Apple Refuse to do I/O board replacement only and demand I do $1700 repair instead

[johnmbp2018]

I had some spill damage occurs to my 2018 MacBook Pro 15".

I dried it out and it works fine apart from there being a problem with the Thunderbolt 3 ports. Some of them take a little longer than usual to register they are connected to anything, SSD's are the worst, one of the ports is less glitchy than the others and one only works rarely. The MacBook also has a problem occasionally waking from sleep and the report tells me it is a problem also with the thunderbolt 3.


I sent it to an Apple authorised repair network in the UK called Stormfront as the Genuis bar has obviously been shut for some time now.

They quote me around $1700 for a new Logic Board, I/O Board, top case and battery, Touch ID board and audio board

I understand that there might be a problem with the Thunderbolt 3 controller which is on the logic board causing the intermittent problems but I was hoping that I would be able to at least try to see if replacing the I/O boards on either side would have an effect .

However, they have refused to carry out this replacement and said they would only carry out the full quote that I was given and nothing less. Is this even legal? Has anyone else ever had an experience similar and what was the outcome?


Thanks

 

[drxcm]

Your thread title is misleading

 

[Audit13]

The shop is probably doing this to ensure that everything works. If they change just and the I/O board and there are still problems, then what?

Is it legal? I don't see why it would be illegal to refuse repairing an out-of-warranty unit.

The top case and battery are probably shipped as a single unit from the factory. When the Apple store replaces a retina battery, they also change the top case which is part of the reason that battery changes are expensive.

 

[Kcetech1]

1: There is only one board and EVERYTHING is soldered to it. top case and battery are also part of the assembly ( I think the 2018 at least ), and to my knowledge are never swapped out as individual parts by any apple authorized repair, only some third party centers.

2: Yep fully legal as far as I understand UK law, its also how its always done in Canada, Australia and Germany ( the only 3 I have first hand knowledge of )

 

[leman]

Why do you think it’s illegal? They are under no obligation to agree to your terms. Especially if they believe that the partial replacement won’t solve the issue. In fact, agreeing to your terms could open them up to legal problems as you might claim that they have botched the repair later on.

Your best bet might be finding a third-party technician who will be more flexible.

 

[johnmbp2018]

The shop is probably doing this to ensure that everything works. If they change just and the I/O board and there are still problems, then what?

Is it legal? I don't see why it would be illegal to refuse repairing an out-of-warranty unit.

The top case and battery are probably shipped as a single unit from the factory. When the Apple store replaces a retina battery, they also change the top case which is part of the reason that battery changes are expensive.

They said that the other parts need changed because they have been damaged and might stop working in the future.

How can it be legal for the only authorised repair centre in the country to not change one part because another two or three MIGHT stop working in the future? This would happen at a car garage for instance- oh hey, we can't change your brakes because your tyres only have another 10k miles on them, you'll need to get both done
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1: There is only one board and EVERYTHING is soldered to it. top case and battery are also part of the assembly ( I think the 2018 at least ), and to my knowledge are never swapped out as individual parts by any apple authorized repair, only some third party centers.

2: Yep fully legal as far as I understand UK law, its also how its always done in Canada, Australia and Germany ( the only 3 I have first hand knowledge of )

The I/O boards are separate from the logic board and connected by a cable. You can see this on any YouTube teardown vide on YouTube of a 2016-2019 15" MacBook Pro
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Why do you think it’s illegal? They are under no obligation to agree to your terms. Especially if they believe that the partial replacement won’t solve the issue. In fact, agreeing to your terms could open them up to legal problems as you might claim that they have botched the repair later on.

Your best bet might be finding a third-party technician who will be more flexible.

Like my car garage analogy above, there is nothing stopping them from putting an advisory on the invoice etc. They haven't even tried it to see if it made a difference and their reasoning was that the other parts might stop working in future. In no other walk of life would any repair service get away with acting like this other than Apple and their repair network

 

[Audit13]

They said that the other parts need changed because they have been damaged and might stop working in the future.

How can it be legal for the only authorised repair centre in the country to not change one part because another two or three MIGHT stop working in the future? This would happen at a car garage for instance- oh hey, we can't change your brakes because your tyres only have another 10k miles on them, you'll need to get both done

What the repair shop said sounds reasonable to me in that they said the other parts have been damaged; therefore, I understand their quote and requirement to have them replaced.

Your reference to the tyres does not mention whether the car garage mechanic said the tyres are damaged and/or unsafe unlike the the Apple repair shop that said the other parts are damaged.

I would assume tyres carry a separate manufacturer's warranty from the brakes. MacBooks do not.

I'm in Canada and, as far as I know, businesses are within their legal rights to refuse service as long as the reason for the refusal is not illegal. Refusing service based on age, sex, creed, colour, and sexual orientation are not permitted.

