in my opinion, get the one year warranty on it, and you will be fine.

 

well, i gotta give props to dell/alienware depot for fixing my m11x. i bought this last year after crazy exwife broke my other laptop. unfortunately she came in a month after i bought it and poured water on my brand new m11x. i figured there was no way that dell would warranty my laptop because of this, so i ended up buying a cheap hp netbook instead and put this guy in the closet, hoping that one that it would come back to life. fast forward 6 months and needless to say it was fried as it would never turn on. so i was about to put this on ebay, when someone told me i should call alienware and ask about it anyways. so i called and talked to "david" (who of course had a heavy indean accent) and i told him that my laptop would not turn on. I never mentioned that it had water damage. he went through the process of telling to turn it off and unplug the battery and disconnect this and that. all to no avail. so he scheduled a dell repair guy to come out and replace my motherboard! woohoo! i thought, maybe i could actually get this thing up and running. so i waited a couple days and the burly, bald, ponytail guy came and he replaced my motherboard and whatever parts dell sent along. but, it still would not turn on. so dell had me return it back to them to depot. now after a week in their dirty hands, my laptop came back and i was happy to see my yellow lights turn on and have a working laptop again. i only wish i had done this 6 months earlier. oh well. i guess coack klein was right, what momma don't know won't hurt her

 

Well, if you didn't take out accidental cover and you got dell to essentially pay for repairing/replacing your fried laptop, that isn't anything to be proud of. You've been dishonest to get what you want.

 

Hey fellas, as some of you may know, I just purchased an R2 last week. It is coming in 2 days and I am very excited! At the moment, there is still about 280 days of warranty left on it.

I called Alienware Tech Support last night to confirm that the warranty was transferred over to me (it was) and the conversation led to a conversation about potentially extending my warranty.

The agent was very nice and wasn't Indian (surprisingly) and told me that he could give me a discount on a 1 Year Accidental Warranty for $400 (apparently it's usually $475 without it). I had expressed interest in an M17X-R3 and he told me that he could "help" me get one indirectly with the warranty as if anything happened at all to my R2, anything at all, I could express an interest to Alienware about not being satisfied and request a replacement for an R3 and this request would be fulfilled because I would be in the system as a "VIP" customer.

He said that he was able to offer me these prices because he doesn't gain commission like the normal service agents and he would actually be penalized for telling me about the aforementioned way to get an R3.

Is there any truth to this? I am a skeptic by nature by things like this but I just want to be sure that he is not giving me the run around just to get my money.


EDIT: I just checked the extended warranty options via Dell.com and the 1 Year Accidental is $400. What a discount huh?! He just lost a lot of credibility with me.

 

Take that to him and tell him to beat the price or your out.

 

Thanks for the reply DR650SE, I just emailed him regarding my concerns.

My main concern though is the terms of replacement. He made it sound like I would only be able to get a system replacement if I had a Complete Care warranty, not standard. My biggest fear is having a chain of failures and be stuck with a cycle of repairs over and over again until my warranty runs out and i'll be stuck with a very expensive paperweight. Is this true?

I don't really need the accidental damage as the laptop will be sitting on a desk most of the time clear of any liquids and such so I was hoping to just extend the standard warranty I have now by 2 years.

 

So my Alienware M17X R2 is being shipped to the depot, and I am so nervous. I am scared that they wont have the 5870m, and give me 4870s or 285s. Or worse caste they would just send me a M17X R3. What are the chances that dell has, R2 parts, it seems that the laptop has been out a while, and may not have all the parts in stock. Could I possibly get a M18X even tough I don't want one because its bigger heavier, and I would have to buy a new backpack :C

 

I think I saw a bunch of R2's on the outlet with xfire 5870's a few days ago so you should be good on parts. I do see what you mean on sending it to the depot. There are a lot of unknowns, and I would be be a bit angry if they replaced my R2 with a R3. No offense R3 peeps.

 

I wouldn't go along with having my R2 replaced with an R3. The M18x (flagship model) is the successor to the M17x R2 (previous flagship model), not the M17x R3. The R3 is in a totally different class... it is a less expensive model (not the flagship system), with a single GPU and plastic chassis.

I truly believe the rep was being honest with you about the Dell Complete Care (advanced) warranty giving you preferred status. (It should, because anyone that has it paid extra for it.) It really sucks that they have recently been pushing people into depot repairs that paid extra for the NBD on-site warranty. My M18x recently went to the depot and back, despite my vehement protest as a customer with the advanced warranty, and I had to fix numerous issues when I got it back.

 

My laptop had been running F@H for probably a week or more with very little downtime so basically full power 24/7. A few days ago my GPU was barely folding. My Work Units weren't very big but the ETAs were huge and I thought it may just have had something to do with the F@H client because according to GPU-Z, my GPU only had like a 4% load.

Then I was playing Team Fortress 2 and the settings were below the recommended settings, yet it was still lagging a bit and the FPS seemed really low...

Could my GPU be dying or something? I have CompleteCare btw.

Also, if I have to send in my computer to Dell, do I have to take out my SSD since it wasn't standard (I added it in after-market)?

 

My R3 has the basic 1 year warranty and I'm exactly at the 1 month point. After learning about all the potential issues with dead mobos, bricked GPUs, etc., I'm getting a little antsy about what will happen after the warranty runs out, so I'm looking at options to extend it.

However, as of checking out support.dell.com today, extending my warranty starts at $539 for one year + $269 for accidental! Not in my budget but OTOH I'd hate to imagine being SOL after the warranty is up...

Questions:

1. Does the cost change up or down as one waits in time? I would guess it would only go up like the way most other product insurance works...
2. Does Dell ever have promotions or discounts on warranty extensions?

Thanks everyone and sorry for my ton of questions.

 

I wonder if Alienware warranty covers space invasions. Cuz Asus doesn't.

Asus Warranty Doesn't Cover Damage Caused by 'Space Invasions' | TechnoBuffalo