iMac 2020 running extremely hot after repairs

[Peet_B]

Recently I had my iMac taken to Apple because of WiFi issues, graphic failures and PSU clicking noises. They replaced my logic board but damaged my screen in the process. I noticed this when I got home and contacted them, and they offered to take my iMac back in to replace the screen.

I got it back last Thursday and since reinstalling my stuff on it, it hasn't ran idle under 70C with the fan running above 1700rpm constantly, and when doing even the most basic tasks it rapidly goes to almost 90C and stays there. Before I sent it in for repairs it ran idle at about 35-40C...

What should I do, because if I send my iMac back again, it will be the third time I have to send it back and I'm just sick of it...

 

[ian87w]

Sorry, but it's better to send it back again since clearly there's something they missed. And prolonged heat can ruin everything else in the computer. Better send it back asap before they deny any wrongdoings.

 

[Peet_B]

Sorry, but it's better to send it back again since clearly there's something they missed. And prolonged heat can ruin everything else in the computer. Better send it back asap before they deny any wrongdoings.

I will have to send it back because when I'm working in photoshop for example the thing becomes so hot that it gets unresponsive and almost unusable...

 

[Ifti]

Definitely send it back in. Wouldn't be surprised if they placed the heatsinks with no thermal compound in place!

 

[Peet_B]

Definitely send it back in. Wouldn't be surprised if they placed the heatsinks with no thermal compound in place!

That's exactly what I thought. My iMac was repaired by a trainee the first time (not that that would be a bad thing) but given how damaged the screen was from disassembly I wouldn't be surprised if there was a ....up with the thermal compound...

 

[Ifti]

I'd send it in for a third time.
If it comes back with yet another issue I'd be asking for a replacement....

 

[Peet_B]

I'd send it in for a third time.
If it comes back with yet another issue I'd be asking for a replacement....

I wish The Netherlands had a "Send" back option, but they don't. I have to bring it to them (for the third time) which is more than a 2hrs one-way drive. So in total that would be about 8hrs of driving just to drop it off and pick it up again, and that times 3 is 24 full hours. I'm so sick of this, I spent so much money on my iMac, and then I'm treated like this...

 

[Peet_B]

I think it was some sort of software related issue now. I did a Cinebench R23 run and scored 11563 points on the multi-core CPU benchmark (see screenshot). A standard i7-10700K did about 12500, but obviously with way better cooling than an iMac would ever have. If my cooling performance would be that bad it would result in much lower scores am I right? Also, the iMac now idles at about 45c which is almost the same as my GF's 2017 5K iMac with the i7-7700K.

I think I'll wait for a bit longer before giving it back to Apple once again...

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[CWallace]

I think I'll wait for a bit longer before giving it back to Apple once again...

Not sure how EU warranty laws apply, but I'd at least contact Apple to let them know you think you are having an issue so you have it on record that when you received the unit back from it's second repair you saw significantly higher temperatures. That way if you decide to bring it back after a couple weeks, Apple can't claim that it was a post-repair defect and fight you on fixing it.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

Not sure how EU warranty laws apply, but I'd at least contact Apple to let them know you think you are having an issue so you have it on record that when you received the unit back from it's second repair you saw significantly higher temperatures. That way if you decide to bring it back after a couple weeks, Apple can't claim that it was a post-repair defect and fight you on fixing it.

Second this. Having a customer note on file allowed me to get my MBP repaired under warranty even though the warranty had expired two weeks earlier.

 

[Peet_B]

So, just to get back to this topic, here is what happened:

Last week, on the 4th of November I finally took my iMac to the Apple Store directly, since the previous repair damaged my screen and probably also not conducted the repair properly since the thermals were off the charts. I lived with it for a year with increasing graphical issues. I brought the iMac in for repairs, and waited patiently.

After 2 days, on Sunday the 6th I got a call that my iMac was ready for pick-up, and to their amazement one of the cables in the PSU was not connected properly, and it was beyond them how they missed this. I picked up the iMac on Monday the 7th, happy to hopefully have a working iMac once again. I arrived 10 minutes before the store closed, so I grabbed the iMac in its original box I delivered it in, and left for home. Once home I unpacked the iMac, and to my surprise, there was a large scratch on the bottom left side of the chin, really noticeable and quite irritating, since I look after my stuff very well. I left the iMac on standby for the night, and when I came back to it in the morning, it had another kernel panic, and the same crackle from te PSU. The only thing that Apple did was put a scratch on it, but not fix anything.

I call them the next day, and they said I had to bring the iMac back to the Apple Store once again. There the (really friendly) technician discovered that there were also scratches on the display, and they agreed to change both the housing ánd display (again). They would also take another look into the graphical issues. They asked for my password so they could see the logs, which I obviously gave to them. I was surprised though that they didn't do this the previous time?

So, here I am, without my iMac for the 4th time, awaiting its 3rd screen in its lifetime. The only thing that is original once I get it back will be the fan, speakers and PSU, which in my opinion is bad, but just because it is "up to specification when tested on a test bench" won't be replaced...