Difficult decision: Should I try to "refurbish" my own MacBook Pro?

[Reign_of_Light]

Hi everyone,

I'm kind of in a special situation. I've got a late 2016 MacBook Pro 15" with the most expensive specs (back then) which is still serving me well.

However, I've quit my (gamedev-)job recently to pursue creating games on my own. For this, I am going to live off of my savings for at least two years and it's going to be tight.
However, if I'd buy a new Mac this year, I would get approximately a third of its price back in taxes. A luxury that I won't be having the next few years (because of no taxable income).

Originally, my plan was to just buy a new M2 Mac Mini this fall and be fine and safe. But as it has been postponed to 2023, I find myself in a dilemma. With a tight budget, should I really buy the 2-years old M1 Mac Mini even though my MacBook Pro is still doing its job so well? Though, on the other hand, it already clocked up 6 years of extensive daily use, so what if it breaks in the coming year or two? Already, it's battery is completely worn out (I only use it plugged in) and in the summer time it often gets so hot that "kernel_task" artificially limits its performance to keep it from overheating (only during summer, though).

Now, I came up with a somewhat daring plan: How about I "refurbish" my 2016 MacBook Pro 15" myself, meaning to disassemble it in order to replace the battery and the thermal paste whilst also cleaning up all the dust I can find (especially in the fans) followed by a reset. The idea is if the MacBook survives the procedure, I'd be more confident it would last me maybe even until the M3 Mac Mini is out. If it doesn't survive, though, I'd just buy the M1 Mac Mini with the tax discount this year.

I'm wary, though, as I've never done anything like this (apart from building a Windows PC, ages ago). Do you think my plan is reasonable or foolish? Also, I'm curious as to what you would do in my situation (with the tight budget in mind)? Just buy the M1 Mac Mini this year, or bet on my Macbook to survive several more years even without new battery and thermal paste? Or any option I'm not yet seeing?

(I'm in the EU, so no amazing discounts here - at least that I could find.)

 

[DennisdeWit]

I’d say buy a new machine, deduct the taxes and be good for a few years. You’ll live from your savings for a few years, so the last thing you want is having an unreliable machine, just at the time you can’t afford to replace it.

Also, Amazon NL sometimes has nice deals on MacBooks.

 

[Reign_of_Light]

Thanks! I get where you are coming from! On the other hand, as I really have no complaints about my current MacBook Pro it somehow doesn't feel too good to replace it "just in case", especially with a model that is "only" 4 years younger than my maxed-out MacBook Pro. "Skipping" that early replacement would also buy me another month or so of dev-time. So there's that, as well!

Then again, you do have a point about how annoying it would be to have my MacBook fail at the worst of times, and surely there are some notable and beneficial performance improvements with M1, as well, even if I am not (yet) missing them.

Sigh, it would just be too satisfying if I could ride my machine to its true and earned retirement and then switch over to M3 ..

Tough decision!

 

[hafruit]

Tricky, I have a 2012 MacBook Pro that is still serving me well, honestly so impressed it’s working so well 10 years on so you might be alright for a few more years! I did upgrade the RAM in mine though and the hard drive to SSD, which made a huge difference and was easy to do. I think mine might have been one of the last models that was user upgradable however.

Would the old one be worth anything to sell?

 

[Technerd108]

Predicting the future is impossible but you can limit variables.

Right now you don't know when you will get income and you don't know if or when you will have a catastrophic failure on your device.

You will only get the opportunity to write off a new expense this year. You also have a savings while in two years if your device has a major issue you won't get any reimbursement and you will have the least amount of money and that is not factoring in inflation which might be substantially worse in a couple years.

If you buy a new device now, sell your current Mac and get the tax write off you will be in the best position financially. Your device has an Intel Processor I assume which Apple is still supporting. In a couple years that might change and the value of your current Mac will drop substantially.

So if I were you I would bite the bullet and buy a new Mac now and probably get AppleCare. Then at least in terms of your computer you are set for the next few years. An M series machine is much faster and more efficient than the Intel Mac you are replacing so you might save electricity too.

Also you have to consider if your refurbishing project goes awry and you damage something in the process. If you sell it as it is in working order with a bad battery you will get more than a fried device.

Finally there is what to buy? M1 Mac Mini or MacBook. Since you are considering a regular m1 and not an M1 Pro it might be worth spending the extra money to get an M1 or M2 air or even 14" MBP. Again since we are trying g to keep as long as possible the M2 air might be your best bet. Something with middle specs like 512gb ssd and 16gb ram. Otherwise I would suggest the base model m1 Pro 14". Neither will be cheap in Europe, but the air might cost a little less and have the M2 chip you wanted in the mini.

