Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Rushville

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 19, 2009
7
0
I got my MacBook out of my desk this morning and the top of the book looks like it was melted. I had it plugged in over night and the power cord was laying on top of it. When I picked up the cord it was not hot...so not sure if that is what caused it. It is basically bubbled up in parts on the top, a little on the key board and a little on the bottom. Is this what it looks like when something spills on it? Just trying to figure out what the issue is and if it will be covered under the 3yr warranty or not. Thank you
 

Rushville

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 19, 2009
7
0
Pics of my Mac - Has this happened to anyone else?

IMG_2289.jpg
 

impreza98

macrumors member
Sep 3, 2008
52
0
Just trying to figure out what the issue is and if it will be covered under the 3yr warranty or not. Thank you

It looks like you left the magsafe brick on top of the case overnight judging by the prominent square where the bubbling appears to begin. Its common knowledge that any power adaptor can get hot. You should have left the brick placed in a well ventilated area, i.e. not on top of a soft plastic.

AppleCare will not cover accidental damage or fix cosmetic issues.
 

UrielSynthesis

macrumors newbie
Nov 30, 2008
18
0
It looks like you left the magsafe brick on top of the case overnight judging by the prominent square where the bubbling appears to begin. Its common knowledge that any power adaptor can get hot. You should have left the brick placed in a well ventilated area, i.e. not on top of a soft plastic.

AppleCare will not cover accidental damage or fix cosmetic issues.

Despite what this guy says, I would try to take this into an apple store and see what they can do for you. They are usually very accommodating when it comes to their equipment malfunctioning like this, especially when it is something so dangerous. This is NOT "accidental damage", and is in fact something that isnt supposed to ever happen, within or outside of warranty, and I would be surprised if they didn't repair it for you.
 

Rushville

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 19, 2009
7
0
Thank you for your comments. I will bring it in to the Apple Store tomorrow to determine if it will be covered. Any advice for what exactly I should tell them to have the best chance of getting this covered under warranty? I am going to be honest with what happened, although I know that it may not qualify for the 3 year warranty. Regardless, I hope that Apple stops making power bricks that get hot enough to cause this type of damage. I'm just glad it did not start a fire or destroy anything else.
 

likemyorbs

macrumors 68000
Jul 20, 2008
1,956
5
NJ
wait hold on, i still dont understand what happened. the power brick was unplugged, and you put it on top of your macbook, and it did that???
 

JAJ

macrumors member
Jan 14, 2009
33
0
Despite what this guy says, I would try to take this into an apple store and see what they can do for you. They are usually very accommodating when it comes to their equipment malfunctioning like this, especially when it is something so dangerous. This is NOT "accidental damage", and is in fact something that isnt supposed to ever happen, within or outside of warranty, and I would be surprised if they didn't repair it for you.

they might be nice, but there are advisements not to put the mag safe adapter or any transformer onto the top of a computer. AND you have to keep it in a well ventilated(preferably on top of a hard surface). inside a drawer with the adapter on top is just stupid
 

California

macrumors 68040
Aug 21, 2004
3,885
90
That is an Apple problem. No magsafe should be that hot to do that much damage. they owe you a new top case and palm rest and screen frame at the very least, a new MacBook at the best.
 

shady825

macrumors 68000
Oct 8, 2008
1,861
101
Area 51
wait hold on, i still dont understand what happened. the power brick was unplugged, and you put it on top of your macbook, and it did that???

No, he most likely had the 'extension' cord on the brick. That puts the brick in the middle of the overall power cord instead of on a wall outlet.
 

Rushville

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 19, 2009
7
0
No, he most likely had the 'extension' cord on the brick. That puts the brick in the middle of the overall power cord instead of on a wall outlet.

Yes - I actually had the extension cord on the brick and it was plugged into the wall.
 

JAJ

macrumors member
Jan 14, 2009
33
0
oh well no the extension cord should not have done that damage then, but be advised that the transformer is expected to. especially if plugged in all the time/powered on
 

impreza98

macrumors member
Sep 3, 2008
52
0
This is NOT "accidental damage", and is in fact something that isnt supposed to ever happen, within or outside of warranty, and I would be surprised if they didn't repair it for you.

