Clicking/creaking noise on late 2016 MBP

[j4m13]

Just as an update, the noise was getting annoying so I decided to take it back to the Apple Store to get them to look at it.
The genius couldn't her the noise when I was in the store (Typical!) however he did say to me that they will do their best to find where its coming from and will let me know.

I will keep the thread up to date with the outcome!

I have came to this thread because my 2017 15" MacBook Pro is clicking like hell.
I just got the machine today and I noticed when the fan was running It was clicking every 4 or 5 seconds or so.
This was when I was syncing iCloud and Photos. I thought it was the speaker at first but its really annoying!

UPDATE:
I have noticed it clicks and creaks from the top right of the MacBook just above the Touch ID button. If I slightly flex the computer in this corner it will creak and click without there being any power to the Mac itself.
I will see if it sorts itself in a few days and If not, ill take it to the Genius Bar.

 

[macfrik]

Do you all have 15" machines? I am wondering if this problem also shows up for the 13" models...

Just noticed the thread. I have the 2016 13 inch MBP with Touch Bar and configured it with the i7 processor.

Bought the machine in the States and I've been having the issue since day one. The popping sound is really apparent and loud. The sound is coming from the lower right and lower left of the keyboard, and around the area. It seems that the popping sound is more frequent whenever I'm doing heavy load on the machine, such as photo editing and steam gaming.

Went to the Apple Store in Singapore in May, and the Genius definitely heard the popping sound as I opened the MacBook (imagine how loud the popping sound is because the Genius could immediately heard it given how big the Apple Store in Singapore is). He immediately offered me a top case replacement. When I got the unit back in about a month, I noticed that they had replaced the whole top case, motherboard, keyboard, battery, so pretty much everything except the display and the hinge.

Fast forward 3 months, the popping sound started to happen again. And this time, it was pretty frequent. Went back to the store, and met the senior Genius, and confirmed the popping sound again.. He claimed that they haven't heard anything from Apple Engineers about the issue and said that there was nothing that he could do other than replacing the whole computer parts (again), this time with everything, top case, and display assembly. So when the repair is completed, I am getting a brand new computer again , just the 2016, not the 2017.

Will post an update. He said it could take up to a month because they would have to ship the parts from China then to Singapore. Repair could take some time since they are basically 'making' a new computer.

 

[--ld--]

Today I will bring it in for the second repair. I will keep you updated, guys!

Hey guys! New update from my case...

I went to the APR store (MCShark) before the weekend to pick up my MacBook Pro after the second repair. As a side note, the first repair consisted in a top-case replacement and readjustment of the hinge which was performed by the reseller's repair team - the popping sound returned after 1 day of usage. After the second repair, where I sent it in claiming that the first repair did not help fixing the issue, I got my MacBook back without anything being done at all. What happened was that basically the reseller's repair team was not able to repair the issue, so they sent it to Apple. Then Apple did nothing about the issue because they said that it does not have any negative effects to the function of the machine. So Apple sent it back to the APR and they delivered it to the store where I picked it up.

So I had a look into the Austrian consumer law (statutory warranty), which basically says that the vendor has the right to fix the issue by repairing the machine at least once. After that, the consumer has either the right to claim a replacement or to cancel the buying contract and get the money back, however the latter only applies when the issue is not classified as a minor one.With this in mind i went to pick-up my MacBook and I told them that I am claiming to replace my machine because of the two failed repair attempts, as mentioned in Austrian statutory warranty. Now comes the the funny part...

They said that they have to send it in for repair again because the other two repairs did not happen under the statutory warranty, but under the manufacturers warranty, which is a voluntary offering by the manufacturer. So the first two repairs do not count towards the statutory warranty and I have to allow them to repair the issue at least once, like defined by the Austrian law.

So summing up, to claim my statutory right, I had to send it in for repair once again (for the third time). This time however, it was in the context of the statutory warranty, so I had to fill out some forms which I did not have to the first two times. I also explained them my case, that this is my main machine for work and that I cannot spend more time without it. So they acknowledged this and said that if the issue cannot be fixed, I will get a replacement machine.

I also explained to the technicians at the shop that this popping does indeed disturb the correct functioning of the machine, as mentioned by Apple. For example, every time something is recorded with the microphone the popping sound also appears in the recordings. They then told me that this is right and said that the flawless functioning of the machine is disturbed.

