How long has your Dell laptop lasted without repair?

My Inspiron 15z (1570) is coming up on 2.5 years with no problems

 

My boss has a M6600 and the screens back light went out 2 months after he got it. Guy came to fix it and ended up breaking the entire thing and he had to wait for a new one to ship to him. he was really pissed. He still loves it though after I told him to NOT buy it hundreds of times. haha

 

My laptop these days last about 10 months bc that is when I sell it.

I bought my laptop refurbshed all the time.

For my desktop I built my own. I have lifetime warranty on mobo and video card. All my hd have few yrs left and they are all used.

 

A little update on my machine:
My trusty old 1564 has hit 11000hours of runtime now, Took it apart to dust it out, placed the Dell 365 Bluetooth thing in there while it was open and replaced the battery with a €20 chinese 9-cell, running like new. and does a mighty fine job for schoolwork.
I wonder when the next part will fail...
~Aeny

 

My experience is Dell Quality seems to be going downhill.

I have an old latitude x200 (8 years old) and it still works great.

I have a Dell XPS M1710 (5 years old) and it had several repairs during my ownership, but for the most part was fairly stable. In the latter years, it probably got repaired once per year for various issues that emerged (video card was replaced twice for example).

*But* my Dell XPS L702x (9 months old) shipped with problems dell put down to a faulty operating system, and many others existed or developed. USB3 ports were never stable and would crash, there were random high latency issues, the primary harddrive failed within 8 months of ownership, the screen started flickering, at frst on battery then always, the display port wouldn't work properly and outputted a distorted signal.... etc. Then Dell rebuilt half machine which fixed screen and ports, but now cursor jumps around screen when I type, engineer scratched case in process, now the fans go nuts turning on an off several times a minute, and various devices in device manager have no driver. Dell seem to have changed how they operate from providing reasonable service quickly, to fobbing people off and making them jump through hoops until they give up because they run out of time. Then they proposed to replace the whole machine with a "new one" requiring my old one gets picked up and a new one is sent seven days later (not viable for me) and said they'd upgrade processor (from a i7-2630qm to a i7-2640m) which is actually a downgrade. So I'm very disappointed with Dell quality control and their policies of costing customers time.

 

It is kind of funny my Vostro 3400 system needed repaired as soon as it came and then it did almost ok now its 1 year old and its falling apart.

 

Vostro 1500 from 2007. Running smooth as ever.

 

If you ever do need Dell support or warranty related issues... your experience will vary greatly depending on which type of warranty you purchased.

If you get the default "basic" 1 year service, then don't expect Dell to go out of their way to help or communicate with you efficiently.

The "Pro" warranty service will bend over backwards to make sure you are happy and taken care of. That's my experience in owning and working with Dell computers for over 8 years. (btw, they used to call it 'standard' and 'gold' support... it's basic & pro now).

 

My bookeeper uses my old Vostro 1500 from 2006 and it still runs smooth as silk. The keyboard action sill feels like its new. It's amazing what a tank that notebook is (it also weighs as much as a tank at 8 lbs ).

 

Err Vostro 1500/1400/1000/1700 were debut in summer 2007 as I got mine 1 month after Vostro line debut. In any case, my Vostro 1500 is still holding up.

 

My Inspiron 1520 (Vostro 1500) is still going strong. Got it September of 2007

 

For the last few years, I've been buying refurbished Dell Latitudes (E6400, E4310, E6410, E5500) and have not had a single repair issue.

Given the price I paid for each of them (low), I've been really surprised by the overall quality of the Latitude line at least. My E6410 has developed a bit of looseness in the screen hinge, but other than that, it's withstood everything -- even a customer I was working with spilling tea on the internals (luckily no sugar in it).

The one time I had to call Dell support was when I got my first E6400 and the power brick was defective on arrival (no blue LED, no charging). Had it replaced without question and didn't have to ship back my broken one. I remember the service rep even gave me his direct cell phone number in case I needed to follow up.

Overall, if not for what I consider a downgrade from the E6410 to the E6420, I probably would have stuck with Dell. I'm also a bit disappointed that the E6420 doesn't support 16GB and that the M4600 is such an ugly duckling. I primarily do software development and work daily with virtual machines so I need as much RAM and as many cores as I can get.

