XPS 15 DC Charging port / jack issue and warranty

It looks like the charging port on my XPS 15 9560 is loose and it happened within about 1 month after purchase. The power jack falls out if I move the laptop around. I've used it like that for a few months and now it got even worse.
I contacted Dell twice online (support chat) and called them and they were telling me it is normal wear and tear and not covered by warranty. When I called second time they opened a support ticket and asked me to ship the laptop for repair. They cannot just ship me the part (charging port) since it has to be installed by a certified technician.
The part number is 64TM0. Dell cannot sell it to me or does not want to. Has anybody purchased this part on ebay or Amazon ? I am suspecting ebay sellers might have third party parts, not original Dell... and I'd like to get a genuine one. Any recommendations?

Can you see anything wrong with my charger port? i.e. bent contacts, etc?

 

I've done this twice now. Both time with parts from eBay, which were described and appeared to be Dell original parts. They were cheap too, so I didn't bother with any warranty process and keep a spare around. You should be able to find some on eBay in your location, and just look for a listing that says Dell OEM part and is from a reputable seller. The swap itself is easy, instructions here: http://www.dell.com/support/manuals...d5032d-9652-403c-9a8a-f98ffaba8776&lang=en-us
Your port looks fine except for the missing plastic spacer/insulator. But its hard to tell with certainty and I'd just suggest replacing it rather than trying to glue the spacer back in. You could also forgo any repair, but with the price and ease of doing it vs the risk of it breaking further one day becoming unusable or causing a short I wouldn't recommend that

 

Oh, I did not know about plastic spacer. That must be the reason I shorted power supply a couple of times while plugging it into the laptop. The short just trips a fuse that is restored after unplugging the PS from the power outlet.
Thanks!

 

I wasn't aware you were tripping a fuse (which I assume you're referring to on the AC side). I really wouldn't recommend using it at all at least until you have a chance to fix the port and do a bit more troubleshooting. Specifically, the fuse tripping makes me suggest ruling out issues with the power supply as well. Does it trip the fuse when the power supply alone (I.E. not plugged into the 9560) is plugged into the outlet? If yes, it is defective and needs to be replaced. If not, do the lights come on at the barrel plug? Don't test this part, but did the fuse instead trip when you plugged it into the computer?
Would err on the side of caution here. Depending on the above sending the laptop to Dell might actually be reasonable just for safety sake. If there's an undiscovered issue with your power supply or computer, in the unlikely but catastrophic event it damages your motherboard at least it would be at the hands of a Dell tech and they would have to repair it.
A USB-C power adapter could tide you over until the issues are fixed

 

The fuse tripped a couple of times a month ago when I was inserting the plug under an angle in the dark. Power supply and the plug are OK, i.e. light is on, no short circuit, etc.
Ordered new charging port. It shouldn't be a problem to install. I have burned a number of PCBs in my life, but this one does not even need soldering

 

My recommendation is that you do not try to fix this yourself. Call Dell, and have them fix it under warranty. That's why you paid for a warranty.

The problem is that faulty power delivery can affect any part in the laptop, and is unpredictable in where that damage occurs.

That means, if in the future, you need a motherboard replacement in the next 11 months, Dell has valid reason to deny that warranty claim, even if it has nothing at all to do with power. In the US, state-level consumer protection laws state that a manufacturer may not deny a warranty claim on the basis of aftermarket modifications performed by the owner; unless the manufacturer can show that the damage was caused as a result of the owner's actions.

But if Dell finds any evidence of tampering with that power module, then it would not be hard at all for a repair technician to say "The owner tampered with the power delivery module, and now the XXXXX part doesn't work. Claim denied." The repair technician is only incentivized to finish his/her daily workload as fast as possible. And denying a claim when you have supporting evidence saves you about 1-2 hours of time that you would've otherwise had to have spent on replacing a motherboard.