A quick tipp for the people living in the EU: Be sure that you send your machine in for repair under your country's statutory warranty. This way, as it is in Austria, after a limited number of repair attempts they have resolve the problem one way or another. I am not familiar with the jurisdiction in other EU countries, but I would guess that is quite similar.

I am expecting to get my hopefully repaired machine, or a replacement, back in about 2 to 3 weeks. I am curious what will happen now... If they are not willing to give me a replacement machine and the issue still persists, I will claim my money back.

I hope that my experience will help some of you in getting their issues fixed. As always, I will keep you updated!

 

[Nemozini]

"Then Apple did nothing about the issue because they said that it does not have any negative effects to the function of the machine"

This is unfair and also conflicts with reports that people had their laptops replaced. Apple should give new replacements if they can't fix it. It is a serious issue, If I knew this was a "feature", I would not have bought the laptop.

 

[--ld--]

"Then Apple did nothing about the issue because they said that it does not have any negative effects to the function of the machine"

This is unfair and also conflicts with reports that people had their laptops replaced. Apple should give new replacements if they can't fix it. It is a serious issue, If I knew this was a "feature", I would not have bought the laptop.

For me it is simply not feasible to go to an official Apple Store because the closest is about a 3h drive away. So all I am left is to take it to the APR. I think talking to Apple directly would have facilitated the whole process a lot, but since I bought my MacBook through the reseller and the next official Apple store is far away they are my only place to go.

I think that the reseller is to blame for my whole situation and the 3 repair attempts, because it is simply not possible to talk to the repair service. The staff at the shop always agreed with me and understood the problem, but the technician doing the repair simply was left without any context as the only information communicated to him is that the machine is popping under certain circumstances. I was told that there is no way of talking to the technician directly. I would guess that when my MacBook was sent to Apple they were communicated even less information on the issue.

The staff at the APR shop said that I need to contact Apple on why they decided this way, but they could not give me any reference ID or repair ID to track my repair attempt. I will try to call Apple anyway and see if the reason for this decision can maybe be tracked through the S/N, but my hopes are not very high.

 

[itsasin]

After I finally decided to go back to the Apple Premium Seller store because I could not stand the fauly keyboard issues anymore ("sticky" keys, high-pitched noise, uneven travel, faulty space bar) and had it repaired, I received my unit back with a new top case. Issues seem to be gone, I was happy, until...

I started to notice the "popping/crackling" issue became even a bigger issue after my repair! What on Earth! I always noticed the issue, right from the start, but it only happened occasionally and mostly when I was watching YouTube videos at a higher resolution, even thinking it had something to do with perhaps YouTube or the videos itself or my browser... Nope.

I experience this issue now multiple times a day, especially when my machine seems to be heating up or is on a higher load (YouTube, Adobe apps). Another issue I have is that often while opening the laptop, the hinge(?) makes a cracking noise.

This drives me crazy. I paid so much for this laptop, it cost me over three times my monthly income, and the goddamn thing is just faulty. Even more so after a repair! Today I went to the store again, and now I will have to wait again, not being able to get anything done without a laptop. I am so mad. How were these unit ever allowed to be sold in the first place? And what will they do about mine? What can they possibly do? The guy at the store said he had never heard of this issue before. It would not even surprise me if they are either going to blame this on me, say nothing is wrong with it and they cannot find any issues or they will return it as "fixed" while it still has the same issue. Because how on Earth will they fix this? I am so desperate. I want to punch myself for not having waited until the 2017 release.

 

[Boneheadxan]

Just noticed the thread. I have the 2016 13 inch MBP with Touch Bar and configured it with the i7 processor.

Bought the machine in the States and I've been having the issue since day one. The popping sound is really apparent and loud. The sound is coming from the lower right and lower left of the keyboard, and around the area. It seems that the popping sound is more frequent whenever I'm doing heavy load on the machine, such as photo editing and steam gaming.

Went to the Apple Store in Singapore in May, and the Genius definitely heard the popping sound as I opened the MacBook (imagine how loud the popping sound is because the Genius could immediately heard it given how big the Apple Store in Singapore is). He immediately offered me a top case replacement. When I got the unit back in about a month, I noticed that they had replaced the whole top case, motherboard, keyboard, battery, so pretty much everything except the display and the hinge.