Currently rocking a beastly Envy 17, but I'm kind of hesitant to buy up to the EliteBooks due to some questionable quality and support from HP based on forums and online reviews on HP's own site. I would LOVE to see a competitive alternative to the 8460w from Dell either in the Latitude or Precision line. Traveling with a 17" laptop is not fun.

But pro-tip for folks buying Dell: stick to their business line and don't hesitate to buy from Dell Outlet.

 

I'm curious to hear about the durability and reliability of the XPS 13 Ultrabook... any takers out there?

 

My Vostro 1500 is still kicking butt after 5 years. The only maintenance i've done is opening up the laptop and cleaning out the dust bunnies from the exhaust fan.

 

The only repair my 1505 needed was for the broke hinge, which I did myself. Aside from that it has worked wonders and I am even upgrading lots of its hardware inexpensively.

Sent from my LG-VM670 using Tapatalk 2

 

My XPS M1730 died after just over a year.
The graphics card burnt out and a replacement was priced at more than the whole laptop originally cost.
Of course I only had a years warranty.
Extremely disappointed because I treated that laptop very carefully, no overclocking, no mods, etc.
The fan used to turn on at 75 degrees and cool it down to 55 degrees and then let it climb back up to 75 degrees again - I think that is just bad engineering on a laptop that was supposedly designed for gaming.

 

I recommend business models from the Dell Outlet to everyone I know that is looking for a laptop ... most usually want something a little more flash (and end up with some poor quality $399 walmart special).

Every laptop I have had came from the Dell outlet (except for the Acer netbook, of course) and I have had great luck with them!

 

0 Days, waiting for my 3rd replacement...
last chance

 

From day one!
Replacing parts on my 5 month old XPS17 L702x again tomorrow. Been repairing/replacing parts every other month since I've had it.

 

This poll lacks few very important aspects:
- do you have laptop with/without dGPU ?
- what TDP does your CPU have?

Those two may be - I think - responsible for failure rates!

 

I don't see how having discreet video would make a difference. My Vostro 1500's modular card worked fine, albeit ran hot. My Alienware M17x R2 has been running almost 7 months with no issues.

 

The dedicated card does make a different if the laptop is of GeForce 8 / GeForce 9 vintage. Those had unusually high failure rates - across all manufacturers. But as we get further into the future, the effect of that is going to fall.

 

I voted 4+, because it is sort of average. While I think Dell has gone down a bit lately, they started pretty high on my list, and everyone else is going down as well. I started with a couple of desktops, cant remember when. (sometime in the 90's). Since Y2K I have had 5 Dell laptops. All 7 systems still work, either as a backup or just laying around waiting for me to have an experimental mood. Three systems (Win2K, XP and Win7) are regularly used as remote desktops access, for backing up, and testing changes before main box install.

One of the LT systems needed a new keyboard (Dell sent me one, I replaced it) One needed a new display, part of a design flaw, went bad after nearly a year, Dell sent me a box, I sent it in, they fixed it.

I just hope my new XPS17 ages as well as the other Dells

 

I've voted 4+ base on my 1st Inspiron & 2nd Latitude E6500... until sold it, yet both still running fine with their new user which are closed to me..

Now I'm using Precision M6600 for about 3 weeks... hope it will last as others ;D

 

2.5 years.

A few months ago my Inspiron 1570 started making frequent BIOS beeps after booting up. They'd last for about 10 minutes and then stop once the computer had "warmed up" so to speak. I also started noticing the infamous hard drive clicking noises. I ignored both of these for a month or two until the right hinge on the display assembly broke.

I bought a replacement back cover/hinge assembly on eBay ($45) and, as a precaution, a new hard drive ($70) and using the online manuals was able to replace both easily.

Now the hinges feel new and tight and no more BIOS beeping or hard drive clicking. Feels like my computer is brand new again.

 

Here's the thing though about my Studio 1535. Although it has now lasted me just over 4 years. It has always been annoying. Within the first few weeks I had to get the Optical Drive replaced. I've had issues with the Optical Drive since. I've also had issues with it properly sleeping and waking. The chasis has literally broken and because of this duct tape is my friend. I'm going Clevo next. I wouldn't mind going for a Dell for a more business need such as the Lattitude, but, I just checked their Lattitudes and the prices are ridiculous. $500 for a 240GB SSD? $175 for 8GB of 1333MHz RAM? Not to mention everything is 2nd gen Core i series instead of 3rd gen.

