Water damage to Macbook Pro

[alpenswiss]

Recently a friend of mine spilled water on my macbook when it was on. I let it dry for a day and now its working. However, according to Apple, the parts are no longer covered under the warranty and I have three years left. I'm fine using the computer as long as it works but if anything dies within the next three years I'll be totally on the hook for it, whereas Apple would normally just replace it.

What is the likelihood that i'll experience problems with this machine in the future? Would it be safer to just have my friend replace the laptop?

 

[miles01110]

What is the likelihood that i'll experience problems with this machine in the future? Would it be safer to just have my friend replace the laptop?

Higher than if he hadn't spilled water on it, but nobody can say for sure. I'd make him replace it, personally.

 

[mrj412]

Depends on which is more valuable to you - A functioning MBP without a warranty or your friendship? While it sucks to lose your warranty, I would wait to see if something breaks that is too expensive to repair and make a decision then.

 

[fluffyx]

It's worth noting that if you want a pro-rated refund of your AppleCare Protection Plan, you can just call 800-APL-CARE and they'll mail you a check.

The $1240 (15-inch and 17-inch) and $755 (13-inch) MacBook Pro repair quotes from Apple are staggering. If you have issues in the future, it can be tough to find a company who can provide cost-effective liquid-damage repair. But I promise you, we're out there!

 

[alpenswiss]

He's a great guy but I haven't known him for very long so I really can't predict how he'll react.

My concern is that once he knows its working, he'll just assume he's free and clear and that if i ask him to replace my laptop he'll think I'm being selfish and unreasonable. It just sucks bc I've only had it for a few months. I really don't want to have to chase him down in 8 months time bc I need a new hard drive...

 

[Velin]

I let it dry for a day and now its working.

Was it "not working" when water was first spilled on it? If so, you have a fair chance of complications in the future.

 

[alpenswiss]

I tried turning it on right after bc I didn't think any water had gone in and it wouldn't turn on. I attempted again a day later and it worked and appears to be fine now.

 

[WotanAgain]

What is the likelihood that i'll experience problems with this machine in the future? Would it be safer to just have my friend replace the laptop?

You're asking us to speculate on the likelihood of electronic component failure? Would you like for us to guess when the next time your car will have a flat tire too?

What you need to do is punch your "friend" in the balls for being such a clumsy idiot. And immediately after that, I would expect him to re-imburse you for the cost of the AppleCare. Because as you've already stated, he did 100% destroy your AppleCare warranty so he owes you that much at least. Lastly, if he was a true friend, he would pay you back for any repairs required over the next 3 years.

 

[alpenswiss]

Good point!

Discussing money is just so awkward, esp. with friends.

If I could use it for the next three years w/o it breaking, I'd be perfectly content keeping this one. I just don't know if I want to risk waiting to see if anything happens...

 

[Velin]

I tried turning it on right after bc I didn't think any water had gone in and it wouldn't turn on. I attempted again a day later and it worked and appears to be fine now.

In my experience, this may be a problem. It depends how much water reached the components, why the laptop refused to boot -- and was anything damaged during your initial attempts to power the computer.

Easy to fry or damage components when water is in there.

One suggestion -- take it to an Apple store and ask if they can run some diagnostics to see if there is any issue. I've never done that, but perhaps Apple can at least run some memory and component tests to see if there are any issues.

Or perhaps someone here can suggest a battery of tests to run on your laptop from home.

 

[l.a.rossmann]

This is dependent on the water, completely. Some water is nearly distilled and some is filled with all sorts of crap that causes corrosion. Corrosion that gets worse over time can cause failure. The process can be stopped if the corrosion causing substance is completely removed from the board.

Soemtimes water with junk in it attracts gunk over time. Dust conducts electricity, but you need a lot of dust, and for it to be dense. If the spill on the board causes dust to stick opposed to build up then blow away, there can be a problem.

My most often encountered problem is the water washes away the heaps of excessive thermal paste applied and causes shorts underneath BGA soldered devices, which is never getting cleaned away short of a nice ultrasonic machine in some cases. Second often is certain mosfet voltage regulator ICS going through the roof on ripple voltage on output until they stop working entirely and let out the full amount of voltage on the collector tab and blow up everything in front of it.

If you have issues in the future, it can be tough to find a company who can provide cost-effective liquid-damage repair. But I promise you, we're out there!

You're right, it is. $380 is the cost of another used macbook on craigslist.