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Minor Case Separation on New BlackBook - Opinions Needed

Jeweller

Jeweller

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 17, 2008
174
96
Denver
So I've had my 2.4 BlackBook for a couple weeks now and as I was cleaning it earlier today I noticed a slight but definitely visible bowing of the top case. It's to the left of the keyboard, just above the usb ports. There's maybe a tenth of an inch gap that runs above both ports, all the way to the mic jack. I tried popping it back down, but to no avail. As I've absolutely adored this machine so far, I think I could live with this minor cosmetic blemish were it not for the fact that I can both see it when the light hits it right and feel it when I run my finger along the side. What's more, if this were not a brand new, $1500 notebook, I might be more apt to live with it. My dilemma is do I take it to the Genius bar and see if they'll replace the top case when I've heard that in some instances they end up looking worse? Also, do they even fix this under warranty?

Am I just obsessing?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
 
If I was in the same boat, I would suggest that they fix the "cosmetic" blemishes or replace the BlackBook for a new one; one that is unblemished. I had cosmetic scratches on my screen after three weeks and it took six months to get them to "blink" and when they did I picked out the BlackBook 2.4 Penryn. Have them take a look at it and then either fix it to your satisfaction or give you a new one without the "cosmetic blemishes" already installed! :cool:
 
SFStateStudent said:
If I was in the same boat, I would suggest that they fix the "cosmetic" blemishes or replace the BlackBook for a new one; one that is unblemished. I had cosmetic scratches on my screen after three weeks and it took six months to get them to "blink" and when they did I picked out the BlackBook 2.4 Penryn. Have them take a look at it and then either fix it to your satisfaction or give you a new one without the "cosmetic blemishes" already installed! :cool:
Click to expand...

Thanks SF. Yeah, I think I'll have them take a look at it. Hopefully they can just swap out the case as I'd rather not replace it for a whole new system since this one has worked flawlessly for me thus far, and it's such a pain having to transfer all your data and start fresh. Honestly, I'm fairly reluctant to even do that as I have a brand new Moshi palmguard installed, which would mean $20 wasted.

Curious, why did it take them six months to fix your problem?
 
Jeweller said:
Curious, why did it take them six months to fix your problem?
Click to expand...

I had developed minute scratches on the screen three weeks after I bought my MB 2.16 120GB in August '07 and they looked at it and said oh yeah, that happens alot and it's a cosmetic blemish, and doesn't affect the operation of the computer; so I walked out of the Apple Store thinking that was the end of it. Walked in to have the scratches repaired, so that I could sell it and pick up a new Penryn, and the same Tech Manager said "we can fix that for $600 plus tax!" "Can we do that for you today?" I said these scratches appeared without warning and I feel it's a "RECALL" item and that I shouldn't be charged for something I had no knowledge as to how to prevent it from happening. The Tech Mgr says "well, how about if I knock off $150?" I said "how about if you do it for nothing, and we call it even?" He refused, and I offered this analogy, "So, let me get this right, if I wanted to sell my MB that's almost 6 months old and cost me $1199 plus tax, its current value minus your repair estimate of $600 plus tax, would be a whopping total of $599 plus tax given the cosmetic blemishes are not removed, and if I were selling "said MB" "AS-IS!" He shook his head and said "Uh-huh" in agreement. I said "gosh I just don't think I'm a satisfied customer," and walked out, again frustrated. So, I fill out the questionnaire that Apple Retail Feedback sent to me and basically outlined the way I was treated, gave specific names, dates and listed my "loyalty" to Apple and that particular Apple Store since the day they opened it. The next day, the Store Manager called me at home and invited to the store for a "personal shopping spree with her" and I was in the store about 20 minutes later and I had my BlackBook 2.4 Penryn picked out in about 10 minutes. The Store Manager said she wanted to make it right; and that's exactly what happened. It took six months, 'cause I was always believing that the cosmetic blemishes were acceptable b/c they told me they were. If they would have addressed the issue three weeks into this deal, I'm certain they wouldn't have been forced to give me a BlackBook 2.4 for a White MB 2.16 120GB! :cool:
 
Wow, what a great outcome. Good thing you never caved. I'll keep your story in mind when I go in to have them check out my "cosmetic" blemish.
 
So as a follow-up on my problem, I made an appointment with the Genius Bar, took my BlackBook in and after a brief inspection was told that I could either let them disassemble it and try to bend the left edge of the top case back into shape or they could order a new one and just replace it. The Apple employee was nice enough about the whole thing, but definitely tried to sway me to go the former, non-replacement route by pointing out what a nice palmguard (Moshi) I'd have to sacrifice. In the end, I decided to let them replace it at no cost, figuring I might as well while it's still under warranty and who knows what further damage they might have inflicted trying to bend it back into shape. So the new case will be in this Tuesday, and I made an appointment to have it replaced the following Friday. All in all, a satisfying experience.
 
just make sure the screws on left side are nice and tight or else you'll have a macbook with a nice squeak to it from loose top case. Happened to me right after i got top case replaced for discoloration.... 2 months ago.
 
spooky mulder said:
just make sure the screws on left side are nice and tight or else you'll have a macbook with a nice squeak to it from loose top case. Happened to me right after i got top case replaced for discoloration.... 2 months ago.
Click to expand...

