Early 2015 MBP with Broken Display - waste of time bringing it to Apple?

[LarryJoe33]

I have an early 2015 MBP with a broken display caused by a lid closure with an object in between. The machine is listed as Vintage but not Obsolete.

I have an appointment with the Genius Bar, but from experience with other older machines, I have found they won't work on an older machine. Would appreciate any insight. I just don't want to sit over there and wait for someone to tell me it's vintage and it can't be repaired by them. I did chat with support and they told me to bring it over to assess. Again, I was told that once for a battery on my 2011 MBP and they told me to look on Amazon.

Second question, IF they will entertain repairing it, how much do you think they will charge? Anything over $500 and I'll just buy a new machine.

Thanks.

 

[Chancha]

2015 just recently entered obsolete status, they do not officially take it but some locations may still have parts available that’s why support told you to try. That said it is guaranteed to not be worth it. I don’t have the exact quote but I remember it being close to 400 to 500. You will be better served saving that for any Apple Silicon Macs.

 

[LarryJoe33]

2015 just recently entered obsolete status, they do not officially take it but some locations may still have parts available that’s why support told you to try. That said it is guaranteed to not be worth it. I don’t have the exact quote but I remember it being close to 400 to 500. You will be better served saving that for any Apple Silicon Macs.

Thanks for this. Exactly what I thought. Maybe they will give me something for it on a trade.

 

[Macdctr]

Thanks for this. Exactly what I thought. Maybe they will give me something for it on a trade.

I doubt they will give you anything in trade since your screen is broken. Good luck...

 

[BrianBaughn]

The sooner you get that on Ebay the more you'll get for it…and most of the "for parts" Mac laptops on there have broken screens. Value will depend, of course, on the specs.

 

[Macdctr]

The sooner you get that on Ebay the more you'll get for it…and most of the "for parts" Mac laptops on there have broken screens. Value will depend, of course, on the specs.

I agree and you're most likely to get more by selling your broken laptop on eBay than getting anything for trading it in at Apple.

 

[LarryJoe33]

The sooner you get that on Ebay the more you'll get for it…and most of the "for parts" Mac laptops on there have broken screens. Value will depend, of course, on the specs.

That's what I will end up doing for sure.

 

[LarryJoe33]

I doubt they will give you anything in trade since your screen is broken. Good luck...

Thanks, I was thinking more of a small recycling credit if Apple is still into that. But I will sell as is on eBay once I can figure out how to wipe it clean without a screen to look at.

 

[Macdctr]

Thanks, I was thinking more of a small recycling credit if Apple is still into that. But I will sell as is on eBay once I can figure out how to wipe it clean without a screen to look at.

I would just recommend pulling out the SSD inside and keep it since you're selling the computer as a "parts" computer.

 

[StrollerEd]

The 2015 MBP is/was a splendid m/c. But agree with all that said above: spend that money on a new MacBook - which one depends on your intended usage and the depth of pocket.

Removing the SSD does sound a good and simple idea. What I would recommend is sourcing an enclosure for that SSD.

When I had upgraded mine a while back with a larger SSD it came with container I could plug into the USB slot. I kept that for the old one. I used to use it for accessing an older Mac o/s in order to run windows based software, although no good for that now

I'm not in a position to say where you could obtain as suitable enclosure, presumably one with USB-C connector.

 

[JamesMay82]

We had a battery change done on an iPhone 6 which is listed as vintage. I was worried it would be a waste of a journey but I assume if they let you book it then they must have the parts to fix.

 

[dmccloud]

The 2015 MBP is/was a splendid m/c. But agree with all that said above: spend that money on a new MacBook - which one depends on your intended usage and the depth of pocket.

Removing the SSD does sound a good and simple idea. What I would recommend is sourcing an enclosure for that SSD.

When I had upgraded mine a while back with a larger SSD it came with container I could plug into the USB slot. I kept that for the old one. I used to use it for accessing an older Mac o/s in order to run windows based software, although no good for that now

I'm not in a position to say where you could obtain as suitable enclosure, presumably one with USB-C connector.

BestBuy has an Insignia-branded M.2 to USB-C enclosure for SSDs. I picked one up and put a Samsung 970 EVO Plus inside it for use as an external drive for my MBP.

Insignia™ M.2 NVMe to USB-C SSD Enclosure NS-PCNVMEHDE - Best Buy

Shop Insignia™ M.2 NVMe to USB-C SSD Enclosure at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. Price Match Guarantee.

www.bestbuy.com

They also carry a USB-C enclosure for SATA drives, so you'd be covered regardless of form factor for your SSD...

Insignia™ 2.5" SATA to USB-C HDD Enclosure NS-PC25HDE - Best Buy

Shop Insignia™ 2.5" SATA to USB-C HDD Enclosure at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. Price Match Guarantee.

www.bestbuy.com

 

[NT1440]

BestBuy has an Insignia-branded M.2 to USB-C enclosure for SSDs. I picked one up and put a Samsung 970 EVO Plus inside it for use as an external drive for my MBP.

