Anyone here needed to use AppleCare but self-installed their RAM? (on the Mini)

[Gary King]

Has anyone here used AppleCare AFTER you self-installed your RAM? Because, installing RAM on your own does indeed void your warranty. I just called AppleCare a few times to make sure, and yes, it does void your warranty unless you get it done by an AASP.

So, I was wondering though; would AppleCare know for instance, that you self-installed the RAM?

Has anyone gotten away with using AppleCare and yet they self-installed their RAM? Or has anyone here used AppleCare, when they KNEW you self-installed the RAM (and told you they knew) but still continued with servicing your Mini? Or anyone here got turned down by AppleCare because you self-installed the RAM?

I want to know some first-hand experiences on this, once and for all.

Thanks in advance!

 

[StarbucksSam]

Okay... I don't have AppleCare for my PB YET (just ordered it!) BUT

within three weeks of getting my PowerBook the hard drive failed. I took it to a local service center and put the original Apple RAM back in (I took my Crucial ram out) and they had no idea. I don't think they'd have cared much, but I doubt there is any way for them to TELL. If you install your RAM properly there is no way for them to know who installed it - AND they are usually stricter with people who DON'T have AppleCare.

ALSO - keep your original RAM and remember how much you had. If you do, they'll have no way of EVER knowing.

 

[James Philp]

Okay... I don't have AppleCare for my PB YET (just ordered it!) BUT

within three weeks of getting my PowerBook the hard drive failed. I took it to a local service center and put the original Apple RAM back in (I took my Crucial ram out) and they had no idea. I don't think they'd have cared much, but I doubt there is any way for them to TELL. If you install your RAM properly there is no way for them to know who installed it - AND they are usually stricter with people who DON'T have AppleCare.

ALSO - keep your original RAM and remember how much you had. If you do, they'll have no way of EVER knowing.

There's a HUGE difference between changing RAM in a PB and in a Mini.
For a start the PBs have a slot that you CAN add RAM to without voiding warranty.

If you bought the Mini with a certain amount of RAM installed, and Apple found more during repair, they'd refuse to touch the machine. You should try uninstalling it extremely carefully so that the techies can't tell. Good luck!

I want to know some first-hand experiences on this, once and for all.

Not exactly Starbucks!

Refer to this document page 53:
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/PowerBookG4_17inch1.5GHzGettingStarted.pdf
Compared to:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300572

 

[StarbucksSam]

There's a HUGE difference between changing RAM in a PB and in a Mini.
For a start the PBs have a slot that you CAN add RAM to without voiding warranty.

If you bought the Mini with a certain amount of RAM installed, and Apple found more during repair, they'd refuse to touch the machine. You should try uninstalling it extremely carefully so that the techies can't tell. Good luck!


Not exactly Starbucks!

I'm sorry - I wasn't aware of this difference. So my RAM slot is considered user serviceable?

 

[sk8erboy]

i could have sworn the mini's ram is user-friendly.

 

[anubis]

I'm sorry - I wasn't aware of this difference. So my RAM slot is considered user serviceable?

I'm pretty sure all models (Powermac, iMac, Powerbook, iBook) all have user-servicable RAM. For example, my Powermac manual details how to install RAM yourself; they wouldn't include this information it was not user servicable. I may be wrong on the iMac ram but I don't think so - someone confirm this for me.

The mini, on the other hand, has no user servicable parts inside. If you left evidence that you had opened it, such as pry marks or other imperfection on the case, they may refuse to service your mini even if you didn't change anything inside

 

[itsbetteronamac]

If the manuals tell/show you how to install RAM yourself you are covered for that slot. (As long as the bad RAM isn't what's the problem) If it is not shown how to install RAM yourself, either in the manual or on apple's website, replacing the RAM yourself technically voids your warrenty. But, the thing to note is that there really isn't any way of telling, as long as you keep your old RAM.

Covered: Powermac, iMac, iBook, Powerbook, (eMac?)
Not Coverd: Mac Mini

 

[Gary King]

Isn't it difficult to open a Mini without leaving marks? NOTE: I said difficult, not impossible.

If I leave marks, I'm screwed?

 

[pianodude123]

I'm pretty sure all models (Powermac, iMac, Powerbook, iBook) all have user-servicable RAM. For example, my Powermac manual details how to install RAM yourself; they wouldn't include this information it was not user servicable. I may be wrong on the iMac ram but I don't think so - someone confirm this for me.

The mini, on the other hand, has no user servicable parts inside. If you left evidence that you had opened it, such as pry marks or other imperfection on the case, they may refuse to service your mini even if you didn't change anything inside

What about on a powermac, I just bought one, and I plan to upgrade the ram...in the future

 

[sushi]

i could have sworn the mini's ram is user-friendly.

Nope.

Suggest that you take a gander at a web site that shows the mini disassembled and you will see that the RAM definitely is not user serviceable.

Sushi

 

[jsw]

According to Apple:

Memory, AirPort Extreme and internal Bluetooth upgrades must be performed by an Apple Authorized Service provider; fees may apply.

However, I'd swear that when the mini was introduced RAM was considered user-serviceable.

 

[Gizmotoy]

According to Apple:
However, I'd swear that when the mini was introduced RAM was considered user-serviceable.

Yea, that was definately the opinion at the time. We even had quotes from the VP in charge of service that said Warranties wouldn't be voided for adding RAM to minis, even though it is difficult. I'm surprised to hear others say differently, and I wonder when the shift occurred (I haven't been paying much attention to mini topics).

 

[mvincenti]

Yes, Apple is NOT stupid.

Apple can tell if an AASP did indeed install the RAM for you. Especially because the Mac Mini is that difficult to get into and there is a risk of damaging the aesthetics of the box, I don't think any AASP will do it for free. Unlike any other Apple product that is simple to install RAM on, the Mac Mini is a bit difficult. So, how does Apple know?

In order to get paid by Apple for the install, a "service number" is generated to track the repair and install. This is the only way that the Service Provider gets paid (if it is indeed an Apple Upgrade) and it is the only way that Apple can ensure two things: 1- that it is Apple Certified RAM and 2- that a professional Apple technician performed the upgrade / repair.

Bad RAM could cause problems that look like other hardware issues. Issues that are NOT Apple's fault. Which is why before any repair is done, 3rd party RAM MUST be un-installed and the problem should be verified that it still exists.

I guess there is always a chance you can "slip one by" but in my humble opinion, it isn't worth it.

 

[wordmunger]

IMHO, Apple care just isn't worth it for a Mini. It's 30 percent of the price of the computer! Compare this to 13 percent for a 17-inch powerbook. If the hard drive or CD goes bad (probably the most likely things to happen), it would cost less than that for the repair. If the whole computer goes bad in a year or so, it's probably time for an upgrade anyway -- and if you never had bought AppleCare in the first place, you'd be 1/3 of the way toward your purchase price. You could even salvage the hard drive, buy a firewire enclosure, and have a cheap backup system for your new computer.