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2011 Macbook Pro Liquid Damage.. Worth fixing?

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paulmolive

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 12, 2017
5
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Hello everybody, Sorry if this has been covered already on here. Just looking for some advice before I go ahead and spend $350 on my 2011 Macbook Pro. Long story short, I spilled a drink on it and it won't power on. I purchased a new keyboard on eBay in hopes it was a simple fix but it turns out the motherboard is damaged. I took it to a local repair guy and he said it will cost $350. I love the computer and would gladly spend the money but I'm worried about whether the repair will hold up. I was hoping to get a couple more years out of it. Maybe I should just put the money towards a new one. Anyone have any experiences with repairing the board? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

Paul
 
Is that quote firm or can it be more if he finds more damage?

How much for a used unit of the same specs?
 
Rocko99991 said:
Is that quote firm or can it be more if he finds more damage?

How much for a used unit of the same specs?
Click to expand...
[doublepost=1502561048][/doublepost]Thanks for the reply. The quote was a max cost of $350. Could be less. A similar used pro goes for around $450-$500 up here in the Toronto area
 
Look on kijiji for a used 2011 or 2012 with a damaged screen and working internals.

I bought a used motherboard for a mid-2012 13" for $250 from kijiji and the guy even installed it for me. I tested everything to ensure it was completely functional and then paid him.
 
Well I didn't check the prices for that exact model. But I had a 2012 Air with a broken screen which had cost 450 to repair.
So I sold it for 380 and bought a 2013 for 560 with same 8GB ram and 256ssd.

I often saw broken macs selling for good money
 
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paulmolive said:
[doublepost=1502561048][/doublepost]Thanks for the reply. The quote was a max cost of $350. Could be less. A similar used pro goes for around $450-$500 up here in the Toronto area
Click to expand...
That's a tough call. I am not a fan of dumping a large amount of money into an older device. I would say this comes down to your heart. If your battery is in good shape and you really like this machine then get it fixed.
 
Search for Macbook here and you'll see getting $300 for a water damaged 2011 13" MBP that doesn't turn on is going to be difficult: https://www.kijiji.ca/b-gta-greater-toronto-area/macbook/k0l1700272

Depending on the severity of the liquid damage, the keyboard, trackpad, and motherboard sensors could be damaged beyond repair. If it's just the motherboard, I would look for a working motherboard from a 2011 or 2012.
 
Thanks everyone for your input. Perhaps the best option would be buy a similar macbook and sell mine as-is. I found a 2011 macbook in town for $400. I might make an offer of $350 and sell mine. Anyone think I could get $150-$200 for my broken mac? If so, I think that would make sense. Cheers
 
paulmolive said:
Thanks everyone for your input. Perhaps the best option would be buy a similar macbook and sell mine as-is. I found a 2011 macbook in town for $400. I might make an offer of $350 and sell mine. Anyone think I could get $150-$200 for my broken mac? If so, I think that would make sense. Cheers
Click to expand...

Check to see what others are going for on Ebay. Search 'as is' or 'for parts'. If your screen and case are good I would assume you could get at least what other parts units are going for.
 
A 2011 MacBook Pro is going on 6 years old. Say goodbye to your old friend.. get what you can out of it and buy another. Putting money into it in my opinion is throwing good money away. But it's your choice....:rolleyes:
 
paulmolive said:
Thanks everyone for your input. Perhaps the best option would be buy a similar macbook and sell mine as-is. I found a 2011 macbook in town for $400. I might make an offer of $350 and sell mine. Anyone think I could get $150-$200 for my broken mac? If so, I think that would make sense. Cheers
Click to expand...
400 sounds good. But personally I would go for a 2012 retina model.

I would put it on eBay with a starting price of 100 and see what happens. So you are already in a better position compared to the repair costs.
 
Hello again, Quick update on this..

I went to pick up my macbook today because I decided it wasn't worth it to repair, and it turns out the repair guy didn't even open it up to look at the insides. He just said there is no power so it must be the logic board. He didn't even try to install the new keyboard I bought for it. From what I understand the power button is part of the keyboard, no? I am still wondering if it could simply be the keyboard that is the problem.

If I plug in the magsafe and disconnect the battery, I can get the Macbook to power on, and boot to the login screen. After I reconnect the battery, it starts charging. The magsafe adapter lights up green, then orange. I cannot log in of course because the keyboard is dead. I tried connecting a logitech external keyboard but I can't get it to work or connect with bluetooth. It has been sitting, with power on (login screen & screen saver) for the past 24 hours.

Thinking about attempting to swap out the keyboard myself because it would suck to have to pay $100+ to install it and it turns out to indeed be a logic board problem. Anyone have any thoughts on this? The fact that it powers up and boots is a good thing right?

Cheers

Paul
 
The power button is on the keyboard for retina unit.

How did you determine that the motherboard was damaged?

My nephew's 2012 13" Macbook pro also had liquid damage. It worked fine for a couple of months after but it started to take 15 minutes just to get to the log in n screen with an ssd, the keyboard and trackpad did not work, and the fan was running at full speed.

I decided to put my early 2011 13" motherboard into his laptop and everything worked perfectly.
 
Last edited:
paulmolive said:
Hello again, Quick update on this..

I went to pick up my macbook today because I decided it wasn't worth it to repair, and it turns out the repair guy didn't even open it up to look at the insides. He just said there is no power so it must be the logic board. He didn't even try to install the new keyboard I bought for it. From what I understand the power button is part of the keyboard, no? I am still wondering if it could simply be the keyboard that is the problem.

If I plug in the magsafe and disconnect the battery, I can get the Macbook to power on, and boot to the login screen. After I reconnect the battery, it starts charging. The magsafe adapter lights up green, then orange. I cannot log in of course because the keyboard is dead. I tried connecting a logitech external keyboard but I can't get it to work or connect with bluetooth. It has been sitting, with power on (login screen & screen saver) for the past 24 hours.

Thinking about attempting to swap out the keyboard myself because it would suck to have to pay $100+ to install it and it turns out to indeed be a logic board problem. Anyone have any thoughts on this? The fact that it powers up and boots is a good thing right?

Cheers

Paul
Click to expand...

Is the Logitech keyboard USB or BT? If is BT only, try a USB keyboard.

But, why do you have to disconnect the battery? Something wrong with the charging on the logic board? If so, I think it is cheaper to move on.
 
The computer won't power on when I press the power button. The button is sticky, it took the brunt of the spill . I was surprised when it turned on after I disconnected the battery and reconnected it. The replacement keyboard has a power button attached to it. From everything I've read, and videos that I've watched, the power button is part of the keyboard on the 2011 MacBook Pro. And if keyboard is bad, then I don't think the power button would function.
 
The on the 2011 is on the frame on non-retina Macbooks. When apple went with retina, they changed the DVD eject button to a power button.

The keyboard for an a1278 will have an eject button and a power button.

Without a battery connected, the Macbook will power on by itself as soon as it is connected to a charger.
 
Is it a 13" or a 15". If it is a 15" and you haven't had the dGPU logic board replaced it is a ticking time bomb for a logic board failure anyway. If you got a used 15", even if it hasn the dGPU replaced it's a time bomb since they have a repeat failure rate as well. The extended warranty has run out as well.

The power button is part of the keyboard on the 2011. That said, replacing the keyboard requires taking the entire device apart. TBH, if you go this route you might as well replace the logic board since you have to remove it to replace the keyboard anyway.

My recommendation is to look at getting a refurbished MacBook. I love the 2011 MacBook Pros, but even my 2014 Air outpaced it on single-threaded benchmarks. I wouldn't recommend throwing good money into this machine.
 
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