Well, i searched and couldnt get a definite answer involving my problem so here we go. tonight i was going to feed my two year old son dinner and was putting him in his high chair. He start throwing a fit kicked the top of the high chair which knocked a can of diet mountain dew over spilling on the corner of the keyboard of my macbook pro, i instantly(seriously within 2 seconds of the spill) flipped the laptop over and placed it on a towel. After it sat upside down for a minute i dried it with a towel and instantly started testing the keys it was spilled on then shut it off. all the keys worked and the laptop was acting fine. But im worried ther emight be more damage inside. Although i held it upside down for a good 3 to 5 minutes and nothing was seeping out of the keys. So i guess im wondering. besides opening it is there a way i can tell if it got inside or not? And if i need to open it. is there a site with detailed instructions and tools needed to do so. This laptop is very important and i dont really have the money to purchase a new one so i need to hopefully save this. Like i said, everything is working fine and functioning properly as of now but im not sure of possible long term effects and what to watch for. Thanks for your time and effort in helping me with this.
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Help with spill
- Thread starter bigslickster
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first rule is flip it over, take the battery out. then let it dry for a few days (for eg on top of a fridge where it's moderately warm. don't blowdry it.
after 2-3 days it should be dry. then you can test it.
as for taking it apart: i wouldn't do it unless you are experienced. if you feel you're up foor it: http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/
good luck. from your post i guess its still working so i would just dry it and be good with it.
after 2-3 days it should be dry. then you can test it.
as for taking it apart: i wouldn't do it unless you are experienced. if you feel you're up foor it: http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/
good luck. from your post i guess its still working so i would just dry it and be good with it.
Taking off the top case/keyboard/trackpad isn't terribly challenging, but it is tedious. LOTS of screws that aren't interchangeable.
Take a look at the directions found on the link in andiwm2003's post (good instructions, BTW) and decide whether or not this is something you want to try. If you do take it on, double-stick tape for keeping the screws in order will be your best friend.
Best of luck, I hope you end up being one of the few who avoids a meltdown from an LRD (liquid-related disaster).
Take a look at the directions found on the link in andiwm2003's post (good instructions, BTW) and decide whether or not this is something you want to try. If you do take it on, double-stick tape for keeping the screws in order will be your best friend.
Best of luck, I hope you end up being one of the few who avoids a meltdown from an LRD (liquid-related disaster).
yeah, after a hour i turned it back on, on it now. Everything is working, but ill turn it back off and let it sit upside down for a few days to be safe. Thanks for your posts and ill keep up with posts if any problems arise or if everything turns out ok. Lets hope on it being ok haha. just out of curiosity does anyone know how much it would cost to get repaired. low and high ball would be nice.
If you have taken a Keyboard apart, they are basically two layers of metalic ink printed plastic sheets with a plastic spacer between them. Which is what makes all the switches.
The ink is delicate and can be destroyed by the cirtric acid in colas, so if the keyboard stops working after drying this could have happened. But also easy to repair if the KB can be taken apart. Just need a cheap radio shack trace repair pen to fix it.
A desktop KB can be taken apart easy and cleaned and repaired with the pen, the laptop KBs tend to break apart the more you take them apart.
The ink is delicate and can be destroyed by the cirtric acid in colas, so if the keyboard stops working after drying this could have happened. But also easy to repair if the KB can be taken apart. Just need a cheap radio shack trace repair pen to fix it.
A desktop KB can be taken apart easy and cleaned and repaired with the pen, the laptop KBs tend to break apart the more you take them apart.
so, out of curiosity, how long should i be concerned about the spill. Lets say in a few days, i fire it up and it works just fine. Am i in the clear then or should this pretty much be n the back of my mine as long as i own my mbp?
As long as the residue isn't on the electronics, and diet coke at least isn't as sticky so it doesn't cause that issue when it dries.
But if there is residue on the electronics, it could cause some issues in the future. Heat and humidity plus citric acid likely won't make you too happy at some point.
There may be fluid stains inside the machine, which could void the warranty if it needs service.
Though you'll note the lack of people doing the cup of coffee tests on keyboards these days in machine reviews ...
You don't want to know. Companies tend to go on the 'better safe than sorry' philosophy when it comes to liquid spills. Aka, it often runs up to the $1000 mark on a computer such as this.
well, i just dropped it off to be looked at and hopefully only cleaned. They said if it is just a cleaning then the price wont be bad but then they started throwing numbers for this and that. If its some of those this or thats then im looking at a dead laptop for a few months because i dont have the money for it. so hopefully it isnt the track pad or logic board needing replaced or 
I have keyboard cover it was like 20 dollars and it saved my life couple of times like this one
http://store.apple.com/us/product/T...c/mac_accessories/mice_keyboards&mco=MTA4MjMx
http://store.apple.com/us/product/T...c/mac_accessories/mice_keyboards&mco=MTA4MjMx
yeah ill be ordering one when i get my laptop back, i thought they were a joke when i first saw them.......that was a bad call.
Diet - better than sugared
You are fortunate that your drink did not contain sugar. The diet drinks tend to not leave as much residue.
You probably have no problem.
You are fortunate that your drink did not contain sugar. The diet drinks tend to not leave as much residue.
