iMac G5, Logic Board Failure?

[gafulton]

Hi!

My G5 has been slowly been getting more and more difficult to turn on over the past few weeks, month at the most. Three days ago it stopped turning on completely. Last night I found this article on apple's site about how to diagnois the problem: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2173

I went through all the steps twice and came up twice with step 12, indicating a logic board failure. I then found out in these forums about the extended warranty fix for this problem.

After a couple of phone calls to Apple today, I finally got them to authorize replacement of the logic board; my G5 is a little over three years old.

The problem is, after getting home today, I redid the diagnostic steps and the computer is now turning on via the internal power button, landing me at step 11, and 'contact your local Apple Retail Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider for service'.

So, does anyone know if this logic board problem can cause an apparently intermittent problem like I'm seeing, or is it an all or nothing sort of thing? Can I be sure that it isn't the logic board based upon what I'm seeing?

I live a couple of hours away from the nearest Apple store, so I don't want to make the long drive only to have them catch it on a 'good day'.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Andy

 

[rfruth]

An intermittent problem is very possible - sabotage your's & make sure it isn't (intermittent)

 

[prostuff1]

If they have already authorized it then they can't turn you down. The paperwork is already done.

I just wish i had been as lucky as you in getting yours fixed. I had 2 Rev B's go bad with logic board problems and I could not for the life of me to get Apple to fix them. One was three months out of warranty and the other was not technically in the 3 year extension program.

 

[rfruth]

they can't turn you down but they can declare it a CND (can not duplicate) so you get to make the drive again ...

 

[lanka]

my Imac G5 17'' died with a logic board failure

My Imac G5 was diagnosed in July 2008 with logic board failure by an authorised Apple Center, exactly the publically recognised problem this series is known to suffer (computer turns on but screen remains black, fan starts spinning madly), widely documented in numerous forums. Repair under extended warranty was however refused, allegedly because the 3-year period expired in March 2008.

However, since this is a known problem/defect of this specific series, it should not matter when the logic board gives out, but simply that it did and long before the computer could be considered obsolete (3 years and 4 months is a little tight for an expensive machine). Also, I am aware other users have had the logic board replaced by Apple beyond the 3-year limit.

Therefore it is my conviction that Apple should assume responsibility for repairing said computer. I am simply a victim of not having used my Mac intensively, and it therefore only failed after I did start using it on a daily basis. I depend on the computer to make a living and cannot afford a new one.

I lodged my request with Apple and am waiting for them to reconsider, as surely more cases such as mine exist.

 

[gafulton]

Have hope!

Lanka,

Keep with it, because you're right. I had to call back a couple times to get the response I wanted, and I was honest with them and told them that that was exactly the reason I was calling (they know your prior call history anyways). They ended up giving me the authorization, so it's not like they can't or won't, you just have to 'motivate' them.

 

[KateS]

iMac G5 Repair Extension Program

I have an iMac G5 which I have just been told by Apple (Genius Bar) has a problem which would have been covered by the Repair Extension Program except that it is four and a half months out of the three year cover. I note that some people have managed to get an exception to this through Apple Care but was wondering if anyone can tell me how long over the three years they were. I have been advised to ring back on Monday so would be grateful if anyone has has had similar problems and have managed to get their Mac's repaired.
Many thanks.

 

[lanka]

Imac G5 repaired by Apple

Hi Kate

My reply is a bit late, but still maybe better than never.. Apple authorized the replacement of the logicboard of my Imac G5, which was 3 years and 4 months old when it 'died' with exactly the failure this series is known to suffer from. It's still in the shop, though, so I'll let you know when it's really fixed I called in about 3 times to Apple Care before my case was reconsidered.

 

[mikew1368]

IMAC Logic board...

I also had the Logic Board fail on my IMAC after only 18 months of use, but
I didn't get the extended warranty, so the mac store gave me quote of about
$900 to replace the logic board and suggested that for a few hundred more I
could get a new warrantied IMAC.

I didn't abuse the machine at all and it only lasts 18 months? I will search for
references to known manufacturer defects with this logic board and then
contact apple to see if they will deal with it.

If anyone can point me to a link for known logic board issues for IMACs,
please respond.

 

[Macky-Mac]

I also had the Logic Board fail on my IMAC after only 18 months of use, but
I didn't get the extended warranty..............If anyone can point me to a link for known logic board issues for IMACs,
please respond.

check out the following link to see if yours qualifies under either of the 2 programs Apple has for the G5 iMac iMac repair programs

 

[z28racergirl]

Macky-Mac, that link doesn't show iMacs as an option, wonder if that means my luck has really run out or what?

