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A cracked MacBook bezel problem

M

macmike47

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 8, 2007
174
1
On the road
I just got my White plastic MacBook back from Apple after they agreed to replace the cracked armrest even though it was out of warranty. (You know, the one that looks like this...)

They replaced the upper and lower casing of the main body of the MacBook, leaving the screen as it was.

Then, less than a week after getting it back, I'm cleaning the screen really gently and this happens:

IMG_5044.jpg


To be honest, it doesn't disturb me while I'm using it, but it's seriously damaged the resale value, if I ever want to upgrade.

So Apple, after having agreed to cover the armrest crack out of warranty, has refused to cover this one! It's the same issue isn't it? A weak material that's susceptible to cracking.

I'm kind to my MB and treat it with care, so really think this is a design flaw, rather than abuse on my part.

Has anyone else had the bezel crack in this place? I'd be interested to know.

Thanks :)

Mike
 
I've seen anything

like that and we ran a portable Mac lab with 60 plastic laptops that were signed out to students. You can imagine the stress those underwent and I can't recall a single case cracking like that. Keys falling off keyboards and power cords shredded, yes. But the cases were almost indestructible.

A shame yours is cracking up like that.
[Edit: NEVER seen anything]
 
MKSinSA said:
like that and we ran a portable Mac lab with 60 plastic laptops that were signed out to students. You can imagine the stress those underwent and I can't recall a single case cracking like that. Keys falling off keyboards and power cords shredded, yes. But the cases were almost indestructible.

A shame yours is cracking up like that.
[Edit: NEVER seen anything]
Click to expand...

Q: were they Macbooks or iBooks? I think the iBooks were made of sturdier stuff than the newer laptops. I've seen dozens of Macbooks cracking on the armrest and it seems to be a problem Apple has semi-officially recognised. Just the Bezel crack is something I've not yet come across. Though I'm convinced it's linked to the magnetic latch system.

Thanks for your reply.
 
I'm pretty sure this is covered under the same policy as the rest of the MacBook casing.

You should be able to get this covered for free, in or out of warranty.
 
Ah, they were iBooks

macmike47 said:
Q: were they Macbooks or iBooks? I think the iBooks were made of sturdier stuff than the newer laptops. I've seen dozens of Macbooks cracking on the armrest and it seems to be a problem Apple has semi-officially recognised. Just the Bezel crack is something I've not yet come across. Though I'm convinced it's linked to the magnetic latch system.

Thanks for your reply.
Click to expand...

Sounds like Apple did themselves a disservice downgrading the materials. That experience, plus a Toshiba laptop that disintegrated before my eyes, is what brought me over from PC in the first place. Just hope this aluminum body holds up better. Perhaps you could make the case that the bezel resulted from the fix itself.
 
I've done it again.

A few months ago I commented in someone's thread about their case cracking near the trackpad and noticed that mine had started to crack too.

Now I look at the bezel of my MacBook and it's starting to crack in virtually the same place as the OP.

Looks like it'll have to go in to Apple again :(
 
Daveoc64 said:
I've done it again.

A few months ago I commented in someone's thread about their case cracking near the trackpad and noticed that mine had started to crack too.

Now I look at the bezel of my MacBook and it's starting to crack in virtually the same place as the OP.

Looks like it'll have to go in to Apple again :(
Click to expand...

ooh, please let me know what Apple say to you, I'd be very interested :)
 
macmike47 said:
ooh, please let me know what Apple say to you, I'd be very interested :)
Click to expand...

I think I'm going to leave it a while as it's only just become noticeable and I'm quite busy at the moment.

I wouldn't want to take it in until it poses more of an "issue".

I'll try and remember to post to this thread though!
 
omg well mine isnt cracked on the bezel but,
it is here
1.jpg

and here..
2.jpg

and here.....
3.jpg



(sorry about the camera quality its from my blackberry :/)
 
macmike47 said:
ooh, please let me know what Apple say to you, I'd be very interested :)
Click to expand...

The crack has got a lot worse now, so I'm going to have to take it in to the Apple Store on Monday (I made an appointment).

I'll post here after I take it in.
 

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I had a crack by the Caps Lock key on my MB and Apple refused to fix it. They told me to get a crack in the palm rest and bring it back.
 
Mine split at the top, horizontally from the opening bezel to the right side of the screen. Also a split appeared just under the tap key.

I had mine re shelled by Apple.
 
i have the same crack as post 1 and 9, i lke the MB but i have to say its on of the worst design out there, the material they used and the way it vents the exhaust just sucks..
 
Just to update, I took my MB to the Apple Store and was quoted £60 to replace the bezel plastic. The genius said they only cover cracks in the palm-rest plastic outside warranty. This surprised me, as they replaced the whole under side of the MB at the same time as my last repair. It seems they're making up the rules as they go along.

