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Clicking/creaking noise on late 2016 MBP

_Kiki_ said:
How much you have to wait for 2017 replacement ?
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Not sure. It is now handed over to the sales department and they will send me some forms first about either how to send it or whether someone will pick it up. The guy said that when Apple gets a confirmation that my old laptop has been shipped, the new one will be shipped out to me at that point. Unless, he said, I choose a custom one they will have to switch out some components first and then ship it out to me. In any case I am happy and I am going on a short holiday for a few days anyway, and after months of repairs I guess it is fair having to wait a little extra if they are giving me a completely new and updated machine in return.
 
itsasin said:
It was not paid by CC.

Anyway, pretty amazing turn of events today. I had contact with an Apple senior advisor from technical support before. I had sent him a video of my trackpad issue. He called the local retailer where I bought it and got it repaired. I said it was a very unfortunate collection of events, and my MacBook Pro would have not had the trackpad issue if the second unneccesary replacements had not been done.

I am now offered a completely new replacement unit, but a 2017 model with warranty, even though where I live the cost is actually € 100 more. I am also given the option to choose other options in case I am willing to pay for them, but luckily the difference in price is not added to any additional costs in case I go that route.

This is my first and only direct communication with an Apple senior advisor so far, but it was certainly the best customer service I ever experienced. Super quick, friendly, problem solved in no-time. I was at a point where I almost hated Apple because of the issues and wanted to throw my MacBook Pro out of the window out of frustration for the months of issues and not having a working laptop, but now I am pretty confident again and I just hope so badly that my new machine will be nearly flawless.
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Great to hear that it finally worked out this well for you!
 
--ld-- said:
Great to hear that it finally worked out this well for you!
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Yes I really could not be happier! Good to know that when I contacted Apple directly instead of the authorized local reseller where I bought it, the problem was taken very seriously and basically solved within days instead of months. I obviously still need to receive my new 2017 model and see if it has no issues, but this is all that Apple can really do for me I think. Very grateful.
 
itsasin said:
Yes I really could not be happier! Good to know that when I contacted Apple directly instead of the authorized local reseller where I bought it, the problem was taken very seriously and basically solved within days instead of months. I obviously still need to receive my new 2017 model and see if it has no issues, but this is all that Apple can really do for me I think. Very grateful.
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My case unfortunately is still going on... I picked up my machine after the 3rd repair attempt (which btw. took them 1 month o_O), this time they changed the display and top-case. So far i was not able to reproduce the popping noise, but now my machine came back with a misaligned and not properly mounted screen, where the screen hinge is scratching against the top case on one side and is already leaving some marks. They said that I can send it in for repair again to fix it... :D:confused::mad: After my MacBook has been on repair for two months of the six months that I own it, I will go for a refund now. I hope that the seller acknowledges it right away after I explained them my case, so I can buy a 2017 one.

I also tried to contact Apple directly. They were very friendly and the communication on the service hotline was a dream compared to the Apple Premium Reseller I took my machine to, but unfortunately they could not do anything for me at this point because they do not have a legal representation in Austria yet. But they offered me their support in case the seller is making any trouble with my refund.
 
I also live in Austria, but got my problem resolved pretty quickly.
Got the MB to the nearest Apple Premium Reseller and told them about my problems (creaking noise and keyboard issues). They were able to reproduce the issue, although they told me they never had a similar case before.
Three days later I was able to pick my MB up again and they told me they replaced the top case and display assembly (repair would've cost 1150€ out of warranty :eek:)
So far the issue didn't reappear, I hope that it stays this way. After seeing this massive bill, I'll consider buying AppleCare before the 1 year period passes!
 
anotherappleuser said:
I also live in Austria, but got my problem resolved pretty quickly.
Got the MB to the nearest Apple Premium Reseller and told them about my problems (creaking noise and keyboard issues). They were able to reproduce the issue, although they told me they never had a similar case before.
Three days later I was able to pick my MB up again and they told me they replaced the top case and display assembly (repair would've cost 1150€ out of warranty :eek:)
So far the issue didn't reappear, I hope that it stays this way. After seeing this massive bill, I'll consider buying AppleCare before the 1 year period passes!
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How long has it been since the repair? just curious, some people have reported the noised coming back a few weeks to a month after repairs.
 
anotherappleuser said:
Picked it up on 28th of August, so about two weeks since then.
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keep us posted, if you don't mind, about whether or not the issue comes back. I am contemplating selling mine or doing a trade-in, which isn't ideal, since I would lose $1000+ in any situation. I have taken it to Apple but they will cannot reproduce the issue. They want me to video it, but that would mean keeping a camera on all the time, since the noise happens whenever it likes and not just under certain circumstances. I should say other than the popping noise this MacBook Pro is great, keyboard and display just great.
 
