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Macbook Pro Warped, can I get it replaced / fixed?

M

MeanAndy

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 25, 2011
11
0
Hey,

First time poster so hope this is in the right area.

I have a Macbook Pro that is a few years old and out of warranty, but given the amount of money I spent on it, has been treated with nothing but respect.

It is not the uni-body version but the one with the plastic grey trim that fills in the gaps of the metal body. My problem is that the area on the right had side, below the keyboard, and over the superdrive has become warped so badly that I can't get a CD in or out, thus making the superdrive useless. I assume this is due to the combination of the way that the MBPro heats up to expel internal heat and the positioning of my hand on it for typing and using the trackpad.

Is there any chance that Apple will fix / replace this seeing as it's clearly a design fault and not my own?

There are no Apple Stores in Ireland (hint, hint Apple!) so I can't bring it to them first. Thus the reason that I am asking here, in case anyone else has had similar problems, and before I go ringing Apple with no idea what to say.

I am an Apple fan, and this is the only issue I've ever had with them.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Andy
 
MeanAndy said:
Is there any chance that Apple will fix / replace this seeing as it's clearly a design fault and not my own?
Click to expand...

They'll fix it for you (probably replace the bottom case), but I'd say your chances of getting it done under warranty are approximately zero, sorry!
 
MeanAndy said:
It is not the uni-body version but the one with the plastic grey trim that fills in the gaps of the metal body. My problem is that the area on the right had side, below the keyboard, and over the superdrive has become warped so badly that I can't get a CD in or out, thus making the superdrive useless. I assume this is due to the combination of the way that the MBPro heats up to expel internal heat and the positioning of my hand on it for typing and using the trackpad.
Click to expand...

It's user damage and your machine is out of warranty. You're going to have to pay.
 
Not a manufacturer defect. Sounds like you put too much pressure on it / crushed it.

alFR said:
They'll fix it for you (probably replace the bottom case), but I'd say your chances of getting it done under warranty are approximately zero, sorry!
Click to expand...

Agree.
 
Thanks for the fast replies.

Is it really a user fault if it's bent because of the heat? I know it's hard to prove this, but it can't really be anything else, unless I sat on that particularly small part...which would be hard to do.

Any idea how much it might cost?

Thanks again.

Andy
 
You would need a lower case I think, but w/o pictures, i can't be for sure.

You can take this into Apple and see what they say. Someone here had sorta the same situation you are in and Apple did it for free.
 
MeanAndy said:
Is it really a user fault if it's bent because of the heat? I know it's hard to prove this, but it can't really be anything else,
Click to expand...

Sure it could. You could have inadvertently bumped it and you already mentioned the pressure on the palm rest.

Any idea how much it might cost?
Click to expand...

You probably only need a new bottom case if the holes don't line up right. Check eBay, but I can't imagine the part being more than a hundred dollars or two. You could do the replacement yourself.
 
I will upload a photo later, but from what I've heard it'll cost me.

I wouldn't have the thought it would be my fault that because of my hand and the heat weakening the metal that it bent. It's not as if my hand weighs a huge amount, therefore I would have said it's a design fault.

I'll take a look at eBay, and seeing as I will probably have to pay for it I may as well try some DIY first.

Thanks all.
 
miles01110 said:
Sure it could. You could have inadvertently bumped it and you already mentioned the pressure on the palm rest.



You probably only need a new bottom case if the holes don't line up right. Check eBay, but I can't imagine the part being more than a hundred dollars or two. You could do the replacement yourself.
Click to expand...

Agree! Apple Store wanted 489.00 to replace the bottom case of my Black MB and I found a new one from a internet dealer for $85.00 and with a $10.00 MacFixIT pdf, I did it my self. You need to go slow and be careful but it is doable. Just FYI I take notebooks apart all the time for my students and I was Impressed with the quality of the MB, however is was a very careful adventure. If you have no previous experience practice on a Dell or HP first.
 
miles01110 said:
Well it's also not the case that the inside of your computer gets hot enough to melt aluminum, either.
Click to expand...

+1

An MBP doesn't get hot enough to even soften aluminum--that takes about 600-700 degrees Fahrenheit. So I don't think claiming it is a design or manufacturing defect is going to work--there would be a LOT of other complaints about it. Sorry, but it looks like you're going to have to either hope for a sympathetic Apple rep or pay for it.
 
The powerbooks of similar design used to warp slightly. You could however fix them by placing the worst offending corner over the desk and bending it back by putting pressure on the corner.

This may work for you, but I suspect from your description it's more localised.
 
miles01110 said:
It's user damage and your machine is out of warranty. You're going to have to pay.
Click to expand...

Consultant said:
Not a manufacturer defect. Sounds like you put too much pressure on it / crushed it.



Agree.
Click to expand...

i disagree. it is a manufactures defect because this is a widely known problem. i've seen tons of posts on here, and other forums relating to this issue.

this is similar to the issue that the 1st gen MacBook's had with the cracking of the casing... everyone was saying user damage until EVERYONE started having that problem.


Naimfan said:
So I don't think claiming it is a design or manufacturing defect is going to work--there would be a LOT of other complaints about it.
Click to expand...

there is ...

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/429758/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/524834/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/372850/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/800886/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/248120/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/275418/ (macbook)

and there's a ton more

not to mention.. Google results

http://www.google.ca/images?hl=en&q...=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1440&bih=723
 
The machine is four years old and far out of warranty.

A free fix is NOT happening - not even Apple would do that.
 
acfusion29 said:
i disagree. it is a manufactures defect because this is a widely known problem. i've seen tons of posts on here, and other forums relating to this issue.

this is similar to the issue that the 1st gen MacBook's had with the cracking of the casing... everyone was saying user damage until EVERYONE started having that problem.




there is ...

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/429758/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/524834/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/372850/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/800886/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/248120/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/275418/ (macbook)

and there's a ton more

not to mention.. Google results

http://www.google.ca/images?hl=en&q...=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1440&bih=723
Click to expand...

I don't own one of these myself, but I know someone who has an MBP that has the exact warping in the first image, right around the optical drive.
 
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