2018 V20 MacBook Pro needs to be returned - what happens?

[MushroomMan]

I purchased a Vega20 2018 15" MBP in December 2018 (With Apple Care).

Unfortunately, I have found an issue with the screen flashing when sending video to a projector. As I use my laptop 7-days a week for either teaching or study, I decided the issue was 'liveable' until I had a term break (coming in April / May).

However today I noticed something strange - my laptop wasn't sitting flush on the desk. I use an InCase fabric shell which had sort of hidden the amount of trouble I'm in.

As you can see in the pic below, there is a fair bit of bending going on

Now, I know swollen batteries are a safety risk, so I called Apple Care today to try and work out the next steps (I'm in Thailand and luckily there is one Apple Store in Bangkok), but they were closed. My plan is to contact them tomorrow and do something ASAP.

So, my questions for you all (especially those who have gone through returns under Apple Care) are as follows:

1) My model had upgraded RAM (32), upgraded HD (1TB), and upgraded Video Card (Vega20), but it is obviously 16mths old - are they likely to repair or replace my laptop (given the bending and video card issue)?

2) With the 15" now discontinued from what I can tell, would it be reasonable to expect a 16" replacement, or a long wait for a 15" replacement with my specs?

Obviously, I will find out more information tomorrow when I call AC, but I just want to be prepared with some information about what is 'expected' / 'normal' in a situation like mine with AC. It would be quite challenging to work without my laptop, especially now with this Corona business and everything moving online.

Any help or information would be greatly appreciated!

 

[profcutter]

As all apple stores outside of China are closed for the foreseeable future, you may have some difficulty getting this taken care of.

 

[jerryk]

You should call or email Apple and ask them what to do.

 

[DeltaMac]

That's a lot of distortion on your MBPro!
I think if you remove the bottom cover, that you will find the battery swelling...
Again, that means you need to call AppleCare.
Step 1 (important): Make sure you have a good backup, and you may need a backup plan to use another laptop (you're not going to have a lot of options, Apple will probably offer to send you a box to ship your laptop to a repair center, and who knows how long that will take now)

 

[4sallypat]

OP: Do you leave your charger plugged into the Mac 24/7 ?

 

[konqerror]

2) With the 15" now discontinued from what I can tell, would it be reasonable to expect a 16" replacement, or a long wait for a 15" replacement with my specs?

Unlikely. You're almost certain to get a repair with the exact parts.

I've had no problems getting a BTO 2016 15" being repaired a few months ago. They're selling warranties for 3 years after last sale and parts support for at least 5, so they're planning ample parts until at least those dates.

 

[MushroomMan]

Thank you for all the replies with helpful information, it made the situation a bit clearer.

I just got off the phone with Apple, and it is not looking that good...lol. They have advised me to go to a local service centre (not their now-closed Apple store) to have the service centre confirm my issues. This may / may not be possible given the current lockdowns here.

I will try to limit my use / and get to an authorised service centre.... but it is not looking that good unfortunately!

Thanks again for the pointers and I will let you all know how I go.

 

[Steve686]

Just out of curiosity, can you post your battery full charge capacity?

 

[MushroomMan]

And to answer 4Sallypat, yes it is plugged in almost always at home and the same at work.

 

[Steve686]

View attachment 900577

And to answer 4Sallypat, yes it is plugged in almost always at home and the same at work.

Oops. Wrong thread. Sorry.

In regards to your post.

I meant to say it seems like your battery was right on par with the drainage curve relating to the 1,000 cycle life.

Do you remember if your battery used to report a higher number of mAh capacity versus the stated capacity?

I was thinking that Apple has put a software limit on how much their battery can charge up to the stated capacity to keep battery swelling at bay. I think this because there seems to be a little concern that our 16 inch MBPs are never showing 100% capacity as brand new machines.

 

[MushroomMan]

I thought I took a few coconutBattery screenshots when I first got the laptop, but can't find them.

If my memory serves me correctly, I believe the full charge capacity used to be over 7000 mAh, but we are going back 16mths, so I couldn't be 100% sure.

 

[Steve686]

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