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Alternative to Apple's $1475 Repair for 2013 rMBP?

B

bms259

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 20, 2008
55
1
I had to send in my rMBP to Apple...the keyboard/trackpad started acting up and eventually the computer got shut down and wouldn't start back up, except for the fans. I went through all the normal steps, took it to the Apple Store and they shipped it away, quoting me $575.

The Repair Center gets it, says it's been water damaged, and wants to charge me $1500 to fix it. Problem is, I don't have that kind of money around. I have no interested in getting a new one either. But paying half the price I originally paid for the laptop seems crazy too.

Here's the photo they sent. I'm trying to figure out my options.
N47HcY5.png
 
Well you're not denying the liquid damage so it doesn't seem as if you're surprised. There really isn't much wiggle room since its not Apple's fault something was spilled on it, therefore they have no incentive to cover any of the cost. You might want to see if the credit card you bought it on or possibly your homeowners coverage covers it as some do.
 
i just bought a 2014 mbp 15” 16/512/2.8ghz with a couple dings for $800 on ebay. for $1300 you could probably get a close to pristine 2015 model
 
mastermind6192 said:
Well you're not denying the liquid damage so it doesn't seem as if you're surprised. There really isn't much wiggle room since its not Apple's fault something was spilled on it, therefore they have no incentive to cover any of the cost. You might want to see if the credit card you bought it on or possibly your homeowners coverage covers it as some do.
Click to expand...
Doubtful considering it's a 2013, unless OP bought it from Apple directly refurbished not more than 2 years ago (as a CC with Visa signature for example only extends the manufacturers warranty by a year, which doesn't cover accidental damage).

The OP is better off just finding a used one on eBay. I see 2013 models are averaging about anywhere from $400-600 depending on specs/condition. Otherwise, buy a new Windows laptop for that price if you don't want to continue using outdated hardware.
 
mastermind6192 said:
Well you're not denying the liquid damage so it doesn't seem as if you're surprised. There really isn't much wiggle room since its not Apple's fault something was spilled on it, therefore they have no incentive to cover any of the cost. You might want to see if the credit card you bought it on or possibly your homeowners coverage covers it as some do.
Click to expand...

I didn’t think it was water damaged but it’s not out of the realm of possibility. I opened it up and didn’t see anything that looked like it had gotten wet and the Apple Store tech who looked at it agreed.

I bought it in 2013, so no luck on CC. I emailed our insurance guy, but I’m not keen on filing a claim. My wife definitely isn’t! But I’m exploring it to see what options are there.
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jksu said:
i just bought a 2014 mbp 15” 16/512/2.8ghz with a couple dings for $800 on ebay. for $1300 you could probably get a close to pristine 2015 model
Click to expand...

I don’t care about physical dings. As long as it works well.

I’ve never really considered buying off eBay before. I’m all about buying refurbished but a little leery of eBay. What should I look for to make sure I don’t get stuck with a bad deal?
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zmon said:
Doubtful considering it's a 2013, unless OP bought it from Apple directly refurbished not more than 2 years ago (as a CC with Visa signature for example only extends the manufacturers warranty by a year, which doesn't cover accidental damage).

The OP is better off just finding a used one on eBay. I see 2013 models are averaging about anywhere from $400-600 depending on specs/condition. Otherwise, buy a new Windows laptop for that price if you don't want to continue using outdated hardware.
Click to expand...

$600 is definitely manageable for a replacement. I’ll have to look into it. I really don’t want to get a PC, and I don’t really want to get a Touch Bar MBP either. Before I had this problem, this computer was running almost flawlessly for me. I was hoping to get another 3 years out of it, at least.
 
bms259 said:
I had to send in my rMBP to Apple...the keyboard/trackpad started acting up and eventually the computer got shut down and wouldn't start back up, except for the fans. I went through all the normal steps, took it to the Apple Store and they shipped it away, quoting me $575.

