iMac 27" - noticed some stains/clouding on screen

[arkitect]

Just had my screen replaced on my 4 year old iMac (late 2012)
Took my machine in on Monday to my local Apple Store and it was ready for collection the next day.
My display was replaced free of charge under EU Consumer Law

Good grief! You have resilience! I would be very interested to hear how you went about it.
I tried that with my Apple Display a few years back — a year after the Apple Care/warranty ran out it started developing marks, behind the glass… and some stains running across the top.
I called Apple… and they were oh so helpful. Not a problem etc etc… but you know, lugging this thing down to a "verified" Apple Repairer… no, the Apple Store not acceptable apparently, then waiting the verdict for weeks while being without a display. I just gave up… And I think Apple know that.

How? Why? Can you tell me more, please? I thought it's 2 years here with the EU Law.

Seconded!

 

[ravinder08]

Good grief! You have resilience! I would be very interested to hear how you went about it.
I tried that with my Apple Display a few years back — a year after the Apple Care/warranty ran out it started developing marks, behind the glass… and some stains running across the top.
I called Apple… and they were oh so helpful. Not a problem etc etc… but you know, lugging this thing down to a "verified" Apple Repairer… no, the Apple Store not acceptable apparently, then waiting the verdict for weeks while being without a display. I just gave up… And I think Apple know that.

Seconded!

First store I took it to refused to repair it as it was out of warranty, I then took it to another Apple Store and told them the fault was there when I bought the iMac. EU consumer law says the fault must have been present when the machine was bought. I just said I had noticed it when I bought the iMac and thought it may go away in time but obviously hasn't.
EU Law covers you for 6 years you just have to say the fault was present at the time you bought it.

 

[Darajavahus]

First store I took it to refused to repair it as it was out of warranty, I then took it to another Apple Store and told them the fault was there when I bought the iMac. EU consumer law says the fault must have been present when the machine was bought. I just said I had noticed it when I bought the iMac and thought it may go away in time but obviously hasn't.
EU Law covers you for 6 years you just have to say the fault was present at the time you bought it.

Thank you for the info! I already had screen replaced the first year, so probably I can't say that

 

[ravinder08]

Thank you for the info! I already had screen replaced the first year, so probably I can't say that

you could try to speak with the manager of the store face to face don't bother with team leaders etc must be a manager and tell them about your disappointment and see if they can replace under their discretion. It's worth a try.

 

[9917282]

Mine has those marks too. Just bought it used, 27" Late 2015 from January 2016. Fortunately has another 2 years warranty so I think I'll wait before take it in. You guys think could go worse if not exchanged?

 

[Darajavahus]

You guys think could go worse if not exchanged?

It very slowly gets worse.

 

[vddobrev]

Resurrecting the topic. Not even one year has passed and the problem is back, this time ONLY on the lower left-hand corner. I am still under warranty.

 

[vddobrev]

I am now rethinking what to do, i.e. even if they change to display again a second time, I am pretty sure it will happen again. I am thinking of selling the 5K iMac and getting a Mac Pro 2013 (I can get it at about 50% off) and a nice 4K/5K display to go with it. Any opinions and advise?

 

[thefriendshipmachine]

I am now rethinking what to do, i.e. even if they change to display again a second time, I am pretty sure it will happen again. I am thinking of selling the 5K iMac and getting a Mac Pro 2013 (I can get it at about 50% off) and a nice 4K/5K display to go with it. Any opinions and advise?

Keep getting the screen replaced and after it's been repaired 3 times, ask for a replacement mac and hope they give you a 2017.

The 2014 and 2015 have been plagued with image retention problems. It wouldn't surprise me if that's actually what you're experiencing here.

 

[shigzeo]

I check every iMac display model I can now with a white screen and then black and grey for uniformity problems with light and murkiness. The new ones (5k) are fat better. But P3 gamut is weird.

 

[h9826790]

I am now rethinking what to do, i.e. even if they change to display again a second time, I am pretty sure it will happen again. I am thinking of selling the 5K iMac and getting a Mac Pro 2013 (I can get it at about 50% off) and a nice 4K/5K display to go with it. Any opinions and advise?

Unfortunately, that may be somehow related to the environment, e.g. humidity. Therefore, I agree that even you change the panel again, most likely it will come back. I changed 7 panels of my 24” ACD, the same panel as the 24” iMac. Even Apple eventually gave me a new 27” ACD to replace it, this still can’t completely solve the problem. So, I am quite sure it’s not modle sepeific, or production line specific, but more like a general issue. However, because it seems only some people get it, and lots of users once see this problem, it will come back no matter how much panel replacement. I suspect it’s environmentally related. But anyway, it’s just my theory.

