Macbook Pro Keyboard Y Key stopped working, but external keyboard is working

[soamz]

Macbook Pro Keyboard Y Key stopped working, but when I connect an external keyboard USB one, it is working and the Y is coming fine.

Why is that ?
Does that mean the Macbook Pro Y key is dead ?

My Macbook Pro is Late 2013, that means its no more in warranty.

Will they replace the keyboard or just fix it ?

Its my main computer, so I cannot keep it with them.

Lets first figure out why it happened.
Is there a way to know that yes its a hardware fault or something ?

Any Apple tricks ???

 

[MrAverigeUser]

Macbook Pro Keyboard Y Key stopped working, but when I connect an external keyboard USB one, it is working and the Y is coming fine.

Why is that ?
Does that mean the Macbook Pro Y key is dead ?

My Macbook Pro is Late 2013, that means its no more in warranty.

Will they replace the keyboard or just fix it ?

Its my main computer, so I cannot keep it with them.

Lets first figure out why it happened.
Is there a way to know that yes its a hardware fault or something ?

Any Apple tricks ???

I have sad news for you: This might be the beginning of keyboard-failure.
Had this already twice with one of my MBP (2011) and there are a lot of other users with similar problems.
you could try to clean the button (there are good videos how to do this on YT) - maybe this works. Perhaps for awhile. But most often after a certain time there will be the same problem or even more buttons out of function.

Start to accept that you have to pay for a new keyboard sooner or later.
the good news: Since this is not at all rare with MBPs, there are lots of enterprises selling compatible keyboards, exchanging the keyboards for just 30-40% of the price apple would charge - and there are also tons of "how-to"s at "Ifixit" and Youtube. You have to dissemble nearly all of the interiors since the unibody line does only allow to get inside by the backside…

It takes 1hour for someone familiar with it.
BTW: The keyboard ALONE is fixed with about 70 (!!! NOT KIDING) Screws inside…. to separate safely the illumination part (Attention: this is expensive to replace) from the key board and replace it is a little bit tricky as well.

I chose once apple (= 450 EUR) when my MBP 2011 failed the first time (also just 2 weeks after the warranty expired) and just 1 month ago the second time (a PRO repairing this and other typical failures of apple gear like GPUs and so on)
and he did it just in front of me in his little enterprise. Interesting for me to see how it works. His bill for all together was 200 EUR - so much cheaper than apple or an official apple-certified service would charge.

Good luck.

There are some good ECONOMICAL reasons why "apple care" is so extremely expensive: their products fail too often.

 

[soamz]

Oh no, this is crazy then
Its mine work station, cannot even keep it off for more than 1 hour.

Ma be have to keep using an external keyboard for months now

Now, Im losing m faith on apple hardware then.

 

[AZhappyjack]

There are some good ECONOMICAL reasons why "apple care" is so extremely expensive: their products fail too often.

Clearly, YMMV.

I have a 2011 21" iMac. I had issues with it out of the box locking up, freezing and restarting. It took them a while to diagnose the problem and trace it to a bad video card. When they discovered the source of the issue, they replaced the video card. No more issues since.

I have an original 2012 15" rMBP. I had the screen ghosting issue. They swapped out the screen. No more issues.

Beyond that I have had Mac Minis, a white unibody MacBook, and a couple MacBook Air notebooks. No issues with any of them. No issues with any of our iPads, iPods or iPhones beyond carbon based issues - broken screens, etc.

I'd be hard pressed to say "their products fail too often". Does stuff go wrong from time to time? Do parts on these high-tech machines ever fail? Of course they do. But in MY experience, it's not a matter of them failing too often in any way, shape or form. And with the deep discounts that are available with AppleCare (if you look for them), it's not "extremely expensive" at all to extend your coverage for a total of 3 years on a computer.

 

[MrAverigeUser]

Oh no, this is crazy then
Its mine work station, cannot even keep it off for more than 1 hour.

Ma be have to keep using an external keyboard for months now

Now, Im losing m faith on apple hardware then.

Well - you could at least try to clean the button. Its simple to dissemble the cover of the button as well the "Scissor" mechanism if you follow the instructions. I did so - and was very proud as it seemed to work. In reality this is just helping mostly for short time if ever. I think it´s a problem of heating as this part is just above the cpu which raises its temperature easily to 70-80-90-100 °C. I even started a Thread about this -. although there are a lot of customers facing the same problem (look at services and retails on ebay, forums…) , there was no response. Seems like they are giving up and resignative...

 

[soamz]

Well - you could at least try to clean the button. Its simple to dissemble the cover of the button as well the "Scissor" mechanism if you follow the instructions. I did so - and was very proud as it seemed to work. In reality this is just helping mostly for short time if ever. I think it´s a problem of heating as this part is just above the cpu which raises its temperature easily to 90-100 °C. I even started a Thread about this -. although there are a lot a customers facing the same problem (look at services and retails on ebay, forums…) , there was no response. Seems like they are giving up and resignative...

U mean taking the ke from top with a scissor ??

 

[MrAverigeUser]

Clearly, YMMV.

(…) And with the deep discounts that are available with AppleCare (if you look for them), it's not "extremely expensive" at all to extend your coverage for a total of 3 years on a computer.

