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~30 min water damage to late '14 MBP

A

AlbatrossProX

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 22, 2015
10
0
Spilled a glass of water on the front keyboard. Had a keyboard protector but obviously the water went straight for the ventilation holes. So far I've shaken it upside down a bit (might have been a bad idea but water was coming out), turned it off, and now have it face-down powered off with a fan underneath.

Here are my two questions:

1) Twice while I was trying to dry it, I hit the power switch accidentally and had to power off again. The first time, I noticed that wifi hardware was undetected. The second time, speakers were undetected. Is this just a sign of pending circuit interference, or does it necessarily mean permanent damage already?

2) Since warranties don't cover water, am I better off just rushing out to buy a screwdriver kit and attempting to dissemble and dry off components? Or should I let it dry as-is for ~3 days?

Thanks a lot.
 
Oh. Other sources on the web weren't quite so pessimistic as that....

So essentially the answer to 1) is permanent damage, and 2) is that it's too late? The incident was about three hours ago.
 
It would be best to strip it down, spray it clean with non-residue electronics cleaning fluid, dry it with a hair dryer.

But as a minimum open the back and give it a good blast with the hair dryer on medium heat.

Worst case take it to your local Apple store and pay $310 for the flat rate repair.
 
ron1004 said:
It would be best to strip it down, spray it clean with non-residue electronics cleaning fluid, dry it with a hair dryer.

But as a minimum open the back and give it a good blast with the hair dryer on medium heat.

Worst case take it to your local Apple store and pay $310 for the flat rate repair.
Click to expand...

Ok, ok. From what I've been reading you're lucky to get out with only $310. People talk about repair costs for water damage that are basically the value of a new machine. I will try to pick up the micro screwdriver to do that. Only thing is, I understand that if I open it up I'll void my Applecare (in case I need it down the line). They don't make this stuff easy.
 
AlbatrossProX said:
Ok, ok. From what I've been reading you're lucky to get out with only $310. People talk about repair costs for water damage that are basically the value of a new machine. I will try to pick up the micro screwdriver to do that. Only thing is, I understand that if I open it up I'll void my Applecare (in case I need it down the line). They don't make this stuff easy.
Click to expand...

The liquid spill has already voided your AppleCare. The fear of that happening at this point is moot, so you may as well throw caution to the wind and crack that sucker open.
 
duervo said:
The liquid spill has already voided your AppleCare. The fear of that happening at this point is moot, so you may as well throw caution to the wind and crack that sucker open.
Click to expand...

Wait, really? Isn't that like automatically voiding your fire insurance because you had a flood? I knew they wouldn't cover water damage, but I didn't realize that any moisture whatsoever basically voids the whole contract.
 
AlbatrossProX said:
Wait, really? Isn't that like automatically voiding your fire insurance because you had a flood? I knew they wouldn't cover water damage, but I didn't realize that any moisture whatsoever basically voids the whole contract.
Click to expand...

You're confusing insurance (user damage) with warranty (defects).
 
Welcome to apple care, the thing you buy because you fear to pay when you break your mac. But guess what, when you do break it we void it! the power of the Apple. Sorry i know this isnt all true but some of it is.
 
blueroom said:
You're confusing insurance (user damage) with warranty (defects).
Click to expand...

I see the difference there. It just seems odd in that quite a lot of the things AppleCare covers certainly do relate to user damage. It's just improper computer use rather than, say, dropping it from a ten-story building.

My real issue is that this all seems rather careless on Apple's part. I mean, this is a fairly common problem, and not only don't they offer insurance for it, but they haven't been able to come up with any engineering fixes to avoid channeling liquid straight into the logic board? I mean, we are dealing with the world's wealthiest corporation after all. You'd think they could think of something.

----------
ron1004 said:
It would be best to strip it down, spray it clean with non-residue electronics cleaning fluid, dry it with a hair dryer.

But as a minimum open the back and give it a good blast with the hair dryer on medium heat.

Worst case take it to your local Apple store and pay $310 for the flat rate repair.
Click to expand...

Could you recommend one of those cleaning fluids? A site I checked just suggested using isopropyl alcohol.
 
I'd say before you attempt to crack it open, let it dry for a few days. I remember reading about accidents like yours before, where people came to the forum in panic and were already calculating how much a new computer out of the pocket vs going through their home insurance would cost. Then 3 days later, they'd try to turn it on again and lo and behold everything was well again once the water had dried up.

That's certainly not the outcome in each and every case, but it might be worth waiting before taking it apart? Given that you have already "shaken out" the excess water.

Good luck!! :)
 
cairene2011 said:
I'd say before you attempt to crack it open, let it dry for a few days. I remember reading about accidents like yours before, where people came to the forum in panic and were already calculating how much a new computer out of the pocket vs going through their home insurance would cost. Then 3 days later, they'd try to turn it on again and lo and behold everything was well again once the water had dried up.

That's certainly not the outcome in each and every case, but it might be worth waiting before taking it apart? Given that you have already "shaken out" the excess water.

Good luck!! :)
Click to expand...

