Mac Mini- did I just void my warranty?

[will0407]

Hi all,
I just opened up my 2.53ghz mini to install a new 640GB hard drive. It's back up and running fine.

When i was taking the casing off though, I left a couple of very small dents/marks on the underside/inside of the metal housing.

They are extremely minor and obviously don't affect it's performance, and they're on the base so they're not going to be seen unless you tip it upside down.

It's warranty was due to run to January 2011. I was going to purchase applecare nearer the original warranty expiry date. Have I voided my warranty by opening it up myself and/or by leaving marks on it? I'm confident I've not damaged anything inside.

Is it still worth me buying applecare or will they not honour it seen as I've opened it up?

Any info is appreciated.

 

[Heilage]

Technically speaking, yes. You voided your warranty. Wether or not your local tech will care or see I can't judge.

 

[Hellhammer]

Yes, you did but will Apple techs notice it? Likely no. It's like playing with fire but at least here in Finland, Apple would have to prove that you caused the issue by opening the case

 

[will0407]

ok, so what happens if I ever have to take it in for repair? Will it be obvious because there's a 640GB hard drive in there?

I currently have my 320GB hd for sale on ebay, should I keep hold of it incase I ever need to take it in?

 

[Hellhammer]

ok, so what happens if I ever have to take it in for repair? Will it be obvious because there's a 640GB hard drive in there?

I currently have my 320GB hd for sale on ebay, should I keep hold of it incase I ever need to take it in?

Keep the 320GB and put it back in case you have to send it in

 

[maflynn]

More then likely they'll notice the larger HD then some marks you left behind. Hellhammer is right, keep the 320 as backup in case you do need to have some warranty work done.

 

[will0407]

I've got a feeling if I had to put the 320GB back in I'd just cause even more marks etc. I have the 320GB HD on a buy it now with best offer, so if I get no decent offers, I'll keep it.

I only paid £450 for the mini (which I think was a very good price) so if anything major does go wrong, i'm sure I can still sell it for parts and get a reasonable amount seen as it's currently the latest revision (*cue mini update tomorrow!)*

 

[GoCubsGo]

Keep the 320GB and put it back in case you have to send it in

This and the rumor is that so long as you did not actually damage anything your warranty is ok. I opted not to extend my Apple Care on my mini after installing more ram and a larger/faster HDD because the cost of the AC in relation to the cost of the mini seems a bit off balance.

I've got a feeling if I had to put the 320GB back in I'd just cause even more marks etc. I have the 320GB HD on a buy it now with best offer, so if I get no decent offers, I'll keep it.

I only paid £450 for the mini (which I think was a very good price) so if anything major does go wrong, i'm sure I can still sell it for parts and get a reasonable amount seen as it's currently the latest revision (*cue mini update tomorrow!)*

You need to keep the drive, really. Unless the marks are that bad.

 

[Hellhammer]

This and the rumor is that so long as you did not actually damage anything your warranty is ok. I opted not to extend my Apple Care on my mini after installing more ram and a larger/faster HDD because the cost of the AC in relation to the cost of the mini seems a bit off balance.

Do Not Make Repairs Yourself
Your Mac mini doesn’t have any user-serviceable parts. Do not attempt to open your Mac mini. If your Mac mini needs service, consult the service and support information that came with your computer for instructions about how to contact an Apple Authorized Service Provider or Apple for service.
If you open your Mac mini or install items, you risk damaging your equipment, and such damage isn’t covered by the limited warranty on your Mac mini.

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/Mac_mini_Late2009_UG.pdf

Mini has no user-servicable parts and thus opening the case gives Apple a legal right to refuse to fix it. As I said, it's like playing with fire, some techs may notice it while others don't or don't care

 

[will0407]

As I said, it's like playing with fire, some techs may notice it while others don't or don't care

After reading around online, that seems to be the general consensus. I think I'm going to risk it. If all else fails, I'll just send my girlfriend in with a low cut top and see if that works!

(thanks for all your speedy replies)

 

[alent1234]

opening up and upgrading the RAM in my mini was easier than doing it in most PC's and servers i've worked with

 

[Hellhammer]

After reading around online, that seems to be the general consensus. I think I'm going to risk it. If all else fails, I'll just send my girlfriend in with a low cut top and see if that works!

(thanks for all your speedy replies)

Or/and just try different repair stores. We have plenty here in Finland, most are authorized resellers so I'm sure one of them wouldn't say anything plus they have to prove that your actions caused it (at least here)

 

[thelasersailor]

I'll freely admit I don't really have a clue but I thought the warranty was only void if you actually broke something whilst fixing it. At lease I thought that was the case for macbooks. Is it different for mac minis?

 

[Hellhammer]

I'll freely admit I don't really have a clue but I thought the warranty was only void if you actually broke something whilst fixing it. At lease I thought that was the case for macbooks. Is it different for mac minis?

RAM and HD are considered as user-serivecable parts in laptops but as I said above, Mini has NO user-serviceable parts i.e. opening the case may void your warranty

 

[cherry su]

If the scratches and scuffs are that small, then the technician won't notice it, so you're fine

 

[GoCubsGo]

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/Mac_mini_Late2009_UG.pdf

Mini has no user-servicable parts and thus opening the case gives Apple a legal right to refuse to fix it. As I said, it's like playing with fire, some techs may notice it while others don't or don't care

I know that. You really think I opened up my mini without knowing the consequences? Please.


