2 Day old Macbook Pro Spill

[asr36]

After my 2008 macbook air died last week I went and purchased a new macbook pro (2 days old!).

This morning I spilt my coffee all over the keyboard. Instantly I inverted the computer and powered it off. I then used paper towel to take up the coffee on top. It has been inverted all day with a fan blowing directly onto it. How long should I leave it till I test it again?

 

[Spudlicious]

Tough luck, you won't do that again, will you? Even if it worked the residue is likely to cause problems in the long term with corrosion, mold growth and suchlike. Google tells me there's an Apple store in Brisbane so I have no doubt you should take it there to be examined, they will have seen this scenario before.

I'm not being sarcastic when I say tough luck, because I know the spillage will have felt like a dagger to your heart.

 

[maflynn]

It has been inverted all day with a fan blowing directly onto it. How long should I leave it till I test it again?

Put it in a bag of rice for a few days to help draw out the moisture. The issue is the ingredients in your coffee may have a corrosive affect on the logic board, so you may need to have that cleaned up, i.e., open it up and clean out the gunk with the appropriate cleaning solution and a q-tip(that is use the cleaning solution on the q-tip)

Bummers man

 

[asr36]

Tough luck, you won't do that again, will you? Even if it worked the residue is likely to cause problems in the long term with corrosion, mold growth and suchlike. Google tells me there's an Apple store in Brisbane so I have no doubt you should take it there to be examined, they will have seen this scenario before.

I'm not being sarcastic when I say tough luck, because I know the spillage will have felt like a dagger to your heart.

My warranty would be void though from the spill. I may have to begrudgingly open it up. I have had 2 MacBooks now die with faulty logic boards and was so happy to have one with a warranty again!

 

[Spudlicious]

My warranty would be void though from the spill. I may have to begrudgingly open it up. I have had 2 MacBooks now die with faulty logic boards and was so happy to have one with a warranty again!

Yes your warranty would be void, but is that your big problem at the moment? Further, spillage always leaves traces that could zap your warranty if you need service further down the line.

 

[maflynn]

My warranty would be void though from the spill. I may have to begrudgingly open it up. I have had 2 MacBooks now die with faulty logic boards and was so happy to have one with a warranty again!

Unfortunately as noted, your warranty is now voided. You might as well open it up and see if you can maybe clean it up and hopefully in the course of time, turn it on.

 

[Queen6]

After my 2008 macbook air died last week I went and purchased a new macbook pro (2 days old!).

This morning I spilt my coffee all over the keyboard. Instantly I inverted the computer and powered it off. I then used paper towel to take up the coffee on top. It has been inverted all day with a fan blowing directly onto it. How long should I leave it till I test it again?

Did you but it on a credit card, you may be covered for the first 90 days or so. Leave it as long as possible (5-7 days min) and look to find a Mac specialist who can clean the internals, unless you have the skills yourself. Ideally it needs to be stripped and the Logic Board washed in an ultrasonic bath, with appropriate solvent cleaner, dried & tested etc.

I have learnt over the years never to have liquids on the same level as the computer, always moving one from the other. Not that this helps your case, however it may help others.

Q-6

 

[Cuniac]

Oh man, I'm so sorry to hear that. Yes the warranty is void but Apple can still fix/replace it, its just going to be at about 90% of the original price . You can open it up and try to alcohol the computer and get most of the coffee out. Sadly the bulk of the damage has been done. Some coffee will get under the larger chips and be impossible to get out. If you had creamer in your coffee it could mold and the Logic board will eventually start to warp and corrode. You may possibly be able to get some good time out of it but anything you do on this computer going forward needs to be backed up asap

 

[Spudlicious]

Oh man, I'm so sorry to hear that. Yes the warranty is void but Apple can still fix/replace it, its just going to be at about 90% of the original price . You can open it up and try to alcohol the computer and get most of the coffee out. Sadly the bulk of the damage has been done. Some coffee will get under the larger chips and be impossible to get out. If you had creamer in your coffee it could mold and the Logic board will eventually start to warp and corrode. You may possibly be able to get some good time out of it but anything you do on this computer going forward needs to be backed up asap

Sadly that is all correct, and I'm just hoping the OP has household insurance to cover it.

 

[asr36]

Hi all, unfortunately I was not covered by accidental damage on my current insurance (I have now updated my policy!) and I did not buy on credit card either. The data was not an issue as everything I do is from iCloud or Dropbox as I have been using cloud storage for a long time now.

I had nothing left to lose so after having a dehumidifier running and the fan on it since the incident yesterday I cleaned the laptop and under the keys with isopropyl alcohol. I did not want to open her up yet just in case the spill indicators were not triggered. Good news it has booted without issues. Hardware test has been run and everything is ok. My lesson has been learnt!

Thanks for the support and ideas.

 

[whodatrr]

Before I opened it up or did any gymnastics, I'd bring it in the the Apple Store. Those folks have been pretty nice about fixing stuff, from my experience. Given that the system is only two days old, they ,ay just throw you a bone...

 

[flyinmac]

Glad to hear that it's working. As for potential corrosion issues later, that's a gamble.

If you do decide to open it up at some point, they do have a spray electrical cleaner. Typically you can find contact cleaner in a spray can. But they'll also have a parts wash type as well.

Basically, with the components removed, you spray down the board, let it soak a few seconds, then tilt the board and spray it from top to bottom in a sweeping motion to flush away any deposits. The liquid evaporates quickly from the board and can be reinstalled soon afterwards.

 

[Spudlicious]

Great news the Mac is working, here's hoping it stays that way.