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macbook pro keys wearing out? help!!!

Z

zipper1022

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 13, 2006
234
1
Long Island, NY/ Boston, MA
i use my macbook pro extensively, like extremely extensively.

i am a video editor and time is money so i use hotkeys like crazy and am constantly touchign the keyboard.

at first it thought it was just dirt but then it got worse and now its jsut ugly....

i have applecare, will they warranty this?

2wg6l3n.jpg



it almost looks like the grey paint is wearing off, but i cant tell

are these keys replacable?
 
I had a key randomly pop off - it wasn't covered (I don't have Applecare) and I would have had to buy an entire keyboard for £200-odd to replace the one key.

But there was a guy on eBay who had the same thing, bought the keyboard and so was selling off all the other keys for £2 each. You could try eBay if Applecare don't replace them.
 
What happened to the company that used to sell replacement mac laptop keys and such?

If the paint is wearing off and apple doesn't cover it, that's much better to have a working ugly keyboard than a pristine broken one.
 
you should get a silicone keyboard cover..they come in a few colors, including clear, and protect your keyboard while you type..
 
i tried to remove the keys but they seemed like they really didnt want to budge so i gave up because i didnt want to take one out and then have it not lock back in.

i searched online but couldn't find any tutorial on how to remove MBP keys individually...

has this never happened to anyone else? should i just try bringing it to the apple store?
 
It can't hurt to bring it to the Apple Store or at least call them on the phone and explain. I am not sure if this would be considered normal wear and tear.

I got an iSkin clear keyboard cover and have used it from day one with my 4 month old MBP.

It could be an option if you can't get it replaced and should prevent any further damage.

Here is a link to the site. You can also purchase them at Apple Stores.

http://www.iskin.com/protouch_overview.html

Good Luck!
 
Try calling a couple of independent service providers too. We keep a bunch of old keyboards around just for situations like this, we'll just pop them on for free since it takes about 2 minutes.

To get the key off:

1. Pry the top left corner of the key up until you feel it snap loose.
2. Do the same to the top right corner
3. Slide the key toward you until the comes loose completely

To put the key back on:
1. Slide the bottom edge of the key toward white key hinge until it catches in place.
2. Push the top of the key down until it snaps in.

It's not too difficult.
 
Hockeypuck said:
Try calling a couple of independent service providers too. We keep a bunch of old keyboards around just for situations like this, we'll just pop them on for free since it takes about 2 minutes.

To get the key off:

1. Pry the top left corner of the key up until you feel it snap loose.
2. Do the same to the top right corner
3. Slide the key toward you until the comes loose completely

To put the key back on:
1. Slide the bottom edge of the key toward white key hinge until it catches in place.
2. Push the top of the key down until it snaps in.

It's not too difficult.
Click to expand...


okay i got it off and whatever and after a really close look at it realized that it is the paint on the key wearing out...

after a close examination of all the keys i have noticed that almost 20 keys have paint wearing off

the only ones that are significant to make me annoyed are 5 of them, letter, a, s, l ,m ,c and the spacebar...

i hope the apple store warranties this... the keys shouldn't wear out like this after barely over a year of use.
 
This often happens when people use cleaning products that are too strong for the paint on the keys.

If this is not the case, and if your laptop is stil under warranty, i would definitely be visiting an Apple store as this is very premature for wear and tear if you are still under warranty.
 
Animalk said:
This often happens when people use cleaning products that are too strong for the paint on the keys.

If this is not the case, and if your laptop is stil under warranty, i would definitely be visiting an Apple store as this is very premature for wear and tear if you are still under warranty.
Click to expand...

hmm

i dont use cleaning products because i always wash and dry my hands before using my computer,

but i do use a radtech screen saver

http://www.radtech.us/Products/NotebookScreenSavrz.aspx

in between my keyboard and display all the time,. but i dont think that that would do it....

im going to go to the apple store next week when i have my car and have them check it out...
 
