G5 PowerMac coolant leak

[MacUser2525]

they sure know how to be great to customers and do good on their warranties.

Being great to your customers would be a general recall of the defective machines making sure that all your service centers/customers know about and fix the problem. As it is it seems that the ones who scream the loudest/are more persistent are those who get the defective machines replaced the others just pay to get them fixed or buy new machines with nothing from Apple telling them differently, that is not a stellar performance by any measure.

 

[rpaloalto]

This is just one more example. Of how Apple, always takers care of their costumers.
They are giving you a new machine to replace a 3 year old computer. FOR FREE. You get what you pay for. First class computers and first class service.

Actually I worry allot when I read stories like yours. Believe me their are a lot of them. Apple does this often, almost too often. I worry about people reading your story or others. Then decide they want to try and abuse Apples generosity.

 

[ThirteenXIII]

Being great to your customers would be a general recall of the defective machines making sure that all your service centers/customers know about and fix the problem. As it is it seems that the ones who scream the loudest/are more persistent are those who get the defective machines replaced the others just pay to get them fixed or buy new machines with nothing from Apple telling them differently, that is not a stellar performance by any measure.

yikes..who pissed in your mac?

i mean liquid cooling in general is a potential hazard; and should have offered extended warranties regardless.
Or otherwise replaced them for those who had t hem also....

but for the most part things are taken care off pretty promptly and efficiently.
it depends on what your idea of a defect of theirs is and what constitutes something being defective.

Most people dont really even look into options, they just take what they give; which may or may not benefit them in the end.
Its always best to research options and those who speak up obviously will get more then those who expect others to mind read or hold their hands.
Not to say they dont deserve the same service as replacing a defective item, its just if they dont say anything noone will.

 

[MacUser2525]

yikes..who pissed in your mac?

i mean liquid cooling in general is a potential hazard; and should have offered extended warranties regardless.
Or otherwise replaced them for those who had t hem also....

but for the most part things are taken care off pretty promptly and efficiently.
it depends on what your idea of a defect of theirs is and what constitutes something being defective.

Most people dont really even look into options, they just take what they give; which may or may not benefit them in the end.
Its always best to research options and those who speak up obviously will get more then those who expect others to mind read or hold their hands.
Not to say they dont deserve the same service as replacing a defective item, its just if they dont say anything noone will.

Exactly everyone should be treated equally and they have a know problem here and seem to by lying to some of their customers about it. That is not a good idea because if I had one of these machine and came across a thread like this where someone came out of it with a new machine where I did not I would be pissed to say the least.

 

[ThirteenXIII]

Exactly everyone should be treated equally and they have a know problem here and seem to by lying to some of their customers about it. That is not a good idea because if I had one of these machine and came across a thread like this where someone came out of it with a new machine where I did not I would be pissed to say the least.

Of course.

and hopefully these issues will a lesson learned by apple.
because going forward they should expect to have a larger customer base and alot more computers being used by the general consumer.

And luckily this perosn was able to pursue this even though it shouldnt have had this many loops to jump through, but i agree, it should be equally stated and people shouldnt have to argue or put the pressure on apple to get them to cover what they need to.

its definitely no doubt most people will be unaware of these types of incidents which is unfortunate and definitely not equal.

but again hopefully this will be a lesson learned and apple will straighten these kind of things out earlier rather than later on and people wont be unknown to it.

 

[Cosmoza]

I am thinking of buying dual processor G5 (can't afford the Mac Pro) but after reading this.. is it worth a risk? Would dual processor G4 (1.6Ghz) do the same?

 

[sickmacdoc]

I am thinking of buying dual processor G5 (can't afford the Mac Pro) but after reading this.. is it worth a risk? Would dual processor G4 (1.6Ghz) do the same?

