2011 MBP 15 GPU just died, need advice

[mape2k]

Hello,

my 15inch MBP early 2011 started to get infrequent (about 1-2x a month) kernel panics ("AGC GPU REGISTER RESTORE FAILED : rdar://7254528") in the summer of 2016 along with smaller graphical glitches while browsing. I knew that this model was know to have a faulty GPU (https://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro-videoissues/), so I took it to a service provider in December 2016. There, it passed the test and they told me I was not eligible for the repair program as long as my MBP passed the diagnostics. They confirmed however that my GPU might be beginning to die.

Fast forward to yesterday, one month after the repair program stopped, and my MBP shows the full sign of a faulty GPU. I took it to the same service provider and voila, GPU hardware test failed.

I talked already to Appel support and they suggested to apply for a new MBP, if I can prove that they problems already started in 2016, before the end of the repair program. The question now is: how do I do that?

1) The kernel panics get send automatically to Apple, am I right? So they should have a record of my kernel panics from summer 2016 onwards. Can I or an Apple support tech access those records?
2) Do I have the chance to retrieve old kernel panics (I updated to macOS Sierra once it came out)? I have access to the harddrive data via single user mode (sometimes the MBP lets me boot into single user mode without any graphical artifacts). I also have a regular time machine backup for the time since ~September 2016.

Thanks for any input!

 

[Sanpete]

The service provider who tested your machine last year may have a notation in its records about the symptoms your machine was already showing.

 

[Vudoo]

Good luck. I am in a similar situation. I took my 2011 MBP to the Apple store a few months ago and it passed the diagnostic tests. It went completely kaput a few weeks ago and I brought it back to the same Apple store. They said that my machine has been classify as vintage and the computer system wouldn't let them do anything with it. So I'm thinking of just selling it for parts and buying a new machine because I don't want to spend the money from a 3rd party to repair a 6 year old laptop.

 

[ZapNZs]

I have one that went bad about 2 weeks after the program ended. It failed the VST and was verified to be the faulty GPU. However, I was told by Apple that the system is now considered vintage, that they no longer make or have logic boards that fit it, and that it isn't even in their system anymore and there is nothing more they can do other than diagnose. I hope you have better luck than I!

I sent Apple a letter asking them to make an EFI or OS update that permanently disables the AMD GPU and always defaults to integrated graphics, including during boot (the current point of problem for getting the system to always use integrated.) If enough other people do the same, they might respond. While this would mean slower performance and no ability to us an external display, it would still be a lot better than a completely useless computer.

So if there is nothing Apple can do, please consider sending them a letter kindly asking for this update!!!