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izzy0242mr

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 24, 2009
745
524
I removed the bottom case for my 2019 16" MBP to add some thermal pads to the interior. Problem is I am having trouble snapping the back corner down. I've taken it back off a few times and tried to follow the iFixit and other guides on YouTube, but it's not really clear what exactly I'm doing wrong.

Pics below (and I included the opposite corner to show it's snapped down everywhere else). Any suggestions?
20250626_195136-2.jpg

20250626_195154-2.jpg

20250626_195142-2.jpg
 
Did you bend any of the clips?

Did you rest it 1/2 inch below and slide it in and then press down? If you did do that, and it still isn't, bent clips are my guess.
 
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I’m not sure where did you put the thermal pads, but maybe those can be just thick enough to not let the plate going back to its place. Or bent clips could be a reason as well. (The bottom plate and it’s clips are quite strong though, I had the chance to clean the dust out of them)
 
Did you bend any of the clips?

Did you rest it 1/2 inch below and slide it in and then press down? If you did do that, and it still isn't, bent clips are my guess.
Yes I did, on both sides. Which clip(s) might be bent, it seems like there are multiple ones?
 
I’m not sure where did you put the thermal pads, but maybe those can be just thick enough to not let the plate going back to its place. Or bent clips could be a reason as well. (The bottom plate and it’s clips are quite strong though, I had the chance to clean the dust out of them)
I followed this guide:
It is possible that the pads are too thick on that side. I will try removing a layer and see if that fixes it.
 
UPDATE: I removed some layers and it now closes properly. So I think that was the issue. Thanks.
 
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Yeah, I remembered there wasn’t much clearance between the chassis and the bottom plate 😄 I’m glad it’s fixed now! 😊
 
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