Using Your Butterfly Keyboard after the 4 year guarantee?

[ZircoBen]

I have had two keyboard replacements over the 3 years that I've owned my 2017 MacBook Pro, and now I need to decide whether I should keep this thing and risk it breaking again, or sell it off and let someone else run that risk.

How many of you are deciding to 'stick with' your butterfly keyboard-based MacBooks even after the coverage is expired? Or is that too risky and should we all sell off our computers before our four years are up?

Curious to hear experiences and perspective on this.

 

[Juicy Box]

I have never sold any of my Macs, and almost every one of my many Macs over the years still work today, but if I had a Mac with the Butterfly keyboards, that would probably be the first one I would sell.

Apple should have never used them, and dropped them way earlier than they did.

BTW, my brother has had his MBP with the butterfly keyboard for almost 5 years now, and he says he has never had a problem with it. Maybe he was just lucky, or maybe his MBP habits are different than the people that have had problems.

If you already had two replaced in 3 years, you might have the same thing happen to you again.

 

[ZircoBen]

That is what baffles me- how is it that some people have no issues with them and other ones like me have gone through two or three of them already?

I don’t think I’m particularly hard on my machine and I keep it clean. I don’t eat over it or use it in a dusty environment, however I’m on my third keyboard?

I have to say I’ve enjoyed getting a new battery and bottom case every time they break- but once my coverage is done for I think it’s smart to move on.

I do really love the feel of the butterfly keyboard, it’s more clicky and more mechanical feeling than the Magic keyboard. And I love the sound of it for some reason? But when it’s a liability like this, it’s time to go.

 

[Reggaenald]

I have a 2017 MBP and had the top case replaced 3 times. I can’t afford to not use it anymore (although at some point we did want to sell it) and now have a keyboard cover on it… it’s not pretty nor feels very good.
If you can, get rid of it.

 

[Fishrrman]

Just be aware that after the "4 year extended warranty" runs out, it's gonna cost you around $750-800 to get the keyboard repaired again.

And that's if only ONE key breaks...

 

[ZircoBen]

I have a 2017 MBP and had the top case replaced 3 times. I can’t afford to not use it anymore (although at some point we did want to sell it) and now have a keyboard cover on it… it’s not pretty nor feels very good.
If you can, get rid of it.

I've seen those keyboard covers and I just can't do it. Turns a premium keyboard feel into mush. I'm sorry you're stuck with that.

Just be aware that after the "4 year extended warranty" runs out, it's gonna cost you around $750-800 to get the keyboard repaired again.

And that's if only ONE key breaks...

I wasn't aware it was THAT expensive...

I was told by my Apple store last year that even though my four years expired July 2021; that they guaranteed the repair for a whole year - so I have until this May.

If my keyboard is sellable in May and doesn't have issues, I'll get rid of it and buy an M1 MBA. But I feel bad for those that don't have the luxury of looking forward to a new device.

 

[Reggaenald]

I've seen those keyboard covers and I just can't do it. Turns a premium keyboard feel into mush. I'm sorry you're stuck with that.

I wasn't aware it was THAT expensive...

I was told by my Apple store last year that even though my four years expired July 2021; that they guaranteed the repair for a whole year - so I have until this May.

If my keyboard is sellable in May and doesn't have issues, I'll get rid of it and buy an M1 MBA. But I feel bad for those that don't have the luxury of looking forward to a new device.

Nah, you shouldn’t feel bad.
Apple should.
Literally every time I use my Mac I take a moment and think about a guy/gal somewhere on this planet that went all out to get a MBP (2016-2019, but mostly 2016(!) and 2017) in hopes it would be a great device for years to come just to be let down by their idol company, including me, basically.
Looking at my 2017 MBP I can almost hear someone somewhere cry because they shelled out so much cash for, that. It really hurts me to see that the folks in Cali apparently don’t think about those peps, including me. Hardware and software quality have been a joke for so many, but they can’t laugh, it’s frustrating to think about.

 

[rainbowdementia]

I didn't realize there was an expiration on when they'd replace the keyboard. Oops. 10 of my keys repeat at this point. My text replacement is filled with little corrections to make my typing easier. I've had it replaced three times and it always messes up really quickly. I was just tired of going without a computer for 1-2 weeks so I was gonna send it in once I got my M1. I've had a keyboard cover the whole time, since my first replacement, that is. I don't think I wanna pay $800 for a new battery and keyboard, though :/

 

[ouimetnick]

Just be aware that after the "4 year extended warranty" runs out, it's gonna cost you around $750-800 to get the keyboard repaired again.

And that's if only ONE key breaks...