UltraNEO* said:
You can always do, what I did... Change the keybaord! :D
Then again i changed mine for a different reason.
Click to expand...

i looked into that online and it seemed that keyboards ran around 85 - 90 dollars and i have no idea how much installation would be...

that would be an absolute last resort because my keyboard isnt malfunctioning, it just seems that the paint has worn off way to quikly
 
Who the hell quoted you £200 for a keyboard?!

joefinan said:
I had a key randomly pop off - it wasn't covered (I don't have Applecare) and I would have had to buy an entire keyboard for £200-odd to replace the one key.
Click to expand...

Are you kidding me?! Walk into any Apple retail store and say (to a Genius) a key is missing - do you have any spares? He/she will give you one if there's one handy.

On a MacBook Pro, you can go to a Retail store and have just the actual keys changed for about £30 + labour.

Alternatively, you can find the part number and get it yourself from a few UK bodies that supply Apple parts...

£200 my arse.
 
glocke12 said:
you should get a silicone keyboard cover..they come in a few colors, including clear, and protect your keyboard while you type..
Click to expand...

I have such an iSkin and I don't like typing with it so i do not use it anymore.
You must do a lot of typing, my powerbook is almost 3 years old and I have the command key and the E key worn out.
 
Usually there's some knackered keyboard floating around ebay, often people buy them for the white connecting bits, perhaps you can contact the seller and ask them are the you need still on that keyboard... It'll be much cheaper than buying a full replacement.

zipper1022 said:
i looked into that online and it seemed that keyboards ran around 85 - 90 dollars and i have no idea how much installation would be...

that would be an absolute last resort because my keyboard isnt malfunctioning, it just seems that the paint has worn off way to quikly
Click to expand...

edit
Better yet... Here.. a new keyboard for the MBP Keyboard $59.99 ($9.99 P&P) ... and you don't even need to open the system up.. just take the key-caps of it and put them on yours. If you need to, you could sell the working membrane to someone else who needs it.
[edit end]

Here's one i bought before...
 
UltraNEO* said:
Usually there's some knackered keyboard floating around ebay, often people buy them for the white connecting bits, perhaps you can contact the seller and ask them are the you need still on that keyboard... It'll be much cheaper than buying a full replacement.




Better yet... Here.. a new keyboard for the MacBook Pro, less than $10... and you don't even need to open the system up.. just take the key-caps of it and put them on yours. If you need to, you could sell the working membrane to someone else who needs it.

Here's one i bought before...
Click to expand...


Be careful...

Some of those auctions, like the one you posted, are just for single keys. Its kind of deceiving at first glance, but make sure you read the auction description.

And to the Original Poster, just got my MacBook Pro, and after seeing various photos of this problem i got a little worried the same thing would happen to mine. I thought about getting those keyboard covers, but i hate the thought of paying $25 for some silicone that cost a $1 to make. Granted compared to a MacBook Pro its peanuts, but still...its the principle of the thing.

So as an alternative, i'm in the midst of prying off all the key caps and spraying clear coat on them. I've got all the key caps off and now i'm spraying them.
 
Whoops... Sorry, genuine error :( :(

Here's the seller I used, when I ordered mine...
Seller's name:originalpartsglobal, they sell WHOLE keyboards, inverters and various laptop spares.


Apple Part No: 922-7183
MBP Keyboard $59.99 ($9.99 P&P)
 
zipper1022 said:
i use my macbook pro extensively, like extremely extensively.

i am a video editor and time is money so i use hotkeys like crazy and am constantly touchign the keyboard.

at first it thought it was just dirt but then it got worse and now its jsut ugly....

i have applecare, will they warranty this?

2wg6l3n.jpg



it almost looks like the grey paint is wearing off, but i cant tell

are these keys replacable?
Click to expand...

same issue here, apple seems to be doing allot of silent down grades on hardware quality while charging 3000€ for a portable.

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7273872&#7273872

https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=5493491#post5493491

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/233629/

BTW, THE SILICON PROTECTION IDEA CUASES OVER HEATING!
 

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