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Advice for Spilled Orange Juice on rMBP

aeneasvb

aeneasvb

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 9, 2016
34
14
Hi,

So my cat spilled my orange juice on my brand new rMBP... It wasn't a lot and it just spilled on a small part of the keyboard. I quickly switched it off and it's drying right now upside down on a towel. Leaving it there for 1-2 days to dry before trying if it works.

If it does, I'm hesitating to bring it to the apple store to check for damages. I don't want them to have on record that I had a liquid spill but I've read online that orange juice can cause damage on the long term (acidity) so some people say better to bring it in. I was just wondering if anyone had any experience with the genius Bar and liquid spills? Or anyone have any advice on this?

Thanks, A.
 
Orange juice would seem to me to be among the worst things to spill on electronics. It contains sugar, and has strong acidic properties that will cause real issues if it gets beyond the surface and into the guts. I would find a reliable repair facility that can properly clean the internals, and check for any moisture sensors that may have tripped. At least then you will have an idea of what you are facing down the road.
 
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As above get it cleaned quickly. If you see what oj does to concrete then you'd be worried
 
Thanks but unfortunately there's no authorised apple support center near me only an apple store. And I'm a student so don't really have money to pay for a cleaning fee. I'm just wondering if it's an absolute necessity to bring it in to check for any damages even though the computer seems to be working fine or better avoid to make my warranty void and hope for the best?
 
aeneasvb said:
Thanks but unfortunately there's no authorised apple support center near me only an apple store. And I'm a student so don't really have money to pay for a cleaning fee. I'm just wondering if it's an absolute necessity to bring it in to check for any damages even though the computer seems to be working fine or better avoid to make my warranty void and hope for the best?
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Apple would want to replace the top case which depending on model is $$$$
 
aeneasvb said:
Thanks but unfortunately there's no authorised apple support center near me only an apple store. And I'm a student so don't really have money to pay for a cleaning fee. I'm just wondering if it's an absolute necessity to bring it in to check for any damages even though the computer seems to be working fine or better avoid to make my warranty void and hope for the best?
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It's no skin off my nose.

But understand that orange juice contains enough chemicals to do some really nasty damage if you just ignore it. The deed is done (the spill), but how that deed affects your rMBP long term is directly tied to how you proceed from here.
 
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Thanks for your advice. I just tried turning on my rMBP and it seems to be working fine for now (incl. keyboard backlight). Unfortunately, few keys (+ trackpad) are really sticky... Did anyone had a similar issue that brought it to the Genius Bar? And anyone where it developed to be worse later on?

Also, anyone know roughly the price range to repair something like this in the UK? Still hesitating to bring it in to get a quote. I'm okay with paying £200-300 but don't really have the money to spend £500+... Just trying to avoid getting my warranty void in the case I can't afford the repair cost. (My computer is 3 months old :()
 
aeneasvb said:
Thanks for your advice. I just tried turning on my rMBP and it seems to be working fine for now (incl. keyboard backlight). Unfortunately, few keys (+ trackpad) are really sticky... Did anyone had a similar issue that brought it to the Genius Bar? And anyone where it developed to be worse later on?

Also, anyone know roughly the price range to repair something like this in the UK? Still hesitating to bring it in to get a quote. I'm okay with paying £200-300 but don't really have the money to spend £500+... Just trying to avoid getting my warranty void in the case I can't afford the repair cost. (My computer is 3 months old :()
Click to expand...

You could possibly be looking at replacing the system board, which would push the repair cost close to or past your ceiling cost of £500 (roughly $725 USD). But whether or not Apple voids your warranty when they see it, flag it as a liquid spill situation or not, if and when you take it to Apple for ANY repair, the evidence will still be there. Your warranty will be voided, regardless of whether you take it in to them now or later.

The only possible way around that would be to have it professionally serviced and cleaned, removing any trace of the spill and residual effects. Even with that, there are no guarantees.
 
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Ok. Seems like a fair thing to do then to bring it in and see what they say. Maybe they will be nice with me. And I don't think my system board was damaged. The liquid didn't reach anything near the holes under the screen. Would be great if anyone would share if they had a similar experience :)

Maybe one last question: if I get my mac repaired, it will be issued a new warranty of 90-days, correct?
 
