Loose macbook air (2012) key cap, what should I do?

[bcwright03]

I love my new air. It simply works. Good battery, solid performance with pixelmator, but has a problem. The keys seemed to be a little finicky the moment my post purchase high wore off. They were all solid, except for the 3 key. It made a crunchy noise when pressing it. I took the key off, and the plastic bit which snaps it into the scissor mechanism was cracked. I can put it back on, but when pressed too low down on the key, it seems to lift it out of the clips or something. It is obviously broken.

Should I just take it to the apple store? Will they not replace it if they know I took it off? I know I have a one year warranty, so it should be covered. I can just go in and at worst pay downwards of 30$ for a new key cap, right? Well, at least I hope so. If this problem persists, I will honestly complain to apple.

 

[NeonBible]

I love my new air. It simply works. Good battery, solid performance with pixelmator, but has a problem. The keys seemed to be a little finicky the moment my post purchase high wore off. They were all solid, except for the 3 key. It made a crunchy noise when pressing it. I took the key off, and the plastic bit which snaps it into the scissor mechanism was cracked. I can put it back on, but when pressed too low down on the key, it seems to lift it out of the clips or something. It is obviously broken.

Should I just take it to the apple store? Will they not replace it if they know I took it off? I know I have a one year warranty, so it should be covered. I can just go in and at worst pay downwards of 30$ for a new key cap, right? Well, at least I hope so. If this problem persists, I will honestly complain to apple.

I had exactly the same problem with my first MacBook Air mid 2012 but then with the backspace key. I brought it back to the store (just an ordinary store, not an Apple Store) and got it replaced by a new one. It's brand new, you've paid a big amount for a premium product, so go get it replaced

 

[G-Mo]

Technically, removing the key yourself is considered unauthorized service and voids your warranty. There are no official key replacements for the MBA, to repair the keyboard you replace the top case. That said, who's to say they key didn't pop out on it's own?, it is defective after all. Take it to an Apple Store or an AASP. Depending on how long you have had the MBA they may replace the whole unit ( was it CTO?) or the aforementioned top case.

 

[Nerio27]

I had a similar problem. The plastic piece was fine, but the metal hooks on the keyboard for the B key were bent and probably 5mm too short, so the plastic wouldn't hook into it. I just called apple about it, and they offered to send a replacement once I sent it back with a prepaid shipping label. After a few conversations I was offered a free accessory that was less than $75, so I'm not losing any sleep over waiting another week.

 

[bcwright03]

Technically, removing the key yourself is considered unauthorized service and voids your warranty. There are no official key replacements for the MBA, to repair the keyboard you replace the top case. That said, who's to say they key didn't pop out on it's own?, it is defective after all. Take it to an Apple Store or an AASP. Depending on how long you have had the MBA they may replace the whole unit ( was it CTO?) or the aforementioned top case.

Are you sure that you can't just have apple replace the single '3' key? It seems like immense overkill to replace the whole tope case–which sounds impossible– and to not just buy a new, small, single key cap.

I bought the air through apple.com and it was customized with 256gb ssd, 8gb ram, and the i7 processor. I ordered it in late June and it arrived in about a week.

----------

I had exactly the same problem with my first MacBook Air mid 2012 but then with the backspace key. I brought it back to the store (just an ordinary store, not an Apple Store) and got it replaced by a new one. It's brand new, you've paid a big amount for a premium product, so go get it replaced

That sounds easy enough. I'll head to my local Apple store and see what they can do. I'll let you know how it goes, but it is replaced without a problem, you actually may not hear back from me

 

[G-Mo]

Are you sure that you can't just have apple replace the single '3' key? It seems like immense overkill to replace the whole tope case–which sounds impossible– and to not just buy a new, small, single key cap.

I can tell you that as an AASP we don't have access to single keys. Apple has the keyboard and top case as one module. As for replacing the whole top case, it's not impossible, I do it at least twice a week on various unibody MacBooks for various reasons...

 

[Nerio27]

]
That sounds easy enough. I'll head to my local Apple store and see what they can do. I'll let you know how it goes, but it is replaced without a problem, you actually may not hear back from me

Definitely call first. They typically do not have the custom build models like yours. If they don't, you can start the replacement process over the phone, and they'll ship the replacement after you drop the computer off at the apple store (or ship it it back to them with a pre-paid fedex label).