This is accidental damage, these power bricks can and will get warm. Any and all power adapters get warm. Power adapters are engineered to dissipate heat, and the magsafe specifically will turn off if they get too hot ( which could explain why it yours was off and cold in the morning). They were designed to be used in a well ventilated area.

Your extreme negligence regarding your poor treatment of the adapter and macbook is your fault. A hot adapter placed on top of the plastic macbook is clear recipe for disaster. Something that can get hot should never rest on top of a plastic macbook.

That is an Apple problem. No magsafe should be that hot to do that much damage. they owe you a new top case and palm rest and screen frame at the very least, a new MacBook at the best.

Why is Apple responsible for misuse of products?

"The power adapter may become very warm during normal use. Always put the power adapter directly into a power outlet or place it on the floor in a well-ventilated location. If you are using your MagSafe adapter in a poorly ventilated area, or if the MagSafe adapter is covered by a blanket or other form of insulation, it may turn itself off in order to prevent damage to the adapter." -Apple kbase article TS1713

Thank you for your comments. I will bring it in to the Apple Store tomorrow to determine if it will be covered. Any advice for what exactly I should tell them to have the best chance of getting this covered under warranty? I am going to be honest with what happened, although I know that it may not qualify for the 3 year warranty. Regardless, I hope that Apple stops making power bricks that get hot enough to cause this type of damage. I'm just glad it did not start a fire or destroy anything else.

Be honest, tell them exactly what happened and hope they will go out of their way to help you. In my opinion, It's still your fault.
 

trekkie604

macrumors 68000
Feb 25, 2008
1,675
1,204
Vancouver, Canada
Were you sharing the wall outlet with anything else at the time? For the extension cord itself to get that hot it looks like you have serious undervolt/brownout problems. This happens when your electrical source is unable to keep up with the consumption, causing the cord to get really hot. You're lucky it didn't catch fire if that was the case.
 

Acorn

macrumors 68030
Jan 2, 2009
2,642
349
macrumors
that is crazy. I have the same macbook as you and I can say my magsafe adapter has never gotten that hot. Something else is not right no matter what people are saying. That is anything but normal. if it truly got that hot normally it would melt the plastic faceplate for everybody on the wall socket. Its not suppose to get that hot.

it has to be a short. either a short in the extension you used or a spike in electricity
 

benlangdon

macrumors 65816
Jan 13, 2008
1,497
0
ya note to self, don't put any power brick (or anything similar) next to or on something nice.

anyway, ya i would think short in something.
i mean for a cable to get that much power to the brick to get that hot must have damage also. i would take the cover off your wall plug and check the wires, look at the breaker box also, if you have a meter, i would check and see how much voltage your getting out of your wall plugs and see if all are the same.

does the brick still work?

my brick is hot right now, if you wanted to know.
this reminds me of that mbp whos battery expanded or blew up or something like that.
 

Dybbuk

macrumors 6502a
Aug 8, 2006
976
35
Anyone defending Apple on this one is out of their mind. He's probably lucky he had it on his computer and not his carpet, lest his damn house burn down. It should NOT get that hot.

Would also like to know how laying on top of the computer, in the open, doesn't constitute "well-ventilated". If this was slight warping I could understand, but look at it. It melted.
 

kastenbrust

macrumors 68030
Dec 26, 2008
2,890
0
North Korea
Its a manufacturing defect, clearly Apple should replace your laptop and magsafe adaptor for you under the terms of your Warranty. If its over a year old though and you dont have Applecare they wont replace anything.
 

shady825

macrumors 68000
Oct 8, 2008
1,861
101
Area 51
Anyone defending Apple on this one is out of their mind. He's probably lucky he had it on his computer and not his carpet, lest his damn house burn down. It should NOT get that hot.

Exactly. I understand they get hot but it should never get hot enough to damage anything! That could have very easily burned his house down. I would stress that point to Apple.

I know someone that the EXACT same thing happened but it was with a portable dvd player. The company replaced the dvd player with the newest model AND replaced a $900 table that was also damaged.
 

Rushville

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 19, 2009
7
0
I am headed to Apple store as soon as it opens and will update you with the results. Thank you again for your feedback!
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.