I took my rmbp a few years ago for repair for a energy drink spill on the keyboard that I didn't cause. I got it covered from home insurance, but I think it cost about 400-500€ or something in that range (15 inch). The cost of the computer when new was 2700€. They have to replace the top case which also has the battery glued to it so it is expensive. However sugar and acid can cause a whole lot damage if you just let it sit and you might end up having to replace the logic board which will cost as much as a new computer if your warranty is voided.
 
Thanks for all your advices. I decided to bring it in.

I just came out the Apple store. Here's what happened. They opened it and checked if there was any damage made by the spill. In my case, just the keyboard was damaged (meaning couple of sticky keys). The guy said if I wanted it fixed I need to have the Top Case (incl. Battery) replaced. In the UK, that comes to £ 300 ($430 or €400). I asked if it would become worse to leave it as it is. He said that it wouldn't and I can always change it later on. I'm not 100% sure on this but I think I'm going to leave it as it is and try to clean the keyboard. In the end, it's just £300 for some sticky keys that I can live with and I prefer changing it later on when the battery has been used a lot. (The battery gets replaced with the top case as it's now glued to the top case for retina MBP).

Does anyone have any tips on how to clean sticky keys?

Also, for anyone that was wondering, you only get the warranty void on the parts were the liquid indicator became red. In my case, the rest of my mac is still insured aside from my keyboard which can be reassuring for some of you.
 
aeneasvb said:
I asked if it would become worse to leave it as it is. He said that it wouldn't and I can always change it
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I would think the citix acid in OJ, would cause some long term corrosion, and thus making it worse as time goes on.
 
maflynn said:
I would think the citix acid in OJ, would cause some long term corrosion, and thus making it worse as time goes on.
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Me, too... and I suggested as much very early on in this thread. I am absolutely NOT buying that this spill, left untreated, will not cause any more/future problems.
 
Yeah, I thought that too and told him that's what I read on the internet but he said the only thing that's left right now is bits of sugar.. In any case, the only problem that it might cause in the future is to break the keyboard. So, I would just need to change the top case. I don't think the citix acid in the OJ would "infect" other parts such as the logic board, especially when the OJ did not reach further than the letter H or Z (Swiss French Keyboard).. What do you think?
 
aeneasvb said:
Yeah, I thought that too and told him that's what I read on the internet but he said the only thing that's left right now is bits of sugar.. In any case, the only problem that it might cause in the future is to break the keyboard. So, I would just need to change the top case. I don't think the citix acid in the OJ would "infect" other parts such as the logic board, especially when the OJ did not reach further than the letter H or Z (Swiss French Keyboard).. What do you think?
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Completely disagree there. I think there is potential the acidity could cause an issue.
 
Update:

After almost 3 years, my rMPB started breaking down. Keyboard started to become almost inactive, had to hard press keys when typing or use an external keyboard. Then, my mac started unexpectedly slowing down, almost freezing and resulted in having to close and re-open the mac. (Tried a clean install but didn't help). Apple Store opened it and told me there was dried up OJ pulp on the hard drive, motherboard and battery. Needless to say that I had to buy a new one..
 
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An update after 3 years? That's cool dude, thanks!

So in the long term there was a damage indeed but the computer lasted you an additional 3 years. One could do a bit of math here, considering every single variable involved (money, having a newer model, etc) and 'calculate' if he was better by repairing right away or if he did the right move by saving money 3 years ago.
 
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tsukeyomi said:
An update after 3 year? That's cool dude, thanks!

So in the long term there was a damage indeed but the computer lasted you an additional 3 years. One could do a bit of math here, considering every single variable involved (money, having a newer model, etc) and 'calculate' if he was better by repairing right away or if he did the right move by saving money 3 years ago.
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With the gift of hindsight I think it could be argued that he made the right move in saving money 3 years ago. But I would also say he was lucky. That could have easily have gone the other way and lasted 3 months :)
 
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Haha yeah long time, just seen it under my started threads

And yes, lasted 3 years but waited for the new one to come out so it's more like 2.5 years. Could have been more or less tbh. I'm not sure that repairing it back then wouldn't have avoided more repairs down the line. I was initially supposed to replace the top case and in the end my hard drive and motherboard had OJ on it.. At least it was an easy choice after 3 years between buying a new one and getting the old one repaired!
 
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SDColorado said:
With the gift of hindsight I think it could be argued that he made the right move in saving money 3 years ago. But I would also say he was lucky. That could have easily have gone the other way and lasted 3 months :)
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Agreed. I’m really quite impressed, this story is about as good as I’ve seen under theses circumstances.
 
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