The Mac Pro 6,1 is a nice small and powerful machine (back into 2013), but a pretty slow computer (and old) in nowadays standard. No HDMI 2.0, no DP1.4, no TB 3, no NVMe SSD, no DDR4, slow single core performance CPU, mid to low end GPU performance, no QuickSync (and Vega hardware encode / decode)... And there quite a few users reported that the GPU failed within 6 months. So, IMO, even 50% off, may not worth to do so (of course, totally depends on your usage).

If you still have warranty, you better get a replacement ASAP, rather than spend another thousands for another protential problematic machine.

 

[SaSaSushi]

I suspect it’s environmentally related. But anyway, it’s just my theory.

I agree that this could be related to excessive humidity. I live in a very humid environment (particularly in the summer) and I had the LCD panel of my last iMac, (Late 2013) replaced for the exact same smudges.

It never reoccured with that machine after the replacement panel though and so far so good with my mid-2017 iMac.

 

[ProTruckDriver]

I'm having the same problem on my late 2015 27 inch. It's 2 years old and this just started a few months ago, lower right and left corners. When I bought the Mac I have 3 years of Apple Care. I have one year left. I took the Mac to the Apple Store and they said that the Mac must be damaged. How could it be, When I received the Mac (Custom Built) we took it out of the box and set it on our computer desk.That's where it's been setting all along without no one touching it, except occasional dusting. The tech's, store manager and a few other Apple employees made all kinds of excuses why Apple Care will not cover repairing this. When my Mac was on their counter at the Genius Bar I even pointed to this Forum and Apples Forum of other people having this problem. They stated Apples Forum is not Apples and that the rest of the forums people can put anything on them it is not proof something is wrong. Excuses, excuses not to fix the Mac. They stated it would cost me over $600.00 to get it fixed. WHAT GOOD IS APPLE CARE! I love the way Apple computers operate, BUT, if this is the Customer Service I get from Apple, I may be going back to Windows.

 

[vddobrev]

I'm having the same problem on my late 2015 27 inch. It's 2 years old and this just started a few months ago, lower right and left corners. When I bought the Mac I have 3 years of Apple Care. I have one year left. I took the Mac to the Apple Store and they said that the Mac must be damaged. How could it be, When I received the Mac (Custom Built) we took it out of the box and set it on our computer desk.That's where it's been setting all along without no one touching it, except occasional dusting. The tech's, store manager and a few other Apple employees made all kinds of excuses why Apple Care will not cover repairing this. When my Mac was on their counter at the Genius Bar I even pointed to this Forum and Apples Forum of other people having this problem. They stated Apples Forum is not Apples and that the rest of the forums people can put anything on them it is not proof something is wrong. Excuses, excuses not to fix the Mac. They stated it would cost me over $600.00 to get it fixed. WHAT GOOD IS APPLE CARE! I love the way Apple computers operate, BUT, if this is the Customer Service I get from Apple, I may be going back to Windows.

Ask the store to put this denial in writing, or go to another store, or better - call AppleCare. You have to be convincing that it is not normal for dust to enter and settle in-between the glass and the screen assembly. Or point out that you own other monitors and they have not dust specs inside, or better yet tell them you have another all in one computer that does not have dust inside.
I live in Bulgaria, and we do not have Apple store, only one official service provider - they replaced my screen no questions asked.

 

[SaSaSushi]

When I bought the Mac I have 3 years of Apple Care. I have one year left. I took the Mac to the Apple Store and they said that the Mac must be damaged. How could it be, When I received the Mac (Custom Built) we took it out of the box and set it on our computer desk.That's where it's been setting all along without no one touching it, except occasional dusting.

Yes, this is total BS. How did anything you could have possibly done led to dust buildup below the panel. This is a well-known phenomenon with the iMac that is absolutely covered by AppleCare.

I'd advise you to call AppleCare directly. It sounds to me like you may be dealing with an ill-informed genius.

 

[ProTruckDriver]

Thank you @vddobrev and @SaSaSushi for your feed back. We have 2 Apple Stores in my area. I plan on taking the computer to the other Apple Store soon. If I get the same results as the first store, I will call Apple Care Direct. I am documenting all that is happening. If the results are Negative and they will not fix the computer on their flaw my next step, which I really don't want to take will be seeing an Attorney for a possible Class Action Lawsuit. For a big company like this and knowing they have a flaw on the 27 inch and still selling them is really depressing.

 

[ProTruckDriver]

Thank you @vddobrev and @SaSaSushi for your feed back. We have 2 Apple Stores in my area. I plan on taking the computer to the other Apple Store soon. If I get the same results as the first store, I will call Apple Care Direct. I am documenting all that is happening. If the results are Negative and they will not fix the computer on their flaw my next step, which I really don't want to take will be seeing an Attorney for a possible Class Action Lawsuit. For a big company like this and knowing they have a flaw on the 27 inch and still selling them is really depressing.

