Inspiron 15 3530 has an innate design flaw...and Dell support is USELESS

You can return an unsatisfactory system for 30 days following shipment.  It sounds like the system has been in use longer than that.

What temperature is the CPU running?

@ejn63​ :  The laptop was received in mid April 2025 so yes, it is beyond the initial 30 days but still well within my 1 year warranty.

I have already spent the past 4 weeks on support/service calls/appointments attempting to have the issue corrected.  All diagnostic tests show that the hardware is working properly. 

As noted in my original post, the technician at the walk-in center believes this is a DESIGN FLAW that has the keyboard heating up in the center of the board, which makes it very uncomfortable to type due to the hotness of the keys.   All attempts on Dell's part to correct the problem, to date, have been unsuccessful.

Asking to speak with a Customer Service manager at Dell to see what my options are at this point should not be considered unusual or an imposition.  

Instead, I continue to get "the runaround."  

Run a full system diagnostic (F12 at powerup).  If the temperatures show up too high, call for repair.

It may also depend on system load - this is an entry level notebook that's designed for routine home use -- it isn't going to handle anything demanding performance wise. 

You did not answer the question as to what the CPU temperatures look like, but before service is rendered, they'll want that information. 

And no, you won't get a replacement system.

@ejn63​ 

I am not entirely sure that you understand the issue since you keep asking me about the CPU temp - Dell has already established that it is running within tolerances but went ahead and replaced the CPU fan as a precaution, which did not resolve the issue.  

It is a home laptop that runs Quicken, Excel and Google.  Nothing that is high demand.  The keyboard will develop the hot spot withing seconds of turning on the machine...even when no programs are open (and not much running in the background).

I have been down this road with Dell Tech Support several times over the past 4 weeks and none of the repairs they have authorized under warranty have worked.   

I simply want a machine that does not have a pretty-hot-to-the-touch keyboard.  If the design is flawed, then that should fall under the Dell Warranty (I did not design this laptop) and should be fixed;  failing Dell's ability to fix the problem, it should be replaced.

@BrerRabbit01​ 

You don't actually say exactly where the hot spot is.

Which does not seem to be a confluence on components, so maybe the HEAT PIPES need shielding?

@anne_droid​ The hotspot occurs in the center section of the keyboard, from approximately the F3/4/r/f/d/c keys on the left over to the F11/+=/{[/"'/?/ keys on the right and down to the spacebar.

The technician who worked on the laptop at the Dell authorized walk-in service center told me that there appears to be a confluence of wires/etc. directly below this area and is, in his opinion, the reason for the excessive heat leaching up through the keyboard.  His professional opinion is that it's a flaw in the design and that it lacks sufficient heat shielding.  

If this is the case, then the consumer suffers due to a poor design by the manufacturer.  I cannot allow my fingers to rest on the keyboard because of the uncomfortableness of the hot spot.  Not to mention my concern that this could eventually become hot enough to damage the laptop or, heaven forbid, start a fire.

This machine is under warranty - I have only had it about 2.5 months - so I am not the one who should be making repairs or diagnosing the problem.  That is Dell's responsibility.  I have done everything that they have asked me to do and the problem still exists. 

07.09.2025:  I ran the Dell system diagnostic (again) this morning and everything passed.

Here are some of the results:

Fans ->Sensor -> Processor Fan:

Current = 3640 RPM     Low = 2883 RPM     High = 3663 RPM

Thermals -> Sensor

Disk 1:     Current = 51 C     Low = 40 C     High = 51 C

CPU:        Current = 67 C     Low = 64 C     High = 68 C

SKIN:       Current = 42 C     Low = 37 C     High = 42 C

DIMM A:  Current = 40 C     Low = 38 C     High = 43 C

Primary Battery Thermisor:  Current = 27 C     Low = 27 C     High = 27 C

As I am typing this, with Google being the only open program being used, the center of the keyboard is quite warm.  I am now using a cooling pad with a fan in an attempt to lower the keyboard temperature and it's reporting that the temp. from the air outlet is at 81 degrees F.

Does this sound normal to anyone?

Additionally, the tech who worked on this under warranty at the walk-in service center described what he felt the issue was as being "a cluster of components and wires, i.e., "power rail," that is heating up and that there is no thermal dissipation due to a poor design."

Yes, those temperatures are completely within specification -- there is no issue with them.

And any comment from a service center technician like that one should be taken lightly -- it's unlikely anyone qualified to make that assessment would be working as a parts swapper.

81 C air outlet is about 28 C -- again, perfectly normal.

This is an issue that would best have been solved by returning the system during the exchange period in favor of one that runs cool enough to satisfy your needs.  There's nothing wrong with any of the numbers you've supplied.

At this point, either sell the system and replace it (which will be expensive due to depreciation) or invest in a USB keyboard.

@ejn63​ So what I am hearing from you is that it's perfectly normal for a laptop to have a keyboard that becomes extremely warm to the touch during the use of non-resource-intensive programs?   This is a great reason for me to  never purchase another Dell.   (Shame, because my prior one was so great, a real workhorse, I hated to have to retire it.)

A 30 day return window applied to a problem that cannot be resolved - and has taken a month just to get to this point - is absurd.

I am certainly not disdainful of folks who are computer repair technicians....I am glad that there are people locally that can assist if a repair is needed.  Dell sent me to them so is the implication that Dell uses technicians that don't know what they are doing?

You've decided that you know the cause and won't settle for less than a system replacement -- I did not.  And you've decided, despite the numbers that the system becomes "extremely warm" to the touch -- neither I nor Dell did.

I have no disdain for repair technicians, but they're not qualified (the vast majority anyway) to make the call you claim they did -- if in fact they made that claim.  I suspect it's more that you're looking for justification for an outcome you're not entitled to, than it is anything else.

Good luck to you -- Dell can't solve a problem with a system that can't be documented exists in the first place.

@ejn63​ Ummm...I have NEVER said that I personally know the cause of the problem.  I have had Dell do remote diagnostics and THEY are the ones that sent me to the walk-in tech center after a home tech visit did not fix the issue.  My next step will most likely be sending the unit in to Dell UNDER THE WARRANTY to see if they are able to resolve the issue for me.  I am not asking for ANYTHING except to have a problem corrected on a laptop that is only slightly more than 2 months old.

All that I have said is that the keyboard develops a very hot spot in the center of the keyboard that can be felt on the keys. 

I am appreciative of your help/suggestions. Have a nice day.  :)

Hi, I had same keyboard heating issue in centre with my new Inspiron 3530 . Try switching off backlit keyboard by pressing f5 and wait , it may resolve the issue

@Asfeer​ press f5 one time to switch off backlit keyboard