My story is similar to gafulton's. I got my iMac in 2004 and in 2006 the power supply went bad. My local Apple licensed repair place replaced it. I went home and used it. In July this year it died again. Currently, where I work has a Mac consultant that I trust, and he pulled my data off my hard drive, installed a larger one, and set me up with a back up system. He showed me that the board the dealer had put in fell into the same batch of bad ones as the first one that was replaced under warranty! Now that dealer says Apple won't cover this bad one. Huh?

I actually live in a town that has a couple of Apple license retail/repair places that are locally owned, and an Apple Store is moving in next year. Does this place WANT to go out of business???

Rant off, can anyone help me with a phone number for Apple? Also, when I search for the serial number from my machine, and the serial number from this bad board, it comes up as "not valid." What does that mean?

Thanks for any help,
Christine

 

[Macky-Mac]

Macky-Mac, that link doesn't show iMacs as an option, wonder if that means my luck has really run out or what?....

there was a 3 year time limit on the G5 iMac repair extension (which was for a limited range of iMac serial numbers in any event).......and it looks like that 3 year window has come and gone......so yes, it does look like your luck ran out on this one and it's now too late to get yours fixed under that program

 

[vw1300]

there was a 3 year time limit on the G5 iMac repair extension (which was for a limited range of iMac serial numbers in any event).......and it looks like that 3 year window has come and gone......so yes, it does look like your luck ran out on this one and it's now too late to get yours fixed under that program

Apple is replacing my logic board for the 3rd time, even though I'm almost 1 year out of Applecare.

I just called the other day and got cranky. In so many words, it'll be fixed but after this I'm on my own and don't call back. fair enough.

I suggest you call and be cranky but not rude. The worst they can say is no.

Charlie

 

[Vulcan]

Apple is replacing my logic board for the 3rd time, even though I'm almost 1 year out of Applecare.

I just called the other day and got cranky. In so many words, it'll be fixed but after this I'm on my own and don't call back. fair enough.

I suggest you call and be cranky but not rude. The worst they can say is no.

Charlie

Disagree. A nice customer will get the rep more willing to do stuff for them, a mean or rude one, the rep will probably give them a no and disconnect.

 

[z28racergirl]

Macky-Mac, would you (or anyone else for that matter) by any chance have the list or range of serial numbers that were affected/covered?

I'd like to prove to the repair place that replaced the board in 2006 that they indeed replaced the faulty one with another bad one from that same serial number batch.

I think this is going to come down to the repair place before it goes to Apple.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Macky-Mac]

Macky-Mac, would you (or anyone else for that matter) by any chance have the list or range of serial numbers that were affected/covered?

I'd like to prove to the repair place that replaced the board in 2006 that they indeed replaced the faulty one with another bad one from that same serial number batch.

I think this is going to come down to the repair place before it goes to Apple.

Thanks in advance.

Sorry, the page on Apple's site that had those serial numbers has been changed so I don't have that info anymore.

 

[mac44]

Same thing here.

I'd like to prove to the repair place that replaced the board in 2006 that they indeed replaced the faulty one with another bad one from that same serial number batch.

I had my logic board replaced almost a month ago. When I checked About this Mac:
The "new" replacement logic board says:
Model Name: iMac G5
Model Identifier: PowerMac8,2
Processor NameowerPC G5 (3.0)

The old logic board was:
Model Name: iMac G5
Model Identifier: PowerMac8,2
Processor Name: PowerPC G5 (3.1)

I am now having intermittent problems with this "new" replacement logic board. What Processor Name do you have on your replacement logic board - 3.1 or 3.0?

 

[jvlog]

iMac G5s are NOTORIOUS for having bursted capacitors and dead power supplies. what i would do is look at the rear vent. is there black dust/residue?
if so your power supply is going out. if not put it face down and remove the screws along the bottom of the iMac (there retained screws so they won't come out all the way.) and simple lift up on the foot to remove the back panel. now look at the capacitors. is there a corroded rust like looking material on the tops of any of them? if so you need a new logic board. it's also totally posable you need both considering the frequency of both of these issues on these Macs.
this is pretty simple to do and won't void your warranty if ti still has one so I'd take a look to get a better idea of what's going on.

 

[mac44]

\I had 2 Rev B's go bad with logic board problems and I could not for the life of me to get Apple to fix them.