Good luck whatever you decide!

 

[wilberforce]

Review these steps and see if you are up to the task:

MacBook Pro 15" Touch Bar Late 2016 Battery Replacement

Use this guide to safely remove the glued-in battery from your MacBook Pro with the help of an iFixit kit with adhesive remover. The adhesive...

www.ifixit.com

I replaced a battery on a 2015 MBP, but the 2016 MBP appears more difficult.

Another option is to pay Apple to do it, which is what many people think is a fairly good deal.

 

[Reign_of_Light]

Thank you SO much! That's some amazing insights you offer there!

True, I could also get battery and thermal paste replaced by a repair shop, and it's also very true that I could still sell my current MacBook Pro, especially since it is still officially supported (yes, it has an Intel i7 2.9Ghz processor). Counting the selling price against the written-off price of the new Mac Mini would result in quite an attractive price in the "few hundreds" range.

So attractive in fact that I'm almost sure to go that route. However, since my MacBook's battery is only living seconds and portability is the MacBooks' main reason of existence, I'm considering to get battery and thermal paste (professionally) replaced, anyway, to increase resell-value on eBay. Or would you presume this not to be worth the invest? But, if I were to look for a MacBook on eBay, a freshly replaced battery would sound a lot (!) better to me than a broken one. But I'm not sure if my main buying audience on eBay is indeed consumers, or rather companies that refurbish and resell themselves.. Any guesses?

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Get the Mac mini, keep the MacBook Pro. With the tax write-off you won’t find a better time than now for the mini, and by keeping the Pro you’re building in some redundancy and failure resistance.

 

[Reign_of_Light]

Yeah, but an expensive redundancy. Some resellers offer 600-800€ for my used Macbook as of now, that alone would be enough to buy a new Mac Mini (with lowest specs) at today's prices.

I also have an older Windows PC that works well as a backup system. It's just that I can't help but prefer Mac OS over Windows, and also energy consumption is so much lower on a Mac Mini compared to my gaming PC.

 

[ilikewhey]

refurb up your current mbp, if it ain't broken you don't need to fix it. just make regular backup and you'll be fine. recessions are coming and it will be ill advice to spend money on redundancies that you and other "think" it will happen sooner than later. also curious what engine do you use, unity?

 

[Reign_of_Light]

refurb up your current mbp, if it ain't broken you don't need to fix it. just make regular backup and you'll be fine. recessions are coming and it will be ill advice to spend money on redundancies that you and other "think" it will happen sooner than later. also curious what engine do you use, unity?

Thanks! So you wouldn't even recommend trading the 2016 MacBook Pro for a new Mac Mini even though I only use it on a desk anyway, with all the peripheries already being there (2 screens, speakers, mouse, keyboard)? From my calculations, this upgrade (to the 16gb 1tb Mac Mini) would only cost me 0-500€ depending on the price I would be getting for the MBP, so I am actually seriously considering it (according to Geekbench, the M1 Mac Mini would be approximately 2.25 times as fast as my MBP by all metrics - single core, multi core, GPU. And I would have more space on my desk).

Yes, I am using Unity !

 

[Technerd108]

Thanks! So you wouldn't even recommend trading the 2016 MacBook Pro for a new Mac Mini even though I only use it on a desk anyway, with all the peripheries already being there (2 screens, speakers, mouse, keyboard)? From my calculations, this upgrade (to the 16gb 1tb Mac Mini) would only cost me 0-500€ depending on the price I would be getting for the MBP, so I am actually seriously considering it (according to Geekbench, the M1 Mac Mini would be approximately 2.25 times as fast as my MBP by all metrics - single core, multi core, GPU. And I would have more space on my desk).

Yes, I am using Unity !

Do what is best for your needs. Only you can say whether or not it is a good time to upgrade.

The reason I suggested getting a new Mac was because your unique situation. The value of your Intel Mac and its trajectory. Inflation. And fixed income. Having a catastrophic failure when you can't afford it is the worst thing possible. Since your battery is already failing it could be a sign of things to come. The mother boards on the Intel MBP have a bad failure rate due to poor thermal heat management. So I think in your situation and considering your tax break I would get the Mac mini. It will also reduce electricity bill depending on your setup which will help as well.