TofSanity said:
keep us posted, if you don't mind, about whether or not the issue comes back. I am contemplating selling mine or doing a trade-in, which isn't ideal, since I would lose $1000+ in any situation. I have taken it to Apple but they will cannot reproduce the issue. They want me to video it, but that would mean keeping a camera on all the time, since the noise happens whenever it likes and not just under certain circumstances. I should say other than the popping noise this MacBook Pro is great, keyboard and display just great.
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What a pity to hear that! Sure I will write back if the issue reappears.
Mine was pretty easy to reproduce because it happened each time after warming up between 48-50°C. Did you try to run the yes-command? I did it at the Apple Retailer and he even wanted to replace the logic board at first due to my MacBook heating up so fast xD (had to explain what the command does)

Also it made strange noises when pressing against the middle bottom of the display when the lid was open. Another strange noise appeared when i shook the MB. Maybe you can convince them with that?
My Apple Premium Reseller was very supportive, acknowledging the keyboard problem without even having a look at it! :)
 
anotherappleuser said:
I also live in Austria, but got my problem resolved pretty quickly.
Got the MB to the nearest Apple Premium Reseller and told them about my problems (creaking noise and keyboard issues). They were able to reproduce the issue, although they told me they never had a similar case before.
Three days later I was able to pick my MB up again and they told me they replaced the top case and display assembly (repair would've cost 1150€ out of warranty :eek:)
So far the issue didn't reappear, I hope that it stays this way. After seeing this massive bill, I'll consider buying AppleCare before the 1 year period passes!
Click to expand...

When did you report your problem?
I did it the first time back in June and from what I understood the problem was known to Apple back then, but there was no solution until mid August. At least that is what the technician repairing my machine told me on the phone. Now the solution seems to be a replacement of the display assembly and top-case.

Unfortunately the service with my APR was really terrible. After each repair i had marks on the top-case near the display hinge and now they did not mount the display correctly, so it is scratching against the top-case.
 
anotherappleuser said:
I also live in Austria, but got my problem resolved pretty quickly.
Got the MB to the nearest Apple Premium Reseller and told them about my problems (creaking noise and keyboard issues). They were able to reproduce the issue, although they told me they never had a similar case before.
Three days later I was able to pick my MB up again and they told me they replaced the top case and display assembly (repair would've cost 1150€ out of warranty :eek:)
So far the issue didn't reappear, I hope that it stays this way. After seeing this massive bill, I'll consider buying AppleCare before the 1 year period passes!
Click to expand...
You have 2 years warranty in EU
 
Corrode said:
I found this thread after search about my 2016 15" MBP making a loud "cracking" sound when I open it the first time every day. I've never spilled anything on it but it sounds like something is sticking, like the sound of cracking open a new book.

Periodically it makes a creaking sound when I'm using it but I can't reproduce the issue.

Finally, I saw a post about something being loose when the MacBook is shaken so I checked mine and, lo and behold, there's something loose inside there.

Does this sound similar to the issue everyone else is having?
[doublepost=1504284618][/doublepost]
What was your result from this issue? I just discovered that I have the same.
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The whole screen/top lid was replaced in the end.
 
just an update... after the topcase (including display) replacement, my machine has still never made the popping noise. good luck to you guys.
 
I converted some videos to HEVC using HandBrake the other day with my repaired machine (top-case and display have been replaced). It ran under full CPU load (8 threads) for about 16 hours and did not even pop once.

My impression is that the hinge seems more stable/sturdier after the repair. AFAIR before the repair my machine somehow was getting hotter when touching the area near the hinge above the touchbar when under full load. It does not get as hot as before now, although the CPU temperatures are always in the high 90s to 100°C.

Can someone who had the display and top-case replaced confirm this?
 
so should I just go to apple store and ask for top case change?
 
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--ld-- said:
I converted some videos to HEVC using HandBrake the other day with my repaired machine (top-case and display have been replaced). It ran under full CPU load (8 threads) for about 16 hours and did not even pop once.