Could you please check and see what the "Processor Name" is in About this Mac? Just go to the Apple menu and click "About this Mac". Then click the "More Info" button. The info should look like this:
Model Name: iMac G5
Model Identifier: PowerMac8,2
Processor Name: PowerPC G5 (3.0)
Processor Speed: 2 GHz
Number Of CPUs: 1
L2 Cache (per CPU): 512 KB
Memory: 2 GB
Bus Speed: 667 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 5.2.5f1
Serial Number: W852201JSDZ

 

[z28racergirl]

mac44: I don't have my iMac in my possession, it's at the repair place. I have no information about 3.0 vs 3.1. However, there was a range in the serial numbers that Apple was covering, and that's the information I'm looking for, if anyone has it.

 

[kelly621]

(see next post, didn't mean to post this...)

 

[kelly621]

I also have had the logic board on my iMac G5 fail. I bought it in Feb 2005 then around Aug 2008 I was having trouble getting it to turn on. Sometimes I'd have to uplug it for a few seconds or hold down the on button for a few seconds, then it would finally turn on. Then one day it wouldn't turn on at all. I went through the same trouble-shooting on the Mac website http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2173 and figured out the logic board was dead. I took it to the genius bar at the apple store to see if there was anything they could do, but they just confirmed that the logic board was fried and told me how much it would cost to replace it since the 3-year warranty had expired a few months ago. I told them I wasn't going to spend $600 on a logic board when I could get a pretty nice Dell for that much money that won't crap out after 3.5 years... They tried to talk me into buying a new one, but I was like, "are you crazy???!!! - I spent $2,000 on a computer that didn't even last 4 years, and your suggestion is to buy another one???!!!" They told me that it was a "fluke" for it to have such a short life span, but I know now that's a bunch of BS after reading post after post about people having the same exact problem! My husband just tried calling Apple after reading in these forums that some people have gotten them to replace the logic board after the 3-year warranty but he didn't get anywhere with them. Guess we'll keep trying... It seems like this is a very common problem with G5's that were purchased around 2004-2005 so maybe if enough people complain then they'll have to address the issue and do a recall or something for the ones that have crashed. Xbox did that with their 360s that were crashing.. when our XBox360 crashed, we sent it in and got it fixed within two weeks. If Apple did something similar I would consider buying another one in the future, but as of now they have lost me as a customer, I will NEVER buy another Mac!

 

[z28racergirl]

I found the list of serial numbers I was looking for at this site:

http://jimwarholic.com/2008/07/how-to-repair-apple-imac-g5.php

So, when the original board went bad, the repair place put in a new logic board with serial number W8447VMQQBHX - So they basically exchanged a board that went bad, with a board that was in the same serial number group that was deemed faulty! Now the repair place is claiming they didn't do the original repair, and I can't find the invoice from that work (argh!). The saga continues... And my computer is still a paperweight...

 

[mac44]

but they just confirmed that the logic board was fried and told me how much it would cost to replace it since the 3-year warranty had expired a few months ago.

Actually, the repair program just ended on December 15, 2008. I got in under the wire, but I still don't have a working unit since the logic board they replaced it with is bad.

 

[macattack05]

3 year extended warranty success!

I experienced the same problems with my iMac G5 and through troubleshooting determined the logic board was the culprit. I purchased my iMac in July of 2005 and as a result the 3 year extended warranty has expired. However, I called Apple Care today and was very nice to them and eventually I was able to speak with a "product specialist" named Cory. After explaining to Cory exactly what problems I was experiencing, he made an exception for me and agreed to replace my logic board and power supply at no cost to me. He gave me a Case # and Exception # and told me to drop it off at my local apple store which I did today. I'm waiting to hear back from the geniuses at the apple store regarding their assessment of the problems. If it is the logic board or the power supply, they assured me it would be covered at no cost to me. I will update the thread once I get more details and let everyone know how long it took to get my computer back. I want to emphasize that you should be really nice and understanding when dealing with the people you speak to on the phone at Apple Care. They told that they could not help and told me to go to the apple store to have it fixed at a minimal charge but I held strong and told them that it would cost me at least $500 and that I did not want to spend that much. That was the point when the Apple Care associated transferred me to the product specialist that ultimately helped me out. When speaking with the product specialist I remained calm and just explained to him that I've only had the computer for a little over 3 years and did not want to spend the money on a new computer. He bought it and made an exception for me so Good Luck!!