Like any other problem reported with any mechanical system, the news about failures is most likely minimal when compared to the number of unreported non-failed systems. With all the hundreds of thousands of liquid cooled systems that Apple produced, you have to expect a certain number of failures to be reported- just as a percentage of computers will have failed processors, hard drives, RAM or any other component. People who have working systems won't reflect in failure reports-- at least I have never felt the need to go onto a forum and post "My DP2.7 G5 is NOT LEAKING!" (and it isn't BTW).

And when you are asking if DP G4's would do the same in terms of leakage, then no since there are no liquid cooled G4s. Also keep in mind that there are several models of dual processor G5's that do not have liquid cooling either- 1.8Ghz, 2.0Ghz and 2.3Ghz. The only DP G5's that had liquid cooling were either 2.5Ghz (including the 2.5Ghz quad core DP) and 2.7Ghz.

 

[IroquoisPliskin]

Would dual processor G4 (1.6Ghz) do the same?

Not even close. There is no such thing as a 1.6 G4, the fastest model Apple offered was a dual 1.42ghz.

Look for a dual core 2.3GHz model, its the fastest PowerPC sold with air cooling.

 

[spitfirejd]

so are they making you send back the old g5 unit or how are they gonna handle that?

good news, thats always fantastic to hear....they sure know how to be great to customers and do good on their warranties.

Yes. They e-mailed me a FedEx shipping label to send the G5 carcass back. When they confirm that the G5 has been dropped off at FedEx, THEN they will order my Mac Pro as a BTO from the factory. Expect 8-10 days before it ships from factory, probably in China. As I recall, the G5 took about 4-5 days to get here from China when I ordered it 4 years ago. Since I can't pickup the G5 from the Apple Store until Sunday (it's a bit of a drive and I work Saturday), it will be a while before I get my new computer. But to get a new Mac pro for $150 I'm not complaining!

As sickmacdoc noted, you only hear about the computers that have problems, there are many still running strong. However, there are still enough with problems that IMHO Apple should address the issue in a consistent manner. A recall or warranty exception would make sense considering the coolant is pretty dangerous stuff. One of my big issues was what if a child or pet had gotten into the leaked coolant or the coolant had started a fire in the power supply, as others have reported? They should have warned buyers about the dangers. I wouldn't recommend to anyone to get a liquid cooled G5, it'll die sooner or later and why risk a fire? However, as noted there are air cooled G5's out there that would make great systems.

I posted this thread to show that Apple is concerned about owners and keeping them as customers. Could they do better? Sure, but at least they are willing to go a long way to make at least the squeaky wheels happy. Yes, I'd like to see a consistent policy for dealing with this. You shouldn't have to raise a fuss to get recompense for a known safety defect, but can you see Dell or Microsoft giving away a new computer to replace a 4 year old system for ANY reason? I can't. Kudos to Apple.

 

[nanofrog]

...can you see Dell or Microsoft giving away a new computer to replace a 4 year old system for ANY reason? ...

They might for a business customer. (Read: spends loads of $$$ with Dell,...).

For an individual, Hell would have to have frozen over, and Pigs sprouted wings and fly first.

 

[Cosmoza]

I didn't actually mean apple ever shipped 1.6Ghz G4:s, but there are upgarade processors available as well, pre-owened used computers been sold. Anyway, indeed there should be big difference on speed between either dual 1.6ghz G4 and let's say aircooled G5. Price for higher end dual G4 is close to low/mid end of single/dual G5's...

I thought ALL dual G5's were liquid cooled thanks for the correction.

Only thing making me wonder the sense of buying dual G5 is the possible future support by Apple's OSX (snow leopard, 64bit).

Thanks!

 

[FunkyChicken]

Apple's gonna pay for my repairs!

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I am in the exact same boat as spitfirejd: 4-year old G5 PowerMac, 2.5 dual processor, etc., and the liquid cooling pipes exploded just over a month ago. I had taken it in to my local authorized AAPL repair place, and was given an astronomical quote to repair ($1000+) and replace the cooling unit, the logic board, and the power supply.

