Macbook Air Sound

[jk123]

Hi, I'm new to this forum, but I'm looking for some help on how to fix my Macbook Air Mid 2013 Model A1466.

Last week, my computer experience some water damage from a leaked water bottle in my backpack. I took it to the apple store and they told me that nothing was covered under warranty and told me the only option was to pay 750 + tax to fix the computer(doing whatever was necessary to fix it). My computer turned on so I didn't think that there was much water damage or at least less than 750 dollars. Having some prior experience with laptops before(although never water damage), I decided to try some steps I found online. Not wanting to risk taking apart the whole computer, I just cleaned some corroded parts (only two specific parts seemed visibly corroded) of the logic board/magsafe board with isopropanol and dried it under a fan; it seemed to turn on and work, however, battery would discharge and the charger would work, but the battery would not charge. Also, there was no sound output and the internal speakers were not detected. I thought maybe I needed a new magsafe board because the battery would not charge and because the speakers were connected to the board.

Seeing as how there wasn't much for me to lose, I decided to take apart the whole computer and wash the logic board/magsafe board with high concentration isopropanol. I noticed that I had missed some corroded sections on the the underside of the boards that I could not reach before. I let the boards dry and reassembled the computer. I connected all of the wires, plugged in the charger, and it seemed to solve the battery charging issue. I am able to charge my battery regularly without any issues. However, I still have a problem with the sound. My internal speakers don't seem to be detected. Also, earphones were not detected by the computer either. What do you think I should do in order to fix the computer most efficiently? I also factory reset the computer to check if it could be a software issue.

Do you think that it could be a simple swap of the speakers? magsafe board? or the actual logic board? I'm not sure where to begin because I don't know where everything is located. Thank you in advance for the help!

 

[bjet767]

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but I would do two things.

1. Make a claim under my home owners insurance for the loss.
2. I would sell the computer for parts (after backing up) and buy the new 2014 model.

Basically you've fried some features and since the fix is rather high you could combine either the price you sold it for or received under your home owner's insurance (if you have any) and buy a new model for less than the repair of the old one.

 

[Dweez]

I know it's hindsight (which is always 20/20), but I consider Apple Care a must for these laptops. Not sure what would have been covered for water damage, but the cost of Apple Care is offset by more or less any claims made.

Best of luck with whatever you do...

 

[SMDBill]

Fortunately the Macbook Airs are on sale right now, at least at Best Buy. For what you may spend on parts you could maybe come close to getting a new machine. Having been an electronic tech, the difficult part will be isolating the problem because water intrusion causes shorts that are not common or expected failures under normal conditions. Troubleshooting a water intrusion induced failure is often a matter of just swapping parts until you find the culprits because of how the equipment fails. A basic electronic failure is much different than one induced by water because of how they fail, whether by shorting pins on IC's or shorting across solder runs, shorting two unrelated circuit components together, or even grounding a circuit that carries voltage and current (or signal).

It may be in your interest, if fixing is the only alternative, to order all the logic boards or components you can at one time and return those you end up not needing. You'll save yourself at least a lot of time and frustration, plus additional down time without the machine.

 

[scaredpoet]

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but I would do two things.

1. Make a claim under my home owners insurance for the loss.
2. I would sell the computer for parts (after backing up) and buy the new 2014 model.

Check with your homeowner's insurance policy first before selling. Sometimes they might want the damaged items you're making a claim on, to sell as scrap themselves.

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I know it's hindsight (which is always 20/20), but I consider Apple Care a must for these laptops. Not sure what would have been covered for water damage,

None of it. Applecare would not have helped in this case, because it doesn't cover water damage.

(Note, Applecare+ covers water damage with a deductible for iOS devices, but + isn't available for Macs as of yet.)