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Bummer, spilled water on my MacBook Pro 16

1rottenapple

1rottenapple

macrumors 603
Original poster
Apr 21, 2004
5,024
3,100
I’m am horribly bummed right now. I had water bottles in my backpack heading home from work. I toook my MacBook Pro 16, Two months old to work. I’m super sleep deprived the past few days given I made mistakes and errors on spelling in email. #covidstress running on 2 hrs of sleep. Anyway my MacBook Pro won’t turn on. It was soaked. I’m so sad right now. I went home. Shop for groceries that was needed and went to sleep at 745pm. I don’t even want to look at it. It’s in my car trunk. 😩😩😩 by end of July my work will transition to telework so add that to insult to injury cause I really need this repaired. I know it’s a computer but man to add all my stress from what’s going on in the world to fear of work cut backs. I didn’t need another thing to worry about. So I know I have my health and family’s health. That’s the most important thing.
 
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Take it apart and get the water out and let it dry ASAP. That gives you the best chance for recovery.
 
Unless he/she has Applecare +, Apple support will not touch this because the water ingress stickers inside the machine would have activated due to the presence of liquid and thus will charge full amount for repair. Even before the excuse of convidstress, you knew you was going to carry the macbook in your backpack with waterbottles so when you bought the macbook, why didn't you buy a waterproof sleeve to put the macbook in to protect it?

I fix macbook motherboards on a daily basis and I am astounded at the amount of liquid damage motherboards I get. I will never understand why macbook owners are so careless with their macbooks.
 
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laptech said:
Unless he/she has Applecare +, Apple support will not touch this because the water ingress stickers inside the machine would have activated due to the presence of liquid and thus will charge full amount for repair. Even before the excuse of convidstress, you knew you was going to carry the macbook in your backpack with waterbottles so when you bought the macbook, why didn't you buy a waterproof sleeve to put the macbook in to protect it?

I fix macbook motherboards on a daily basis and I am astounded at the amount of liquid damage motherboards I get. I will never understand why macbook owners are so careless with their macbooks.
Click to expand...

I'm sure many travel with water and a laptop in their backpack. And I'm sure he/she has learnt their lesson and doesn't need a lecture on what is now already learnt with first hand experience.

I was going to suggest not attempting to turn it on and letting it dry out, but it sounds like an excessive amount of water that will then eventually trigger corrosion even if it turns on.

If you purchased with a credit card it may have insurance, check it out... Or Apple Care+ if you signed up for it pre-damage. Other than that you might be out of luck and may have to get a quote for repair.

You'll feel better after a sleep. Be careful driving.
 
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yeah take the back off pull the battery tab and leave it upside down with the screen open so the water down travel anymore through the keyboard
 
aibo82 said:
yeah take the back off pull the battery tab and leave it upside down with the screen open so the water down travel anymore through the keyboard
Click to expand...

And you think this is going to help any? Really? The computer is toast now, too much time has passed. Get real, do you have a third-party repair shop around that might be able to fix-it, save up for another system, get apple care plus, don’t put water in your backpack. Just common sense stuff
 
That's really a shame, and I'm sorry this happened :/

What I do is I keep ALL drinks an arm's stretch away. It's still risky, but my theory is that if it spills I will have enough time to MOVE the laptop away as quickly as possible from the spill.

If I keep the drink next to my laptop, it could spill directly on the keyboard/trackpad and there would be no chance of saving it from the spill.

But if I keep it an arm's stretch away, it will spill on the table first before the liquid reaches the laptop, assuming it even spills in the same direction as the laptop. I could knock it over in the other direction, and then the liquid would flow the other way away from my laptop. If it did spill in my direction, I would hopefully be able to move the laptop out of the way before the liquid reaches the device.

By arm's stretch, what I mean is that I keep it as far as I can from me, to where I have to stretch or reach in order to get the drink. It's still close enough so that I don't have to get out of my chair. I just have to reach over to get it, instead of it being right by me.

So If I'm at my laptop, I keep the drink to the right or left of me by several feet, having to reach over to get it.

So far, I've been OKAY with this method, knock on wood.
 
Ok seeking guidance on the next step.
This is a harsh harsh lesson learned. In my 20 years of owning laptop a I’ve never spilled any so I guess I took it for granted. Never again right?

I’ll have to buy one pretty soon as I said I need it to telework.