After reading through this thread as well as the one on xlr8yourmac, I decided to call AAPL last Friday and told them my story. Won't bore you with the details but after speaking with the initial Customer Service Rep (thank you Paula!) and then the Product Specialist (thank you Doug!) (and then after Doug consulting with someone else), AAPL has agreed to pay for the entire repair job (parts & labour!). Whole call from beginning to end took about 20 mins.

This is obviously excellent news because not only does this save me $3000 from having to purchase a new machine in the new year, this also saves me $1000+ from not having to foot the repair bill! Gonna be a good Xmas after all!!

I LOVE !!

 

[spitfirejd]

Congratulations

I'm glad to hear you were able to get your repairs paid for. This is exactly why I started this thread. If anyone else can benefit from my experience, then I feel like I did my little part to spread some goodness... with a "little" help from Apple!

The only thing that really confuses me is where they come up with these quotes from. The only thing I needed to have replaced that you didn't was the case. My quote from the Apple Store was about $1,800 more. That's one expensive case!

 

[tjwaido]

Replacement of Working G5 System?

I wonder what the likelihood of having Apple replace a currently working PowerMac G5 Dual 2.7 system with odd fan behavior? I posted a forum two days ago about a power cycle with my CPU fans that have been driving me crazy. Other users suggested I check for coolant leakage, but I have not noticed any signs of coolant inside the case. After reading this forum, I have an inclination my system is about to go on the fritz. I bought my system in May of 2005 when the Dual 2.7 was released. Would Apple be willing to exchange a system they know is faulty before it has major problems? I had so many USB and Power supply issues when I first bought the system, but never extended my warranty.

 

[sickmacdoc]

Some of the posts in the xlr8yourmac compilation mention that the leakage is not always clearly visible as apparently there is a mat under the processors that absorbs the early leakage, but in answer to your question about them proactively taking care of the potential problems without evidence of leakage, I would have to say I doubt it. They really seem to be taking care of these issues on a case by case basis, and in reading the compilation the solutions can be seen to range from total denial of repair cost adjustments all the way to free system replacement.

I bought my secondary machine (a DP 2.7) two days after they were introduced that spring like you did- and luckily have not experienced any issues with it. But if I had problems and there was visual evidence of leaking from the LCS you bet I would push for repair/replacement but if there was no evidence of that I would not expect adjustment. So I guess what I am saying is keep a sharp eye on it (and read the xlr8yourmac user reports linked above if you have not as some users described noticing small leaks when looking in certain areas) and then pursue your options with them should your inclination turn out to be reality with evidence of a leak.

 

[sysiphus]

Fantastic news that the OP got a replacement for such a deal! At the end of the day, it shows that Apple really cares about its Pro customers. It's worth more to them to wrap the faulty liquid-cooling system on their dime than to leave it in a bad PR mess. I remember they replaced the PSUs in the early G5 towers free along similar motiviation. Enjoy your new machine!

 

[spitfirejd]

I wonder what the likelihood of having Apple replace a currently working PowerMac G5 Dual 2.7 system with odd fan behavior?

Odd fan behavior is exactly how most of the leaks, including mine, become apparent. I would take it to the nearest Apple repair center ASAP. They can remove the processor cover and determine if there is any leaking before it gets worse. Also, I would make sure you have all of your data backed up. Do it NOW. As sickmacdoc said, there is a pad under the processors that they can check for any evidence of leaking. If it is leaking, Apple may pay for the repairs or replace it, but if it is not leaking, then I doubt it.

FYI, I didn't notice any evidence of a leak when I opened mine up either. But after it failed to reboot, I put it back in its original box to take it to the Apple Store. The tower lays flat on its side in the box. When they opened the case up at the Genius counter, there was coolant that had leaked from under the covers that go over the CPUs. Apparently, laying it on its side was what made the coolant move to where it was visible. As an example of how caustic and dangerous the coolant is, they had my computer for exactly a week and when I got it home and opened it up to get my after market memory out of it, the case was already corroded where the coolant had been. The liquid has been wiped up, but it had already eaten into the aluminum. You definitely don't want to touch this stuff!

