Water under MacBook Pro Screen, please read

[snspidey55]

Hello there, I am in a little dilemma.



I was walking to my university as I normally do for my summer research when it suddenly started raining. I was close to school so I ran and made it. However, when I opened my backpack, I found that there were splotches of water on my macbook pro screen. I tried scrubbing it off but it appears to be actually inside and under the screen, and not just something I could simply wipe off. I've been through a number of solutions but none of them work: I tried to run my computer at 70 degrees celsius to get the fans going at a fast rpm, in order to evaporate the water. This didn't really get rid of the splotches however, and I stopped trying that route. I understand that you are supposed to shut off your computer if it comes in contact with water, which I have already done, but the water splotches under the screen still refuse to go away. What more can I do? Is there some trick with putting a huge fan and a towel directly at the screen?



No water got into the keyboard or anything, just stuck under the screen. My computer is still functional but it's very irritating to see the water splotches staining the beautiful retina display. I'm very aware that Apple and especially Applecare do not cover water damage under their warranties. In fact, the genius bar insisted I buy a new macbook pro, which I declined immediately. My computer is perfectly fine, I'm just not happy with the water splotches and I want to get rid of them.



Thanks for reading, please help if you can.

 

[Schranke]

Sounds like you will have to replace the screen. but I am a little confused on how water managed to get in there, especially considering it was in a bag. how much did it rain?

 

[snspidey55]

Sounds like you will have to replace the screen. but I am a little confused on how water managed to get in there, especially considering it was in a bag. how much did it rain?

Oh A LOT, it was almost like a monsoon. I had a waterproof case on and everything, but I think maybe because of how wet my bag became it must've went through the case. It didn't break the computer, thankfully, and it works perfectly fine. Just the screen has a lot of annoying spots. I heard there were some tricks to getting it dried out, but I'm not sure as to what they are. Getting a screen replaced isn't cheap sadly, and it isn't covered under warranty/AppleCare

 

[macintoshmac]

Some photographs would be nice.

 

[jerryk]

Oh A LOT, it was almost like a monsoon. I had a waterproof case on and everything, but I think maybe because of how wet my bag became it must've went through the case. It didn't break the computer, thankfully, and it works perfectly fine. Just the screen has a lot of annoying spots. I heard there were some tricks to getting it dried out, but I'm not sure as to what they are. Getting a screen replaced isn't cheap sadly, and it isn't covered under warranty/AppleCare

Do you AppleCare or AppleCare+? I have seen references that say AppleCare+ does cover water damage.

 

[snspidey55]

Some photographs would be nice.

Some photographs would be nice.

[doublepost=1530032672][/doublepost]

Do you AppleCare or AppleCare+? I have seen references that say AppleCare+ does cover water damage.

I have just Apple care. They did tell me they do not cover water damage, and said I would have to pay over $1000 to fix the screen for my 15 inch macbook pro.

 

[alphaswift]

Wow, the pictures are way worse than the story. If computer works, and its $1K for a repair, I'd just let the water dry out and see what happens.

A pic like that makes me glad I have a waterproof messenger bag.

 

[DeltaMac]

I will agree. That's bad...
I think you don't have any other choice but to replace the display assembly.
I am also surprised that you don't have water damage inside the MBPro.

 

[jerryk]

Wow. That screen looks bad. You might want to power it off for a few days and let the water dry out, but I suspect sooner or later you are looking at a screen replacement.

 

[snspidey55]

Yea I guess I'll have to be more careful. I'll buy a waterproof messenger bag for the future, but what should I do now? Wait for it to dry? I'm wondering how long that'll take. I tried many different methods online that I saw. Like, someone used SMC fan. It's an application that can modify the RPM of the computer fans, so I tried to get the fans running a little faster and I got my computer up to 60 degrees celsius, forcing the fans to work even harder. I thought this could evaporate the water, but nothing really happened. Some spots did start to disappear, but they still linger. There is also the rice method I heard, but I don't want to try that as it sounds somewhat risky to me. I'm trying to see what else I can do. If my MacBook Pro wasn't working, that would be a different story. It works perfectly fine, which I'm happy about, but the screen is just messy.

 

[teohyc]

See if you can find a friend with a dehumidifier or those drying cases that are used to store cameras and lens. That may dry the water under the screen, although I suspect it will be rather slowly.

 

[macintoshmac]

[doublepost=1530032672][/doublepost]
I have just Apple care. They did tell me they do not cover water damage, and said I would have to pay over $1000 to fix the screen for my 15 inch macbook pro.

Oh wow. This is ... bad. You might want to try twisting the laptop screen, opening the laptop up, doing whatever in your capacity to get rid of that water.
[doublepost=1530034771][/doublepost]

Wow. That screen looks bad. You might want to power it off for a few days and let the water dry out, but I suspect sooner or later you are looking at a screen replacement.

True. Even if it continues to work, he might not like how it looks and would have to bring it in for replacement.

 

[Sedulous]

The backlight layer is contaminated with water. Even if you get it dry, it will not return to normal. You will need to replace the LCD.

 

[snspidey55]

The backlight layer is contaminated with water. Even if you get it dry, it will not return to normal. You will need to replace the LCD.

Yeah, I figured. From the looks, it's really bad. I backed up all my files in the event it'll never turn on again, and I'm planning on going to Apple now. I use my laptop daily and need it for schoolwork/internship stuff. I am surprised because I had a waterproof casing for this, but now I know to be really more careful.

