Servicing MBP at the end of Apple Care

[Glmnet1]

Has anyone tried to bring their MBP a few weeks before the end of Apple Care to replace the battery? Dust out the device? Or even fix minor things (keyboard marks on the screen, loose ports like some have reported etc.) going on after 3 years?

I'm trying to decide if AC is worth it and if this is possible it would be totally worth it. It could possibly extend the life of the device even if nothing terrible happens in the first 3 years.

I'll be buying with an AMEX card which gives me a second year of warranty. I have 20% off Apple Care with the educational discount but it would only add 1 year of warranty because then the AMEX year would be nullified.

It would be nice to have some numbers as to the risk of something failing in the first 3 years. Looking at some posts here the repair costs seem really high...

 

[Skb3735]

AMEX wouldn't be null it would just kick in for the extra year once apple care coverage is finished. So 3 years apple care and then one year of AMEX coverage.

 

[Glmnet1]

AMEX wouldn't be null it would just kick in for the extra year once apple care coverage is finished. So 3 years apple care and then one year of AMEX coverage.

That's what I read online too but then I called AMEX and chatted with Apple and they both said that it won't stack. They both explained the AMEX insurance is going to be wasted.

At the same time Apple Care is probably a lot less trouble than AMEX if things go wrong.

 

[HDFan]

If you ever use Apple Support, AppleCare is a great deal even if you don't need it for hardware repairs.

 

[Ifti]

That's what I read online too but then I called AMEX and chatted with Apple and they both said that it won't stack. They both explained the AMEX insurance is going to be wasted.

At the same time Apple Care is probably a lot less trouble than AMEX if things go wrong.

This is what I would assume - they would start one after the other. It'll be simultaneous. But yes, AppleCare would be less hassle.
Personally, with everything be soldered onto the mainboard these days, I think AppleCare is a must.

 

[Glmnet1]

Thank you all for your comments but I think I side tracked my own post by writing about the AMEX thing.

What I really want to know is, at the end of Apple Care, could I bring a fully functioning laptop and ask them to replace the battery? Or at least dust off the insides? Those are things I'd do myself after a while but with everything glued together...

 

[maflynn]

It could possibly extend the life of the device even if nothing terrible happens in the first 3 years.

The only way it can extend the life, is something broke and you had it repaired under applecare. Not for nothing, my last laptop was a 2012 MBP and I opted not to get AC, and its been fine (knock on wood). I understand the thought process, but like you, I bought the 2018 MBP on my amex, so I now have 2 years of coverage. I don't see the logic in spending over 300 for one years worth of coverage.

 

[Ifti]

The only way it can extend the life, is something broke and you had it repaired under applecare

Even then, isn't it only the replaced part that's covered for 3 months or so??

Nevertheless, I think the OP is after a general 'all over service' or health check.

You could always take it in and just ask for a hardware diagnostic to be run for piece of mind. Don't see why they would refuse?

 

[happygodavid]

Former Apple store employee here. My two cents:

I would highly recommend AppleCare if for nothing else than the free tech support for 3 years. It's great. Not perfect, but close to the best customer service I've ever received when I have had issues.

Repairs on a Mac are expensive. With AppleCare, you're covered for 3 years unless you break the computer. The cost of AppleCare would likely be less than the cost of a single repair.

As for taking it in for a battery replacement, they typically will run a diagnostic to check the overall health and see how many charge cycles it's had. If the battery ever shows signs of needing to be replaced, they'll replace it. They won't, however, just replace a battery because it's nearing the end of AC. (Example of not replacing the battery: a Mac has had 300+ charge cycles and is showing "normal" signs of battery health under said circumstances.)

In short, if it's in your budget, buy AC for every Mac you buy, even refurbished. If it's not in your budget, you have 60 days after your Mac purchase to add AC. I strongly suggest adding AC on every Mac. (Personally, I do. But I don't buy it for iPhones. It's a gamble, but I upgrade my phone more frequently than I do my Macs.)