I explained it to the genius like this: if Apple agrees to replace the palm-rest area outside the warranty, that indicates they accept there's a weakness in the plastic. If they accept that, it makes sense that they should replace the bezel, because it's made of exactly the same material. What's more, it's the same closing mechanism that's caused this bezel crack, as the one that caused the palm-rest crack! The genius insisted that Apple carried out tests, and found the only weakness to be in the palm-rest. Personally, I don't buy it, and I think a company with tens of billions of dollars in the bank should look after their customers a little better.

Thoughts?
 
macmike47 said:
Just to update, I took my MB to the Apple Store and was quoted £60 to replace the bezel plastic. The genius said they only cover cracks in the palm-rest plastic outside warranty. This surprised me, as they replaced the whole under side of the MB at the same time as my last repair. It seems they're making up the rules as they go along.

I explained it to the genius like this: if Apple agrees to replace the palm-rest area outside the warranty, that indicates they accept there's a weakness in the plastic. If they accept that, it makes sense that they should replace the bezel, because it's made of exactly the same material. What's more, it's the same closing mechanism that's caused this bezel crack, as the one that caused the palm-rest crack! The genius insisted that Apple carried out tests, and found the only weakness to be in the palm-rest. Personally, I don't buy it, and I think a company with tens of billions of dollars in the bank should look after their customers a little better.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I would just go to a different Apple store. I'm sure you'll get a different answer.
 
I had the same bezel problem as you and they didn't even bother to question it and just put the repair through. Although I do have applecare. As the poster above me said take it to a different aple store, or try and get a different genius.
 
Just an update on my problem.

I couldn't make it to the Store Monday, so I rescheduled the appointment for this afternoon.

I took it in and the Genius said he could arrange to have it fixed, but that officially the warranty wouldn't cover it. He said that as it "didn't cost much" they wouldn't charge me for it though and that they could do it in 2 hours.

He mentioned that they only had one left in stock, so he double checked in the back of the store to make sure that they did.

I got back 2 hours later and they brought the MacBook out with a new bezel, but it was HORRENDOUSLY fitted. It hadn't been clipped in on the right hand side or the bottom. After a while they had it clipped in on the right hand side, but it wouldn't click in on the bottom.

They took it out the back again to have a proper look at it. When it came back they had "put another one on" (which is a little suspicious because they only had one left a short while ago...), but the bottom right of the bezel didn't seem fitted correctly. In the end I decided to take it anyway (the Store had been very busy all day - it took an hour to pick up the computer).

The cost on the receipt was £42 (which I didn't have to pay due to AppleCare), but he did offer to repair it before I even told him how old it was.
 
I had the same problem and had both the topcase (the palm rest) and the bezel replaced 10 months ago - I had to pay for the bezel replacement as it was not covered by the out-of-warranty agreement. I've since had the topcase replaced again a month ago and now the bezel has gone once more in exactly the same place as previous, same as your photo. They're asking me to pay once more for the bezel as out-of-warranty replacements are only covered for 90 days!

It's clear that the bezel is part of the same problem, it's also apparent that the replacement parts are not as good as the original for at least they lasted more than two years, not 9 months.

Needless to say it is a bit of a hassle each time to get this repaired!!
 
armrest crack

I have a two year old white macbook. Earlier this year the armrest cracked, took it to an apple store, they fixed it, no problem. It then cracked again, a few months later, this time when I took it to the store, the mac genius tried telling me it was the way i was closing the computer, anyways it got fixed again. Last week I noticed that the armrest had cracked, yet again. Needless to say I was irritated. So i go back to the store, this time they asked if i ever had the bezel replaced. I stated no, and to that they said they would replace the bezel and the armrest no charge, they just needed to order the part. While it is irritating that this cracking in this model of the macbook has been such a problem, it has happened to my father's macbook as well, i have to say that apple has been quite good about replacing and fixing the problem. Fingers crossed that having the bezel replaced will prevent the armrest from cracking.
 
My black Macbook is cracked the whole way around the bottom like that. Apple sent me a box to have it fixed, especially after I mentioned that I had a sliver reach up and lodge in my hand one night typing (it was dark and I could not see it). I should have sent it back and fixed it but I could not be without a computer for a week.
 
niter, How did you get Apple to send you the parts?

I asked the Apple reseller if I could buy a bezel and fix it myself, but they declined. They said Apple would only sell parts to official resellers/repairers.

The annoying thing about this, apart from Apple not accepting that both topcase AND bezel are faulty, is that having had both parts replaced twice now, there is no guarantee that they won't go again within a few months. Having been told that the REV B parts fixed the original fault, and had these installed, that's not been the case (pardon the pun) and IMO these are worse than the originals.
 
I have 4 chunks of plastic missing from my topcase, but there is considerable damage to the lid of my MacBook from a previous owner (they cracked the screen and put a clamp on it to put pressure on the lcd to be able to read it) and I wasn't sure if Apple would replace the cracks since the lid is damaged.

Any thoughts?
 
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