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2010 imac on 3rd catastrophic failure in one year. Is this normal?

M

mellofello

Suspended
Original poster
Feb 1, 2011
1,259
556
Thank god I bought apple care. I just got a call from apple, and for the second time in one year my motherboard has burned out. Since I have had this imac I have also had 2 hard drive failures, and a burned out power supply. A rough tabulation of the invoices I would have been billed had I not bought apple care is around $3500. :eek:

Did I just get a lemon or are other 2010 27 inch owners seeing this many big failures? For a computer as hard to service as a imac this is getting ridiculous. Lugging this huge thing to the apple store is also a huge pita.

Regardless this was the last straw I'm putting it up for sale and buying myself a mini.
 
Can ...

... you share the specific location and usage of your iMac in your home. Those failures sound like powerline problems, which are very likely to kill harddrives and/or power supplies.
 
Brand ...

... new wiring doesn´t necessarily mean perfectly working - just saying.

Which UPS are you using?
What is your usage profile?
 
Talk to Apple about how this doesn't seem normal... And you can't trust the iMac any more. Apple is known for taking care of you... especially if you have Applecare.

My late 2009 had some problems, (logic board, screen, power supply, to name a few) when I brought it in for the Seagate HDD recall, they said they found more problems and replaced it with a mid 2011 imac.

Call them back up and talk to them... nicely... Because that surely isn't normal...
 
If it's under Applecare - i'd be asking them to replace it.

My guess - for what it's worth - is the graphics card. I've seen graphics cards take out MLBs and PSUs before now.
 
Last time the hard drive failed I asked them to replace it. I asked them again this time, but they refused. I am very cordial with the geniuses but at this point I am getting frustrated.

As far as usage goes the imac is only a media hub for my kitchen and is usually used for, at most one hour per day.

As far as the ups goes I'm not sure of the model number but it was the best one apc made before enterprise level. I should also mention that this is one of 5 computers in my house hold, and is the only one that has ever had an issue.

You cant pin all these failures on my equipment or usage. I have taken as many steps as any reasonable person can.
 
Ask to speak to the manager at the store, or phone applecare and ask for customer relations. 2 HDDs, a PSU and 2 MLBs is grounds for a replacement.
 
3rd Mac Mini

I am on my third Mac Mini since my original purchase in 2009...4th magic mouse....if it were not for Apple Care which I paid for it would have been
a disaster....anyone who buys a Mac and does not buy AppleCare is NUTS
 
palmharbor said:
I am on my third Mac Mini since my original purchase in 2009...4th magic mouse....if it were not for Apple Care which I paid for it would have been
a disaster....anyone who buys a Mac and does not buy AppleCare is NUTS
Click to expand...

My early 2009 Mini is still running as strong as the day it was bought, and only gets switched off in storms.

Experiences vary.
 
OLDCODGER said:
My early 2009 Mini is still running as strong as the day it was bought, and only gets switched off in storms.

Experiences vary.
Click to expand...

Likewise. I've owned several minis, and never ever once had a failure. On a 2012 mini right now, and it runs like a champ. It's actually the one Mac I never buy AppleCare for! For me they've always been bullet proof, and like you mine runs 24/7.
 
WilliamG said:
Likewise. I've owned several minis, and never ever once had a failure. On a 2012 mini right now, and it runs like a champ. It's actually the one Mac I never buy AppleCare for! For me they've always been bullet proof, and like you mine runs 24/7.
Click to expand...

Mini's very rarely go wrong for some reason.

And yeah, that doesn't sound like customer relations at all.
 
Brian Y said:
And yeah, that doesn't sound like customer relations at all.
Click to expand...

Tell me about it. I just got another call from the geniuses and it turns out that the video card went bad also. Make that repair bill almost $4000 now. $50 off of my mini is their final offer.

I am extremely disappointed in apple here. I am a apple fanboy and have almost every product that they make. For them to throw me under the bus like this is pretty hard to swallow.

I have a guy willing to buy my imac for $1000 which is about $1100 less then I have into it but at this point I really have no choice. I would rather get something out of it then have it explode into a million worthless pieces.

I am buying a mini but it will be getting a windows 8 partition on it. This experience may be the one that makes me leave apple.
 
The geniuses offered $50 off?

If it's under warranty - CR should be replacing that no questions asked. Try calling again - make sure you speak to customer relations, not customer services.
 
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