But don't make your decision on what I or anyone else on this forum says. Make it because it is the best thing for you after you have considered all your options.

The likelihood of a recession and inflation is real which might make selling your used device even harder but no one knows what will happen. Look at your finances and make the best decision as best you can.

I look at it from a risk profile and worst outcomes. If you keep it and it fails in a year you will be in a much tighter spot with less money in savings and no tax break.

If it doesn't fail and you spent the money on a new machine worst outcome is you spent a few hundred when you could afford it got the most money for your used device and got a tax write off. You got an upgrade to enjoy and don't have to worry about any issues at least for a few years. On top of that your workflow will be faster which may help when you get another job down the line.

To me the riskier position is to keep the older device, tryvto work on it yourself and get into a bigger problem than you have now.

But that is just my take.

 

[ilikewhey]

Thanks! So you wouldn't even recommend trading the 2016 MacBook Pro for a new Mac Mini even though I only use it on a desk anyway, with all the peripheries already being there (2 screens, speakers, mouse, keyboard)? From my calculations, this upgrade (to the 16gb 1tb Mac Mini) would only cost me 0-500€ depending on the price I would be getting for the MBP, so I am actually seriously considering it (according to Geekbench, the M1 Mac Mini would be approximately 2.25 times as fast as my MBP by all metrics - single core, multi core, GPU. And I would have more space on my desk).

Yes, I am using Unity !

yeah if you have 500 euro laying around i would do the upgrade. just make sure there are no compatibility issues. the m1 is leaps and bound ahead of intel era mac for sure.

 

[Reign_of_Light]

Thank you, both! While at first I was pretty much expecting to keep my MBP, I am now very much agreeing with you, Technerd108, for all the reasons you stated! Heck, you were the one who introduced me to the trade idea (obvious as it seems, now). But I'll sleep one more night on this before deciding! Also, I think I'll let professionals change my MBP's battery which comes around to ~200€ but should make that back in trade value, I suspect.

yeah if you have 500 euro laying around i would do the upgrade.

Not exactly laying around, but I hope it'll be cheaper than that and if it buys me some peace of mind and reliability for the years ahead, then I think it'll be worth it.

 

[Technerd108]

Thank you, both! While at first I was pretty much expecting to keep my MBP, I am now very much agreeing with you, Technerd108, for all the reasons you stated! Heck, you were the one who introduced me to the trade idea (obvious as it seems, now). But I'll sleep one more night on this before deciding! Also, I think I'll let professionals change my MBP's battery which comes around to ~200€ but should make that back in trade value, I suspect.



Not exactly laying around, but I hope it'll be cheaper than that and if it buys me some peace of mind and reliability for the years ahead, then I think it'll be worth it.

If you aren't going to keep your old Mac then I would see what used ones are going for on ebay or other sites. See what kind of condition they are selling them..

If you spend 200 Euro to get it fixed and then can only sell it for say 500 or less then you are only making 300. You may be able to sell it as is for 400 Euro or maybe most used units are being sold for 500 with an old worn out battery. So it may not be a good idea to fix it. If you are going to keep it then fix it otherwise it may not be worth the effort. A lot of people who buy used expect wear on Older devices. As long as you accurately list your device with current condition then you might be surprised. Also let's say you sell it for 500 with new battery or you can sell it for 350 with bad battery again you will make more money without doing anything. The only reason I would fix it is if you could sell for 600 Euro fixed vs 300 or less Euro in its current shape.

It really depends what the fix will cost and what you can sell it for as is vs fixed.

Just check sites where they sell used devices like yours and see. Good luck!

 

[Reign_of_Light]

If you aren't going to keep your old Mac then I would see what used ones are going for on ebay or other sites. See what kind of condition they are selling them..

If you spend 200 Euro to get it fixed and then can only sell it for say 500 or less then you are only making 300. You may be able to sell it as is for 400 Euro or maybe most used units are being sold for 500 with an old worn out battery. So it may not be a good idea to fix it. If you are going to keep it then fix it otherwise it may not be worth the effort. A lot of people who buy used expect wear on Older devices. As long as you accurately list your device with current condition then you might be surprised. Also let's say you sell it for 500 with new battery or you can sell it for 350 with bad battery again you will make more money without doing anything. The only reason I would fix it is if you could sell for 600 Euro fixed vs 300 or less Euro in its current shape.

It really depends what the fix will cost and what you can sell it for as is vs fixed.

Just check sites where they sell used devices like yours and see. Good luck!

