Discovered Flexgate, do I return 2018 MBP?

[smirking]

As I understand it, the display cable is solder on to the display, which is why the out of warranty replacement cost is so high (approx $600), and the price is part of why people are so upset. So the other cables may have been something else. But if they did replace your screen with the late 2017/2018 screen then you likely got the longer cable as part of the screen assembly.

That would make sense. I just thought it was odd that I got two new I/O cables when it wasn't something I had requested. The machine had already passed their diagnostics twice and hadn't shown any signs of trouble other than that the screen was discolored in spots.

 

[jerryk]

That would make sense. I just thought it was odd that I got two new I/O cables when it wasn't something I had requested. The machine had already passed their diagnostics twice and hadn't shown any signs of trouble other than that the screen was discolored in spots.

Maybe the other cables were part of the pieces bundled with the unit. Often they bundle other cables with something that gets replaced since the cables wear and are subject to heat just like the rest of the unit. Better to swap replace them all since you have the machine open anyway.

Sound like you made sure your unit was in good shape when you sold it. Cool

 

[seeforyourself]

Hello, my girlfriend recently bought a refurbished 15 inch MBP from 2018 whilst not knowing about the whole flexgate display issue fiasco.

I highly doubt it was manufactured after they started lengthening the display ribbon cable so I'm just wondering if its a good idea to return it whilst we can?

Its not the flexgate she should be worrying about, its the keyboard I would be.

 

[smirking]

Its not the flexgate she should be worrying about, its the keyboard I would be.

Keyboard issues are annoying, but there are many ways you can get around an keyboard issue. You can always plug in an external keyboard. There are plenty of those lying around.

Display issues are a lot trickier. It's not so easy for most people to just find a display to plug into if your display fails and you have a deadline to meet.

The worst is a failure at the logic board/CPU level. You're completely dead if one of those goes out on you.

 

[maflynn]

Keyboard issues are annoying, but there are many ways you can get around an keyboard issue. You can always plug in an external keyboard. There are plenty of those lying around.

Tue, but after spending almost 3k on a laptop people shouldn't need to deal with work arounds on the keyboard.

 

[smirking]

Tue, but after spending almost 3k on a laptop people shouldn't need to deal with work arounds on the keyboard.

Come on man. I think you know the answer to that question.

 

[inhalexhale1]

If she likes it, she can afford it, and it's performing well, I'd keep it. If it's stretching her budget or she can get by on a much cheaper computer, return it.

There's a saying: Correlation does not imply causation.

If you already know that bit of wisdom, it's a good time to think about what it means. If you're not sure what it means, I'll apply it to Flexgate.

We know there appear to be a significant number of earlier model tbMBPs that have this "spotlight lighting" issue with their displays that eventually result in screen failures. When those machines were opened up, it was discovered that the cables appeared to be too short to handle the stress of opening the lid all the way. Therefore we conclude that the length of the cable was the cause.

What's wrong with this conclusion?

Most 2016 and 2017 tbMBPs that don't have this issue probably have the same cable length.

Apple's certainly has stress tested their laptops during development. They have robots that will open the lid more times in a day than you'll ever do over the lifespan of long lived laptop. Simple risk factors like ordinary mechanical stress alone would likely have been identified during development. If the cable length is indeed as problematic as some believe, it's likely that it's not just the cable length and opening of the lid absent of other factors that cause Flexgate. For all we know, it could be due to bad cables sneaking through the supply chain, which would mean that there are good cables and bad cables floating around out there that are identical in length and appearance.

People who say things like "it's only a matter of time before X fails" with only circumstantial browsing of the Internet to state their case violate the basic rule of statistical analysis above. I'm not saying that they're wrong to believe and I'm right to be skeptical, but I am saying they lack the basis to be so confident.

If you're still not sure what I mean, here are some humorous examples of correlation and causation gone wrong.
http://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations

I had a 2016 MBP for 29 months that was used daily without precaution and often with the lid open to the max. I didn't have flexgate. I didn't have serious keyboard issues either. With the exception of one stiff arrow key that was stiff from day 1, my keyboard worked fine.

If you're going to get your wisdom from MacRumors and similar sites, repeat after me: Correlation does not imply causation.

Love how you try and flex your stats knowledge and end your point with n=1 anecdote.

Not 100% of MBPs need to have this issue, or prove inevitable to have the issue, to show causality.

If, as you say, assume there are defective cables in the supply chain. The cable can cause display issues, at least for select users under certain circumstances. There would be potential causality.

You are correct in stating the idea that "it's only a matter of time before the cable fails" is exaggeration.

 

[smirking]

Love how you try and flex your stats knowledge and end your point with n=1 anecdote.

Gotta try something different all the time to amuse yourself when the conversations around here tend to repeat themselves over and over again. Otherwise, I might have to resort to stabbing myself in the eye with random objects for my thrills.

 

[dimonnwc3]

I have a flexgate issue with MBP 13 2018, the screen started flickering and a big black line in the middle, just ~45 days after my warranty expired.
Genius told that it costs 550€ (Germany) to repair. They are refusing to acknowledge the issue.