ugh, water damage, new laptop, i screwed up

DLizzle · #1 04-30-2007, 10:18 PM

i have a few month old Dell laptop that I somehow got wet, not even sure how, it was dark, anyway. I didn't know what the hell happened when it shut off so I tried to turn it back on, big mistake I have heard. So the laptop is ruined now right? What is the best course of action? Send to Dell, local repair shop, garbage dumpster, etc. Any ballpark on how much repairs will be and if they are possible? thanks.

LeapFrog · #2 04-30-2007, 11:47 PM

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i have a few month old Dell laptop that I somehow got wet, not even sure how, it was dark, anyway.

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Ever see a man piss on his own laptop? [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] j/k When I got a Dell laptop for college I had some crazy warranty program where basically no matter what happens to it they replace it.

If it was given to you as a gift, perhaps whoever purchased it bought the extra warranty? Long shot but worth a try. Regardless I would try contacting Dell and see what they say at least.

You should try drying it out. What happened when you tried to restart it? Anything? If it was running then got wet and shutoff, things aren't looking good. In terms of whats damaged, it could just be a component or two (motherboard is probably gone). So, it might be possible to send it into Dell and the cost would be less then a new lappy. Assuming Dell doesn't try to screw you over.

Back in the day I had a watercooled computer that sprang a leak (I didn't notice the seals on the water block were corroding) and even though it died in the middle of ut2004 I was able to salvage everything but the video card and motherboard -- so there is some hope.

wonderwes · #3 04-30-2007, 11:56 PM

If you got the dell replacement plan or warranty, send it back. Dell is very good, and most of the time they will send you a new laptop. If the harddrive is still good, you can remove that, send in the laptop, when it comes back, put in your same HD and it will be like its the same box

phu_dawg · #4 05-01-2007, 04:50 AM

All is not lost. Go to http://www.parts-people.com if you have no warranty. It will set you back $100 to fix. Same thing happened to me but with a beer. I had it repaired locally for $210. But had I known about parts-people.com first, I would have shipped it there. They are very reputable for Dell aftermarket products and repairs.

LeapFrog · #5 05-01-2007, 04:56 AM

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parts-people.com if you have no warranty. It will set you back $100 to fix.

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uh so if everything is fried, cpu, memory, mb, hd it will only cost $100? [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

phu_dawg · #6 05-01-2007, 05:08 AM

Unlikely that all of that is fried. Likely just your motherboard. Mine was fix. I am sure your's can be as well.

Give them a call.

LeapFrog · #7 05-01-2007, 05:23 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Unlikely that all of that is fried. Likely just your motherboard. Mine was fix. I am sure your's can be as well.

Give them a call.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm sure OP will appreciate the suggestion. Your original unedited post just seemed a tad optimistic at this stage.

phu_dawg · #8 05-01-2007, 05:31 AM

It's fixable. I was sweating bullets too. But $210 and five days later. My laptop was fixed. Good as new. The point is, all is not lost.

Here is where I got mine done: http://www.laptoprescuer.com/html/contact.htm

The place is local so I went there. Parts People is less expensive and better since the have a catalog of Dell parts.

goldtoes · #9 05-01-2007, 08:47 AM

yea, if an electronic device gets submerged or wet, just pull the battery or power plug, do not hit any buttons or you will cause it to short.

i have completely submerged a Treo and pulled the battery. taken it apart and dried it out for a few days and put it back together...and it still worked, both times.

DLizzle · #10 05-01-2007, 09:14 AM

thanks a ton for those links, i'll try one of them, or a similar site depending on location. i will be happy with anything below the cost of a new laptop.