SXPS 16 aluminum near palmrest dissolving/pitting!

after a few months of heavy usage i noticed the aluminum band was beginning to pit. i use my computer for web design so i am on it hours on end. the pitting began as a few dots, and i tried to use the computer with my external keyboard to prevent more damage. but the pitting/dissolving spreads like a rash!

dell is sending me a new palmrest, but i dont think it will matter, probably in a few more months it will look like this one.

photos here:

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I used my first palmrest for 4 months and its alumini. strap was ok.

 

its such a crazy downside to using aluminum in laptops. if you google aluminum pitting basically youll see tons of macbooks. at least with my dell its only the 1/4 inch band and not the whole surface with keyboard etc.

 

Yeah, you are correct.

 

I don't think replacing the palm rests will fix that! If I remember correctly when the tech took mine apart that part is part of the chassis not the palm rest.

 

It is a part of the palmrest.

Source: I have got my palmrest replaced 2 times and this week, third time my plamrest will get replaced..

 

yeah, it is part of the palmrest, it does seem a bit absurd that they would need to replace the whole palmrest in order to replace the aluminum band.

originally they were going to mail me the replacement, but today they emailed me to arrange for a tech to do it. i am studying abroad, its lovely that my warranty covers international repairs.

they are replacing my power adapter as well. the blue lighted end is falling apart.

 

Wow that's quite a lot of damage from just your palms. So now that's another problem we can add to the SXPS 16 line. From what I've seen it's:

1. dust behind the edge to edge plastic cover
2. pitting of the palm rest
3. power cord slips out far too easily (at least in my case)

Hopefully the list doesn't get much bigger.

 

Maybe you should have the paint chips tested for toxicity levels. Send the findings to Dell and tell them you need a replacement cat as your's ate the chips...

Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood...

 

I don't have any problems with the aluminum palm rest of my m1330....

 

Even my SXPS 1640 power cold slips too easily...

 

my power cord doesnt slip out easily at all. its pretty well secured when charging, just the cord itself is breaking on the inside near the blue light. thats because somehow the plastic isnt glued together, and appears to never have been glued in, so the wire came apart at the blue light and my attempts to glue it back resulted in temporary fixes.

the dust problem is inescapable on notebooks with edge to edge glass. i wonder if the edge to edge is really worth it considering how bothersome the dust has become (for me anyways). its not a matter of a lot, its just that i cant fix it or clean it without risking damaging the screen.

the aluminum is also going to do this regardless, no replacement will probably help. i might simply add a strip of hard acrylic tape along the length of the aluminum to protect it. my friends macbook has some severe pitting below the keyboard.

 

i noticed a different problem on the 1330's and 1530's ive fixed for people. rather than pitting (maybe deterred by the used of the brushed aluminum rather than smooth) the aluminum tends to yellow in the areas of high abrasion. this is especially the case in computers people used heavily for word processing, the more palm rest contact the more severe the yellowing.

it makes me (momentarily) long for the days of solid scrap plastic dells that simply got slower, but not uglier, as they aged. the condition of my near 10 year old my inspiron 2600 in some ways looks newer than my sxps 16. id pay more for a better laptop case if it existed as an upgrade option. maybe rubber on the palmrest is the way to go?

 

That's a shame. This shouldn't be happening with just a few months of use. That's all Dell's fault.

I've never seen a SXPS in person, but I also do not have these problems with my M1330. I don't notice my palmrest turning yellow either and I bought my M1330 used (build in 2007).

 

SXPS Sucks!

 

Maybe Dell should use a different kind of metal for accentuating their laptops if it'll fade with time. I've seen an item on ebay where you can put on a felt-like material on the palmrest, at least on the SXPS 13.

 

Maybe Brushed steel would look nice but that might add some significant weight

 

pitting or not, this is still the best laptop ever

 

Surprise! The Dell technican showed up with all the wrong parts. Dell changed the order so he was shipped M1530 parts. More waiting....