Insignia™ M.2 NVMe to USB-C SSD Enclosure NS-PCNVMEHDE - Best Buy

Shop Insignia™ M.2 NVMe to USB-C SSD Enclosure at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. Price Match Guarantee.

www.bestbuy.com

They also carry a USB-C enclosure for SATA drives, so you'd be covered regardless of form factor for your SSD...

Insignia™ 2.5" SATA to USB-C HDD Enclosure NS-PC25HDE - Best Buy

Shop Insignia™ 2.5" SATA to USB-C HDD Enclosure at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. Price Match Guarantee.

www.bestbuy.com

2015 is not a standard m.2.

Form factor is the same, but it appears to use a different pin-out.

I had to buy a $20 adapter to be able to install a 1TB regular SSD in my 2015.

 

[StrollerEd]

The 2015 MBP is/was a splendid m/c. But agree with all that said above: spend that money on a new MacBook - which one depends on your intended usage and the depth of pocket.

Removing the SSD does sound a good and simple idea. What I would recommend is sourcing an enclosure for that SSD.

When I had upgraded mine a while back with a larger SSD it came with container I could plug into the USB slot. I kept that for the old one. I used to use it for accessing an older Mac o/s in order to run windows based software, although no good for that now

I'm not in a position to say where you could obtain as suitable enclosure, presumably one with USB-C connector.

My apologies. I had a feeling that I had misspecified the connector, and so I discovered when I foraged in my 'Mac bag'. It was a Thunderbolt enclosure from Transcend, something like

960GB Transcend TS960GJDM855 JetDrive 855 SSD - DMS

Buy 960GB Transcend TS960GJDM855 JetDrive 855 SSD from Data Memory Systems

www.datamemorysystems.com

 

[darngooddesign]

I have an early 2015 MBP with a broken display caused by a lid closure with an object in between. The machine is listed as Vintage but not Obsolete.

I have an appointment with the Genius Bar, but from experience with other older machines, I have found they won't work on an older machine. Would appreciate any insight. I just don't want to sit over there and wait for someone to tell me it's vintage and it can't be repaired by them. I did chat with support and they told me to bring it over to assess. Again, I was told that once for a battery on my 2011 MBP and they told me to look on Amazon.

Second question, IF they will entertain repairing it, how much do you think they will charge? Anything over $500 and I'll just buy a new machine.

Thanks.

I can already tell you that Apple will probably charge you more than you are willing to pay, and in some cases they might not do it if the rest of the laptop is beat up. Complete display assemblies are $200 on eBay so my suggestion is to read one of iFixit’s repair guides and try it yourself. Ive done two of that generation and it’s really not hard if you are patient and can follow instructions.

Are there no computer/electronics repair shops in your city?

 

[real_mon2]

Watch a few of the many youtube videos on how to replace the display. Then review the purchase of such a replacement display from Amazon or Aliexpress based on the vendor reviews. Suggest that you consider a complete display assembly (vs. lcd display only) which is a pre-assembled top display assembly + cabling. The units from Aliexpress (perhaps some from Amazon) will be with the 'logo'. It is not a difficult repair but you will require the proper tools and patience.

 

[LarryJoe33]

I can already tell you that Apple will probably charge you more than you are willing to pay, and in some cases they might not do it if the rest of the laptop is beat up. Complete display assemblies are $200 on eBay so my suggestion is to read one of iFixit’s repair guides and try it yourself. Ive done two of that generation and it’s really not hard if you are patient and can follow instructions.

Are there no computer/electronics repair shops in your city?

I brought it to U Break I Fix. They quoted me $420, I said sure. They sent it out and sent it back unfixed. They said they could not source the display. The rep at the store I brought it into said it was a bitch to replace just the display as opposed to a lid swap. I am guessing they really didn't want to work on it.

I ended up cancelling the Apple Store appointment. Just didn't feel like sitting on a wooden box for 30 minutes watching 80 year olds get trained on an iPhone while waiting some newbie to come out and tell me it is Vintage/Obsolete.

 

[darngooddesign]

I brought it to U Break I Fix. They quoted me $420, I said sure. They sent it out and sent it back unfixed. They said they could not source the display. The rep at the store I brought it into said it was a bitch to replace just the display as opposed to a lid swap. I am guessing they really didn't want to work on it.

I ended up cancelling the Apple Store appointment. Just didn't feel like sitting on a wooden box for 30 minutes watching 80 year olds get trained on an iPhone while waiting some newbie to come out and tell me it is Vintage/Obsolete.

Yeah, you would replace the entire display assembly. 2015 13” display assemblies range between 150 and 300 on eBay. That’s where I got mine from.