You probably have no problem.
I still think it's still not good for many uses; Just put it one when you are going to have liquids nearby.
well, they called me and said only the keyboard needs to be replaced and im very lucky. so buck-sixty-ish later ill have my laptop nice and clean. and no drinks will be in its area anytime soon.....they always say kids are expensive.....
well, they called me and said only the keyboard needs to be replaced and im very lucky. so buck-sixty-ish later ill have my laptop nice and clean. and no drinks will be in its area anytime soon.....they always say kids are expensive.....
Very good news! Much better than having to purchase a new laptop or having to deal with the repair bill!
well, they called me and said only the keyboard needs to be replaced and im very lucky. so buck-sixty-ish later ill have my laptop nice and clean. and no drinks will be in its area anytime soon.....they always say kids are expensive.....
I thought it was working?
You took it in even though it was working fine and they replaced the keyboard just as a preventative measure?
Or did I mattscott the thread and miss something?
Woof, Woof - Dawg
Well, they told me that getting pop on the keyboard is a matter of time issue. It may work but its just a waiting game before issues start. And honestly 160 is worth the piece of mind. I do a lot of cg work on my laptop so having that take a dump on me lets say mid render....would hurt. But i called multiple places before taking it in and they all said the same thing. Infact they all said i dont care if you dont bring it here you just need it looked at. So being that honest about it straight up made it easy to swallow a repair that isnt too expensive.
If it were me, I'd use it up to the time I had problems. Then spend the money. It may have gone years - who knows? I've seen some pretty dreadful things happen that I thought would never recover. Washed two ipods and they both work.. Spilled twice on a MBP - no problem. First inclination is toss it but they will dry out as long as you don't turn them on when still wet, you've got a chance.
I've also had some things that even though no obvious liquid and babied, go belly up. Go figure....
I've also had some things that even though no obvious liquid and babied, go belly up. Go figure....
If it were me, I'd use it up to the time I had problems. Then spend the money. It may have gone years - who knows? I've seen some pretty dreadful things happen that I thought would never recover. Washed two ipods and they both work.. Spilled twice on a MBP - no problem. First inclination is toss it but they will dry out as long as you don't turn them on when still wet, you've got a chance.
I've also had some things that even though no obvious liquid and babied, go belly up. Go figure....
yeah haha, they actually said the keyboard could work for awhile but it will eventually corrode out and need to be replaced. Also since i have a week long break i didnt want to chance it.
I opened up the mbp plenty of times to know that there isnt much openings or holes between the keyboard/top portion of the laptop and where the logic board lay below it.
I think your mbp will be fine but if I were you, I'd just take the top part off clean the bottom side of the top part where the bottom of the keyboard is and make sure that the board underneath it doesnt have any mountain dew residue.
Go to www.ifixit.com to get the easy guide to taking apart the mbp.
I think your mbp will be fine but if I were you, I'd just take the top part off clean the bottom side of the top part where the bottom of the keyboard is and make sure that the board underneath it doesnt have any mountain dew residue.
Go to www.ifixit.com to get the easy guide to taking apart the mbp.
yeah, i actually thought about that but taking apart a twenty-five hundred dollar laptop makes me very nervous and uneasy. Ive built a lot of computers but have never tinkered with a laptops inner workings.
Hi I've been reading through this post looking for help as i've had a similar problem, I spilled a glass of wine onto my MBP's keyboard, I did the obvious things... I mopped up the wine straight away & turned the laptop upside down, removing the battery & left it to dry. I've given it a clean (without taking it apart) & have turned it back on.
The problem i'm having is with the keyboard, the buttons are unresponsive & it apppears as if the computer thinks some are constantly being pressed. I luckily have a second usb keyboard which I can use although i'm option clicking every time I use the mouse? Isd there a way of turning off the built in keyboard as a temporary solution?
I'm taking it to a genius on Wednesday (it's in warranty but obviously liquid damage isn't covered). I'm hoping it's going to be just a case of replacing or fixing the keyboard, do you guys have any ideas & if it does need replacing are there cheaper options than apple (i'm in the UK).
The problem i'm having is with the keyboard, the buttons are unresponsive & it apppears as if the computer thinks some are constantly being pressed. I luckily have a second usb keyboard which I can use although i'm option clicking every time I use the mouse? Isd there a way of turning off the built in keyboard as a temporary solution?
I'm taking it to a genius on Wednesday (it's in warranty but obviously liquid damage isn't covered). I'm hoping it's going to be just a case of replacing or fixing the keyboard, do you guys have any ideas & if it does need replacing are there cheaper options than apple (i'm in the UK).
Unfortunately, the top case and keyboard are one unit, so there is no way to disable or unplug the keyboard without killing the on/off button.
The top case is not difficult to replace, but it is time-consuming and tedious. Read through the instructions on www.ifixit.com very carefully, then follow them step-by-step, making sure to keep the screws organized so you put them back exactly where they came from (most of them are not interchangeable).
I don't know about the UK, but top cases are readily available on eBay here in the US for $40 to $60. If you have a choice, try to get the ones designated 'second generation' with the silver ribbon connector, they're sturdier and have less chance of breaking.
Best of luck.