Fast forward 3 months, the popping sound started to happen again. And this time, it was pretty frequent. Went back to the store, and met the senior Genius, and confirmed the popping sound again.. He claimed that they haven't heard anything from Apple Engineers about the issue and said that there was nothing that he could do other than replacing the whole computer parts (again), this time with everything, top case, and display assembly. So when the repair is completed, I am getting a brand new computer again , just the 2016, not the 2017.

Will post an update. He said it could take up to a month because they would have to ship the parts from China then to Singapore. Repair could take some time since they are basically 'making' a new computer.

I didn't have the popping issue for the first few months. Lately I'm hearing it a lot more.

Hmmm, wondering if I should get mine replaced as well. I was thinking of dropping by the Singapore Apple Store and trying my luck, but a couple of weeks of downtime will be difficult for me.

 

[--ld--]

Yesterday I got a call from the technician which received my MacBook for repairing. He told me that Apple is aware of the problem and that they are investigating it, but until now they don't know how to fix it. He said that the problem lies within the display assembly, but it is not clear what is causing the problem or how it will develop. So basically he told me that a repair is useless (in my case they changed the top-case and it didn't help) until Apple has figured something out. I then sent him a detailed description when the popping occurs and how the popping can be reproduced. My machine shows the same behavior as described in @itsasin's last post.

I am claiming a replacement machine now, since under my usual workload the popping occurs every 5-10 minutes and this is not acceptable since it also interferes with my work. I hope that the problem is not wide-spread and only certain machines are faulty.

 

[itsasin]

Yesterday I got a call from the technician which received my MacBook for repairing. He told me that Apple is aware of the problem and that they are investigating it, but until now they don't know how to fix it. He said that the problem lies within the display assembly, but it is not clear what is causing the problem or how it will develop. So basically he told me that a repair is useless (in my case they changed the top-case and it didn't help) until Apple has figured something out. I then sent him a detailed description when the popping occurs and how the popping can be reproduced. My machine shows the same behavior as described in @itsasin's last post.

I am claiming a replacement machine now, since under my usual workload the popping occurs every 5-10 minutes and this is not acceptable since it also interferes with my work. I hope that the problem is not wide-spread and only certain machines are faulty.

How can the repair guy from my Apple Premium Reseller store even dare to say he was unaware of this being an issue on these machines... At least last time I got my MacBook Pro repaired I was told by the guy (not sure whether it was the same person, I have made a couple of visits there now) that he had seen the keyboard issue one of two times before. One quick Google search, okay? And even without that, the repair guys especially just must be aware of this, right? Sometimes it really feels as if they are playing dumb on purpose to make me feel as if I am some exception or even like I did something wrong! I feel so bad, having to send it in for repairs again, even though I seem to be completely within my rights... that is just unfair.

If this cannot be repaired, it sounds like I am just ****ed. I doubt they will replace the unit with a 2017 one. However, seems like the issue cannot even be fixed, and if that is really the case I hope they realise that and are going to be honest about it and somehow make me end up with a non-faulty laptop. That is the least they can do when I spent € 2700 on a so-called "premium" device. I have been the happiest owner of my 15" MacBook Pro (2011) until it eventually did die on me about a year ago, and was so excited to finally get an "upgrade". Well that turned out nicely...

 

[j4m13]

Just as an update, the noise was getting annoying so I decided to take it back to the Apple Store to get them to look at it.
The genius couldn't her the noise when I was in the store (Typical!) however he did say to me that they will do their best to find where its coming from and will let me know.

I will keep the thread up to date with the outcome!

Okay so I have received my computer back from the Apple Store last week and they hadn't been able to find or repair the Annoying Noise.
Today I decided to open the MacBook up and have a look myself (I used to work in PC Repair). I found that the screw that holds down the Heatsync was loose and this was causing all the noise.
Here is a video of my repair.

I don't know if it helps anyone, but it helped me and I wanted to share.

Jamie

 

[Timmy D]

Okay so I have received my computer back from the Apple Store last week and they hadn't been able to find or repair the Annoying Noise.
Today I decided to open the MacBook up and have a look myself (I used to work in PC Repair). I found that the screw that holds down the Heatsync was loose and this was causing all the noise.
Here is a video of my repair.