Well - in fact it is only ONE year more than they are obliged to give warranty (in Europe). So charging/paying 15% more for a so-called "prime"-product IS expensive indeed.

I worked with notebooks since early 1990´s. NEVER EVER had problems with IBM Thinpads, Toshiba´s Pro-line or Panasonic toughbooks. My first MBP (2008) died after 3 years with the infamous GPU-failure (they claimed this not being their fault although it was). A total loss.
The next MBP had 2 times the keyboard-problem Again, they told me it was not their fault and even since the warranty was just expired some days before I rang them up, they were extremely cool with me…(expensive for me, but I warned a lot of people).

Selling products for prices like during prohibition and claiming them to be "top-quality" but not caring about customers problems, even lying ("You´re holding it wrong" etc) explains why they achieved to be the richest enterprise in the world. Good for their shareholders, bad thing for us customers. maybe good "not so good" for their shareholders at long-time perspective though.
It takes a long way to get a good reputation - but that can change very rapidly - and the way back is expensive and hard to go...



[doublepost=1454262908][/doublepost]

U mean taking the ke from top with a scissor ??

NO!

The mechanism under the button is called "Scissor" because it looks a little bit like 2 scissors.

look at youtube - there are really good Videos. Look at ifixit.com for instructions with photos for each step.

you can even do it with your nails opt a little screwdriver to pop them off - BUT you should know how to do (look at the VIDEOS!)
be careful.
[doublepost=1454263861][/doublepost]If there is not a crumble of bread or something like that blocking the button
or
an immobilization of the scissor mechanism (glued in down-position by a single drop of orange juice or something like that) …

it will be failing - at least soon. the mid of the upper line of the alphabet is definitely the typical place where the keyboard begins to fail. Sorry to give you this sad information - but it is like it is...

 

[AZhappyjack]

Well - in fact it is only ONE year more than they are obliged to give warranty (in Europe). So charging/paying 15% more for a so-called "prime"-product IS expensive indeed.

I worked with notebooks since early 1990´s. NEVER EVER had problems with IBM Thinpads, Toshiba´s Pro-line or Panasonic toughbooks. My first MBP (2008) died after 3 years with the infamous GPU-failure (they claimed this not being their fault although it was). A total loss.
The next MBP had 2 times the keyboard-problem Again, they told me it was not their fault and even since the warranty was just expired some days before I rang them up, they were extremely cool with me…(expensive for me, but I warned a lot of people).

Selling products for prices like during prohibition and claiming them to be "top-quality" but not caring about customers problems, even lying ("You´re holding it wrong" etc) explains why they achieved to be the richest enterprise in the world. Good for their shareholders, bad thing for us customers. maybe good "not so good" for their shareholders at long-time perspective though.
It takes a long way to get a good reputation - but that can change very rapidly - and the way back is expensive and hard to go.

I've used company issued ThinkPads for over 20 years... and I've had my share of issued with them. But it's what the company issues to us, so we have to use them - we have no choice or say in the matter.

I am sure there are good machines from every manufacturer... and there are problems from every manufacturer... you have to go with what works for you.

With the number of manufacturers and offerings, I'd only ask one question: if Apple hardware is such a bad deal in your opinion, why do you use them?

 

[MrAverigeUser]

I've used company issued ThinkPads for over 20 years... and I've had my share of issued with them. But it's what the company issues to us, so we have to use them - we have no choice or say in the matter.

I am sure there are good machines from every manufacturer... and there are problems from every manufacturer... you have to go with what works for you.

With the number of manufacturers and offerings, I'd only ask one question: if Apple hardware is such a bad deal in your opinion, why do you use them?

agree with you.

I switched to apple because at that time (the famous Snow-Leopard times and policy of upgradable hardware) the intuitive and unreached ergonomic layouted UI was fantastic and lightyears from what MSFT offered. Also - apple still had the reputation of reliability and to be customer-friendly.

At this moment, I still think apple is the better choice - but the gap between them and the competitors is nearly closed.
Non-existing upgradability (definitely a NO-GO for me and many other customers) and other silly policy make me more and more skeptic about apple. (See signature).

But is it honorable or a good aim for an enterprise to be classified less and less as a "innovative and customer-orientated tech-leader" and worst: more and more as "the better one of two bad choices" or being the Cholera and their competitors being the pest?

 

[soamz]

Now D stopped working.
Im going crazy.

 

[soamz]

i Guess there is some OS issue and not a keyboard issue. y
because, Im connected to an external keyboard and sometimes randomly it starts typing Y and D.

 

[MrAverigeUser]

i Guess there is some OS issue and not a keyboard issue. y
because, Im connected to an external keyboard and sometimes randomly it starts typing Y and D.

I don´t think so, because it is concerning the same letters. Seems more like a hardware problem since the in-build keyboard is not deactivated, but still "functional". Seems more like Y and D are changing between being active and non-active for me.

You could perhaps run an SMC-reset and NVRAM-reset to exclude/eliminate a problem concerning software concerning the keyboard.
Easy to do and that takes only some minutes. And as for now the letters to use for these resets are still working...