Funny that you mention this, but my current top case came squeaky out of the box. Hoping a replacement might remedy this, too. Did you have to open yours up and tighten the screws yourself or did you take it back and have them do it? Or are you just living with it?
 
Jeweller,
I am wondering if you can post a few pics. I also have the new 2.4 Blackbook. I have not noticed any separation on my left side but there is a "flex" above my ports. Meaning that I get a bit of bend in the plastic above the ports. I am wondering if I have a similar problem. I have seen other 2.4 Blackbook owners speak of the same thing.
 
Jeweller said:
Funny that you mention this, but my current top case came squeaky out of the box. Hoping a replacement might remedy this, too. Did you have to open yours up and tighten the screws yourself or did you take it back and have them do it? Or are you just living with it?
Click to expand...

just living with it right now, i haven't gotten small enough screw drivers and don't want to strip the tiny screws... i'm just assuming that it is only an issue with the screws not being tight enough... it's like the rail along the edge where usb ports are is not tight enough to the body. I got my top case replaced for some discoloration that happened 2 months after i bought my white macbook...it never squeaked out of the box though.. sounds strange.
 
archesdevil said:
Jeweller,
I am wondering if you can post a few pics. I also have the new 2.4 Blackbook. I have not noticed any separation on my left side but there is a "flex" above my ports. Meaning that I get a bit of bend in the plastic above the ports. I am wondering if I have a similar problem. I have seen other 2.4 Blackbook owners speak of the same thing.
Click to expand...

Wish I could but I don't have a digital camera handy. I tried taking a couple pics with my iPhone but they came out terrible. Yeah, there's definitely flex to mine above the ports, too. Also fairly mushy on the right side, in the middle above the superdrive. No mushiness whatsoever on my girlfriend's year-old WhiteBook. Weird. Never noticed that until you mentioned it, but I'm pretty sure I can live with it. Exactly how much does yours flex?
 
Well, it flexes enough to notice. I also get a popping sound above the lock port. I also get some flex on the right. About the same amount.

I am not sure if I'll take mine in or not. I've already upgraded the memory. I'll look forward to hearing how you do.
 
archesdevil said:
Well, it flexes enough to notice. I also get a popping sound above the lock port. I also get some flex on the right. About the same amount.

I am not sure if I'll take mine in or not. I've already upgraded the memory. I'll look forward to hearing how you do.
Click to expand...

I'd probably take it in, especially given the popping sound. Might just be a few loose screws or misaligned clips, and I bet they'd fix that for you no questions asked. I'm not sure how the memory upgrade is related, but I wouldn't worry about that. I'll let you know how my replacement goes.
 
yeah my Black Macbook is just about a month old and I have the creaking problem on the left side on the ports. As I re-reading this, is it really true that genius bar agreed to fix the case problem no problem? and it did actually work? The problem had been bugging me nonstop either...

Thanks in advance..
 
Chaser7 said:
yeah my Black Macbook is just about a month old and I have the creaking problem on the left side on the ports. As I re-reading this, is it really true that genius bar agreed to fix the case problem no problem? and it did actually work? The problem had been bugging me nonstop either...

Thanks in advance..
Click to expand...

I would offer the same advice to you as I did the above poster with the case "flexing" issue. If it bothers you, make an appointment with the Genius Bar and they may simply be able to make a few adjustments to your case (tighten screws, clips, etc.) that will fix your creaking. Or they may look at you like you're bat**** crazy and tell you there's perfectly good prescription medication on the market that, if nothing else, will help prevent you from hearing and acknowledging said creaking. Honestly, I don't think I've ever owned a laptop that didn't creak a little. But given the fact that you're still under warranty, it's worth a try. I mean, what have you got to lose?
 
archesdevil said:
Hey Jeweller,

Any updates?
Click to expand...

Took it in last weekend and they were able to replace it the same day, which was nice in that it saved me another cross-town trip to the mall. I have to say, the replacement top case fit is solid, with absolutely no warping or visible separation. They even somehow transplanted my palmguard to the new case, saving me twenty bucks for a new one. Very pleased with the service.
 
Sounds good, perhaps I'll take mine in, even though it doesn't bother me to much. I read one thread that stated the mac genius told the customer it was designed that way for heat expulsion. Sounds like an excuse.
 
If it's really not bothering you, then I wouldn't bother. But I'm thinking your flex issue could just be a few loose screws/clips as mine is now totally firm above the ports. Yours might only require a simple adjustment and would be worth having checked out while it's still under warranty.

Or you could do it yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDq5_rmhWPg
 
well i have a very minute misalignment of my macbook casing. What do you guys think, should I take it in? I also have this on another post I have had my blackbook for 4 months and am at 16 cycles and 92 percent battery health! is this a problem seeing that some people have over 100 cycles and still have 100 percent battery!
 
The case thing seems to be a bit of a problem on the new penryn BlackBooks.
I have had mine for over a month now and my battery is at 26 cycles with 100% health. So, you might want to get yours checked.
 
Same thing happened to my white MacBook. It's only on one side, and it's barely noticeable, but it happened.

Me personally, I don't care too much. Like I said, it's barely noticeable. But if you're anal retentive, than I'd say go ahead and try to get it replaced.
 
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