Not only that, a 2017 MacBook Pro is probably worth less than $750-800 or close to it at this point. If it's a 13", you also have to worry about the horribly designed display flex cable failing too resulting in needing to replace the display.

 

[MuGeN PoWeR]

Not only that, a 2017 MacBook Pro is probably worth less than $750-800 or close to it at this point. If it's a 13", you also have to worry about the horribly designed display flex cable failing too resulting in needing to replace the display.

lol I doubt it. Apple is giving me 385$ for my intel 16" MacBook Pro 2019. What the HECK Apple!

 

[hybrid_x]

I had my keyboard replaced after two years. I've used a silicone cover on it ever since, and it's been fine.

 

[sevoneone]

I got rid of mine because I was sick of the keyboard and also sick of thermal throttling/fans and flatlining the battery in less than an hour with just some moderate video/photo editing. If you have the means, I would move on to Apple Silicon. Even an M1 Air for less than $1k is going to run circles around a 2017 in performance, thermals and battery life. An M1 Pro ini a 14" or 16" is like an entirely different class of computer/capability.

lol I doubt it. Apple is giving me 385$ for my intel 16" MacBook Pro 2019. What the HECK Apple!

Yikes! I traded in my 15" 2018 when pre-ordering my 14" M1 Pro and was credited $925 at the time and it was a base model, it made it really easy to trade in. Put in my old serial number now and they are only offering $325. Ouch.

 

[MuGeN PoWeR]

I got rid of mine because I was sick of the keyboard and also sick of thermal throttling/fans and flatlining the battery in less than an hour with just some moderate video/photo editing. If you have the means, I would move on to Apple Silicon. Even an M1 Air for less than $1k is going to run circles around a 2017 in performance, thermals and battery life. An M1 Pro ini a 14" or 16" is like an entirely different class of computer/capability.


Yikes! I traded in my 15" 2018 when pre-ordering my 14" M1 Pro and was credited $925 at the time and it was a base model, it made it really easy to trade in. Put in my old serial number now and they are only offering $325. Ouch.

I know right. I have 16" MBP intel one which isn't being used. I thought I should trade it in and saw 385$ credit. its better to keep it then lol

 

[chikorita157]

I stopped using my 2018 MacBook Pro 15" and decided to upgrade to a M1 Pro MacBook Pro 16 inch when they came out. While I use a keyboard cover, I rarely use the keyboard since I have the computer docked to a Thunderbolt 3 dock and used an external keyboard. While I don't have any issues, it's kind of a ticking time bomb, which is why I upgraded.

Thankfully, those days are gone as my 2018 MacBook Pro is only really used to manually manage music on my iPhone with iTunes, something that you can't do in Music.app for some reason (and I will never subscribe to streaming music since I would rather buy my music instead). Also, I use it as a backup laptop. I may get iMazing to fix the music management issue and just forego the 2018 MacBook Pro, which feels really slow in comparison to my M1 Pro MacBook Pro and my M1 Mac Studio these days. The 2018 MacBook Pro is the only Intel Mac in service as I retired my Intel 2014 Mac mini with the M1 Mac mini, which was my home office desktop before the Mac Studio came along.

 

[Adis2567]

I have had two keyboard replacements over the 3 years that I've owned my 2017 MacBook Pro, and now I need to decide whether I should keep this thing and risk it breaking again, or sell it off and let someone else run that risk.

How many of you are deciding to 'stick with' your butterfly keyboard-based MacBooks even after the coverage is expired? Or is that too risky and should we all sell off our computers before our four years are up?

Curious to hear experiences and perspective on this.

Did the Apple store that said they would replace it ever follow through and replace it?

 

[ZircoBen]

Did the Apple store that said they would replace it ever follow through and replace it?

It didn’t end up breaking on me during that year. I sold it immediately after the year passed, so I wasn’t able to test the extra 1-year guarantee after a keyboard replacement.

I did get a newer 2018 model, and as soon as I got it I started noticing keyboard issues. I took it to the Apple store and it was ONE WEEK outside of coverage, and they couldn’t do anything for me outside of offering around $300 for a trade in and 10% off on another Mac. Which isn’t a terrible trade in- but I was bummed out that there was no flexibility at all for me.

 

[GoldfishRT]

I very, very rarely have a double press on the i and k keys of my 2018 model. But it's so infrequent to as not matter to me so much. I'll likely get it replaced right at the end of the warranty before selling the laptop (early next year). I feel like 4 years is a good time to replace it anyway, and the new owner can have a fresh keyboard.

 

[ilikewhey]

i got rid of all mine and my family's butterfly at the first chance i got even if i had to sell at below market value.