Cover- our- utt by establishing a paper trail that you had power-related issues, and that Dell attempted to repair it under warranty. After that, you can do whatever you want to the power delivery module or motherboard in the future, because now you would have documented the fact that a Dell-contracted technician went in and made changes to power delivery components. At that point, Dell must continue to honor your warranty for any future repair claims, because it's very feasible that the repair tech did a crap job, and created future problems.

Is this whole thing absolutely necessary? No, not at all. But just be aware that you are giving Dell grounds to deny any future warranty claims (because power surges could damage any part); and are relying on your self-repairs remaining undetected to retain that warranty.

 

For health and safety purposes, you should send this laptop, power brick, and power cord back to Dell ASAP. Also consider reviewing your household electrics.

Low power laptops should NEVER be tripping any fuses. The house mains fuses and the protection circuits built into the power brick & laptop are to help prevent fires, damage and electrocution but sometimes too slow or don't trigger; sometimes houses burn and people are killed.

If the mains are being tripped, then the laptop, power brick, power cord and household electrics are all suspect. The power brick may have an auto resetting fuse but that could be tripped by the same problems.

EDIT - I know the daughterboard looks broken but with electrics an abundance of caution is necessary. Also warranty issues are important.

 

The fuse is in the Dell Power Supply, not in the house electrics.

 

I don't have much use for my current Dell warranty (basic, I think). I do not normally send laptops for repair - takes too long and requires data backup/restore. I was hoping they can just ship genuine parts to me as HP did quite a few times before.
I guess if a motherboard failed in a laptop and if it costs more than $300, I would want to ship the laptop for repair. With less critical/expensive failures I usually just fix things myself instead of waiting for 3 weeks.

 

This is ********, get back on the phone and explain they are happy to cross ship batteries and this is easier to swap the the bloody battery!
you need to keep at them until you get the right support rep m8

 

What fuse are you referring to? I am unaware of any self-resetting fuse in the power supply. Could you explain more what happens when it trips?

 

I do not have a schematic and do not know how it is implemented, but there is obviously a self-resetting fuse in my Dell PS since I saw it working a couple of times. I shorted something when plugging PS cable into the laptop DC port with insulator part missing from the port. Not sure how exactly the short happens, but there was a sound and the light embedded into the DC plug turned off. I unplugged it from the laptop and the light was still off. Then I unplugged PS from AC outlet and plugged it back in. The light turned on and PS was providing power again. It happened twice.

 

I might do that The last guy was some kind of higher level support person. He followed up 3 times with me and his manager also did once. They kept asking if I want to send the laptop in and insisted that they cannot let me replace DC port by myself.

 

I would chip away at them, they will let you do a DIY battery swap that involves taking out more bloody screws, download and email them the service manual

 

FWIW, my 9550 charging port came loose 2 weeks after obtaining ownership. Dell sent out a technician who replaced it for me the following day

 

It might just be me, but as far as I know, normal wear and tear doesn't happen after a single month. I would seriously not settle for that.

 

Ok. This is not too concerning then, although I haven't seen this behavior myself. Your power supply is probably fine, but you'll be able to verify when you get a new power port.
I'm actually swapping mine tomorrow (its just loose, and I'll have the case open anyway) so if you have any further questions let me know

 

Take a few pictures of the process and add a few tips if you have time

 

It it's like the xps it should be loose in the chassis, it isn't fixed in rigid. Loose as in the power supply falls out or you lost connections another matter.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

 

Its the 2nd unfortunately. Some idiot (me) wasn't paying attention and tried to walk away with it while still plugged in. Now the power supply can slowly slide out and if I'm not paying attention I end up with a drained battery at bad times. If I wasn't already opening the bottom I could make do, but figure just replace to get it perfect

 

I should have taken a picture. The port is attached to MB with a single screw. In my case the plastic part with the screw hole in it was broken (separated from the port) and the port was probably a bit loose. However, there are other chassis components around it so it should not move too much.

This is a picture of the new DC port from ebay. My old one had this mounting bracket broken off.