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Gaps in unibody MBP lid! Please help. Pics included

A

Alucardx03

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Feb 10, 2008
580
3
Hi everyone. I purchased a new, top-of-the-line unibody MBP on launch day. A month or two later, when I was putting the computer through it's paces, I realized the computer had a serious heating problem. I took it to the Apple store, who sent it in for repair. When I got the computer back, it was terribly scratched up (about five deep scratches, all over two inches long). The Apple store decided to just give me a new computer, which I was happy to discover had no heating issues.

However, something else has caught my attention. I've noticed that, when the lid is closed, the left side sticks up about twice as much as the left. Unfortunately, I didn't catch this within the 14 return window (went on vacation right after I received my new notebook and didn't take it with) Honestly, I'm a little anal about my computers, and this might be one of those cases. However, I've noticed that dust and other debris from my laptop bag gets in through the gap and sticks to the screen and keyboard. It's a bit of a nuisance.

Before I noticed the issue, I installed an Invisible Shield. That, combined with my previous abysmal experience with the repair process, makes me not want to send it in for repair. Also, I honestly don't know if the "Geniuses" would regard it as an issue. Still, I think it's a road I don't want to travel down again unless absolutely necessary.

But, no matter how much I try to forget it's there, I still come back to it.

By looking at the pictures, would anyone else consider this a problem? If you were in my position, what would you do?

I've tried gently bending and flexing the screen, too. It seems to work in eliminating the gap until I open the screen again. Then, it's back to normal. Any suggestions?

The first picture is of the bad side, in front of a backlight. The second picture is the "normal" side. Hopefully you can see the issue. Thanks in advance for your help.



 
That really sucks. But there isn't not much we can do. You need to send it for repair or take it to a genius and see what they say. I know you don't have much faith in the repairs that Apple perform (And to be honest neither do I) but if it does come back scratched to hell take it to a genius and they may give you yet another new Notebook or send it for a case replacement.
 
Part of me thinks it's the magnets in the screen. Perhaps they're too weak? I know they're not completely dead because I've tried sticking a twist-tie to the screen, and it sticks equally on both sides... Do you think it's just a manufacturing defect? Is anyone else experiencing anything similar?
 
ggjstudios said:
Oh, the horror! :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

To be honest with the price of these machines and the way Apple markets them as the Rolls Royce of the notebook world with there precision engineering and superior enclosure materials problems like this shouldn't happen and Apple have a duty to fix these sorts of issues. If this was mine I would ask that they repair it.
 
Quu said:
To be honest with the price of these machines and the way Apple markets them as the Rolls Royce of the notebook world with there precision engineering and superior enclosure materials problems like this shouldn't happen and Apple have a duty to fix these sorts of issues. If this was mine I would ask that they repair it.
Click to expand...

I'm also a little hesitant to take it back because I had many problems with my MBA (the first was terribly uneven and would wobble, the second had a defective trackpad button), so I'm becoming the Obsessive Compulsive Mac buyer, it seems. I'm afraid the genius won't see it as an issue. It's about a 50 minute drive to the nearest Apple store, which is a trip I don't want to make in vain.
 
Quu said:
To be honest with the price of these machines and the way Apple markets them as the Rolls Royce of the notebook world with there precision engineering and superior enclosure materials problems like this shouldn't happen and Apple have a duty to fix these sorts of issues. If this was mine I would ask that they repair it.
Click to expand...
Everyone's entitled to be as "anal" as they want, but at the end of the day, it's a moderately priced $2,500 notebook computer, not a Rolls Royce or a nuclear reactor or a precision diamond-cutting tool. No notebook is perfect. The gap in the pics is miniscule. If dust is a problem, a good notebook sleeve will fix that. IMHO, it's not worth fussing about.
 
Bend it back into true or get yourself another sleeve that does not shed fibres into the gap.

Even if you got yourself a perfectly flat lid, putting your MBP into your bag with other things is likely to lead to a bent lid sooner or later if anything presses into the centre of the lid. This is a non-issue.
 
ggjstudios said:
Everyone's entitled to be as "anal" as they want, but at the end of the day, it's a moderately priced $2,500 notebook computer, not a Rolls Royce or a nuclear reactor or a precision diamond-cutting tool. No notebook is perfect. The gap in the pics is miniscule. If dust is a problem, a good notebook sleeve will fix that. IMHO, it's not worth fussing about.
Click to expand...

$2,500 isn't cheap. It should close properly every time.
 
Quu said:
$2,500 isn't cheap. It should close properly every time.
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It's half of what I used to spend for Dell notebooks years ago that didn't have a fraction of the power the MBPs do. It's all relative for each person, but in the overall scheme of things, $2,500 is a bargain!
 
I remember when I had my MBP 2.2 version it had the same type of gap you show in your pictures. I thought it was normal?
 
ggjstudios said:
It's half of what I used to spend for Dell notebooks years ago that didn't have a fraction of the power the MBPs do. It's all relative for each person, but in the overall scheme of things, $2,500 is a bargain!
Click to expand...

Cost isn't even the issue. It doesn't matter if you paid $10 or $20,000. The lid should close properly.

So, using your theory, if you purchased a steak in a restaurant for $25, but you used to spend $50 for a less quality meat, you should just except it and eat it even if it was dropped on the floor and had dirt on it, because in the overall scheme of things, $25 is a bargain?
 
