Looking for advice: MBP 15" Late 2016 Options

[Arldon]

Hi,

Purchased my first MBP 15" with touch bar in late 2016 when it first came out. Didn't think I needed applecare, and fast-forward a year and 6-7 months and it stopped charging and powering on. No liquid or physical damage. The Apple Store and an independent tech both said the logic board needs to be fixed/replaced. It's going to cost $1000 from Apple. The tech can't beat that price but is willing to buy the unfixed unit for $900 (everything else still works with no issues).

So I'm looking for advice from more experienced Macbook users on what what you'd do - my MBP was upgraded with 16 GB ram and 512 SSD and I loved the 15" screen, even though I don't do any intense video editing. Theoretically, I could do all my daily tasks with a 13" or even less, but I miss the 15" form factor and the upgrades I paid for.

What would you do if you were in my situation? Would you get the 15" fixed? Would you sell it and get another model? Which one would you get?

Thanks!

 

[deeddawg]

I'd look to see if you happened to buy it with a credit card which provides a warranty extension on purchases.

Failing that, then you need to consider what to do. Be sure to ignore "sunk costs". What you paid for the existing computer is irrelevant since you now own it.

Option #1 - pay $1000 to repair it, and you have no warranty on any of the rest of it (except the repair and the keyboard program)
Option #2 - get $900 for it to use against a replacement computer. That means you might end up paying $1000-2000 out of pocket depending on the config and deal you can find (watch apple insider deals site), but it'd be brand new with warranty and you could then get applecare. Or you could buy an Apple Refurb from apple.com and also get warranty & buy applecare.

Personally, I'd go for option #2.

 

[Nbd1790]

B&H has the best deals on 15 inch models that are brand new (2016 models) and you can probably get one with the least amount out of pocket from them. Although, I would recommend just picking up a 2015 model (used somewhere) and you'll avoid all of these problems in the first place.

I love the 2016/2017 design, but there's a lot of issues with them for the most part. I have a 2013 model that was in for repair once since purchase and it was for a faulty screen. Other than that, this thing still performs all the tasks I need it to and handles a heavy workload really well (Ableton, Logic, Photoshop and After Effects)

 

[Naimfan]

Option 2, and then buy a used 15" from Late 2013-Mid 2015.

 

[DeanPSN]

In which country you are?
You should be covered by consumer rights.

For example here in Ireland we have 6 years consumer rights and if the product fails on its own without user damage during this period, you can get full refund or exchanged for a new one, a bit of hassle but is worth it.

 

[smirking]

I think we need to clarify what kind of dollars are being discussed. Is that $1000 repair in US dollars or Canadian?

Having to choose between a $1000 CAD repair vs a $900 CAD trade-in may shift the equation a bit.

 

[Fishrrman]

I'd take the $900 and either put it towards a refurbished 2015-design MacBook Pro, or wait until the 2018 models come out (if they are going to come out, unknown as of yet).