2017 5K iMac 27” screen dead loud fans upon reboot

[Sir Ruben]

Hi all,

My iMac has worked perfectly since I had it, and gets very light use. Yesterday whilst browsing the web the screen went off without warning. Nothing seemed to make it come back on so I held the power button down to turn off and then again to turn back on. Instead of booting up normally the screen remained blank and the fans would slowly build up speed until they were quite loud.

I spoke to Apple who tried a few things over the phone, and then said it needed to go to a service centre. My warranty expired in October so I imagine I am looking at an expensive repair for a computer that has barely been used and is in immaculate condition.

Further to a bit of research I can see this used to happen with the older thicker model of iMac and it was caused by a connection that was soldered to the screen which would become detached over time, not sure if that still happens with the latest iMac? My concern is that even if that were the case, Apple will be like “new 5K screen required” and hit me with a hefty bill.

Anyone had this happen with the current models, if so what was the cause? I am tech savvy but due to the way the iMac is manufactured I really didn’t want to try and remove the screen to do it myself.

 

[ilyasdesign37]

Hi all,

My iMac has worked perfectly since I had it, and gets very light use. Yesterday whilst browsing the web the screen went off without warning. Nothing seemed to make it come back on so I held the power button down to turn off and then again to turn back on. Instead of booting up normally the screen remained blank and the fans would slowly build up speed until they were quite loud.

I spoke to Apple who tried a few things over the phone, and then said it needed to go to a service centre. My warranty expired in October so I imagine I am looking at an expensive repair for a computer that has barely been used and is in immaculate condition.

Further to a bit of research I can see this used to happen with the older thicker model of iMac and it was caused by a connection that was soldered to the screen which would become detached over time, not sure if that still happens with the latest iMac? My concern is that even if that were the case, Apple will be like “new 5K screen required” and hit me with a hefty bill.

Anyone had this happen with the current models, if so what was the cause? I am tech savvy but due to the way the iMac is manufactured I really didn’t want to try and remove the screen to do it myself.

Apple make new products faulty using cheap parts, its not like before when they spend time on their products
all new apple products, hardware and software always have issues

I had alot issues my 5k iMac before sold it and stuck with 2013 Model had no issues

i think yours might be the motherboard or graphics card, 5K models have issues with fan or overheating issues

needs replacement as its all built in parts, I know place in south london they will do a great job

 

[Funsize93]

If the device was purchased in the UK and you still reside in the UK you may be covered under your consumer law rights. You mentioned that your warranty expired in October, was this the one year limited warranty or is that taking into account your consumer law coverage in your country as well?

 

[Sir Ruben]

If the device was purchased in the UK and you still reside in the UK you may be covered under your consumer law rights. You mentioned that your warranty expired in October, was this the one year limited warranty or is that taking into account your consumer law coverage in your country as well?

Yeah it was the one year limited warranty. The uk consumer law is not straightforward, I would have to prove that it failed because of an unreasonable defect. So I would have to have it serviced with Apple to find out what failed, deny the (probably expensive) repair, Apple send it back, I go to the store and pick it up, then armed with information on what is wrong with it try and pursue a claim that says it unreasonably failed. All the while no working Mac which is a bit of a nightmare, along with the fact that I may not get anywhere with it.

Also, I was advised that the replacement parts are only covered for 90 days. Wonderful.

 

[J.Gallardo]

Problems with GPU going off suddenly, or broken connection to screen were relatively common faults in prior gen iMacs (mine broke GPU or screen, I don't know, went black; just got a new 2017 model, as "defective" unit was working since 2009 and served me well. Took inner HD).
Loud fan noise makes me think that some wrong (?) process is going on at start-up.
I think you should follow usual emergency start procedures (from unplugging from main power,...reseting NVRAM... to Recovery Mode start). Perhaps you've tried already... as it's usually recommended by Apple staff.
Anyhow, that fan noise is more probably related to corrupted disk or mainboard... (IMHO).
If you can, ask for a diagnosis before making the repair; maybe it's free, as Apple has good and easy to use checking tools. You can decide afterwards.

 

[netdudeuk]

I’ve had a phone and a tablet replaced after more than a year so it’s worth going for it in your case. You never know.

 

[Funsize93]

Yeah it was the one year limited warranty. The uk consumer law is not straightforward, I would have to prove that it failed because of an unreasonable defect. So I would have to have it serviced with Apple to find out what failed, deny the (probably expensive) repair, Apple send it back, I go to the store and pick it up, then armed with information on what is wrong with it try and pursue a claim that says it unreasonably failed. All the while no working Mac which is a bit of a nightmare, along with the fact that I may not get anywhere with it.

Also, I was advised that the replacement parts are only covered for 90 days. Wonderful.

You exercise your consumer law rights before proceeding with the repair. I would recommend contacting AppleCare and ask them if you can have your repair covered under your consumer law rights (you may need to take it into a store for a diagnostic report, to rule out accidental damage before they will cover you). You are well within the 6yr period. Im not entirely sure if the seller or manufacturer is who what handles consumer law in your country. If you bought your Mac from Apple then Apple can handle your consumer law claim. You exercise you rights before proceeding with the repair, not after. If Apple is not the seller you can always take your device into the store to obtain a service report (showing the it is defective, requires repairs and wasn't caused by damage/abuse). You take that report and Mac into the place of purchase and ask for a replacement or refund exercising your consumer law rights. You dont have to pay anything.

