MacBook Pro screen not working, just bought AppleCare - Questions

[GraphicsGeek]

Hey guys, I hope this is the right forum to post this. Last night I realized I have a few weeks left on the factory warranty on my 17" MacBook Pro. So I went ahead and bought AppleCare for it online. Sure enough, I woke up this morning and the screen won't turn on. Everything else seems fine though. I searched everywhere and tried and troubleshooted everything possible and still no screen.

My main question is, since Ive never bought AppleCare before, when the box gets here from Apple, Im assuming I have to register it somehow. Im also (hopefully) assuming I can do it online. The closest Apple Store is a little over an hour away and I want to take it out there this weekend assuming I get the box before this weekend. When you take a product in for repair, do they fix it on the spot if they can? If not, do they take it to ship it off or exchange it? If they take it do they give you some sort of replacement? I cant afford to be without a computer for a day. Im really concerned about this. Also, I installed 4GB of RAM a few weeks after I got it. Will this void any repairs to be made? I hope not, because I sold the 2GB that came installed. I'm really worried about this.

Any and all advice is much appreciated.

Edit: Just saw online where I can register it with AppleCare once it gets here.

 

[GGJstudios]

Call AppleCare to register it and explain your situation. They'll help you figure out what to do.

 

[synth3tik]

Well you possibly still have some time on your 1 year warranty which would still be covered. Otherwise when Apple Care does arrive you can just call them to do it over the phone, then later that day you might have a chance to drive to the Apple store for some repair.

Most time things break just out of warranty, you kind of lucked out here, it died just as you planned to expand the warranty.

Good luck to ya.

 

[clyde2801]

Yeah, I'd take it in under the original warranty, and write down the serial number of the unit before you took it in.

Talk to the genius bar and ask him if it will be repaired or replaced. If repaired, go ahead and register the applecare throught the apple support site; that way there's no lapse in coverage.

If they'll replace it, enter the serial number of the new machine. Good luck!

 

[GraphicsGeek]

What about the RAM issue? Will they frown upon the aftermarket 4GB or RAM I installed?

 

[GGJstudios]

What about the RAM issue? Will they frown upon the aftermarket 4GB or RAM I installed?

Installing RAM does not void the Apple Warranty or the AppleCare Protection Plan, unless you damage something in the process.

 

[convergent]

Hopefully you either registered it when you bought it, or have the original sales receipt. I just bought a MacBook Pro a couple weeks ago and I was initially unable to register it with AppleCare. Upon checking on the Apple site, I found that they showed my warranty had started in June (not sure why that mattered since it was still less than a year). I sent them in all my documentation and the corrected the warranty start date and my end date now of 11/2011 for AppleCare.