i purchased a fully loaded Mid-2012 (non retina) 15" MacBook Pro today for really cheap. It works perfectly, but has extensive wear to the aluminum body and a big dent in the corner. I wanted to replace the aluminum unibody and possibly the display lid. I found some websites selling new, genuine apple parts for about $300ish (lower casing). There's also some sellers on eBay in China selling brand new parts for $99. Are these parts from China likely genuine Apple parts too? Is there such a thing as a knockoff/aftermarket casing? Not sure if I'm allowed to post links here or not...
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Has anyone ever replaced a MBP case/shell?
- Thread starter Rofflesaur
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I've never done this myself but I have had it done for me. I've also read the technical document detailing how to do a top-case replacement on a 2012-2015 MacBook Pro, and it is the most complex procedure that can be done on the machine. It's not just a case of taking off the top case and putting a new one on - it's a case of removing every single component of the MacBook and rebuilding it with the new case.
Do you happen to have a link to that technical document? I've spent many years working on notebooks IBM/Lenovo, HP, Dell, etc. They not only can provide you with a full parts list, but also a service manual. This MacBook is a whole new adventure. Most of the time I can't look for parts by part number, simply because nobody knows that they are. I've been researching parts for like 3 days and trying to verify what parts are compatible with my model. Hopefully nothing is glued into this machine.
I've ordered a new top case on eBay for $125. New ones generally seem to go for about $300-350. However, I can't see anyone going through the effort to CNC mill a knockoff/replica part. I'm now trying to find a new bottom cover (these seem to vary too by the layout of the black insulating material in the underside.) I'd also like to do the display cover too, but can't find any write-ups for a 15" model.
I'll be sure to document my success/mistakes when I do this "restoration".
Update: The "new" top case that I purchased was actually very very lightly used, and it had a new, aftermarket keyboard in it. The keyboard was so cheaply made, that it actually had two "R" keys. QWRRTY. So, I'm buying parts from PowerbookMedic and MacPartsDepot now.
Id be most worried about the battery in the topcase you got to be honest. As far as the display lid, the actual backlight and LCD panel are not meant to come out from between the aluminum and the "glass" display. As a replacement part from Apple a new display panel for a 15" MBP is upwards of 600$ normally.