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Dented Macbook Pro. Applecare or DIY?

orbitalpunk

orbitalpunk

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 14, 2006
567
349
So my mbp got slammed while it was in my backpack on a mountainous drive a truck in Tibet. It still works. Do you guys think i should send it apple care?

I assume they will charge me. thats understandable but...

would they cancel my warranty?
would they be more expensive then doing it myself?

or should i just replace all the parts i can myself. know any good sites that sells em?

Thanks guys.
 

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You're boned either way... if you go to applecare they won't cover it since 1. it is cosmetic... and 2. you did that yourself.

And if you replace the case yourself you will void the warranty entirely. There is no way you will get your book fixed if it ever breaks and they know that you replaced the entire bezel and top case of your book. Your $300 would be blown away like a fart in the wind.
 
If there's been no damage done to the display itself you can try GENTLY bending it back yourself... just becareful not to make any tool marks on the aluminum.

Also... how long/what were you doing in tibet? Any good photos? WHat kind of camera?
 
if the op replaces the case, how will apple know (if they do a good job) he replaced the case. is their s/n on it?
 
i know apple care wont just fix physical damage for free. thats why I said i know they will charge me. thats understandable.

are you trying to tell me they wont fix it if i'm willing to pay them to?

and again, if i do pay them to do it, will they then void the rest of my warranty in fears the logic board possibly going bad in a year due to this impact.

your advice is really helpful
thanks guys
 
~$300 at Apple will do a full refurb on it. INCLUDING cosmetic damge. My dad had his powerbook fixed. The nice thing is that they will test things like your dvd drive to make sure it works when they give it back. Probably your best bet
 
orbitalpunk said:
i know apple care wont just fix physical damage for free. thats why I said i know they will charge me. thats understandable.

are you trying to tell me they wont fix it if i'm willing to pay them to?

and again, if i do pay them to do it, will they then void the rest of my warranty in fears the logic board possibly going bad in a year due to this impact.

your advice is really helpful
thanks guys
Click to expand...

Sorry about that... yes you can go to Apple and have them fix it and you can pay for it and still keep your warranty. I didn't mean to make it sound as if you had no other option at all.

puckhead193 said:
if the op replaces the case, how will apple know (if they do a good job) he replaced the case. is their s/n on it?
Click to expand...

No... but when you spend $300+ on a warranty that can be void in the snap of a piece of plastic I wouldn't take any chances.
 
If you pay Apple to repair it then your Applecare won't be affected. Double check when you send it in, but since you're doing it through Apple I'm 90% sure thats the way it works.
 
I don't think $300 is an accurate assessment though. Apple wanted ~800 to fix my dented 12" Powerbook, and it wasn't nearly as bad as yours - just a bit on the bottom casing. I took it to an authorized Apple repair place and they did it for ~300. Of course they put the bottom case on order. 6 weeks later they STILL didn't have it, so I bought the bottom casing on EBay then took the lappy and the bottom casing in for them to fix.

They broke the internal speakers somehow when they replaced the bottom casing, so they had to send it to Apple. Apple replaced the speaker assembly and the DVD drive. And she's still under warranty.


(I love my 12" Powerbook:D )
 
Wild-Bill said:
I don't think $300 is an accurate assessment though. Apple wanted ~800 to fix my dented 12" Powerbook, and it wasn't nearly as bad as yours - just a bit on the bottom casing. I took it to an authorized Apple repair place and they did it for ~300. Of course they put the bottom case on order. 6 weeks later they STILL didn't have it, so I bought the bottom casing on EBay then took the lappy and the bottom casing in for them to fix.

They broke the internal speakers somehow when they replaced the bottom casing, so they had to send it to Apple. Apple replaced the speaker assembly and the DVD drive. And she's still under warranty.


(I love my 12" Powerbook:D )
Click to expand...

Yeah, that poster obviously has never worked with Apple repair center before.

I'd bet it's upwards of $650. That's what Apple wanted for a logic board fix and case reseating for me...

But as long as an Apple Certified Repair Center was the last person to work on it, it'll remain under warranty.

If you buy a bottom case and screen casing on eBay and replace everything yourself (and do it properly) then Apple won't know any better. It's tough to find the bottom case and screen casing on eBay, though :/
 
Just a thought but what about any home insurance (or travel insurance for that matter) you may have? Some policies offer accidental damage cover outside of the home or, if you've only got accidental damage cover IN the home, well who's to say if this happened in Tibet or when you were walking across the room with your laptop in one hand and a breeze block in the other?
 
hmm, a lot of good info here guys. still a tough choice. seems apple would be more expensive if they fixed it. I dont think parts would cost 600+, would they?
 
pianodude123 said:
If there's been no damage done to the display itself you can try GENTLY bending it back yourself... just becareful not to make any tool marks on the aluminum.

Also... how long/what were you doing in tibet? Any good photos? WHat kind of camera?
Click to expand...


I am using Canon 20D. Tibet is such a wonderful land. I have been here for a week and still plan to stay for another week. :)

Glad my mac is still running!
 
Hi guys,

It seems my superdrive is not working. I tried it with a CD. The superdrive would not take it in. It seems it is confused and would eject the CD right away..

Well, now it seems it is not just replacing the case but also the superdrive.
 
orbitalpunk said:
It seems my superdrive is not working. I tried it with a CD. The superdrive would not take it in. It seems it is confused and would eject the CD right away..

Well, now it seems it is not just replacing the case but also the superdrive.
Click to expand...

Yeah, at this point I would take it in to Apple top get an assessment on the cost of repair.

I'm not surprised the drive isn't working. The whole corner of your MBP seems bent, event along the drive opening.
 
i dented my dvd drive on my 15 inch macbook pro and they said it would cost $600 to replace the aluminum
 
whateverandever said:
Yeah, that poster obviously has never worked with Apple repair center before.

I'd bet it's upwards of $650. That's what Apple wanted for a logic board fix and case reseating for me...

But as long as an Apple Certified Repair Center was the last person to work on it, it'll remain under warranty.

If you buy a bottom case and screen casing on eBay and replace everything yourself (and do it properly) then Apple won't know any better. It's tough to find the bottom case and screen casing on eBay, though :/
Click to expand...

This would probably be the cheapest way, if your good with your hands and can be careful, just follow a guide by ifixit.com and apple will never know. I had to replace the upper case on my MBP and was just careful to make sure everything went back together correctly. (The serial number is just a sticker...) I've since sent in for a warranty repair and apple fixed it with no questions. Note: Make sure if you do this you get the correct parts, the casings do vary alot on the various MBP models. ifixit.com as well as welovemacs.com have lots of parts.
 
orbitalpunk said:
So my mbp got slammed while it was in my backpack on a mountainous drive a truck in Tibet.
Click to expand...

The travel insurance thing would be the one (providing you had cover), they will cover up to certain amount, unless it was a 'high priced named item' with extra cover.

I have had to use them before, painless (apart from a tiny excess)
 
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