Water spilled on laptop

[steamedhomer]

I have a Omen 15 that had water spilled in it, when powered on it constantly tries to input the letters "wsd". I replaced the keyboard and it still does it, is it a bad system board? It does have a touch screen could that be the problem?

thanks

[Huffer]

Boot into UEFI diagnostics....tap esc as you power on and then F2 and component tests. Run them all and report back but like you I suspect the motherboard. Do the phantom inputs happen in diagnostic mode?

[steamedhomer]

It won't accept pressing F2, I can do F1,F11. If I go into F10 it just beeps like a key is stuck.

[David_J_W]

What happens if you disconnect the keyboard and attempt to re-run the diagnostics using an external USB keyboard? It might be that you cannot run the test without the internal keyboard being connected, but it might yield useful information if the test works.

[steamedhomer]

I disconnected the keyboard and connected a usb keyboard. I was able to get into diags and managed to get to the keyboard test, it shows the "wsd" keys being depressed constantly.

[David_J_W]

Sadly, it sounds as if the system board is irreparably damaged assuming that you either disconnected the keyboard cable from the system board end or replaced it along with the keyboard. Of course, on many notebooks the cable(s) are permanently attached to the keyboard and can only be detached at the system board end.

The deeper issue is that if the water spill was sufficient to cause this keyboard problem then there may be hidden damage to other components which could manifest in failure in the future. You could replace the system board only to find other expensive components like memory or an SSD fails.

I fear you might have little alternative to writing off the system as beyond economic repair; with an apparently failed system board and doubts about other components in the base of the unit, it is unlikely to be repairable at any reasonable cost. Perhaps you could see what you can get for it as a water damaged item on eBay if the screen and case are good - someone might be able to use your computer to repair their broken screen or case. Even if you get less than 10% of the new value, that's better than getting nothing whilst potentially usable components go for scrap.

Before giving up, though, I would check any insurance policies that you have. Where I live in the UK, house contents insurance often covers accidental damage to most notebooks that are not used for business purposes. If you do have any insurance, you will have to weigh up the cost of making a claim against the potential extra insurance costs if you do claim.

[Huffer]

Not to mention the deductible...

[steamedhomer]

It passed all other diags ok I'm going to try another system board.

[David_J_W]

It is your choice over whether to attempt a repair, but I think you might be letting your attachment to the system and/or your awareness of the new cost overrule financial reality.

New laptop system boards are expensive. The easiest example for me to use is a current model ZBook that is towards the top of the price range. I know the new cost was just under £4200 direct from HP, including VAT (sales tax) and shipping. A replacement system board from HP Parts UK is £3262.80 including VAT and shipping (that isn't a typo - it is just under £1000 cheaper than an entire replacement system). On top of that cost, you have (at minimum) to pay an HP authorised service centre to "tattoo" the replacement system board with the serial number and other key details of the failed system; until that is done you will get a string of errors at boot and may well not be able to activate Windows.

The economic case for paying to replace the system board if it failed outside warranty looks even worse when you consider the new cost included a bundled Thunderbolt dock (even at the discounted bundle price this added around £200 to the cost) and a further sum of around £150 went on a Care Pack extending the length and breadth of the warranty from the standard 3 year on site warranty. Arguably this makes the appropriate 'new' price for comparisons £3850, not £4200.

I did try a similar exercise with the current mid specification OMEN 15, but HP Parts UK do not quote a price for that system board. I wouldn't be surprised if that cost is at least 60% of the new price of the laptop.

This situation with respect to parts cost is not unusual. If you buy a replacement new car engine from the manufacturer, you will pay much more than was paid for that engine in the car when it was new. Parts are limited volume items that are expensive for a manufacturer to provide - it costs money to guarantee availability of parts for some time after a product is discontinued.

It is important to bear in mind what economists call the sunk cost fallacy. When you bought the laptop it was an expensive item and you are understandably averse to the idea that it is irreparably damaged. However, the money you spent on purchasing is a sunk cost - I doubt you would get 100% of that cost back if you sold the laptop when it was brand new and factory sealed, let alone selling it after you have opened it and used it for a while. I know you have already thrown some money at the issue by replacing the keyboard but that, too, is now a sunk cost. Unfortunately you gambled on the fault being down to the cheaper and perhaps more likely defective keyboard, but the gamble didn't come off (in retrospect it's a shame you didn't try the system with the internal keyboard disconnected before spending any money, but hindsight is a wonderful thing).

I believe the correct benchmarks for evaluating your options should be the current market value of the laptop if it was in full working order (perhaps check eBay completed auctions) and the prospective costs both of replacement with the closest specification new model and with an equivalent specification second hand computer (perhaps check eBay listings).

If you do the cheapest possible repair, which is probably to buy and fit the system board yourself and then pay a service centre to 'tattoo' the new board, I suspect you will be paying at least 50% the new cost of the laptop. However, comparing the repair cost to that sunk cost is a mistake: you should be weighing that cost of repair against the current market value of the laptop if it was fully working. I expect the costs of repair will exceed the current market value - probably by a long way.

This is why insurance companies sometimes write off apparently repairable items: the cost of repair exceeds the market value of the item after deducting the salvage value (if any) of the damaged item. Indeed, insurance companies will often write off electronic, electrical or mechanical items when the expected cost of repair exceeds something like 80% of the current market value of the item because they know there is a risk further faults will come to light after the initial repair that either involve additional cost or mean the item is beyond repair. Indeed, this explains why an insurance claim for a water damaged laptop is often a mistake; the insurance company will probably write the item off and pay out its current market value - which is often a modest fraction of what you paid new. They will then load your claims history, probably increasing your premiums in future years and/or removing some "no claim" discount. Insurance is never 'free' money; someone is always paying for those payouts.

The 'further faults' consideration is material here. Changing the system board is a likely but not guaranteed fix to the fault you have - and if you change the system board, further faults may come to light in short order. Just because the other system components pass diagnostics now does not mean they will turn out to be fully functional after repair and will continue to work for the remaining useful lifespan of the laptop. If the water damage was sufficient to cause failure of the keyboard controller, the chances are that other components have suffered damage via corrosion and/or conductivity of the spilt liquid. Any warranty cover you have remaining will not cover you for this latent damage, as water damage falls under accidental damage and therefore outside the warranty. Further, a system board swap involves extensive disassembly and it is always possible that other parts of the system will damaged during the disassembly and reassembly operations.

Intuitively it feels wrong to 'give up' on a laptop that can possibly be repaired for less than a new replacement - but intuition is likely to be guiding you the wrong way here. From an economic perspective there is almost certainly no justification to repair your laptop - you are better putting that money towards a new replacement (with possibly an upgraded specification, a factory fresh battery and a warranty) or, if you cannot afford a new replacement, an equivalent second hand laptop.