MacBook Pro 13" late 2011 logic board replacement.

[nickandre21]

Well my macbook is at the service provider and they told me it will need its logic board replaced. Luckily i am in protection plan.
I do have a few queries although.

1. Will my mbp retain its serial number? I know its printed on my bottom case but while in osx?

2. Does apple use refurbished boards or new ones? It would be a disappointment to have a refurbished board after spending $$$ on the protection plan.

3. My mbp is the i7 2.8 ghz late 2011 model, do they use the same board or the board of the current model i.e the mid 2012?

4. I read somewhere that a person had issues with his itunes purchases after the logic board being replaced but i could not make sure if its true?

5. Do they format the hard drive during a logic board change?
The issue with the laptop was that both keyboard and trackpad were not getting detected by the system they told me that they guess both of them would need to be replaced but can only tell when the logic board arrives.


Laptop history:-
Display replaced
Super drive replaced
Magsafe Board replaced
Logic Board under replacement

I now feel like i may just have got a lemon?

 

[ecschwarz]

I think I can answer most of these from mostly past experience:

1. It should retain its serial number or just report nothing. I don't know about your specific service provider, but every time I had an Apple notebook head to Texas for a logic board replacement, the board either had the old number "burned" onto it, or was left blank. Your machine will still keep the same serial number for record-keeping purposes.

2. I think in most cases, the boards are refurbished, especially for older machines (they simply cannot keep a stockpile of brand-new old boards and components for every Mac ever made). Still, most refurbished parts have been checked thoroughly and often have less of a chance of failing.

3. You should get the same one. Unless they run out, they try to keep everything as factory-spec as possible.

4. The logic board will appear as a different computer to the iTunes Store - you'll need to reauthorize it with iTunes (and possibly do the deauthorize all function if you're at your limit to remove your old board from the list).

5. They won't format your hard drive - unless it's failing, too, they won't need to do anything to it.

Personally, I'd contact Apple and push for a machine replacement. You may not have any luck, but with all these failures (and more pending, that's a bit out of the ordinary, and in some locations could fall under a lemon law). I'm not as well-versed in this as any warranty work that I've had done was ages ago, but I know people who have pushed for replacements (be polite, but firm, and explain how frustrating this has been), even just a few months before AppleCare ran out—you'd get a refurbished machine that is the "current" version of what you have.

On the other hand, you can look at it this way—you've had so much replaced on your computer that there really isn't anything else that could unexpectedly fail. Then again, I wonder how many of the issues might be related...

 

[nickandre21]

hey thanks mate. Im in India and we do not have any apple stores or any genius bars, its only authorized service providers and premium resellers.

Anyways before giving my laptop in for service i contacted apple care i was lucky enough to get a knowledgeable and polite guy i did patiently and calmly tell him of my issues and asked if they could replace it. He just politely said no sir in India we do not replace. However he said he would get me in touch with customer relations and they will see what they could do.
Customer relations did call was polite with them and they were down to earth. She asked me to give them one last chance to fix the laptop and they will make sure to check it thoroughly. If another hardware failure in 3-4 months then they will look at options.

by the way we do not have options to purchase refurbished products/ cto / bto options(no online store)

 

[ecschwarz]

Glad to hear - I know things are different in different parts of the world, especially when it comes to getting Apple gear fixed, but it sounds like they're making an effort to keep you happy. As my experiences were mostly from the US, a few things may be different even once you get the machine back.

Good luck!

 

[nickandre21]

Lets hope for the best, while i was in us the genius bar had replaced my white unibody macbook due to multiple issues.
For now ill hope my mac doesnt breakdown soon so i could sell it of when/ if any new refreshed macs come up.

 

[G-Mo]

1. Yes, unless the SP is a cowboy, the post replacement diagnostic reserialises the board on boot.

2. After a few months of release, almost always refurb boards.

3. It will be the same board, the 2012 is a different size/shape with different fittings.

4. Yes, this can happen, as above you need to reauthorise.

5. No, unless there is a hard drive issue they shouldn't format the drive.

 

[macintoshmac]

MBP 15.4 Late 2011 here. I wish to swap the logic board to a mid 2012 MBP one to gain the updated processor/ graphics and USB3.

Possible? Cost no bar.

 

[scbond]

MBP 15.4 Late 2011 here. I wish to swap the logic board to a mid 2012 MBP one to gain the updated processor/ graphics and USB3.

Possible? Cost no bar.

Erm, yeah?! You're just taking a 2012 MBP internals and putting it into the same unibody casing that it was once in.

Worth it? No.

 

[macintoshmac]

Figured, after much reading and checking actual hardware differences, that yeah, not worth it.

Which brings me to the next thing!! Swap the 1440 display assembly with 1680, possible?

 

[G-Mo]

Erm, yeah?! You're just taking a 2012 MBP internals and putting it into the same unibody casing that it was once in.

Worth it? No.

Which brings me to the next thing!! Swap the 1440 display assembly with 1680, possible?

Not possible. While they look the same on the outside, connectors and such are different and/or in different locations on the inside. One major issue would be the LVDS connector for the display which was redesigned between 2011 and 2012 meaning the display assembly will not work.

 

[macintoshmac]

Looking at iFixit schematics, it seems that the locations at least remain same, and if the connectors are changed, I should try and get the 2012 version of Hi Res then... will that work?

 

[G-Mo]

Looking at iFixit schematics, it seems that the locations at least remain same, and if the connectors are changed, I should try and get the 2012 version of Hi Res then... will that work?

My inital comment was referring generally, the second, regarding the LVDS connector, was specifically regarding the 2011/12.

Why not just buy the 2012 MBP? The cost of the logic board and display assembly combined (at least at Apple stock prices) will be more than the new machine.

 

[macintoshmac]

Looking to upgrade the display, and while I was searching for one, I came across logic boards, so ran some wild horses.. Don't want nor need the 2012 MBP. Where I am coming from, the two (logic board and display) combined, at the cost I thought the logic board was coming for, would have cost me one-third of what the same spec new MBP would come for.

I am only looking to just swap the display to Hi Res, and the connector is what is keeping me. Need more info - I found online exactly two people who said they did it.

Check this link too. http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-661-5849-High-Res-display-assembly-15-Unibody-MacBook-Pro-A1286-2011-/140858214113?pt=US_Laptop_Screens_LCD_Panels&hash=item20cbcdc6e1

 

[scbond]

Not possible. While they look the same on the outside, connectors and such are different and/or in different locations on the inside. One major issue would be the LVDS connector for the display which was redesigned between 2011 and 2012 meaning the display assembly will not work.

As far as I'm aware, the only difference would be that the battery connector could be in a different place on the logic board as I'm sure it was revised at some point but unsure of which model it was done on. This wouldn't be a difficult issue to overcome if it is different though as the internal layout is still the same.