 

That sucks. It sounds like you got a tech thats a complete idiot. Next time make sure they order the right parts by asking for the order number and calling back and asking another tech that will confirm what parts they are. This makes your life simplier and the the repair go smoothly

 

the technician wasnt an idiot, it was the dell support who provided him bad info. they sent him the wrong service tag, apparently for a 3 year old m1530. dell chat and phone support both did not notice this, even when i confirmed all my info, and they actually didnt even create the service call record under my service tag, they also incorrectly entered the address. all the information was provided via email and dell chat, so its just sloppy employees.

they wont mail the parts directly to me, they force me to use the on-site repair technician, which is a 3rd party company contracted through dell.

ive asked them to directly mail me the replacement ac adapter and they have complied. however, they refuse to let me install the palm rest myself. my solution may be buying a new palm rest which ive seen popping up of ebay for 30 dollars and doing it myself later.

its important to mention i do not live in america, but the computer is covered by american warranty.

 

I know they won't send it to you. But just ask them for the Order Number of the parts so you can track and find out what parts are being sent to the onsite.

 

supposedly they are sending the replacement power adapter and palm rest via 2-3 express mail. lets see if it actually happens. if so this is a major relief, no more waiting for the technicians appointment, and no worrying about him/her scratching or loosely fitting the parts. will keep you updated to see if they in fact do mail the palm rest as per the email.

 

Sadly, it will only get worse over time. The edge-to-edge plastic filter design of the XPS is the worse aspect of this laptop, IMHO -- dust can get in so easily. No, the edge-to-edge is not worth it. It's just a "me-too" gimmick from Dell because other laptops (Lenovo, Apple) have it. But it's poorly implemented by Dell. Dell better be ready for a wave of screen replacement requests in a year or two...

All other aspects of the XPS, I'm satisfied with. Only the plastic filter is a major annoyance to me. So much so that I've thought about selling the laptop. But I concurrently have no better alternative and considering I got it with 70% off, I'm keeping it for now.

 

My 3rd screen has been dust free for 2 months * knocks on wood * and seems to be sealed alot better then the other screens ive had so maybe they added some more clips to secure it? Either way if i have to get my screen replaced oh well thats what warrantys for right?

 

I really think it would be great if they sold a new screen cover which is identical except that it only covers the borders

 

Does anyone know if Dell used any type of anodizing to protect the Al? Even a clear anodized product would stand a better chance against wear and corrosion.

 

that is not the manufacturer's fault. that is just a natural reaction of the aluminum when it is exposed to excessive dirt and sweat. the same thing will happen to just about any laptop, with the same material, in the same area.

how often do u clean yur notebook, or at least the area where there is alot of contact with yur dirty hands? there's simply nothin anyone can do if u continue to use yur laptop the same way. what u can do to prevent this from happening is to keep a screen cloth or microfiber towel around. wipe yur palmrest down after heavy use so that all that nasty stuff doesn't have time to penetrate, and damage, yur palmrest. u can also use a water+alcohol solution if u need some deeper cleaning.

another simple alternative would to install a clean film or guard, similar to an iphone screen protector.

 

Was dust the reason for both of your screen replacements? I'm surprised Dell agreed to replace the screen due to dust alone.

 

Why are you surprised? It's a manufacturing defect that isn't correctable by the end user. Dell should have to cover it under warranty and issue a replacement.

 

wow, score one for dell. they mailed me the new power adapter and new palmrest 3 day priority mail. it arrived this morning, and to my surprise neither part was a refurb. im also happy that the palmrest came with new speakers, my right speaker has been a little wonky since i got it.

the strange thing was that the two small component boxes came in a huge, nearly human sized box.

 

Now lets see how much your new palmrest lasts in the face of your pH 2 sweat hehehe..
you know what i do when im at the computer for several hours? i put on those wrist bands that tennis players use, they are like little cushions so the palmrest's edge doesn't hurt your wrists, it also stops the aluminum from disintegrating

 

The M1330 is not immune - we have bad pitting on the left hand side of the M1330 palmrest on a machine that was bought when the M1330 was first released.

I wondered why the right hand side is not also affected - a few thoughts...
1. Hard disk is under the LHS and it tends to get quite hot - so that might accelerate pitting
2. Maybe someone stood a glass of Coca Cola near the LHS... you know there can be a fine spray given off as bubbles surface - I think coke it fairly acidic and it might kick the corrosion off.
3. Acids in sweat from hands? - though often there seems to be a grease build-up from hands which might be protective. I wonder whether maybe we should be waxing our palmrests!

Another thing that could be a factor is that tingling feeling you get if operating the PC without a grounded earth (e.g. 2-pin US plugs). That indicates some electrical flow across the surface and I suppose that could be making (very) tiny holes in any surface finish.


For the record, when I do clean the palmrests (and screen) it is usually with a wet piece of toilet paper.