 

[Sedulous]

Yeah, I figured. From the looks, it's really bad. I backed up all my files in the event it'll never turn on again, and I'm planning on going to Apple now. I use my laptop daily and need it for schoolwork/internship stuff. I am surprised because I had a waterproof casing for this, but now I know to be really more careful.

Yeah, but those waterproof cases cannot plug up the rear vents... and that is likely where water entered. The black hinge cover at the bottom of the display actually is not water tight and will easily allow liquid entry through the ends where the hinge posts pass through to the computer body. Inside that black cover there is a cavity where the cables, LCD board, and wifi antennas are and there is easily enough room for liquid to seep past and into the LCD itself.

 

[tubeexperience]

No big deal.

Just grab one of the display assembly off eBay for ~$300.

 

[Painter2002]

I am sorry you had this happen to you, that just looks plain brutal . This is why I paid the extra for AppleCare +, I know other people disagree and say it isn't worth the money but with the amount you spend on this machine and the costs of repairs, the extra safety net is nice.

 

[snspidey55]

I am sorry you had this happen to you, that just looks plain brutal . This is why I paid the extra for AppleCare +, I know other people disagree and say it isn't worth the money but with the amount you spend on this machine and the costs of repairs, the extra safety net is nice.

It's fine, I have learned my lesson out of this ordeal. Next time I just have to be more careful, that's all. Yeah, AppleCare+ does sound enticing, now that this happened to me. I might get it in the event that this happens again. Normally I'm very careful with my electronics, this is the first time I've had a device have damage besides the occasional scratches on my iPhone screen protector.

 

[Painter2002]

It's fine, I have learned my lesson out of this ordeal. Next time I just have to be more careful, that's all. Yeah, AppleCare+ does sound enticing, now that this happened to me. I might get it in the event that this happens again. Normally I'm very careful with my electronics, this is the first time I've had a device have damage besides the occasional scratches on my iPhone screen protector.

Yeah, but life happens no matter how careful you are. When you get it fixed, you might as about the flat-rate repair that Apple offers. I don't know if it will apply to water damages, but basically for $300-400 they'll fix everything that is wrong with the computer. It can't hurt to check, because from that image, I have hard time seeing how the logic board and other components didn't get water damage, even with the case on.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Possible you have insurance? Sometime household or Credit card have insurance you have forgot about.

 

[tubeexperience]

I am sorry you had this happen to you, that just looks plain brutal . This is why I paid the extra for AppleCare +, I know other people disagree and say it isn't worth the money but with the amount you spend on this machine and the costs of repairs, the extra safety net is nice.

AppleCare+ costs more than the display assembly.
[doublepost=1530044015][/doublepost]

Yeah, but life happens no matter how careful you are. When you get it fixed, you might as about the flat-rate repair that Apple offers. I don't know if it will apply to water damages, but basically for $300-400 they'll fix everything that is wrong with the computer. It can't hurt to check, because from that image, I have hard time seeing how the logic board and other components didn't get water damage, even with the case on.

For Depot Repair, there are Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, and Tier 4.

The higher the tier, the more expensive the repair.

Tier 1 is $310, but I doubt that this qualifies for Tier 1.

Cheapest solution: buy a display assembly for ~$300 from eBay.

 

[DeltaMac]

And, you can't add AppleCare+ unless you are still within the first 60 days after purchase of your Mac.

 

[Painter2002]

AppleCare+ costs more than the display assembly.
[doublepost=1530044015][/doublepost]

For Depot Repair, there are Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, and Tier 4.

The higher the tier, the more expensive the repair.

Tier 1 is $310, but I doubt that this qualifies for Tier 1.

Assuming that only the screen is damaged, and the person is technically inclined and has time to do the repair themselves, yes, this is be true.

However a lot people don't have the time (going to college, busy work schedules) or aren't willing to risk breaking other parts to repair it themselves. Myself personally, I am technically inclined enough to do such work, but I don't want to be responsible if something else accidentally breaks on a $2,000+ laptop, especially when every little part costs $100+ a pop. Nor do I have the time. But if you have the time and patience, more power to you!

 

[Lennyvalentin]

From the looks, it's really bad.

You could try putting your laptop in a plastic bag along with a moisture absorbant brick or somesuch (there exists such to buy for use in boats, campers etc. Re-useable too - very handy if one has such needs...) Since the water wicked in between a very thin space between glass sheets it will probably take quite a bit of time to get it out again though (the surface area where water exposes to air is very small), so maybe you'd rather just pay a thousand dollars, I dunno.

Also as mentioned, chances are your screen will be permanently affected by this experience even if you get all the water out. The water may have pulled fine dust inbetween the screen and light diffuser for example.

Anyway as I recall, the newest generation Macbook Pros use fully laminated screens, so water would not be able to get inside them the same way. Excessive moisture might still do stuff like short out the screen refresh controller or backlight driver IC though...

 

[Schranke]

That is way worse then I imagined when you fist described the problem.
In any case I would turn I off, remove the bottom plate an disconnect the battery. then you can let it dry for a few days. a small warm room with a dehumidifier will help the process. after that you should see how the screen looks.
Also remember, waterproof usually works both ways, and in case with things only is resistent to water I can actually make it worse if any gets in as it will be more easily trapped.

Was the Mac laying in a position so that the un affected area were pointing up and the affected area down?