Looking for ways to detect water damage

[ugahairydawgs]

Bought an open box 13" MBA from Best Buy and it has been great except for one tiny issue.....it has a (somewhat) odd smell. Day 1 it kind of smelled like bug spray, but it has since dissipated to the point where it is a very faint smell. I *think* they (Best Buy) may have used some sort of solution to clean the screen or perhaps even the outside case, but I cannot be sure.

I am not even a week into this computer, so I'm well within my 45 day return window. It has been running without a hiccup, but my main concern is that perhaps there was some water damage done here and I wanted to see if there were any exterior indicators that could let me know. If not, what would be the best way to check for that?

 

[Xikum]

Bought an open box 13" MBA from Best Buy and it has been great except for one tiny issue.....it has a (somewhat) odd smell. Day 1 it kind of smelled like bug spray, but it has since dissipated to the point where it is a very faint smell. I *think* they (Best Buy) may have used some sort of solution to clean the screen or perhaps even the outside case, but I cannot be sure.

I am not even a week into this computer, so I'm well within my 45 day return window. It has been running without a hiccup, but my main concern is that perhaps there was some water damage done here and I wanted to see if there were any exterior indicators that could let me know. If not, what would be the best way to check for that?

The sensors are locally internally, so you would have to open up the case and look inside and I'm pretty sure that voids the warranty. Take it back to the BestBuy and ask them to have a look at it, or take it to an Apple store. They will look at it for you.

If noting else, ask for a refund from BestBuy and then just buy another MBA.

 

[ugahairydawgs]

The sensors are locally internally, so you would have to open up the case and look inside and I'm pretty sure that voids the warranty. Take it back to the BestBuy and ask them to have a look at it, or take it to an Apple store. They will look at it for you.

If noting else, ask for a refund from BestBuy and then just buy another MBA.

Got a good deal on it since it was open box (got the 13" 256GB SSD model for $1,249), so I don't want to lose that.

Thanks for the info....I'll try taking it over to the Apple Store to see what they think.

 

[bogatyr]

If you end up returning it, you can get an Apple direct refurb for only $100 more:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC966LL/A

 

[ugahairydawgs]

Ended up taking it to PeachMac (a local Apple authorized place). They cracked it open and, sure enough, there was fairly significant water damage. Wiped it and took it back to Best Buy. They ended up offering me a new in box model for $100 more ($1349).

All in all I thought Best Buy stepped up here.

 

[ZBoater]

Happy ending! Congratulations on your new MBA!

 

[TraceyS/FL]

Ended up taking it to PeachMac (a local Apple authorized place). They cracked it open and, sure enough, there was fairly significant water damage. Wiped it and took it back to Best Buy. They ended up offering me a new in box model for $100 more ($1349).

All in all I thought Best Buy stepped up here.

Happy to hear the stepped up - and good job following your nose!

 

[henry72]

Ended up taking it to PeachMac (a local Apple authorized place). They cracked it open and, sure enough, there was fairly significant water damage. Wiped it and took it back to Best Buy. They ended up offering me a new in box model for $100 more ($1349).

All in all I thought Best Buy stepped up here.

Good to hear
Enjoy your new toy