Applecare coverage for original hard drive in external enclosure

[redsteven]

I know that there are a million threads asking about Applecare coverage for hard drives (yes, it covers your hard drive unless you open it up), but this thread is different.

I installed an SSD in my macbook pro a couple of months ago. I put my original apple hard drive into an external enclosure. The SSD is working great, but the original hard drive (which I was using for backup in it's external enclosure) has died.

Will Applecare still cover the original hard drive? None of the stickers/seals on the hard drive have been touched.... all I did was put it into an external enclosure.
I know that I could put it back in the machine (take out the SSD temporarily) and they'd almost certainly replace it, but I'd really rather not open my machine up again. So the question is, will they still cover it if I bring in the hard drive in the third party enclosure (or if I bring it in "naked", without an enclosure?)

Thanks for your replies.

 

[GGJstudios]

Will Applecare still cover the original hard drive?

Most they would only cover it if it's still in the MBP, but you could call and ask.

 

[duervo]

Put the drive back into the MacBook Pro and take it to Apple. If it truly has died in the worst way imaginable, then they will replace it (and even reinstall OS X for you.)

If you don't put it back in, then its tough to say. You will be at the mercy of whomever you get as a "Genius". However, keep in mind, they would be well within their boundaries of responsibility/support to refuse to look at it in that scenario. So, if you feel that it's a risk worth taking, then by all means, bring it in as is.

 

[el-John-o]

I'd just call them. I've found the Genuis bar folks to be pretty lenient. Apple includes instructions on replacing the hard drive, even on my 2012 MBP, so it's not like it's an unsupported upgrade. I'd ask, and if the Genius at the Genius bar says yes, get their name and make an appointment with them to eliminate potential confusion.

You might be surprised. A good friend got his hard drive replaced for free. In his 6 year old MacBook! WAY out of warranty. But the Genius replaced it anyway. They'll do a lot to hang on to a customer.

 

[yusukeaoki]

If its possible, try putting the OS back into the HDD.
If not just stick it in and send them in.

Tell them you were using you MBP and the HDD just died.
They can possibly give you a free replacement.

 

[Spink10]

It doesn't take long to put the HD back in the MBP - if you really want a new HD.