I just placed an order for the screwdriver, which with shipping got pretty close to $20. It should arrive on Wednesday, which will be just about 72 hours. I'm hoping for that very outcome, and hopefully I can just be upset about the twenty bucks I wasted. Thanks for the good luck!
 
If any damage has been done, it`s already done. You may get lucky as the spill was just water. Remove the base plate and leave it to dry out in a warm dry place, a fan can help a lot to speed things up. I would not recommend disassembling the machine unless you are used to dealing with very small connectors etc. for obvious reason.

In general the longer you can leave it before turning on the better, although the Logic Board may look dry water can still be present. I would also recommend disconnecting the battery, search for iFixit and your MBP model if you need guidance.

As for Apple care you might want to think about a refund as it`s pretty much useless if the moisture sensors have been triggered - http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202704

Good luck...

Q-6
 
Best advice, I've fixed lots of machines like this before.

There are some things that apple implemented in the design of its hardware to to try to stop or reduce damage from contact with liquid.

Power comes in through the magsafe board then to the trackpad and then to the logic board.

If you spill liquid on the keyboard then there a small chance the trackpad will fail and stop power entering the logic board protecting it from damage. This is not a curtantity by any means, but it's there to reduce problems.

ASAP strip the machine completely and check all components for liquid or residue from liquid making contact with any component, you will need a magnifying glass as least...

Clean the logic board with alcohol and a small soft brush and clean all areas you see that liquid has come in contact, the alcohol will not damage any component on the logic board or other electrical components, it will clean them and evaporate any liquid that is there completely.

Time is of the essence really, the sooner you can do it the better. If you are waiting for a screwdriver leave the macbook so the keyboard if facing down, so any liquid is lying on the screen and not seeping into the macbook, hope that bit makes sense, and leave it in that position in a warm place in till the screwdriver arrives. Do not be tempted to power it on at all....

Hope this helps

Thanks

Ian
 
Natzoo said:
Welcome to apple care, the thing you buy because you fear to pay when you break your mac. But guess what, when you do break it we void it! the power of the Apple. Sorry i know this isnt all true but some of it is.
Click to expand...

Why should Apple be responsible for your negligence?
 
From my experience with water damaged devices (basically my second water damaged iPhone) all I did was place them in a bag of lots of silica gel and placed that bag in a higher temperature heat area and after a day or two it didn't even look like my device was damaged. Wish I knew this the first time my phone got water damaged since then I decided to disassemble it and clean the contacts with isopropyl alcohol but then it just destroyed my phone.

If I were you I would just keep the computer off and dried for 3 days without touching it. That will do the least possible damage.
 
AlbatrossProX said:
I see the difference there. It just seems odd in that quite a lot of the things AppleCare covers certainly do relate to user damage. It's just improper computer use rather than, say, dropping it from a ten-story building.

My real issue is that this all seems rather careless on Apple's part. I mean, this is a fairly common problem, and not only don't they offer insurance for it, but they haven't been able to come up with any engineering fixes to avoid channeling liquid straight into the logic board? I mean, we are dealing with the world's wealthiest corporation after all. You'd think they could think of something.
Click to expand...

AppleCare+ (for iOS devices only) is a type of warranty + insurance where you can pay a deductible and get the device replaced.

Damage is damage, doesn't matter if you pour liquid on it or drop it off a building.

If you want insurance there are a few options available. Your Credit Card may offer it, some retailers (not Apple) offer their own extended warranties including damage (some not so good though). Your home owners insurance can be upgraded to include damaged goods. Lots of options.

Although Apple doesn't make them, you can buy keyboard splashguards for your MacBook (it will often hamper cooling, plus your LCD screen may suffer as it'll hit the rubber).

Of course waterproof laptops exist, albeit expensive and not OSX.
 
Hi,

People that say you shouldn't use isopropyl alcohol are wrong. You need a high concentrate min 90% alcohol.

If you damaged your phone when dissembling it then that is user error, using isopropyl alcohol would not do that it should extend the device life as it clean's and evaporates almost immediately.

I have fixed alot using this method, and so has many other people.

If im cleaning a macbook pro logic board i completely submerge the board in a sonic bath with around a litre of isopropyl alcohol for 10 mins then remove it and gently clean any stubborn marks / light corrosion

Water spills have the highest percentage of having a 90% working machine, if the liquid is coke/pepsi or spirits that contain alot of sugar its probably around 60% success rate to have working machine after clean.

Thanks

Ian
 
Natzoo said:
Welcome to apple care, the thing you buy because you fear to pay when you break your mac. But guess what, when you do break it we void it! the power of the Apple. Sorry i know this isnt all true but some of it is.
Click to expand...

So My ? is, is getting Apple Care not worth it?
 
Natzoo said:
Welcome to apple care, the thing you buy because you fear to pay when you break your mac. But guess what, when you do break it we void it! the power of the Apple. Sorry i know this isnt all true but some of it is.
Click to expand...

AppleCare (for Macs) is about warranty of the device against defect, not insuring against accidental user damage. As such, your comment is not even close to being accurate.
 
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