 

I had up until recently a Vostro 1700 with a 8600M GT which lasted me 4 years without a single issue. Such a good laptop.

I replaced it with an outlet L502X which arrived with a DOA 540M and then 1 week after getting the motherboard replaced that one died as well.

So I got a refund and got a Vostro 3560 which so far (touch wood) has been running great. I'm hoping it gives me the same level of reliability the old Vostro did.

 

I'm using a Dell Latitude D620 from 2006 right now. The computer works fine, but the screen no longer stays upright by itself. I have to prop it up with something (I'm using a cardboard box now). Time for a new laptop!

 

I have the original XPS Desktop replacement from 2003 and she is on the verge of burn out. So sad...

 

One Dell has lasted for +7 years without needing repairs.

One needed the motherboard replaced earlier this year. This computer is about 5 years old.

One needed the keyboard replaced last month. This one is about 5 years old.

All three are laptops.

 

My Vostro 1700 has lasted 5 years so far without any issue at all. Extremely satisfied with the solid build quality of this laptop - here's to another five years! (One or two of the keys have been slightly displaced, although that's my fault as a result of dropping some food into the keyboard which caused the 'o' key to get stuck.)

 

My Inspiron 1300 is still going after 6.5 - 7 years. As far as repairs go, there've been a few but all my fault and all repaired by me. First was when I dropped it coming down the stairs at home about three years ago, it fell all the way to the bottom onto the tiled floor. One cracked corner and a broken screen. I got the screen replaced and it was back to normal apart from some battle scars. More recently the DC input jack slightly cracked off from the board. I bought a new piece and soldered it on. The battery no longer takes a charge so it is pretty much confined to my desk nowadays but I think it's pretty good going especially for about the cheapest piece of crap you could buy from Dell at the time. I also upgraded it with 2Gb of RAM and Windows 7.

 

I have a Dell Inspiron 1000, about 7 or more years old. Still in pretty decent shape. Upgraded the ram to 1GB +256MB. Running Win XP Pro. No battery but is being used by the kids for internet and watching online movies.

 

My L501X XPS 15 lasted about 6 months before the HDD failed. Replacement HDD failed pretty quickly after that, and the keyboard also had a key break off from normal use. Motherboard went back a couple months later, than the HDD failed again. Then the HDD failed again and I talked them into replacing the computer, got an L502X which I've had for about a month that hasn't had a problem yet.

Inspiron 5110 is going to the depot tomorrow, its about 15 months old. My three year old uses it to watch Dora and Aquanauts on and she decided she wanted to try to color on the screen with a ball point pen which left gouges all in it, she also dropped it and cracked the housing a little bit and the mouse pad's left button is sticky from what I presume is my 7 month old's spit up or drool since he watches Baby Einsteins on it - complete care accident coverage is a definite essential if you let kids play on the computer! Still, the computer is running fine on its own and hasn't needed any repairs from its hardware failing, all of its problems have been child induced.

Inspiron 14Z was bought to watch movies on when I travel, had it since June, no problems at all.

 

Vostro 1400 Less than 1 year but has been fine for the 3+ years since
Stuido 1558 less than 1 week but has been fine for the 2+ years since
Studio 1700 series never been repaired
Vostro 1510 never been repaird
Vostro 3450 never been repaird
Vostro 1440 never been repaird

 

I've had my Inspiron 6400 since June 2006, and it hasn't had an issue yet, minus the battery (which has been dead for a while now). The only possible exception has been that the hard drive comes loose, and it takes a bit to get it loaded again, but other that she's running great!

 

XPS M1530. Only thing dying is the screen (LED) as it has vertical black bars and has gpttem quite dark.

 

I have purchased multiple desktops from Dell and all have lasted 5+ years without any problems.

