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I Cannot Afford This.

T

thinkertinker

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 8, 2009
1
0
So more than a few months ago i had my laptop in my bag covered in a laptop protector and wrapped in cloth because i knew it was raining outside. somehow rain still got in (i know, my fault). Anyway, thankfully it was only a little water that damaged the screen and eventually ALMOST all of it dried out, i still have this little brown spot smaller than :( <that emoticon. The problem is even before the water damage my Macbook Pro has been doing this thing where i turn it on, it black screens, and then i have to turn it off and back on again and its fine. it also goes to sleep and never comes back, it doesn't turn off, its clearly running it just doesn't wake up again. I should of just went in before the water damage to the screen but last time i went they were like "you don't have applecare" and i told them i did and i even have a proof of coverage but that was the only time i could go! i can't afford to lose my laptop even one day for my work.

I want to try and take it in next week and rent a laptop from school while they have it. Will they not cover it even though the water damage is clearly just the screen and this is obviously an internal problem? as i said this was happening even before the water damage.

The reason I say this is just a few minutes ago my Macbook wasn't coming up, i'd turn it on and it sounded like it regularly does i just couldn't see anything on the screen. Now its fine but I'm really worried.

blah. I really can't afford to lose my laptop AND also pay to fix it.

Do you think they wont cover it?
 
Unfortunately Apple has this fix everything or nothing policy. (I know because they tried to charge me $1100 for a new LCD because there were "superficial scratches" when the issue was clearly with the motherboard) So even if the issue is unrelated to the screen damage they will more than likely say that they will have to replace the LCD at your cost. It is quite unfortunate, I wish you luck and that Apple shows some mercy for you.
 
If the water damage sensors have changed color your warranty is voided. I would say that this is a good lesson to learn. If you're having problems with something then take it in immediately to have it repaired simply because something like this could happen and out of no where you're faced with not only the water issue but the purported issue of it not turning on properly prior to the water damage occurred.
 
Just take it in and have them look at it. Unless they can prove that water caused the problems you are seeing they should fix it. I wouldn't mention the rain. I know the new MBPs have water sensors, but I'm not sure about the older machines. Chances are if it only got a little wet it wouldn't have left many clues.
 
Isn't the entire logic board a water sensor in the sense that liquid drying on it would leave its mark (as opposed to being polished off)?
 
I'd take it in and tell them that you don't know where the brown spot on the LCD came from.

Water damage can leave a physical marking of some sort on the board, so if there's no visible damage on the logic board, they should fix it.


Also, I've had the same thing happen to me. My laptop was in a laptop messenger bag, covered up tight, and was kept under my shirt while it rained. I went indoors to turn off my laptop completely while I ran the rest of the way through the rain (it was in Sleep mode at the time), but it wouldn't turn on. I was shocked that water got in!!

I took it to an Apple reseller (no Apple store in Sydney at the time), and I told them what happened, and when they opened up the computer, they told me they didn't see any visible damage. Actually, they found it, but the damage was caused by a small droplet of water that hit a very hidden spot on the logic board, where the damage could barely be seen unless you spent time looking for it. They sent the logic board to Apple and told them that the logic board was malfunctioning (i.e. they lied for me). I got it repaired for free, and I bought a new laptop bag from that store immediately. :p

Personally, I'd go to an Apple reseller and see what they say about it. If you tell them what happened, they may be more understanding than the people at the Apple Store.
 
Don't say anything about anything. Just tell them about the issue you were having. Let them discover if there's any other damage.

"The less they know the better"
 
You are right, you cannot afford the repair bill but it is expected when a $2000 computer is damaged. That is why you should have the display repaired by someone like techrestore or other less expensive vendor if you cannot do it yourself and then go to the Genius Bar to have other issues addressed. Is there a reason you did not buy a $15 keyboard cover to use when the notebook was closed? Stuff happens and it's better to cover your tail than to pay for it later. This is why Applecare is such a bargain especially with a MBP.
 
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