As people said on posts above me. It seems like it's happening since awhile ago on some units. I got it on mine and doing what I did fixed it. It's still fixed till now. Hopefully it won't come back
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MacBook Pro 2021 16.2" Case Creaking
- Thread starter pento
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I took out every screw and put them back in as tightly as I could. It’s better but still very audible.
Hmm I see. Did you put the same screw to the same hole? I didn't i think. Because I pooled it all together. it might be that?
Yes I did. That might be the problem. I should add the screws all felt pretty tight already but I'll try mixing the screws and see if that helps.
Ok I rotated the screws, taking the inner four and moving them to the outside holes. So: 1 2 3 4 to 2 1 4 3. It's better, it seems to have gotten rid of the loudest of the clicks, but there still sounds to be a slight one near the front of the machine and near the back. The front one acts up when you first try to the touch the machine after letting it sit for 10-15 secs and the one in the back is most noticeable when opening and closing the hinge. I took a listen, I do not believe it is the hinge itself. It sounds very hollow, again like the belly pan is the problem. It is at a level now I think it is tolerable, but if it gets worse again I'm taking it in to get looked at.
my 14" is creaking and it's frustrating because it sounds sort of like the trackpad but it's not. It's when I've got it on my lap in bed that I'm noticing it the most. Wouldn't mind if it weren't distracting me. I can't work out why it's distracting me though. I think it's because I think I've hit the trackback by accident.
My 16" hasn't been creaking ever since . Crossing my fingers it won't start again. All I did was removing all the screws. And then randomizing like which screws to come into the slot. Just remember to randomize in 2 batches. 4 for the top 4 for the bottom. Since they are different in terms of length.
I also made sure to screw it in tightly. But not that tight that I will strip the screw or anything
the one thing I'm noticing is when I open the laptop lid from sleep, it makes an ugly creaking noise like something is catching. but then if I close and reopen, it seems fine? almost like if its settled for a minute or two something falls out of place.
Weird. But from my experience. It's random. The same thing can't trigger the creaking twice at the same time. So yeh
I've been noticing it on my current 14 inch. The thing is, this is already my second unit as the first one's display completely died on me. To my knowledge that previous faulty 14 inch also exhibited creaking noises at random. I wonder if it's a batch issue or I'm just being too sensitive. (I got the first unit on release day, the display died less than 48 hours later and i managed to get a replacement from the apple store the next day)
Wait, not sure you should put in different length screws in different places. ..? Is that what you mean?
You shouldn't. See, the top part (4 screws) are the same length (either short or long) and the bottom part has 4 screws too. You only randomize each of the 4 screws. So only randomize with the same length of screws only!! Do not mix and match the screws length
Unfortunately, taking out the screws and putting them back in did not work for me. The case was still creaking when I adjusted the display angle or picked up the laptop from the front. I exchanged it for a new model at the apple store and the new one is completely silent. These sounds are definitely not normal.
Me too since i first did it. When on my lap I sometimes here a little creak. Not long enough to be a creak. Like a noise. But it's not reproduceable.
And it happens so infrequently that I think it's not the same thing. It's prob because of my thigh hitting it and something inside kinda made a sound.
But yeah I'm really happy with it
I've seen a model creaking out of the box, and one that is rock solid. That being said I don't think the creaking sound is normal, if you're in the return window and can do an easy swap I'd go that route instead.
My first launch day 14" MBP had stripped threading in the base of the frame. I tightened it, only for it to come loose and make creaky noises. The factory workers SHOULD be using torque screwdrivers to put them in, they are either putting the screws in crooked or over tightening. I've seen scratches from where the screwdriver hits the frame as well...
Wow thanks for sharing! I’m going to pick up my replacement 16” today, hopefully it turns out good.
Update: Got another Creakbook Pro... tried the screw adjustment thing this time and it's been perfect ever since.
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So, there I was on my couch this weekend-Tapping away on my beautiful new 14in MBP, booking a flight, when what do I hear? An intermittent creak/click/snap coming from my computer when I adjust it on my lap. And, of course, it's all I could hear for the rest of the day. Wasn't really reproducible, and truly intermittent.
Of course I was embarrassed by it bugging me as much as it did...but it made me NUTS.
I googled it, and looked here on the Mac Rumors forum, and to no surprise I found this thread. I found the discussion about loosening and retightening the bottom cover screws particularly interesting-so much so that I ordered a P5 screwdriver set from Amazon and it arrived this morning.
I didn't rotate the screws as discussed before, but instead figured I'd loosen and tighten them sequentially like you do when you change a flat tire. I was QUITE surprised to find a great deal of variability of the original factory tightness of the screws. I loosened them and tightened them to a fairly high hand tightness. Excepting for confirmation bias, the MBP chassis seems initially to be less (not) sqeaky.
I'll advise what I might find longer term, but I did want to thank you folks for your insight. Quite valuable.
Of course I was embarrassed by it bugging me as much as it did...but it made me NUTS.
I googled it, and looked here on the Mac Rumors forum, and to no surprise I found this thread. I found the discussion about loosening and retightening the bottom cover screws particularly interesting-so much so that I ordered a P5 screwdriver set from Amazon and it arrived this morning.
I didn't rotate the screws as discussed before, but instead figured I'd loosen and tighten them sequentially like you do when you change a flat tire. I was QUITE surprised to find a great deal of variability of the original factory tightness of the screws. I loosened them and tightened them to a fairly high hand tightness. Excepting for confirmation bias, the MBP chassis seems initially to be less (not) sqeaky.
I'll advise what I might find longer term, but I did want to thank you folks for your insight. Quite valuable.
I created an account just to reply to this.
I've been having the same issue on my M1 MacBook Pro. It's not a major issue, but it's slightly annoying. I took it to Apple on the weekend, and the genius said multiple times "that's not possible, it's all one single metal piece" - "ok, not sure what to tell you, because it's making noise"
He looked into it and even though my warranty lasted for another couple of weeks, this would not be covered because it falls under "accidental damage", because it's not an issue with the manufacturing of the laptop. He also said it would be $650 CAD to fix. I of course laughed and said absolutely not, and that it's a minor creak. I'm not paying that much for an inconvenience.
I will try loosening and tightening the screws over the next couple of days. I just wanted to share my experience with Apple regarding this exact issue.
I've been having the same issue on my M1 MacBook Pro. It's not a major issue, but it's slightly annoying. I took it to Apple on the weekend, and the genius said multiple times "that's not possible, it's all one single metal piece" - "ok, not sure what to tell you, because it's making noise"
He looked into it and even though my warranty lasted for another couple of weeks, this would not be covered because it falls under "accidental damage", because it's not an issue with the manufacturing of the laptop. He also said it would be $650 CAD to fix. I of course laughed and said absolutely not, and that it's a minor creak. I'm not paying that much for an inconvenience.
I will try loosening and tightening the screws over the next couple of days. I just wanted to share my experience with Apple regarding this exact issue.
What’s funny is that it’s not just a single metal piece… some genius they are. It’s a single metal piece with a metal cover screwed on. I’d imagine due to issues at the factory regarding the tightness of the screws (either too much or too little or uneven) it’s causing the creak between the cover, screws, and the unibody case of the computer.
Keep in mind you need to buy a special screwdriver for the screws on the bottom of the MacBook.
This is a good point. The base screws need a P5 screwdriver. I ordered a repair kit on Amazon for $8
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