I would like to update the problem I was having with my Mac computer. I took the Mac to another Apple store in the area. Showed the employee what was wrong with the display. NO QUESTIONS ASKED, the employee said it was under Apple Care and it will be covered. It took 3 days to fix. I got it back today with no flaws. It's a mystery why one store is different than another store, both Apple stores.

 

[Fishrrman]

"It's a mystery why one store is different than another store, both Apple stores."

People and their personalities.
That's "the difference"...

 

[dwd3885]

I am having this same issue but my iMac has been out of the AppleCare extended warranty for 1 year (It's the first gen retina iMac). Apple Store said it would cost $600 to repair. I didn't want to pay it so I'm just sitting here with the issue. Oh well.

 

[and 4096 others like this]

Hi!

I want to by my first iMac but I'm a little bit afraid of this dust in screen problem... I can see it's very popular topic here and in other websites about Apple/iMac. Unfortunately it seems, that in 2017 model problem still exist, but is it as popular as in 2015 version (where dust problem was like plague)? Should I buy iMac 27"? Are there any statistics of how much iMacs have been repaired since 2015 or earlier?

I will be thankful for answers!

 

[294307]

First store I took it to refused to repair it as it was out of warranty, I then took it to another Apple Store and told them the fault was there when I bought the iMac. EU consumer law says the fault must have been present when the machine was bought. I just said I had noticed it when I bought the iMac and thought it may go away in time but obviously hasn't.
EU Law covers you for 6 years you just have to say the fault was present at the time you bought it.

That's not quite right. It varies by member state – the only thing the EU stipulates is that the protection must be a minimum of two years. In the UK, you can make a claim within six years after the purchase date for goods purchased in England and Wales, and up to five years after the purchase date for goods purchased in Scotland. The rules changed in October 2015 for those within the UK so you can now demand a replacement if the retailer fails to fix a fault after the first repair.

How long you are protected for, and what specific rights you have, can greatly vary depending on which EU country you live in. In most EU countries, you'll have to prove to the retailer that the fault existed at the time you bought the item if you make a claim more than six months after the purchase date. In some EU countries you need to inform the retailer within two months of discovering a fault to be entitled to make a claim under consumer law (this does not apply in the UK – you can make a claim at any time within the usual statutory limit).

The reason your rights or the length of protection can vary by member state is because EU consumer law is in the form of an EU directive which applies to member states directly, not individuals. Member states are required to implement the directive into national law, so some countries may decide to only offer the minimum level of protection required.

 

[ravinder08]

That's not quite right. It varies by member state – the only thing the EU stipulates is that the protection must be a minimum of two years. In the UK, you can make a claim within six years after the purchase date for goods purchased in England and Wales, and up to five years after the purchase date for goods purchased in Scotland. The rules changed in October 2015 for those within the UK so you can now demand a replacement if the retailer fails to fix a fault after the first repair.

How long you are protected for, and what specific rights you have, can greatly vary depending on which EU country you live in. In most EU countries, you'll have to prove to the retailer that the fault existed at the time you bought the item if you make a claim more than six months after the purchase date. In some EU countries you need to inform the retailer within two months of discovering a fault to be entitled to make a claim under consumer law (this does not apply in the UK – you can make a claim at any time within the usual statutory limit).

The reason your rights or the length of protection can vary by member state is because EU consumer law is in the form of an EU directive which applies to member states directly, not individuals. Member states are required to implement the directive into national law, so some countries may decide to only offer the minimum level of protection required.

Thanks I guess I was lucky then I made a big deal about it and the replaced my screen!

 

[Buggles Bugley]

Late 2015 27 inch model here and dealing with the bubbling screen beginning top right. Same thing happened to my 20-3 MacBook which was covered under staingate.

Posting everywhere I can to raise awareness because mine is 4 month out of warranty and Apple has washed their hands of it. Classic bait and switch. They sell quality for awhile and then when people are used to paying the big bucks for their stuff they start selling cheaper made items. Then they expect us to pay for the repairs on top of it. It’s outrageous and unacceptable.

You can see Apple’s BBB response here and a picture of my screen.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8430957

 

[Fliu]

How much was the cost to repair if you're out of warranty? Anyone try opening it up and wiping it? 😅

 

[ProTruckDriver]

You need to replace the display, you can't open it. I believe Apple told me $800.00 to repair / replace. I had it replaced under Apple Care one and a half years ago and the problem Hasn't come back. (Knock on Wood. lol)