My impression is that the hinge seems more stable/sturdier after the repair. AFAIR before the repair my machine somehow was getting hotter when touching the area near the hinge above the touchbar when under full load. It does not get as hot as before now, although the CPU temperatures are always in the high 90s to 100°C.

Can someone who had the display and top-case replaced confirm this?
Click to expand...

Yes. This is what I experienced as well. After the repair my machine under load does not get as warm when touching above the touchbar.
 
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owl said:
Yes. This is what I experienced as well. After the repair my machine under load does not get as warm when touching above the touchbar.
Click to expand...

My machine was making popping noises when it got between 40-70 celsius, this was also happening during the cooldown process and it made me crazy as hell. I did a video showing it and then took it to an Apple repair center. The tech guy saw the video and was also able to reproduce it himself during heavy load tasks.

They kept my 15 inch late 2016 for about 3 weeks, testing different stuff and what they finally did was exchanging the topcase+battery together with a completely new display assembly. Now there is no pops at all and the machine feels somehow more sturdy and rigid. They tried exchanging the topcase first and the popping noise was actually reduced to some extent, but did not completely stop. The game changer was when they also changed the display assembly, it solved the problem.

I had frequent contact with the repair center during this try and error process, they updated me by every week. I gave them the adress to this thread that has a ton of people experiencing the same issues with the popping sounds.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7825434?start=0&tstart=0

I do have my suspicion that this problem must originate from quality issues in the manufacturing process and I think the problem is more widespread than what Apple wants to admit, if anyone have this problem they should take it to an Apple store or repair center before the warranty ends.
 
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_Kiki_ said:
ask again, hinges are part of screen, not palmrest
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I think you might be wrong here Kiki, a majority of the people (including me) that had this "popping/creaking" issue solved has stated, that the popping stopped when they got both their display assembly together with the topcase exchanged.

According to the Apple guy that repaired my laptop, the topcase (that is indeed a part of the palmrest) is connected to the screen assembly, thats why they exchanged the topcase first, in the end they concluded that it was a combination of both the topcase and the screen assembly, that made the popping/creaking sound.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7825434?start=480&tstart=0

However, it might very well be that the popping will return after a few weeks, but at the moment it seems like the only viable solution is to replace these parts, because replacing only a separate part clearly did not stop the issue.
 
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Macaman said:
I think you might be wrong here Kiki, a majority of the people (including me) that had this "popping/creaking" issue solved has stated, that the popping stopped when they got both their display assembly together with the topcase exchanged.

According to the Apple guy that repaired my laptop, the topcase (that is indeed a part of the palmrest) is connected to the screen assembly, thats why they exchanged the topcase first, in the end they concluded that it was a combination of both the topcase and the screen assembly, that made the popping/creaking sound.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7825434?start=480&tstart=0

However, it might very well be that the popping will return after a few weeks, but at the moment it seems like the only viable solution is to replace these parts, because replacing only a separate part clearly did not stop the issue.
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you can ask also for logic board replacement because you must be 100% sure !

popping will back like boomerang after some time, so enjoy by now your laptop :apple:

design flaw is obvious in this model
 
So how many of you just ignore this issue and keep the Macbook? My currrent 2017 got this and another small speaker issue, but getting really tired of sending Macbooks back.

Edit:
I assume some of you got it worse than I do. It's not that annoying. At least not yet... I have decided to keep mine for now. I even made deal with my wife: She gets mine if I decide to buy a new one next year.
 
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--ld-- said:
I was able to reproduce the popping noise by stressing the cpu to its max.
This can be simply done by running the following command in Terminal:
Code: 
yes > /dev/null & yes > /dev/null & yes > /dev/null & yes > /dev/null & yes > /dev/null & yes > /dev/null & yes > /dev/null & yes > /dev/null &

This creates 8 threads which cause 100% CPU load. After about 1 minute my machine started popping even without touching it. The popping then repeated itself every 2 to 3 minutes. This way I was able to reproduce it in front of the technicians at the Apple Premium Reseller store where I sent my machine in for repair.

The processes can be stopped using this command in Terminal:
Code: 
killall yes
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I am not saying this is true, High Sierra fixed, but I have been running this terminal command all day, each time from 20 to 30 minutes. With power connected and without and I haven't had one popping sound. I am wondering if it's just a good day or if High Sierra has corrected something. Anyone else hearing pops after High Sierra? Like I said, it could just be a good day.
 
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