 

I also have an Inspiron 8200 which I have only recently retired. It still works ok. I bought it secondhand about 6 years ago. For the past six years it ran 24 hours a day seven days a week. The only thing I used to do is clean the fans about every twelve months or so. I upgraded the cpu to a 2.4ghz with 1GB of ram and Windows XP Professional ran flawlessly for all that time. Dell don't build laptops as reliable as the Inspiron 8200 any more.

I recently purchased an XPS M1730 to replace the I8200. I have almost finished upgrading it with an X9000 processor and new 9800 SLI video cards. I know heat is a problem with these laptops. I decided to cut out a piece of clear 6mm perspex just slightly larger than the base of the laptop. I sit the laptop on this so I can get good airflow. I believe overheating causes an early death of many laptops.

 

Spoke to soon - this one started to shut off randomly when unplugged from the AC adapter, thought it was a battery issue but they are sending out a new motherboard for it.

My Inspiron 15R came back from the depot with the USB port still broken and the screen scratched to holy hell despite being told that it would be replaced as a child did it and it wasn't normal wear and tear. Been satisfied with Dell at home repairs, but my experience with the Depot is sort of unsat - its going back again after waiting 15 days for it last time.

 

Vostro 3550 - 5 months before the HDD starting dying.

 

My Dell Laptops;

Latitude D610 --> never failed
Latitude D630 --> never failed
Latitude E6400 --> never failed
Studio XPS 13 --> Nvidia graphics failed after 2 weeks
Latitude E4310 --> never failed
Vostro 3555 --> never failed

 

So far, less than a day (it's new). That said, my M6700 is the most well built laptop i have seen to date and my "consumer" notebooks lasted a few years without repairs. I had to send one because of a bad lcd and repaste the other, but that's it. My now defunct Toshiba went 6 years without repairs.

 

Got my laptop Dell 1520 in October 2007 to play within hospital (I had a car accident in August 2007).
It's been bulletproof until recently when i started to modify it. Now it's better than my asus G73 gaming monster.. I used it in hospital, at work, on vacations! It's fantastic.

 

My Dell laptops: I'm on my 3rd precision; m60, m65, m6400. Purchased my first m60 in 2007, sold while living in UK. The m65 in 2010, sold to my father when I upgraded to the m6400 in 2011. All were bought through a small business that deals in refurbished dells and off-lease systems. Despite being all refurbs, I never had a single issue with any of them. Plan to keep the 6400 until it literally falls apart

 

dell x300 (2003) with new 80Gb disk = never failed ! (running xp and bodhi, a little slowish for file transfers but pentium m 1200 !!!)
dell vostro 3555 new from < 1 year = never failed very good running debian
Dell Inspiron 6400 used < 3 month no problem very nice laptop and screen running debian

all dell machines i have are working very steadily (2 more desktop) (also 2 friends with laptops latitude)

 

I've had my Dell Inspiron 6000 for over 4 years now and have had no bother with it at all.

 

Inspiron 8600 (fully loaded) - purchased 9/2003. Worked perfectly fine (no repairs; all original components) until I spilled Diet Coke all over it a few weeks ago. The only thing I ever changed on it was adding more RAM. Even the original 40gb HDD worked, but it was starting to show its age.

Only problem now is finding a replacement as this was my main computer. Didn't think finding a new notebook would be so hard...but I think I've settled on either the Lenovo Y580 or Inspiron 15R SE. May even add HP or Asus to the shortlist. Really kinda disappointed with Dell. The XPS L521X was at the top of my list until I started following the thread. Not sure I want them to get any of my money the way they've handled the issues (& owners) with that system, which is their flagship notebook. I am really surprised by that.

Btw, this is my very first post here, so hello to everyone in this thread and community. Wow!

 

I am very satisfied with my laptop. I bought my laptop last year in October and now its more than a year and I didn't needed any repair to my laptop, so my satisfied with Dell Laptops.

 

My precision m4600 lasted 13 (coincidence? anyone??) days. Today the Dell technician came and as he was "in a hurry" the second life of my laptop with a new motherboard was of a few seconds... The technician able to short circuit the fan plug and somehow disable the screen (only external lcd support). He even told me that i was able to use my laptop because " it has two fans, so no problem!". I told him that if i would use it like that, tomorrow they would not be just replacing a motherboard... and this was with ProSupport.

Lucky me...