I don't know if it helps anyone, but it helped me and I wanted to share.

Jamie

please keep us posted on whether or not the noise comes back, thanks Tim

 

[edenorchestra]

Interesting, I had my screen/lid (one piece) replaced because of some bad pixels. No more popping sound, zero. It's only been a week, but it used to pop under load like when my 5k monitor was using the ATI graphics, sometimes just when charging, and a quieter, same popping sound when opening the laptop.

 

[Rocko99991]

I have this all the time with the 2013 rMBP. I hear popping or clicking whenever I am rendering a FCPX project.

Those are the individual solder joints coming undone.

 

[itsasin]

What a comforting thread... ahum, haha. Cannot wait to hear what the guys from my local Apple reseller store will come up with. Could be any day now... I think I am going to safely bet on the response of either "we could not find an issue" or "we repaired your unit" and they hand it back while the issue still exists.

 

[0922251]

I experience a popping sound from the right speaker on my 2017 MacBook Pro 13 inch.

 

[_Kiki_]

I think it's a problem with hinges, insufficient or wrong/bad quality lubricating oil, can be also problem with hinges itself like bad design, I'm not sure if hinges are removable or they integral part of screen

 

[owl]

After my top case was replaced, I am yet to experience the popping noises. And as a reminder the Apple store did acknowledge the issue for my particular machines (two late 2016 MBP w/ TB).

 

[edenorchestra]

After my top case was replaced, I am yet to experience the popping noises. And as a reminder the Apple store did acknowledge the issue for my particular machines (two late 2016 MBP w/ TB).

Many posters here seem not to read as yes Owl that is the 2016 MBP popping issue. I've posted many times that I had my screen/lid replaced (actually due to bad pixels) and reported the popping sound as well. Problem resolved, Apple in Pittsburgh was aware of the issue.

 

[itsasin]

Many posters here seem not to read as yes Owl that is the 2016 MBP popping issue. I've posted many times that I had my screen/lid replaced (actually due to bad pixels) and reported the popping sound as well. Problem resolved, Apple in Pittsburgh was aware of the issue.

My noise issue became much worse after I got a top case replacement for yet another issue.

 

[JTMacster]

Took my 2016 15 inch MacBook Pro in for repair to fix the same popping noise described here. Repair center did a top case replacement and like ltsasin my problem is now worse. Taking it back in on Monday. Will post results when it returns.

 

[_Kiki_]

Took my 2016 15 inch MacBook Pro in for repair to fix the same popping noise described here. Repair center did a top case replacement and like ltsasin my problem is now worse. Taking it back in on Monday. Will post results when it returns.

tell them to replace the screen

 

[JTMacster]

OK, took my laptop back in for repair. Went through history and showed them this forum item suggesting screen replacement. Machine is on its way back to the repair center with notes requesting screen replacement. See if that happens. On case replacement they trashed my bottom dbrands skin. Thinking I will now lose the top piece. It would be worth it though if they fix the problem.

 

[uw205]

When I went into the Apple Store last week for the high pitched/sticky keyboard issue, I was lucky that when I was trying to replicate that issue to the genius, my macbook made the popping sound twice and he heard it. He said that he knew about the issue and it had to do with the display, so I got that replaced in addition to the top case. He noted down EM992 in the work authorization for the popping issue, so it might be worth asking the genius to check that if they don't know about it.

I picked up my macbook pro today and so far the issue seems to no longer happen (and pressing on the back of the display behind the "Macbook Pro" text also doesn't creak anymore), so hopefully it won't come back again.

 

[owl]

When I went into the Apple Store last week for the high pitched/sticky keyboard issue, I was lucky that when I was trying to replicate that issue to the genius, my macbook made the popping sound twice and he heard it. He said that he knew about the issue and it had to do with the display, so I got that replaced in addition to the top case. He noted down EM992 in the work authorization for the popping issue, so it might be worth asking the genius to check that if they don't know about it.

I picked up my macbook pro today and so far the issue seems to no longer happen (and pressing on the back of the display behind the "Macbook Pro" text also doesn't creak anymore), so hopefully it won't come back again.

Good to hear. After my top case (including display) was replaced, I also couldn't reproduce the popping by manually pushing on the back of the top case near the hinge.

 

[_Kiki_]

Only wait around the month and popping will come back.