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Did I just buy a MBP with a swarm of dead pixels on it?

aaquib

aaquib

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Sep 11, 2007
1,496
1
Toronto, Canada
So I bought a 15" MBP with no warranty (2.16, 2006 model) and though there were some minor cosmetic blemishes I was aware of, I didn't notice this until now. On the screen, under any background, there are a pretty big slab of black scattered. I tried cleaning it off, but it's like they're hidden under the screen. The seller made absolutely no mention of this when I was buying it and I didn't notice it until I got home. Are they dead pixels? Can I get them off myself? There is no warranty remaining and I'd be very upset if I have to toss over $350 to Apple to get the screen replaced.
 
Yeah, try to unstick them first. If that doesn't work, contact the seller. Hopefully you bought it thru Ebay; they can help you since the device is clearly damaged
 
kryptonianjorel said:
Yeah, try to unstick them first. If that doesn't work, contact the seller. Hopefully you bought it thru Ebay; they can help you since the device is clearly damaged
Click to expand...

Craigslist :( The guy said he's selling it to make some money for college, but I highly doubt he'll give me a refund or some sort of compensation. I guess I'll try unsticking them after reinstalling OS X (unrelated reason), and then contacting the seller, but I have a feeling that he'll likely blame me as I did get an opportunity to see it. I saw a few scuffs, but as I don't really have any experience with dead pixels, I thought I'd just be able to wipe them off. They look similar to what dust would, except they won't get off. I wish I could take pictures to show you guys, but I have no idea how the iPhone camera is going to capture the blemishes on the display.
 
aaquib said:
Craigslist :( The guy said he's selling it to make some money for college, but I highly doubt he'll give me a refund or some sort of compensation. I guess I'll try unsticking them after reinstalling OS X (unrelated reason), and then contacting the seller, but I have a feeling that he'll likely blame me as I did get an opportunity to see it. I saw a few scuffs, but as I don't really have any experience with dead pixels, I thought I'd just be able to wipe them off. They look similar to what dust would, except they won't get off. I wish I could take pictures to show you guys, but I have no idea how the iPhone camera is going to capture the blemishes on the display.
Click to expand...

Well, if you cant get your money back, then you should try a do-it-yourself. Try taking the glass off the screen (I assume the 2006 has a glass screen) and see if you can clean it (could be dust inside it). If that doesn't work, order a new screen off Ebay and hook it up. If you've never taken a laptop apart before, its a great learning experience, and is a lot easier than you'd think

Just checked ebay. seems like you could get a replacement for ~$150
 
350 seems like a decent deal for a screen replacement lol. But thats what happens when you cloud your mind with the excitement of getting a new computer. You overlook stuff and now your SOL.
 
I'm not sure I understood your post completely. You say that it's like this under any background, so you mean it always has a swarm of black no matter what image is being displayed, not just on the background image, correct? If the seller made no mention of it then I would try to return it back to him, although truth be told, you should have inspected it more carefully at the time of purchase. Also, if you end up having to replace the screen, I think you can do much better than $350 if you do it yourself and source the individual LCD panel.
 
Here are some pics of the stains.

3808451650_aa16600156_b.jpg

3808450170_a621895ca3_b.jpg
 
HI - Dont think thats dead pixels - I had the same thing happen to me on a previous matte screen powerbook....basically its finger oils transfered from the keyboard to the screen when the lid is closed (and probably carried in a bag with lots of books and 'squished' together...i tried everything to get it off (although admittedly not taking the screen apart) with no joy

One of the reasons I always go glossy now
 
Tiger? Woah. Anyway try cleaning under the glass, or just deal with it if you think you are going to screw things up worse.
 
Can anyone link me to a tutorial on how to take off the bezel and get to the actual display? I read through the iFixit tutorial on how to replace your display and it seemed somewhat confusing and complicated.
 
Ugh, now the MBP randomly shuts down automatically. I reset the PRAM and Apple couldn't really help me beyond that. I have to take it to an Apple Store on Wednesday. I may have to get he logic board replaced :mad:

Meanwhile, the seller has taken the liberty of not picking up any calls or replying to his emails.
 
If it's randomly shutting down now, chances are good that it was doing it before the sale, too. I wouldn't bother contacting Apple for service if it comes down to needing replacement parts. Try ebay or another low-cost part vendor because that computer is not worth dumping money into.
 
Bill Gates said:
If it's randomly shutting down now, chances are good that it was doing it before the sale, too. I wouldn't bother contacting Apple for service if it comes down to needing replacement parts. Try ebay or another low-cost part vendor because that computer is not worth dumping money into.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly. If the repairs are over $300, I might just resell the machine on eBay. Unfortunately, there was no way for me to leave the machine on for a couple of hours to test it when I bought it.

SnowLeopard2008 said:
It's so old, AppleCare is probably out or going to be. Contact the seller at once!
Click to expand...

It is out. Was out since 2007 :mad: Any repairs would be out of my own pocket.
 
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