OP: You may be ok, you may not be ok. Who knows but proceed accordingly. Sell the drive and that could be the reason they deny you service under AC or keep it and they still can because you damaged your casing; easy to do but not 100% necessary just to get inside.

 

[thelasersailor]

I've managed to find this:
http://images.apple.com/legal/warranty/docs/cpuwarranty.pdf
See (f) at the top of page 2. It would seem from this that the warranty is only void if you break something.

 

[Hellhammer]

I've managed to find this:
http://images.apple.com/legal/warranty/docs/cpuwarranty.pdf
See (f) at the top of page 2. It would seem from this that the warranty is only void if you break something.

That's the general opinion. In Mini's manual (which I've linked above), it says that there are no user-serviceable parts and thus even opening the case MIGHT void your warranty. But as it has been said multiple times above, it really depends on rep and unless you broke something while doing it, it should be covered but again, we can't promise it. I wouldn't like to argue with techs if they say it was my fault even though I would be 100% sure it wasn't.

 

[alent1234]

on youtube or ifixit there is like a 15 minute video on how to do it. very nice and i used it. just google for it.

hardest part for me was taking the cover off. the people who will charge you $75 an hour to do this come off the street and get a quick class on Mac's. it's not like they are engineers with years of education. anyone can do this

 

[will0407]

i was watching the OWC video on youtube as i was doing the HD replacement, so I knew what I was supposed to be doing. There just didn't seem to be much room to slide the putty knife in so I had to angle it in on a few places.

 

[300D]

I just opened up my 2.53ghz mini to install a new 640GB hard drive. It's back up and running fine.

When i was taking the casing off though, I left a couple of very small dents/marks on the underside/inside of the metal housing.

Nope. The case does not affect functionality of the computer. Legally they cannot deny coverage to the internal components, except your hard drive. The Magnuson-Moss Act means Apple can't deny coverage to other components simply because of aftermarket modifications, unless those modifications are proven to be the cause of the problem.

Is it still worth me buying applecare or will they not honour it seen as I've opened it up?

Applecare is never a good buy for desktop machines.

Technically speaking, yes. You voided your warranty.

Wrong.

Yes, you did

Wrong.

You need to keep the drive, really. Unless the marks are that bad.

The ONLY reason to keep the old drive is if you send it in for warranty and they exchange you a new machine, they keep your hard drive and everything on it.

Mini has no user-servicable parts and thus opening the case gives Apple a legal right to refuse to fix it.

That is false information.
It clearly states "If you open your Mac mini or install items, you risk damaging your equipment, and such damage isn’t covered by the limited warranty on your Mac mini. "
Opening the mini cannot legally void any warranty. IF you cause damage in the process, they won't fix your screwup. If nothing is damaged the machine's warranty is not altered except for the component that was replaced or if the replaced component is the cause of the failure.

After reading around online, that seems to be the general consensus.

Ignorance of the law is common on internet forums.

but I thought the warranty was only void if you actually broke something whilst fixing it.

That is correct.

opening the case may void your warranty

That is false information.

That's the general opinion.

Fact, actually.

 

[Hellhammer]

*snip*

If you open it, Apple can blame you for damaging it even though it would be impossible (e.g. logic board failure). If you're not familiar with computers, it's very hard to argue with the tech and it's a procedure most people would like to avoid. Sure it's still up to the tech but no user-serviceable parts means that your warranty may be voided if original parts have been changed. You have nothing supporting your argument that you can open the case and be 100% sure that it doesn't void the warranty.

It says in MBP manual for example that damage done while doing upgrades yourself is not covered but it also says that HD and RAM are user-serviceable, so why MBP's RAM and HD can be changed according to the manual but Mini's doesn't?

 

[300D]

If you open it, Apple can blame you for damaging it even though it would be impossible
...
it's very hard to argue with the tech and it's a procedure most people would like to avoid.

All you need to do is grow some and stand up to them. They have no legal grounds to deny coverage simply because you opened it or changed the hard drive.

You have nothing supporting your argument that you can open the case and be 100% sure that it doesn't void the warranty.

Except every single document Apple has released describing their warranty.

It says in MBP manual for example that damage done while doing upgrades yourself is not covered but it also says that HD and RAM are user-serviceable, so why MBP's RAM and HD can be changed according to the manual but Mini's doesn't?

The laptops have covers specifically to access those devices. The mini requires a special tool simply to open. Its cheaper for Apple to say its not serviceable than to risk people hacking open the case trying to get at the ram/HD/optical. However, they clearly state that the act of opening it in and of itself will not void the warranty, only that any damage done in the process is not covered.

 

[jjahshik32]

If anything should go wrong with your mac mini in the future, just reinstall the original harddrive and ship it off to apple care. They wouldnt know and as long as you dont break it while inside the mac mini, no your warranty isnt void.

 

[Hellhammer]

All you need to do is grow some and stand up to them. They have no legal grounds to deny coverage simply because you opened it or changed the hard drive.

That depends on tech. They can blame you for pretty much everything if you have opened the case even though they should prove that your actions caused it. As I've said, it's like playing with fire and you cant tell OP that he's 100% safe not that he's 100% screwed up.

Every component you replace is not covered by Apple and thus in case e.g. HD is the issue, they won't fix it, this applies to all Macs, not just Mini. Doing upgrades yourself may cause headache but usually not.