YsoSerious said:
I remember when I had my MBP 2.2 version it had the same type of gap you show in your pictures. I thought it was normal?
Click to expand...

In the previous generation, the latch mechanism, which placed pressure on the front of the lid, was to blame. In the unibody's, the latch was replaced by a magnet, so there should be no problem.

Also, anyone who thinks $2500+ is cheap, you have too much money. Even in relative terms, it's a lot of money. I'm a December 2008 college graduate and can't find a job in the crap economy. To me, $2500 is a ****-ton of money.
 
Daremo said:
Cost isn't even the issue. It doesn't matter if you paid $10 or $20,000. The lid should close properly.

So, using your theory, if you purchased a steak in a restaurant for $25, but you used to spend $50 for a less quality meat, you should just except it and eat it even if it was dropped on the floor and had dirt on it, because in the overall scheme of things, $25 is a bargain?
Click to expand...
It's not a theory. The lid closes properly. It just doesn't close PERFECTLY. Your analogy is a poor one, since health outweighs cost.... and also outweighs a fractional gap on one side of a portable computer lid. :rolleyes: And like I said before, "Everyone's entitled to be as "anal" as they want" and "IMHO, it's not worth fussing about." If you have a different opinion, that's fine, but back off of criticizing mine!
 
This was an issue with the precious generation MBP. Some people really complained about it (with a bigger gap than you have, you can search for these posts), and after a lot of complaining some got the computers exchanged. In many cases, the new MBP was also affected, and sometimes it was even worse.
I think you are entitled to complain whether you pay 1 dollar or 2 million. Nobody said: "get you new Unibody MBP with a bent screen for $2500". You paid for a computer in perfect conditions and that's what you should get. But, being said that, I wouldn't. Given the extent of the gap, very small, most likely you won't get anything from Apple. If you do and they replace the computer, there's a good chance that you get another one with the same problem and you would have to start again.
People with bigger gaps than you have, have solved the issue by bending the screen forward (carefully), because a bent screen seems to be the problem. Also, avoid handling your computer from one corner and try to move it always using both hands.
 
Macmel said:
This was an issue with the precious generation MBP. Some people really complained about it (with a bigger gap than you have, you can search for these posts), and after a lot of complaining some got the computers exchanged. In many cases, the new MBP was also affected, and sometimes it was even worse.
I think you are entitled to complain whether you pay 1 dollar or 2 million. Nobody said: "get you new Unibody MBP with a bent screen for $2500". You paid for a computer in perfect conditions and that's what you should get. But, being said that, I wouldn't. Given the extent of the gap, very small, most likely you won't get anything from Apple. If you do and they replace the computer, there's a good chance that you get another one with the same problem and you would have to start again.
People with bigger gaps than you have, have solved the issue by bending the screen forward (carefully), because a bent screen seems to be the problem. Also, avoid handling your computer from one corner and try to move it always using both hands.
Click to expand...


Thanks for your reply. I've tried bending it back into place, but have had no luck so far. I'm worried that I'm going to damage the screen or hinges. Like you, I'm leaning toward not exchanging it. I'm worried that I'll get a computer with heating problems, dead pixels, screen flicker, squeaky hinge, black screen during games, or any of the other common issues. Besides the screen problem, my MBP is perfect. It's a roll of the dice, I think.

When I first switched to Macs after a lifetime of PC use, I was amazed by the build quality. I have had Dells, Toshibas, E-Machines, and an assortment of other laptops. All of them have broken in under two years. I purchased a mid-2007 MBP and have had no issues whatsoever. I thought that trend would continue when I got my MBA, but it didn't. I'm not sure what happened in that small amount of time, but it seems Apple has been slacking on QC.
 
MrZebra said:
Kinda kills the purpose of a forum, doesn't it? ;)
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No, it doesn't. The OP asked for opinions. They didn't ask to attack others' opinions. Forums aren't required to be devoid of common courtesy, no matter how immature some of the posters might be.
 
ggjstudios said:
No, it doesn't. The OP asked for opinions. They didn't ask to attack others' opinions. Forums aren't required to be devoid of common courtesy, no matter how immature some of the posters might be.
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I think that is kinda hypocritical of you when in your first post in this thread you practically ridiculed the original poster of the topic, enough to roll your eyes at him and sarcastically pronounce 'oh the horror!'. Perhaps you should take a page out of the book your preaching.
 
Quu said:
I think that is kinda hypocritical of you when in your first post in this thread you practically ridiculed the original poster of the topic, enough to roll your eyes at him and sarcastically pronounce 'oh the horror!'. Perhaps you should take a page out of the book your preaching.
Click to expand...
That was my opinion. That was NOT an attack or ridicule of the OP.
 
My Unibody MBP is exactly as the yours. For me it does not represent a problem. The screen is so thin, I always wonder how they manage to have it not bend even more.
 
Alucardx03 said:
....so I'm becoming the Obsessive Compulsive Mac buyer, it seems. I'm afraid the genius won't see it as an issue.
Click to expand...

Uh huh. ;)

Lots of MBPs have slightly uneven lids. It's not necessarily the build process itself that's wrong. The problem is that the aluminium bent a bit. Sometimes they just straighten out on their own after awhile.

Plastic Macs have rarely had a problem because the plastic used is stiff.
 
I would expect better QC for the price, it should close correctly...every time.
 
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