Finding parts!

[0989383]

God Damnit. I thought eBay had me covered.

Cases. Chargers. Batteries. Screens. Everything.
They had it on eBay.

Then, last week, I decided, you know what, my MacBook Pro (Mid-2012) is in need of a major refurb! To keep it running good for another few years yet. It'll be 3 years old in February.

I need a new keyboard, few keys on mine are loose and falling off. Got one on eBay.
I need a new charger, mines is hanging to shreds. Looked on eBay. Nothing other than fakes, reported to blow up. The original is £80. F*ck.
I need a new battery, mine has passed 1000 charges and is starting to deteriorate.

The Keyboard
Bought one from eBay, it said New.. it said Apple was the brand. When I got it, it was clearly a reformed part. Fitted it. Worked for about 2 minutes then intermittently rows wouldn't work. Had to refit the original and sent that POS back. Looked on eBay, they're all bloody reforms. Apple said they will no longer touch my Mac even if I pay them because I opened it?!

The Charger
It's £80. Wasn't it always £60? It's the same 60W MagSafe that's been out for almost a decade. I'm sure the R&D has been well paid off, and it costs pennies to make. Why did Apple feel the need to up the price, especially on the MagSafe 1 which is no longer going to be around since it's been replaced twice. No alternatives that won't surely blow up the house can be found?!

The Battery
Well, it says Replace Soon. It's fine at the minute, but wouldn't mind replacing it for sheer dependability when out and about. That is, if I could find one! There seems to be no aftermarket for genuine Apple parts.

I CANT AFFORD TO BUY A NEW MAC, NOT WITH THOSE PRICE JUMPS!
I DONT WANT TO REPLACE IT WITH A LOUSY WINDOWS LAPTOP.
ALSO CANT AFFORD A SURFACE PRO.
iPAD PRO WONT DO THE JOB!

I would love to keep fixing this Mac until I'm forced to give it up.. but I didn't think such simple items - which I have the ability to replace - would be so hard to FIND!

*sigh*

Your thoughts and solutions?

 

[Sanpete]

Some items may take time to show up. Just keep a search active, and they'll show up eventually.

 

[0989383]

Surprised that nobody on here has any suggestions on finding parts!

 

[mbezzo]

you try ifixit.com? they definitely aren't the cheapest option but often have lots of hard to find parts...

 

[New_Mac_Smell]

The charger is proprietary so you're out of luck there I'm afraid, you'll get what you pay for and anything significantly below the RRP on eBay could be a fake, which is just not worth it in the long run.

Battery wise I can't comment, but I'd make sure you get a reputable one and not the cheapest you see. As @mbezzo suggested, look on ifixit and see if they recommend any.

Keyboard I take it you want an official Apple one? Would a cheaper aftermarket not suite you needs better if cost is a concern? Their keyboards/mice have always been horrendous prices, so if you want an official one you'll have to pay for it I'm afraid. Otherwise risk an older refurb and have potentially similar experiences.

Something like this will work https://www.amazon.co.uk/Compact-Wi...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BA6W2ZQ7A0D3R3XGR1FM

It'll at least have the same keys, but again it's cheap and you get what you paid for. So don't expect Apple quality with it.

You really are best using something like Amazon/eBay for this stuff if you want to try save money but you'll have to be patient with it as it'll be old parts for your charger/battery.

But I'd strongly recommend you get an official charger, and a reputable battery. They may be more expensive today but you don't want to risk any electrical circuitry damage due to a faulty charger or a cheap battery exploding in the computer. If you do go down that road, for the charger you might get a deal somewhere online, or wait for an Argos sale or something if you have any vouchers.

 

[0989383]

The charger is proprietary so you're out of luck there I'm afraid, you'll get what you pay for and anything significantly below the RRP on eBay could be a fake, which is just not worth it in the long run.

Battery wise I can't comment, but I'd make sure you get a reputable one and not the cheapest you see. As @mbezzo suggested, look on ifixit and see if they recommend any.

Keyboard I take it you want an official Apple one? Would a cheaper aftermarket not suite you needs better if cost is a concern? Their keyboards/mice have always been horrendous prices, so if you want an official one you'll have to pay for it I'm afraid. Otherwise risk an older refurb and have potentially similar experiences.

Something like this will work https://www.amazon.co.uk/Compact-Wi...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BA6W2ZQ7A0D3R3XGR1FM

It'll at least have the same keys, but again it's cheap and you get what you paid for. So don't expect Apple quality with it.

You really are best using something like Amazon/eBay for this stuff if you want to try save money but you'll have to be patient with it as it'll be old parts for your charger/battery.

But I'd strongly recommend you get an official charger, and a reputable battery. They may be more expensive today but you don't want to risk any electrical circuitry damage due to a faulty charger or a cheap battery exploding in the computer. If you do go down that road, for the charger you might get a deal somewhere online, or wait for an Argos sale or something if you have any vouchers.

Thanks @New_Mac_Smell you've answered all my questions.

I guess I'll have to keep shopping around and waiting