 

[Sir Ruben]

Update on my iMac. I had an email back today with the findings of the fault. They advise that it needs a new logic board (let’s not forget that the Mac is only 1yr and 5 months old) at a cost of £609 plus an additional £90 for the labour.

Needless to say I phoned Apple and spoke to a senior tech. We were both in agreement that this was not acceptable performance for a premium home computer that gets very light use. At my workplace there are old PC’s that have been left on day and night for 20yrs, are full of dust, and still work.

He has said he will take full ownership of the issue and see to getting the costs covered (using the UK consumer rights) on my behalf without me needing to do anything further.

I will reserve judgement until I get my working Mac free of charge, I have heard that logic board failures can ‘cascade’ to the connected components and damage them too. However, I will say that apples customer service today certainly sounds promising.

 

[WilliamG]

Update on my iMac. I had an email back today with the findings of the fault. They advise that it needs a new logic board (let’s not forget that the Mac is only 1yr and 5 months old) at a cost of £609 plus an additional £90 for the labour.

Needless to say I phoned Apple and spoke to a senior tech. We were both in agreement that this was not acceptable performance for a premium home computer that gets very light use. At my workplace there are old PC’s that have been left on day and night for 20yrs, are full of dust, and still work.

He has said he will take full ownership of the issue and see to getting the costs covered (using the UK consumer rights) on my behalf without me needing to do anything further.

I will reserve judgement until I get my working Mac free of charge, I have heard that logic board failures can ‘cascade’ to the connected components and damage them too. However, I will say that apples customer service today certainly sounds promising.

Honestly, why would you not buy AppleCare? It’s cheap insurance. Any component can fall. It’s not representative of any failure in quality control. It just happens. As a point of reference, my 2014 5K iMac has been on 24/7 for near 5 years now and hasn’t had any failures of any sort.

If you buy a product with a 1-year warranty, you know what you’re getting into if it fails after that point. Your system is near a year and a half hold. Apple honestly owes you nothing, but I’ll be happy for you if they fix it out of kindness.

 

[Sir Ruben]

Honestly, why would you not buy AppleCare? It’s cheap insurance. Any component can fall. It’s not representative of any failure in quality control. It just happens. As a point of reference, my 2014 5K iMac has been on 24/7 for near 5 years now and hasn’t had any failures of any sort.

If you buy a product with a 1-year warranty, you know what you’re getting into if it fails after that point. Your system is near a year and a half hold. Apple honestly owes you nothing, but I’ll be happy for you if they fix it out of kindness.

Both Apple and myself disagree with you, that’s why under UK Consumer Law I am getting it replaced with a brand new machine, I have rejected a repair. No AppleCare needed

 

[netdudeuk]

Both Apple and myself disagree with you, that’s why under UK Consumer Law I am getting it replaced with a brand new machine, I have rejected a repair. No AppleCare needed

Good for you but you shouldn't have had to push for a better service in the first place. A one year warranty on these machines is not a good option. There is also a question mark around dust getting in the screen.

John Lewis occasionally sells Apple devices with a three year warranty. My MBP and iPP 11" are both covered that way.

 

[Sir Ruben]

Good for you but you shouldn't have had to push for a better service in the first place. A one year warranty on these machines is not a good option. There is also a question mark around dust getting in the screen.

John Lewis occasionally sells Apple devices with a three year warranty. My MBP and iPP 11" are both covered that way.

Didn’t really push to be honest. One phone call and they were in agreement straight away. It’s all good.

AppleCare is good I agree, but with UK consumer law behind you, you are still covered provided they can see you haven’t damaged it yourself.

Not sure what you mean about dust, I am getting a new replacement?

 

[Funsize93]

I knew you would have no problem having your device covered under CL

 

[Sir Ruben]

I knew you would have no problem having your device covered under CL

Yeah it’s a nice surprise. I never really have things break on me, and certainly not this early in their lifecycle. It’s good to know we have such good cover in the UK

 

[WrightBrain]

Which model was it? Was it the 4.2 i7?

 

[Tumbleweed666]

Good for you but you shouldn't have had to push for a better service in the first place. A one year warranty on these machines is not a good option. There is also a question mark around dust getting in the screen.

John Lewis occasionally sells Apple devices with a three year warranty. My MBP and iPP 11" are both covered that way.

Yes I've considered buying from JL but they only have a restricted range and that doesn't include SSD. Anyway good to read this thread I probably won't get AC for my new iMac as and when I do. Really I'd have liked a bigger screen though and what with the rumours maybe that will be the next one.

 

[Sir Ruben]

My plan from now on is to purchase directly from Apple. I do most of the time anyway. Under UK consumer law you have to deal with the retailer you purchased from should anything go wrong outside of warranty. In that situation I would want that to be Apple for peace of mind.

Apple Care is good as it also covers you for accidental damage. That makes sense with an iPhone but maybe not so much for a desktop computer that is never moved. In that case the UK consumer law might be all the coverage you need.