 

[spitfirejd]

It's here!

The Mac Pro replacement has arrived and it is SWEET! I was surprised at how quick it got here. I sent the old PowerMac back on Monday after work. I received an e-mail from Apple that night saying they had seen the computer in the FexEx tracking system and was placing the order for my replacement. I received notice of the order on Tuesday stating it would be 6-8 days to BTO and then shipped overnight. Imagine my surprise when it arrived on Thursday of the same week! In fact, I'm posting this from my new Mac Pro.

Apple rocks!

 

[tonyl]

The Mac Pro replacement has arrived and it is SWEET! I was surprised at how quick it got here. I sent the old PowerMac back on Monday after work. I received an e-mail from Apple that night saying they had seen the computer in the FexEx tracking system and was placing the order for my replacement. I received notice of the order on Tuesday stating it would be 6-8 days to BTO and then shipped overnight. Imagine my surprise when it arrived on Thursday of the same week! In fact, I'm posting this from my new Mac Pro.

Apple rocks!

That's awesome!

 

[Vulcan]

The Mac Pro replacement has arrived and it is SWEET! I was surprised at how quick it got here. I sent the old PowerMac back on Monday after work. I received an e-mail from Apple that night saying they had seen the computer in the FexEx tracking system and was placing the order for my replacement. I received notice of the order on Tuesday stating it would be 6-8 days to BTO and then shipped overnight. Imagine my surprise when it arrived on Thursday of the same week! In fact, I'm posting this from my new Mac Pro.

Apple rocks!

Awesome, enjoy your new Mac Pro!

 

[m1stake]

They might for a business customer. (Read: spends loads of $$$ with Dell,...).

For an individual, Hell would have to have frozen over, and Pigs sprouted wings and fly first.

Even with Hell itself at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, and air pigs, I still don't think anyone's got a decent shot

 

[nanofrog]

Even with Hell itself at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, and air pigs, I still don't think anyone's got a decent shot

LOL!

BTW, isn't Michael Dell stepping back in to fix things? If this is the case, maybe we do. Temporarilly of course.

 

[sash]

he would replace it with a new Mac Pro.

You're one lucky... How do you call somebody that lucky in English?

And do you really have to post such things on public forum and make folks jealous as hell?

But that's true, Apple is extremely generous in such kind of situations. Kudos to Apple and congratulations to you!

sash

 

[Infrared]

Like any other problem reported with any mechanical system, the news about failures is most likely minimal when compared to the number of unreported non-failed systems.

This particular problem is known to be a design
defect and it has caused widespread failures:

I wouldn't call it a rare problem... I just lost
my 16th and 17th G5 to coolant leaks (out of
a lab of 20 - 4 last year, 11 failed since April
this year, then two more today).

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/179057/

 

[adiputra]

Hi all

I own a 3 year old PPC G5 and yesterday there was a small pop coming from the power supply unit along with a brief flash and a burning smell. I immediately shut down the computer and notice there was liquid coming out the rear bottom of the casing.

Spoke to the Apple Authorized Dealer where I bought the unit (today) and they've agreed to check the damage.

What I'd like to ask is, if there's a common procedure to report this to Apple directly and if so which how do I get in contact with Apple. I'm located in Jakarta, Indonesia and based on experiences (and sorry to air dirty laundry) I have very little faith in the way technical support is handled in this country. It almost always begins with customer faults then hidden costs here and there and if they don't particularly like the way you speak to them, you're almost always guaranteed an even more tortous process. So any help to common procedures and how to contact Apple will be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance

PS. I've tried the Indonesian Customer Support number provided at apple.com, but the number sequence was strange and had my suspicion confirmed after trying. The service is non-existent.