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Dell laptops - poor quality - Page 4

post #61 of 77
5/30/07 at 7:38am
I've used very large stickers outside of areas of skin contact, but it doesn't matter. The stickered parts look brand new. But the areas around them age naturally, not due to the skin ph as they are outside of the skin. E.g. you'll notice that the colour of the silver under the monitor is slightly darker then that under your sticker. This is probably due to the sticker protecting the paint not *just* from the skin but also from other environmental factors such as sunlight, air or something. This means that unless I cover every silver area, I'll get sticker outlines.

Unfortunately covering my whole palmrest isn't practical. Hence my idea about possibly spraying it or something...
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post #62 of 77
5/30/07 at 12:40pm
I wonder if you could get an auto body shop to put Scotchgard Paint Protection Film on a laptop? It's sometimes advertised as a "clear bra" to avoid chips, bugs, etc. They custom cut pieces to fit. Or maybe 3M makes something similar for electronics.
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post #63 of 77
5/30/07 at 1:35pm
Laptop screen protector will do the job if you are looking for large surface to cover.
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post #64 of 77
5/30/07 at 3:37pm
here's the deal I'd wager that all of you with this problem chose the Dell based on price. What do you think you were getting for that lower price? Something always has to give and in this case you're LUCKY it's just the paintjob. As someone that has to work on these all the time they're good systems with powerful hardware and have good construction....except the paint.

To me my laptop is a tool, no more or less than my screwdrivers, my pliers, my soldering supplies. If I wanted them to look nice they'd never get used. My cell phone is a tool too, one I wish I didn't have to deal with

There's an old addage "never trust a repairman whose tools look like brand new" or something like that.
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post #65 of 77
5/31/07 at 7:14am
-You give me shit for comparing mobo replacement to micro-surgery to a guy who's never done it before, and now you're comparing your laptop to worn out pliers?
:
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post #66 of 77
5/31/07 at 10:47am
lol I think the term micro surgery was a little too scary & over-dramatic for somone opening a laptop for the first time.

Now excuse me why I go find a hook for my laptop so I can mount it in my garage next to my power tools.

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post #67 of 77
5/31/07 at 12:06pm
I've owned five different laptops and my dell has been dropped, sat upon, spilled upon and never needed repair. I have a compaq which my 13 yr old uses now and he is not exactly careful and it has held up but not as well. The other three all needed to be returned to the manufacturer at least once and my Gatway and Sager needed two return trips. So I think this thing (a 9300) is pretty solid in comparison and alone. I almost wish I had not purchased the expensive service contract that I have not needed and will expire next january.
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post #68 of 77
5/31/07 at 12:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by yee245 View Post
sorry to be a bit off topic, but anyone with an m90, is the grey part where your palms rest actually molded in that color or is it painted? i havent noticed any wear (compared to what i've seen on other people's laptops) in about 9 months of pretty active usage.

I don't know, but mine is now 6 months old and the palmrest looks brand new. The laptop is used constantly every day.
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post #69 of 77
5/31/07 at 12:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grebby View Post
I have had this happen with Logitech mice and trackballs. The "silver" paint wears away over time and I see the bare white plastic beneath. But that's over the course of years, not a month.

Yes, I have had three logitech mice where the silverish paint wore off and revealed dark grey plastic underneath.
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post #70 of 77
5/31/07 at 2:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Psychokitty View Post
-You give me shit for comparing mobo replacement to micro-surgery to a guy who's never done it before, and now you're comparing your laptop to worn out pliers?
:

I only worry about the cosmetic appearance of customer machines, my own laptop is inconsequential. I bought it to be used, not to be ornamental.
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post #71 of 77
6/14/07 at 11:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mutou View Post
Dell uses the cheapest case components they can get away with, and refuses to repair them, calling them "cosmetic damage". The attached picture shows the worn spots on the palm rest. These first appeared about a month after I bought the lap top. They've gotten progressively worse, and completely ruin the look of the laptop. I would recommend buying from a higher quality manufacturer.
I'd avoid the MacBooks as their palm rests look like the Dell's but much more severe. I haven't seen a SINGLE MacBook that's either not had most of the chassis turn a brownish-yellow (white models) or had bits of the black paint flake off (black models.)
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post #72 of 77
6/14/07 at 12:01pm
Has anyone looked into making stickers that are very similar color wise to the palm rest? I have the same problem.
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post #73 of 77
6/14/07 at 1:17pm
IIRC, alot of people back in the day had this problem with their xps2 so I can't really agree that its a extreme rarity.

But I don't game anymore so my new palmrest is just peachy
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post #74 of 77
6/15/07 at 10:21am
As posted earlier, use PDA screen protectors.

I have a Gen 1 & a Gen2, neither of which have fading palmrests.
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post #75 of 77
6/15/07 at 11:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ccampb6 View Post
Has anyone looked into making stickers that are very similar color wise to the palm rest? I have the same problem.
Yeah, a few companies do these. Although they don't look coloured, once placed on top of another surface you will find the sticker is an almost perfect match.
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post #76 of 77
6/15/07 at 12:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by K9387 View Post
Yeah, a few companies do these. Although they don't look coloured, once placed on top of another surface you will find the sticker is an almost perfect match.
Unless the paint is already worn away, in which case clear stickers aren't going to hide the problem. Has anyone tried vinyl die that is used on automotive interiors? I know some people use it for plastic parts, bezels etc. when doing case mods as well: http://case-mods.linear1.org/category/vinyl-dye/
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post #77 of 77
6/15/07 at 5:29pm
Crap, didn't think of that, oops...

As for vinyl dyes, you could get a close match but would probably still be quite noticable.
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