 

[Madhatter32]

Why don't you just ask them to include the extra work and send you an adjusted quote? They are standing behind the previously quoted price which is good. It seems a little unreasonable (at least to me) that you want them to do more work than what included in the original quote.

 

[johnmbp2018]

What they said sounds reasonable to me.

They said the other parts have been damaged; therefore, I understand their quote and requirement to have them replaced.

You reference to the tyres does not mention whether the car garage mechanic said the tyres are damaged and/or unsafe unlike the the Apple repair shop that said the other parts are damaged.

I would assume tyres carry a separate manufacturer's warranty from the brakes. MacBooks do not.

I'm in Canada and, as far as I know, businesses are within their legal rights to refuse service as long as the reason for the refusal is not illegal. Refusing service based on sex, creed, colour, and sexual orientation are not permitted.

Im not sure why you keep speaking of warranty? This is an out of warranty repair. If the new parts come with a warranty then Im sure it can be voided by any advisory that is put on the invoice where I refused the advice of the repair shop. This would happen in any other walk of life.

This is Apples authorised repair network. The only place I am able to get Apple Authorised parts to repair my laptop. Im pretty sure I am covered under consumer law in the UK as to whether they refuse to serve me or not

 

[konqerror]

How can it be legal for the only authorised repair centre in the country to not change one part because another two or three MIGHT stop working in the future?

No, it's a safety issue. The logic board contains battery management parts which can cause a fire or explosion if damaged. The store has a legal obligation, particularly in the UK, to ensure the product is safe after repairs. Apple has said that certain types of damage, such as liquid damage or swollen batteries, require the replacement of the logic board.

This would happen at a car garage for instance- oh hey, we can't change your brakes because your tyres only have another 10k miles on them, you'll need to get both done

Yes, if the tires were in an unsafe condition.

 

[Plutonius]

I had some spill damage occurs to my 2018 MacBook Pro 15".

I dried it out and it works fine apart from there being a problem with the Thunderbolt 3 ports. Some of them take a little longer than usual to register they are connected to anything, SSD's are the worst, one of the ports is less glitchy than the others and one only works rarely. The MacBook also has a problem occasionally waking from sleep and the report tells me it is a problem also with the thunderbolt 3.


I sent it to an Apple authorised repair network in the UK called Stormfront as the Genuis bar has obviously been shut for some time now.

They quote me around $1700 for a new Logic Board, I/O Board, top case and battery, Touch ID board and audio board

I understand that there might be a problem with the Thunderbolt 3 controller which is on the logic board causing the intermittent problems but I was hoping that I would be able to at least try to see if replacing the I/O boards on either side would have an effect .

However, they have refused to carry out this replacement and said they would only carry out the full quote that I was given and nothing less. Is this even legal? Has anyone else ever had an experience similar and what was the outcome?


Thanks

Ever since 2016, the MacBook Pro requires a replacement of half of the laptop even for simple repairs (modular design).

I think that the MacBook Pro is a very nice laptop but I wouldn't recommend keeping one past its warranty.

 

[johnmbp2018]

Why don't you just ask them to include the extra work and send you an adjusted quote? They are standing behind the previously quoted price which is good. It seems a little unreasonable (at least to me) that you want them to do more work than what included in the original quote.

I don't want them to do more work? Im asking them to do only part of the work they have quoted me.

They have advised changing out the logic board, top case and battery, I/O board, Audio Board and Touch ID board

I want them to only replace the I/O board in hope that it may or may not make a difference and they have refused to do that.
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No, it's a safety issue. The logic board contains battery management parts which can cause a fire or explosion if damaged. The store has a legal obligation, particularly in the UK, to ensure the product is safe after repairs. Apple has said that certain types of damage, such as liquid damage or swollen batteries, require the replacement of the logic board.



Yes, if the brakes were in an unsafe condition.

If the battery is swollen or there is a possible fire risk with this MacBook and the repair shop know this and have sent it back to me should they not either explain this to me or send it back with a 'not safe' advisory on it? Because they haven't done that and I know for a fact if that were the case they MUST advise me of that in the UK or they would be held accountable for criminal negligence or worse.
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Ever since 2016, the MacBook Pro requires a replacement of half of the laptop even for simple repairs (modular design).

I think that the MacBook Pro is a very nice laptop but I wouldn't recommend keeping one past its warranty.

Warranty does not cover spill damage though

 

[Audit13]

Im not sure why you keep speaking of warranty? This is an out of warranty repair. If the new parts come with a warranty then Im sure it can be voided by any advisory that is put on the invoice where I refused the advice of the repair shop. This would happen in any other walk of life.