Thank you, again, Technerd108, as I indeed was and am still pondering this decision.

When it comes to eBay, you are right, it is not a given that buyers would bid 200€ higher, though I could imagine they do. However, there are commercial re-seller sites who buy used macs to refurbish and resell them, and from what I found they seem to pay significantly more than eBay appears to (especially considering eBay's fees and the risk involved).
The highest offering I found is 820€ for my model if in "good" condition and 675€ if in "acceptable" condition (not totally sure which one applies). That drops to 536€ or 439€, respectively, if the battery is deemed flawed, whereas most other such sites don't even consider buying it with a broken battery.

So, in all stated cases the investment would make itself more than back. Not by that much, but it would (also leaving a nicer overall impression, I presume). That is, of course, if the repair company doesn't fumble the repair. I hope I'm not overlooking something, but right now going for the repair looks like the best course of action, or doesn't it?

 

[Technerd108]

Thank you, again, Technerd108, as I indeed was and am still pondering this decision.

When it comes to eBay, you are right, it is not a given that buyers would bid 200€ higher, though I could imagine they do. However, there are commercial re-seller sites who buy used macs to refurbish and resell them, and from what I found they seem to pay significantly more than eBay appears to (especially considering eBay's fees and the risk involved).
The highest offering I found is 820€ for my model if in "good" condition and 675€ if in "acceptable" condition (not totally sure which one applies). That drops to 536€ or 439€, respectively, if the battery is deemed flawed, whereas most other such sites don't even consider buying it with a broken battery.

So, in all stated cases the investment would make itself more than back. Not by that much, but it would (also leaving a nicer overall impression, I presume). That is, of course, if the repair company doesn't fumble the repair. I hope I'm not overlooking something, but right now going for the repair looks like the best course of action, or doesn't it?

Time is always against you when reselling. Right now it is a good time to sell before holidays. In January it will be hard to sell privately as most people don't have a lot of money.

I have never sold to a re-furbisher. If I am not selling to a private party, i.e. individual then I wouldn't care about impression I give. Good condition means how does the device look? Is it scratched up or not, do you have the original charging cord, does it work properly. Battery is consumable and after 5 or more years would be expected to not have a large capacity left. So unless your battery is swollen or it won't turn on it might meet good definition as is. Besides the refurbisher will replace it much cheaper than you can. Acceptable condition would be some wear and tear, scratches etc plus a worn down battery.

If I were you and my device was in good condition, like minimal wear and tear and scratches and just had a battery issue I would sell to the refurbisher for 600 Euro. Tell them the battery capacity is very low but everything else is good. I am sure they will buy it as is.

Personally the only way I would sell my used device repaired would be to a private individual who is paying the 800 euros because I would want them to have a good experience and I would give them the receipt or invoice.

If you fix it and get the 800 Euro from the refurbisher you still only make 600 Euro. So I would just sell to refurbisher as in very good condition with low battery capacity and see what they offer you. Try to get 600 Euro.

That will save you time and you can sell quickly which is important. Depreciation on tech devices is a weekly adjustment.

 

[Reign_of_Light]

Time is always against you when reselling. Right now it is a good time to sell before holidays. In January it will be hard to sell privately as most people don't have a lot of money.

I have never sold to a re-furbisher. If I am not selling to a private party, i.e. individual then I wouldn't care about impression I give. Good condition means how does the device look? Is it scratched up or not, do you have the original charging cord, does it work properly. Battery is consumable and after 5 or more years would be expected to not have a large capacity left. So unless your battery is swollen or it won't turn on it might meet good definition as is. Besides the refurbisher will replace it much cheaper than you can. Acceptable condition would be some wear and tear, scratches etc plus a worn down battery.

If I were you and my device was in good condition, like minimal wear and tear and scratches and just had a battery issue I would sell to the refurbisher for 600 Euro. Tell them the battery capacity is very low but everything else is good. I am sure they will buy it as is.

Personally the only way I would sell my used device repaired would be to a private individual who is paying the 800 euros because I would want them to have a good experience and I would give them the receipt or invoice.

If you fix it and get the 800 Euro from the refurbisher you still only make 600 Euro. So I would just sell to refurbisher as in very good condition with low battery capacity and see what they offer you. Try to get 600 Euro.

That will save you time and you can sell quickly which is important. Depreciation on tech devices is a weekly adjustment.