The Repair Center gets it, says it's been water damaged, and wants to charge me $1500 to fix it. Problem is, I don't have that kind of money around. I have no interested in getting a new one either. But paying half the price I originally paid for the laptop seems crazy too.

Here's the photo they sent. I'm trying to figure out my options.
N47HcY5.png
Click to expand...

With that cost, you can get a newer/used one or even a brand new 2016/17 version depending on what your specs were. A newer computer hold a newer battery as well. If that's not an option, first thing to due is try to recover and backup any important files you have, then try and get a replacement. Hope the end results come in your favor. Good luck!
 
Appurushido said:
With that cost, you can get a newer/used one or even a brand new 2016/17 version depending on what your specs were. A newer computer hold a newer battery as well. If that's not an option, first thing to due is try to recover and backup any important files you have, then try and get a replacement. Hope the end results come in your favor. Good luck!
Click to expand...

I don’t remember the exact specs. It was maxed out in 2013 though, except for the SSD. It worked well for my design work and was supposed to be an 8 year machine. I’ll have to start looking at options. I have no desire for a touch bar, I know that.

Luckily I have everything backed up, more or less. I keep clones and TimeMachine back ups and iCloud and Dropbox.
 
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bms259 said:
I don't have that kind of money around. I have no interested in getting a new one either.
Click to expand...
I don't think its a good use to spend $1,475 on a 5 year old laptop. That leaves only one other alternative (well two technically). Buying another laptop, whether its new or used. If new, you can consider a MacBook Air or some sort of Windows machine. I'd recommend looking at getting used, either on ebay or craigslist (if that's available in your region).
 
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maflynn said:
I don't think its a good use to spend $1,475 on a 5 year old laptop. That leaves only one other alternative (well two technically). Buying another laptop, whether its new or used. If new, you can consider a MacBook Air or some sort of Windows machine. I'd recommend looking at getting used, either on ebay or craigslist (if that's available in your region).
Click to expand...

Thanks. I’m beginning to realize that myself. The reality though is that I need a decently performing laptop for my work, so I’m gonna have to come up the money to do something. It’s feasible but highly highly inconvenient.

I’ve never bought (or ever considered) buying a computer off eBay. But looking around I’m seeing some 2014 and 2015 models with similar specs as my 2013 machine for less than what Apple is charging me to fix the old one. I’m considering that, hesitantly.

I absolutely loved my MacBook. It did everything I wanted it to do. I had no real desire to upgrade it ever. The only two slightly negative things were that the battery life wasn’t what it used to be (but it was more than adequate), and I wished it were a little lighter. Oh and the finish had developed some weird wear marks by my wrists but I didn’t care about that at all. I was planning to keep using it for another three years probably.

Now I’m trying to figure out how I can get a replacement that will give me hopefully 4 years of similar performance for as cheaply as possible.
 
I hear the 2015 15" MacBook Pro was the best MBP ever made. I would look for that one used on ebay. It's going to be more expensive than $575 though because they are in demand and have a great reputation. Here is an example of a brand new one that seems fairly maxed out for the same price as your repair, great seller feedback:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-2015-A...837156?hash=item3d61fae324:g:DCIAAOSwdhla4XdD

Good luck. I have been where you are once a long time ago where I needed a machine but didn't have the money.
 
buying on ebay is pretty safe these days.

buy from someone with lots of positive feedback, detailed descriptions and photos. like with cars, you can get late model with a lot of extras (more ram, ssd, dgpu) for a lot less money. look for low battery counts. watch out for worn or peeling screen anti glare material.

use paypal/credit card to pay. it it’s a dud, and seller gives you problems, ebay via money back guarantee will help facilitate a refund. i’ve used it to return a bag that didn’t quite match the description. buyer declined to accept return. ebay basically told him he had to accept the return. very much protects buyers
 
Question:
"Alternative to Apple's $1475 Repair for 2013 rMBP?"

Answer:
Buy a new one and put the old in the closet, or sell it for parts.

That's the best "alternative" I can see...
 
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