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onlyapple1000

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 30, 2012
6
0
hi im new to this forum and am sad to be coming here asking if there is any way to repair a dent in the lid of my macbook pro unibody it is about 3 quarters of a inch long and wondered if there was anyway of pulling it out or if anyone on here had some ideas. i wouldnt mind spending like 100 but i dont really want to have to replace the whole top housing for 400 lol and help will be apreciated thanks
 
I don't think you have many options. Either replace the whole display assembly or replace the top cover shell. Here's a step-by-step guide on the latter:

Not sure which MBP you have so here is a guide for the 17", it should be exactly the same or very similar.

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+MacBook+Pro+17-Inch+Unibody+LCD/9594/1

You could remove the LCD and try to push the dent out yourself, not sure if that would work but you'd have to disassemble it to find out.
 
I'm curious. Anyone ever tried one of the paintless dent removal guys that do car fixes? I have a friend that has a business doing it, and I've seen him do magic on cars that have extensive hail damage that you'd never believe could be fixed.

No dented Macbooks to let him try on, but seriously, i've seen him do tricks with things like dry ice, etc that will just leave you shaking your head.
 
I'm curious. Anyone ever tried one of the paintless dent removal guys that do car fixes? I have a friend that has a business doing it, and I've seen him do magic on cars that have extensive hail damage that you'd never believe could be fixed.

No dented Macbooks to let him try on, but seriously, i've seen him do tricks with things like dry ice, etc that will just leave you shaking your head.

I have heard that dents cannot have creases for paintless dent removal to work. Is that correct?
 
First off... I believe the unibody MBP is aluminum. Aluminum dent repair in cars, at least, is a totally different ball game. Most of those paintless dent repair tricks go out the window when dealing with aluminum.

Take it for what it's worth, but I've owned a couple vintage Airstreams and currently have a car with an aluminum hood and roof. You do NOT want to dent that stuff, cause its a bear to fix.

For you, I would say live with it, or look at replacing the whole screen back.

Sorry for your luck.
 
I work as a pant technician a bodyshop and like msh411 said, dents in Alli are hard to get out, generally a paintless dent removal will involve tapping the dent out from the inside of the panel and possibly pulling it on a large flat panel.

However, since it's your Macbook we're talking about, the 'panel' is so small it'd be near impossible to do anything with it. If you're that worried about it cosmetically, take it to a bodyshop and ask them if they can repair it, although they won't be able to recreate the aluminium effect. They may be able to use filler and remove the dent, although you'll probably have to have it painted a different colour, silver would be the closest.
 
thanks for your replies people its just so annoying that i have a lovely computer which now has a dent in it :(.
 
i will probably still take it into the apple store and get a quote. otherwise i might sell and get a new one
 
I highly doubt that a body shop will fix it. That said, it honestly does not matter, and buying another computer to replace it is throwing money away.
 
ye i think you might be right but if i can get a good price for it i might just bight the bullet and its always a good excuse to get a retina.
 
Really? A new mbp because your current one has COSMETIC dents that do not impact its performance? Wooooow people are very materialistic

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2 Beta-5
 
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+MacBook+Pro+17-Inch+Unibody+LCD/9594/1

You could remove the LCD and try to push the dent out yourself, not sure if that would work but you'd have to disassemble it to find out.

This! Aluminum is a rather soft substance. Just hammer the dent out (rubber hammer). Might take some patience, but you should be able to remold it, just don't crack it! Use a small one, and go slowly, one step at a time, gently bringing it back. Worst case, if some cracks or unevenness end up in the final result, you can file them away, though that'll change the polishing of your comp. Might need a paint job at that point. In other words, just do what car mechanics do.

Let us know how it turns out if you try this. ;)

PS: This post may or may not have been serious.
 
How about getting a nice Speck satin case for it, then you won't see the dent anymore!
 
Maybe This Guy would be interested..

I was somewhat questioning this poster about 'putting stickers on such a nice machine' but I did write that I would consider it IF I was to have a few too many Dents and Scratches.. :eek:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1500380/

** And as mentioned by several above, any 'Paint-less Dent Removal' or otherwise would entail COMPLETE dis-assembly of the computer and likely you would not be happy anyway.. Especially if it has entered the Hard-edged/ Creased (Plastic Deformation) stage as opposed to a Softer (Elastic Deformation) dent where you could possibly push it back to approximately the original shape with a soft tool, or even your fingers.. BUT Anodized Aluminum is very easy to mark no matter what, and tough to get back to Exact Look.. Methinks.. Good Luck!! :apple:
 
A PDR company will not be able to do it, they would have to get at the dent from the inside which by the time you have split the shell from the screen you might as well change it for a new one. The only way a bodyshop could do it is if they filled the dent with car filler, then sprayed it, which could look pretty sweet but again it seems pointless.

I had a dent in my 13" MBP and left it in the end, I sold it on and it made no difference to the sale price, cosmetics don't bother all people, just people like you and me!

Anyways have a chat with the apple store to see if they will do something special for you, you never know.
 
hi again thanks for the replies how can it not effect the resale value, if i was buying a computer especially at this price i no i wouldnt want to buy one with a dent in it.
 
hi again thanks for the replies how can it not effect the resale value, if i was buying a computer especially at this price i no i wouldnt want to buy one with a dent in it.

I am not saying it won't affect yours selling, but it didn't affect the sale price of mine. I got what I thought I would get for it.
 
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