But there is no refurbisher offering 600€ that I could find. 536€ for "good" condition and a broken battery was the highest, all others don't even offer 1€ for a MacBook with broken battery, which kind of speaks against them having such an easy time replacing the battery themselves. Maybe those are not refurbishers but simply resellers.

Anyways, there is something wrong with my battery. I tested once again, today, and felt almost enthusiastic as even after over an hour the battery still held 61% (or so it said), but then - suddenly - my MacBook went black on me. And it wouldn't even react until I had it plugged in for like 20 minutes. I immediately tried resetting the SMC but had the same outcome. That despite Mac OS saying the condition of the battery was "good" with only 286 loading cycles.

With "impression" I meant that if I tried to sell that MBP as "good" with a working battery, and it then went black not working for 20 minutes with an employee or worse a private buyer, they easily could and probably would suspect there was something seriously wrong with that machine. Or that there are other serious flaws that I might try to hide.

So, I thought, as the buying price difference for my model with a working battery is higher than the price for actual battery replacement, that might be the safest course of action. And I would get the device to a repair shop immediately, so that I can sell this month or at least well before the holidays.

(Also, I plan on getting my Mac Mini on or around Black Friday, so it would be nice if I could keep my current MacBook Pro until then.)

 

[Technerd108]

But there is no refurbisher offering 600€ that I could find. 536€ for "good" condition and a broken battery was the highest, all others don't even offer 1€ for a MacBook with broken battery, which kind of speaks against them having such an easy time replacing the battery themselves. Maybe those are not refurbishers but simply resellers.

Anyways, there is something wrong with my battery. I tested once again, today, and felt almost enthusiastic as even after over an hour the battery still held 61% (or so it said), but then - suddenly - my MacBook went black on me. And it wouldn't even react until I had it plugged in for like 20 minutes. I immediately tried resetting the SMC but had the same outcome. That despite Mac OS saying the condition of the battery was "good" with only 286 loading cycles.

With "impression" I meant that if I tried to sell that MBP as "good" with a working battery, and it then went black not working for 20 minutes with an employee or worse a private buyer, they easily could and probably would suspect there was something seriously wrong with that machine. Or that there are other serious flaws that I might try to hide.

So, I thought, as the buying price difference for my model with a working battery is higher than the price for actual battery replacement, that might be the safest course of action. And I would get the device to a repair shop immediately, so that I can sell this month or at least well before the holidays.

(Also, I plan on getting my Mac Mini on or around Black Friday, so it would be nice if I could keep my current MacBook Pro until then.)

Yes keep your current device until Black Friday for sure and get the new one on sale.

I am just giving you my experience selling used devices. I understand that you want the most money for your used device and want to sell it to whomever in the best condition with a good battery. That is always a good idea. I also would want to sell it in the best condition for a new buyer because it is the right thing to do.

You just have to figure out what makes sense economically speaking for you. If it makes sense to repair it and sell it repaired then by all means do so.

Do what feels more comfortable to you and I am sure everything will work out fine. I just didn't want you to go through a hassle if it wasn't needed.

I hope you get a great deal on a mini and get a good resale value for your current Mac!

 

[Reign_of_Light]

Yes keep your current device until Black Friday for sure and get the new one on sale.

I am just giving you my experience selling used devices. I understand that you want the most money for your used device and want to sell it to whomever in the best condition with a good battery. That is always a good idea. I also would want to sell it in the best condition for a new buyer because it is the right thing to do.

You just have to figure out what makes sense economically speaking for you. If it makes sense to repair it and sell it repaired then by all means do so.

Do what feels more comfortable to you and I am sure everything will work out fine. I just didn't want you to go through a hassle if it wasn't needed.

I hope you get a great deal on a mini and get a good resale value for your current Mac!

And that I very much appreciate! Talking this through with you helped me a lot, because you are absolutely right in that this could go both ways and maybe end up not worth the effort. So, thank you very, very much for your concern and for having returned to this thread, again and again.

Now, even if I could save me some time and a few euros, the battery replacement still feels like the right thing to do. While at it, I even considered to also still get the thermal paste replacement done which really shouldn't affect selling price. But then I read ambivalent accounts about the utility of this. Some say the thermal paste Apple uses (and its quantity) is selected for durability and to last a decade or more, and that replacing the paste might lead to better cooling for some time but also might create the need for a timelier replacement of the new paste, as well. Be that as it may, I'll skip the thermal paste replacement, but the battery really needs to be renewed. Everything else is running great and could likely still serve someone else really well!