Buying new MBP, how long to wait for QC issues to iron out?

[theosib]

I'm about ready to buy one of the new 17" MBPs just released, but I'm wary of buying one of the first production run. It seems as though Apple routinely has some kind of problem that takes them a few weeks to resolve. For instance, the display flickering problems with the Air. Then there's the thermal paste issue found by iFixIt.

I found this article, which looked at the issue with the 2006 model that had significant overheating problems:
http://www.macgeekery.com/hacks/hardware/the_definitive_macbook_pro_thermal_roundup

The thermal paste was typically blamed for this, but after wiping off the excessive gobs that came with the machine and reapplying some Arctic Silver, they saw around a 10 degree C drop. This is from a system with an 85W processor, and it's also not clear to me how much of the temperature reduction is due to the Arctic Silver and how much is due to proper application of the thermal paste. It seems to me that as long as the paste doesn't migrate around (can it over like a 4 year period?) or cover up some other chip that needs direct airflow, I don't see how excessive application would make a difference.

Anyhow, so my question is this: How long should I wait to be sure that the machine I get is one that's got the kinks worked out?

 

[miles01110]

There's never a guarantee your machine will be perfect.

 

[esvee]

If it's a big enough problem that it is addressed as a revision, your warranty will cover it.

 

[TheHoff]

I'd say you're at the safest point you could be right now. The UB enclosure and design internally hasn't changed in 28 months. All the kinks have been worked out apart from the chip changes. So if you're wary of Thunderbolt or the Sandy Bridge aspects, sure, you'd be smart to wait. The next revision, though, is likely to be such a major overhaul that it will be more suspect than this one.

But the thermal paste has been an issue for years; it isn't new. Most machines are fine though I do wish they'd do it the right way.