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Keyboard Issues - Warranty on Repairs?

S

SurfaceBookUser

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 13, 2016
70
38
Does Apple provide any warranty on repair work?

My keyboard is getting progressively worse (new keys starting to double register every week or so). This all started around the 13 month mark so I'm out of warranty. I'm planning to pay for the top case replacement and run the repair bill through my credit card's extended warranty.

My only question is does Apple provide warranty on a repair if I pay for it out of pocket like this? I have to assume the keyboard will eventually break again so timing this properly is my concern here.
 
Any spills on the keyboard you're not telling us about? If not and you have Apple Care, make a genius bar appointment and get the keyboard changed out.
 
Maybe try some compressed air on the affected keys. If not, take it to the Genius Bar and see what they say. If you have to replace the top case, it could be pricey. If you do replace the top case, get a keyboard cover to protect it. Simple dust and debris can cause these keyboards to fail.

FWIW, in my opinion Apple should be on the hook for this design flaw and replace top cases until they come up with a proper fix or replacement. However from what I'm reading in the forums here, it seems like they're riding it out until customer's warranty expires, then saying they're on the hook for the replacement. Not cool.
 
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After a bit of careful observation it's becoming clear that my spacebar is now double registering which is causing some software to automatically insert a period. Nothing new here, just another broken key.

chscag said:
Any spills on the keyboard you're not telling us about? If not and you have Apple Care, make a genius bar appointment and get the keyboard changed out.
Click to expand...

Absolutely no spills or crumbs, I keep my machine meticulously clean.

groove-agent said:
Maybe try some compressed air on the affected keys. If not, take it to the Genius Bar and see what they say. If you have to replace the top case, it could be pricey. If you do replace the top case, get a keyboard cover to protect it. Simple dust and debris can cause these keyboards to fail.

FWIW, Apple should be on the hook for this design flaw and replace top cases until they come up with a proper fix or replacement. From what I'm reading in the forums here, it seems like they're riding it out until customer's warranty expires, then saying they're on the hook for the replacement. Not cool.
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm definitely making an appointment, timing is difficult since I use it for work and I'll have to invest time into migrating and wiping data. The worse it gets the less I can avoid doing so though.

I don't buy into the dust excuse Apple is pushing based on my experience. Maybe debris is an issue for those who have problems early on but there's a bigger design issue here. I'm a believer that the key mechanism actually wears down from thousands of hours of typing, or warps from heat over time, leading to the problem. I estimate that I use my machine 10 hours a day. I went 13 months without a single issue and all of a sudden the keyboard is degrading by the day with no environmental changes.
 
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This is a good example for others that say "just get the Apple care" in light of the keyboard problems. The loss of use and having to deal with the data migration is a real pain in the butt, especially if it's re-occuring.

Regardless, good luck with your Genius Bar appointment, and update the thread with what happened. I'm curious if you asked the Genius Bar guy if he would admit there is a design flaw with the keyboards or if they will deny it like they do at my Apple Store.

SurfaceBookUser said:
Yeah I'm definitely making an appointment, timing is difficult since I use it for work and I'll have to invest time into migrating and wiping data. The worse it gets the less I can avoid doing so though.
Click to expand...
 
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SurfaceBookUser said:
Yeah I'm definitely making an appointment, timing is difficult since I use it for work and I'll have to invest time into migrating and wiping data. The worse it gets the less I can avoid doing so though.
Click to expand...

While this in and of itself certainly will not benefit your keyboard issues, have you looked into an App called Carbon Copy Cloner? With an external SSD, it takes about 30 minutes to backup the data, and then about 30 minutes to fully restore it (whether it be with the original device or a new machine.) It's still a pain to do, but CCC makes it a little bit less of a pain.
 
bcave098 said:
All repairs have a warranty of 90 days or until the end of the factory warranty, whichever is longer.
Click to expand...

So the strategy is to hammer on the keyboard and make if fail on the 80th day then take it back each time for them to replace (since it can't actually be repaired). ;D
 
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