How many years should I get on the warranty?

Just wondering, I've heard a lot of things can happen to the Inspirons. Just wondering how many years I should put on the warranty.

Also, what exactly does the warranty cover? Like, if anything AT ALL breaks on the computer, will they fix it for free? Do I have to pay to ship it to them and for them to ship it back? How does all that work?

Thanks a lot!

 

Did you try searching dell's site? Depends on what you have currently and how long you plan to have this notebook and what your usage and care is like, what your technical experience and comfort level are. You are in the best position to determine what form and term of warranty is most suitable for you.

Warranty Information

Limited Warranty1, At-Home Service2, and Hardware Warranty Support
Dell's Extended Limited Warranty covers your PC for defective parts and workmanship. If you experience a part failure, we'll first troubleshoot the system with you over the phone, via email or through online chat. Our hardware warranty support representatives are always here for you (24X7, 365 days a year), and often we'll have you up and running after one conversation. However, if we determine your system needs a part replaced that's easy to install (e.g. mouse, keyboard, etc.), we’ll mail the part to you for convenient self installation. If the part needs to be replaced by a trained technician, we'll have a 3rd party technician available to come to your location - often the next business day - for part replacement. Our hardware warranty support provides you with convenient assistance.
When you buy a Dell PC, you've got 24/7/365 access to one of the best support sites out there by email or online chat. Most of the time, your computer problem can be solved online. However, if you prefer to contact us by phone Dell's toll-free phone support is available 24 hours so you always have a trained technician to troubleshoot with one on one. Peace of mind has never been easier!

At-Home Service

* Even more convenient Night and Weekend Hours! On 3 Yr & 4 Yr At-Home Service contracts, service is available during extended hours (after phone-based troubleshooting): M-F 8am - 9pm, Sat. 8am - 5pm, and Sun. 10am - 5pm. On 90 Day, 1 Yr and 2 Yr At-Home Service contracts, service is available during Business Hours (after phone-based troubleshooting): M-F 8am - 5pm.
* With At-Home service you won't have to pack anything up and ship it anywhere. A Dell technician will troubleshoot with you online or over the phone to figure out what is wrong with your system.
* If a part is broken, a replacement part can be shipped to you and if necessary, a third-party technician can install it, often on the next business day.
* At-Home Service is not available with the Inspiron 1200 notebook.

CompleteCare Accidental Damage Service
Why is CompleteCare Accidental Damage Service important service to have? - To avoid significant repair costs down the road!
Do you ever eat at your desk while you are working? Do you have children or pets that rough house? If so, your desktop is susceptible to damage caused by accidents.
Small mishaps, such as a spilled cup of coffee or a toddler who mistakes your computer for a toy, can turn into costly repairs. CompleteCare was created to cover these situations. With CompleteCare, you can protect your desktop from electrical surges, accidental liquid spills, falls, and other non-intentional damage.

 

I've never had anything break due to my own mishandling so I wasn't even planning on getting any of the warranties (except the bare minimum one). However, after reading more about the Inspiron E1505, people seem to have some problems with it that just randomly happened. However, I guess you have to take that with a grain of salt because I'm sure all the happy customers aren't going to praise the laptop as much as the angry customers are going to complain. Also, some of the customers who have had problems might be related to something they did to the laptop rather than the laptop just randomly dying.

So all I'm really worried about is whether or not the laptop will die on its own. I handle everything with lots of care and have yet to break anything so I assume I would be just as careful if not more so with an expensive piece of equipment like a laptop. I guess I'll just go with the bare minimum warranty.

 

If there's a build problem, it'll most likely be apparent in the first year, and you can use the standard warranty.

In general, computer failures that don't come from dropping or throwing the computer or spilling liquid on it are at least 90% of the time either the hard disk or the RAM. I can't actually back up that number, but that's been my experience. Those are the sort of failures that "just happen". Both are easy to replace yourself, and will cost you less than an extended warranty.

I've had my Inspiron 1150 for 2.5 years and all the problems have been either cosmetic (paint rubbing off) or my own fault (losing a screw when opening it, or spilling diet coke on the keyboard, which broke the right shift key). I paid extra for a 2-year warranty and I never used it and never even called tech support once. I haven't even had a RAM or HD failure yet.

That said, it's still possible for the CPU or motherboard to go bad, and if you feel the need to reduce the risk, then you can get the warranty. I don't know if the warranty will cover drops or spills... that's the only way I'd consider getting it, personally.

Oh, and one more thing. You can usually get a Latitude D630 or D830 (which come with a standard 3 year warranty) for the price of an Inspiron + extended warranty. These are better built machines, so, if you want a longer warranty, I'd consider going that route.