Ok basically is this impossible to repair, if the computer is soak for 55 mins in water? It’s just not a matter of fixing the logic board it could be multiple components failing. It’s too broken to repair? There was water coming out of the vents when I took it out of the back pack. I was too dejected to even deal with it last night cause I’m sure in horrible shape.
Right now Apple stores are closed in Southern California due to covid restrictions being reconstituted due to high numbers so I can’t take it to the Apple store. I wonder when if it’s worth getting a diagnostic given the severity of the issue.
 
I just wanted to say I'm sorry you're going through this, and I emphasize with your pain. Hang in there, I know those times are rough and things will get better soon. :)

Perhaps try and see if your renter's/homeowner's insurance will cover this? Just a thought.

Hang in there.
 
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Sorry for your pain, we all make mistakes like this that in the end we know we shouldn’t have. It can happen to the best of us.

check all possible warranty coverage from how you purchased it.

if it comes down to a wash. Your not alone, don’t hang your head. It happens to many. Best of luck.
 
DO TRY what KoolAid-Drink said about Rental or other insurance BUT if possible try to personally contact your local agent. I say this because I was working on my car windshield recently (car wash removed a strip) and cracked the windshield. Called my local AllState agent and told him the truth...that it was my fault...and he had it covered !!!...1400$! Sorry for your pain but you may have nothing to loose at this point. Also, if it is a total loss try to sell what you can (the screen?) on eBay to help cover the cost of the replacement. AND: get Apple Care for the replacement!
 
1rottenapple said:
Ok basically is this impossible to repair, if the computer is soak for 55 mins in water
Click to expand...

Something like this needed to be dealt with instantly. Sadly leaving it overnight was probably the final kiss of death.

Corrosion is a slow death. Even if it were seem to be working today, it may die at any time.

Yeah, I'd call it.
 
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It might actually be worth fixing it since it's so new. It might even be covered by your renters/homeowners insurance or credit card warranty if you didn't get AC+. Just setup a mail in repair and get a quote before committing to a new one.
 
Chalk it up to an expensive lesson learned, if the MacBook was switched off you could have recovered it by taking the back panel off and leaving it in rice for a couple of days. NEVER attempt to turn on a computer immediately after its taken in liquid.
 
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If he has Apple Care + then he is covered for accidental damage BUT he would still have to pay repair costs but at a reduced cost. If he doesn't then he might be able to claim on home insurance. If he has neither then one has to wonder why would he buy an expensive mac and not have it covered by some kind of insurance.

As the store is closed, if you have apple care + then you can direct mail it in. If you do not have Apple care + then your only option is to give it to an independant repair shop to see what they can do.
 
puggles said:
Even if it’s within 60 days they make you run a diagnostic test on the computer when purchasing.
Click to expand...

I bought AppleCare+ on the last day I was eligible to and I’m pretty sure it didn’t make me run a test, but then I think I also paid online using the laptop being insured, so maybe it was smart enough to detect that and decided that was good enough.

I can’t see how it would know however so it’s worth a shot!
 
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You'd need to run a remote diagnostic test if you buy AppleCare+ online and as a separate purchase from the Mac.

How to buy
  1. Purchase AppleCare+ with your new Mac.
  2. Or buy it within 60 days of your Mac purchase:
    • Online (requires you to verify your serial number and run a remote diagnostic)
    • At an Apple Store (inspection of Mac and proof of purchase are required)
    • By calling 800-275-2273 (requires you to run a remote diagnostic and provide proof of purchase)
Click to expand...

Source: Apple
 
chengengaun said:
You'd need to run a remote diagnostic test if you buy AppleCare+ online and as a separate purchase from the Mac.
Source: Apple
Click to expand...

It says that, yes, but I don't recall it doing so when I bought it. I was surprised because I was expecting to have to download and run an application or something. That is, unless they ran it silently and in the background using Safari, but I have no idea how.
 
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simonmet said:
It says that, yes, but I don't recall it doing so when I bought it. I was surprised because I was expecting to have to download and run an application or something. That is, unless they ran it silently and in the background using Safari, but I have no idea how.
Click to expand...

Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. I've had both experiences in the past - sometimes they made me run a test, sometimes they didn't. Maybe they go by how long you've had the device, or maybe it's a random selection for who will get the test.
 
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Whats done is done. Hope it never happens to you again, but if it does don't just leave it soaked overnight.

It may be fixable, I've seen worse than water damage get fixed. Dry it out first and find a reputable shop that does board repair.
 
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