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Grinding noise in MBP, went to genius bar and they said they couldn't do anything.

S

seoskaura

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 3, 2013
17
0
I have a Macbook Pro that I bought new in August of 2011. It's been wonderful up until now. Last week, I was watching a lot of Netflix for a day, but then it began making a tiny crackling noise when I started my computer. It wasn't really bothersome, but then it's escalated into a grinding noise. A loud grinding noise. I haven't been watching Netflix and barely use any of my applications. My RPMs vary when I'm idle and can go up to 5000. Sometimes, it falls to as low as 1600.



I went to the Genius Bar today and the technician did two diagnostics to test the HD and the parts as a whole. Everything was fine. I was like, ***. Anyways, I asked if there could be anything done for the fans because I was willing to pay (I'm out of warranty). But he said they couldn't DO ANYTHING. That I would have to deal with the annoying noise. I called up Apple and told them what happened and she said that there was nothing else that could be done.



I am so ****** because I did pay good money for this product and I expect to have the option to repair, ESPECIALLY since I'm willing to pay for the repair. Can anyone tell me what to do? Did anyone ever have this problem?
 
seoskaura said:
I have a Macbook Pro that I bought new in August of 2011. It's been wonderful up until now. Last week, I was watching a lot of Netflix for a day, but then it began making a tiny crackling noise when I started my computer. It wasn't really bothersome, but then it's escalated into a grinding noise. A loud grinding noise. I haven't been watching Netflix and barely use any of my applications. My RPMs vary when I'm idle and can go up to 5000. Sometimes, it falls to as low as 1600.



I went to the Genius Bar today and the technician did two diagnostics to test the HD and the parts as a whole. Everything was fine. I was like, ***. Anyways, I asked if there could be anything done for the fans because I was willing to pay (I'm out of warranty). But he said they couldn't DO ANYTHING. That I would have to deal with the annoying noise. I called up Apple and told them what happened and she said that there was nothing else that could be done.



I am so ****** because I did pay good money for this product and I expect to have the option to repair, ESPECIALLY since I'm willing to pay for the repair. Can anyone tell me what to do? Did anyone ever have this problem?
Click to expand...

Screw the geniuses. Get a replacement fan from iFixit or ebay and you can replace it yourself. Not a big deal.
 
Search Apple's website to see if there is an authorized repair center (non-Apple-owned) in your area. They may be more willing to do a paid repair.
 
My take is the Geniuses are saying, "We can replace fan all day (ur money) but they can't guarantee it would fix the noise."
 
krravi said:
But where else could the grinding noise come from?
Click to expand...

If the noise varies following temp then indeed it has something to do with the fan BUT there maybe other variables involved, such as warp casing around the fan and twisted snuff to affect even a new fan.
 
If your fans drop down to 1600 RPM, then there's something definitely wrong with them. The minimum speed they should spin at is ~2000 RPM.
 
Mrbobb said:
If the noise varies following temp then indeed it has something to do with the fan BUT there maybe other variables involved, such as warp casing around the fan and twisted snuff to affect even a new fan.
Click to expand...

My guess is excess heat has warped the fan blades or most probably the ball bearing in the fans gave out.

Wonder if the OP played a lot of Windows games on the laptop without enough cooling, causing the fans to wear out sooner.
 
krravi said:
My guess is excess heat has warped the fan blades or most probably the ball bearing in the fans gave out.

Wonder if the OP played a lot of Windows games on the laptop without enough cooling, causing the fans to wear out sooner.
Click to expand...

So you're saying that the fans will wear out from doing their job (i.e. cooling the machine)?
 
thundersteele said:
So you're saying that the fans will wear out from doing their job (i.e. cooling the machine)?
Click to expand...

All fans wear out. They are not perpetual machines.

What I meant by that is when running Windows on Mac, the fans are in binary state. As in, they never spin according to the temp. But once the temo reaches a threshold they kick in at full speed. Whereas in a Mac its linear. The fan speed increases as the temp increases so the temp comes down quickly.as Apple doesn't supply the necessary drivers or people download third party software to control the fans. And it is never linear from my experience. It just blows like a jet engine or not. That kind of use can wear a fan out quick.
 
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krravi said:
My guess is excess heat has warped the fan blades or most probably the ball bearing in the fans gave out.

Wonder if the OP played a lot of Windows games on the laptop without enough cooling, causing the fans to wear out sooner.
Click to expand...

The noise started after a day where I was Netflixing pretty much for hours. @_@.

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calpolygraduate said:
Maybe it's the HD giving out?
Click to expand...

The Genius Bar checked the HD and it's fine.

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The noise basically sounds like this.

http://youtu.be/naxUUpHJ4a0
 
Well, if Apple said they can't do anything it means they were not able to identify the problem. If you think that a fan replacement may help, then you can specifically ask them for a fan replacement. But what if it isn't the fan?
 
leman said:
Well, if Apple said they can't do anything it means they were not able to identify the problem. If you think that a fan replacement may help, then you can specifically ask them for a fan replacement. But what if it isn't the fan?
Click to expand...

All the tech did were two diagnostics connected by a cable. They didn't open it or anything to check.

And if you listen to the video, it's the fan. Even when I'm typing, I can feel it running under the keyboard.

When I turned it on this morning, the noise was the first thing that happened.
 
Here are my specs for iStats. My MBP was making a small crackling noise and then it went back to the grinding noise. Temps in Celsius

2qscvu9.png
 
seoskaura said:
Here are my specs for iStats. My MBP was making a small crackling noise and then it went back to the grinding noise. Temps in Celsius

Image
Click to expand...

Change your fan, problem solved?

Surely you're able to handle a screwdriver (AKA the only tool needed?)
 
Why are people advocating to void your warranty?

OP: go through the warranty route. It costs you nothing (provided you have AppleCare) and there's a guarantee you won't break anything.

Edit: Oops I didn't read that you're out of warranty until now.
 
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