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Does putting a HDD in the optical drive bay void warranty?
- Thread starter MaxBurn
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Technically it is.
But should you need Warranty service simply put the ODD back in first.
Technically it does void the warranty (this has been discussed many times before), although if you are careful, don't break anything, and put the original back before taking it in for issues, you should have no issues with Genius bar issues. I do iterate that this is not a user replaceable part, so it does technically void the warranty.
The Applecare technician I talked to the other night said that it does not void the warranty - only the warranty does not cover the item you replaced the optical drive with. I would swap the drive back out regardless before mailing it back in though - for no other reason than you may get the laptop back with no HDD in the optical bay. At least this is what happened when I had 4GB of RAM go bad. Got it back from Aplcare with just 2.
No matter what the technician says, the warranty statement says it does void the warranty (if they decide to fix it that is their call and a bonus to you, but the warranty could be voided for unauthorized modifications, a clause in the warranty statement). The other thing to ponder is that if they know you changed the part they could say that your unauthorized maintenance is the cause of the failure and deny warranty on that basis. Not saying they will, but they can since it is an unauthorized modification. Just something to remember.
Whenever I need to get my MBP serviced, I take out all the upgrades I have put into the computer. The SSD, additional HDD and RAM and replace with original. Just in case they decide it's because of that or void the warranty. And also they may not give it back if they replace it with the regular model specs.