This is Apples authorised repair network. The only place I am able to get Apple Authorised parts to repair my laptop. Im pretty sure I am covered under consumer law in the UK as to whether they refuse to serve me or not

Consumer law may apply but I'm not a lawyer in the UK. The UK has some of the strictest consumer laws I have seen. I can only assume that the position adopted by the shop is legally sound in their opinion. If it's not, you'll have to take action against the shop I guess.

Have you tried doing your own research on the matter? I'm fairly certain that you are not the first customer to find himself in this situation.

 

[Plutonius]

I don't want them to do more work? Im asking them to do only part of the work they have quoted me.

They have advised changing out the logic board, top case and battery, I/O board, Audio Board and Touch ID board

I want them to only replace the I/O board in hope that it may or may not make a difference and they have refused to do that.

Since 2016 the MacBook Pro is a modular design.

Apple doesn't replace individual parts but instead replaces the entire module (the parts they listed).

You can either choose not to get it repaired, pay what Apple is asking, or take them to court.

 

[Audit13]

Here's a teardown of the 2018 15" Pro:https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook+Pro+15-Inch+Touch+Bar+2018+Teardown/111478

I don't see separate I/O boards.

 

[Plutonius]

Warranty does not cover spill damage though

Agreed.

The MacBook Pro is economical prohibitive to repair if people have to pay for the repair.

 

[konqerror]

Here's a teardown of the 2018 15" Pro: https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook+Pro+15-Inch+Touch+Bar+2019+Teardown/123653

I don't see separate I/O boards.

The I/O boards are still attached to the case in this photo.

MacBook Pro 15" Touch Bar 2019 Teardown

Apple’s newest MacBook Pro is its fastest yet, featuring an optional eight-core processor—a first in a MacBook—and a mysterious new keyboard...

www.ifixit.com

Look at the logic board. Where's the Thunderbolt ports?

 

[Madhatter32]

I don't want them to do more work? Im asking them to do only part of the work they have quoted me.

They have advised changing out the logic board, top case and battery, I/O board, Audio Board and Touch ID board

I want them to only replace the I/O board in hope that it may or may not make a difference and they have refused to do that.

I see what you are saying. They probably do not want to perform a repair that will not result in a fix of the problem. Otherwise, it could be a policy thing set be Apple -- like replacing a one key on a keyboard necessitiates a topcase replacement, etc. Who knows. It does seem ridiculous. I agree that the whole Apple repair process is somewhat broken generally. It is kind of what you sign up for when purchasing from Apple these days -- very costly and regimented repair options. As you may know, there is a whole "right to repair" movement in the United States that is pushing back on these policies.

 

[Audit13]

There are no separate I/O boards in the 2018 15" Pro?

 

[hallux]

I don't see separate I/O boards.

See those long connectors right next to the purple squares? Those are for the connections from the I/O boards (where the USB-C/Thunderbolt ports are) to the logic board.

 

[Audit13]

See those long connectors right next to the purple squares? Those are for the connections from the I/O boards (where the USB-C/Thunderbolt ports are) to the logic board.

Looks to me like the connectors are soldered to the main logic board rather than being on a separate daughter card and the connectors are attached to the external ports using a passive cable.

Please let me know if my thinking is not correct.

 

[hallux]

Looks like connectors are soldered to the main logic board rather than being on a separate daughter card.

Well, yeah, the logic board side of those connectors IS. But that's just a plug that the cable from the I/O board plugs into and is secured using a metal strap and 2 screws (see the screw holes on either end?). The OP wants the Thunderbolt ports replaced, the parts that are screwed into the case and attached to the logic board through the cables that plug into those connectors.

 

[Audit13]

Well, yeah, the logic board side of those connectors IS. But that's just a plug that the cable from the I/O board plugs into and is secured using a metal strap and 2 screws (see the screw holes on either end?). The OP wants the Thunderbolt ports replaced, the parts that are screwed into the case and attached to the logic board through the cables that plug into those connectors.

I understand what you are saying. I wonder if the I/O boards are passive.

If it were my MacBook, I would replace the boards myself as I have done with other MacBooks. It looks like a fairly simple job and doing this will quickly determine if the issue lies solely with these I/O boards, be cheaper, and teach me about tearing down this MacBook.

In the end, it's up to the OP to make a decision as to how to proceed.

 

[posguy99]

<deleted>

Entitled gotta be Entitled, I suppose.

They gave you a detailed quote for work. You are free to act on it, or not act on it. You are NOT free to demand the shop do random other work, even if you pay them for the work you are demanding they do. How is there any sort of legal question here?

No idea why people have such a problem with this simple concept.

 

[Codeline]

This guy never has a problem fixing wetboards without replacing the entire logic.
Louis
It can be done, just find a different repair business!