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Well, it happened. Dropped my MBP.

J

jsilas

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 6, 2010
102
0
Washington State
... and I'm not sure what to do next.

There is physical damage to the body of the computer, right on the corner where all the ports are (power, ethernet, usb, etc). The computer works perfectly as far as I can tell, but the damage prevents an ethernet cable from being used, and the lid, when closed, is misaligned.

I took it to the Genius Bar today to see what Apple can do, and was told that the only option is to ship it out for repair at the cost of $1,200. I truly believe all that the computer needs is the case - all electronics appear to be functioning perfectly.

Is it possible to get a new case for the computer? Does anyone have any other ideas? I'm heartbroken over this and the computer is NOT very old (1yr) so this is really disappointing.

Is spending $1,200 really my only option here??
 
Replacement case parts as well as installation instructions can be found on websites like http://ifixit.com.

If you have the skills and patience to do the labor yourself I'm sure you'd save quite a bit of money.

eBay would be another option for finding case parts.

You didn't mention exactly which MBP you had but I did a search for Early 2011 15" MBP parts. The top case was $299 on ifixit and the bottom case was $199.

Depending on how it fell you may only need the bottom case. The top case contains the keyboard and trackpad.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the reply, apunkrockmonk. Details of my machine are in my signature.

I saw ifixit also and just wanted to see if there were any other avenues. Unfortunately it looks like I'll need both parts although I could probably get away with only the top case.

Thanks for your reply anyhow. :D
 
Ah, I use tapatalk to browse the forums on my iPad and it doesn't show signatures for whatever reason.

I imagine eBay is where the real savings could kick in.

Personally I've never bought parts from ifixit because they always seem overpriced.
 
I'm surprised that it's so expensive, since Apple repairs water damage for less... maybe because it's a 17'' model.

Find an AASP and ask for the cost for just replacing the top and bottom case, without checking for other (possible) problems. Or, as other suggested, ignore the damage and work around the broken Ethernet port (e.g. with a USB to Ethernet adapter).
 
Sell the computer to somebody who doesn't care as much as you do as long as you knock $300 off the fair market value. Then buy a new MBP.
 
I dropped my 15" after the first day of having it....
Dents below the case and the ethernet port were slightly bent, but still worked.

I removed the battery and gently punched out the corner which was bent; you can hardly tell it was damaged. Also got Apple to replace the bottom case for $70, looks like new again!

I know how much it aches, but chill out, it's only an object! :)
 
Thanks, everyone, for your input. I'll definitely look into replacing the top case and bottom case in an effort to bring the computer back to near-perfect. I'm hopeful that the alignment of the display/lid will be corrected with the replacement top case too. Fingers are crossed.

For those who wanted photos, here are a few I snapped just now:

Ouch from the top/side:
ade2388e.jpg


Misaligned lid/display:
f35bc1a6.jpg


Ouch from the underside:
3b327abe.jpg
 
Well yesterday I ordered some specialty tools, a new top case, and a new bottom case. Here's hoping that I'll receive parts in excellent condition, and that the job won't be too astronomically difficult.

I attempted to use ifixit.com to buy brand new parts, but they don't have a bottom case at all, and their top case was 3x the cost of a top case on eBay.

Here's hoping that I get good parts and don't get scammed. :(
 
jsilas said:
Well yesterday I ordered some specialty tools, a new top case, and a new bottom case. Here's hoping that I'll receive parts in excellent condition, and that the job won't be too astronomically difficult.

I attempted to use ifixit.com to buy brand new parts, but they don't have a bottom case at all, and their top case was 3x the cost of a top case on eBay.

Here's hoping that I get good parts and don't get scammed. :(
Click to expand...

Good luck! Please let us know how it turns out.
 
A Gerber should fix that ethernet port. otherwise, buy a new one vs. spending that much to "repair" it. seriously if apple said it would cost that much id take it apart myself and realign the screen (its obviously the metal pivots are bent) and for the ethernet id just try to straighten it enough for it to work. It will still charge right? I know I know doing this will void warranties and all that crap but seriously, $1200.... yea right. exact reason why i didnt spend money for extra apple protection, because im not worried about that stuff... im worried about damage like this. hope you get it figured out and if you do decide to shell out enough for a new mb, good luck with that one too.
 
From the looks of the port side the hinge is damaged, maybe that's why they are giving you you the 1,200 figure since they want to replace your LCD display too. Open your mbp and check that hinge because from my experience as an AASP tech, even if you change the case the mbp won't close as it did before the drop
 
If it were me, I'd attempt to align the case by the ethernet port and throw a protective case on it. If everything is working fine and the problem is pure cosmetic..why toss money in it? You're better off selling it on craigslist as a damaged but working machine and buying a new one if it bothers you that much.
 
Vikz said:
From the looks of the port side the hinge is damaged, maybe that's why they are giving you you the 1,200 figure since they want to replace your LCD display too. Open your mbp and check that hinge because from my experience as an AASP tech, even if you change the case the mbp won't close as it did before the drop
Click to expand...

why would they replace the entire lcd because of a hinge? last laptop i took apart the screen came out and the hinge was still in the laptop. they want $1200 for an estimate, and to basically rebuild the computer. pointless if everything still works. so yea, bend the hinge and the aluminum around the ports with a tool and as long as everything works, drive on. its a battle scar.
 
bdodds1985 said:
why would they replace the entire lcd because of a hinge? last laptop i took apart the screen came out and the hinge was still in the laptop. they want $1200 for an estimate, and to basically rebuild the computer. pointless if everything still works. so yea, bend the hinge and the aluminum around the ports with a tool and as long as everything works, drive on. its a battle scar.
Click to expand...

Although online you can buy the parts separately, in apple's service channels the hinges come attached to the displays assembly which apple sells at $900~ premium plus they quoted him the upper case so there's your $1,200.

OP open the mbp before replacing parts and make sure The hinge is ok if not the work you will do will be half done since the display will never close like its supposed too.
 
Ouch. I was going to say that you should live with it until I saw the pictures. The misaligned screen must be driving you nuts, at least I know it would drive me nuts.

I also dropped my MacBook Pro not so long ago, but the damage is minimal. The bottom case doesn't fit properly in the corner that was hit but that's about it.

Anyway, just try not to spend too much money trying to repair it.
 
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