MacBook & Warranty Service

[brooklinebiker]

I own a MacBook Pro, 16.2 inch, 2020 build, 2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5, 58 watt battery. It has extended warranty.

I need advice on getting Apple to honor my warranty.

I brought in my machine to an Apple Store for service and the experience was disappointing. The computer has multiple issues, notably the display blacks out and blinks, the machine overheats (apparently due to the processors), and one port only intermittently runs video to my monitor.

I was told at the Apple Store they won't work on the machine if they can’t see a problem at the time the machine is brought into the store.

So the machine connected to a monitor they had at the store and my port was pronounced adequate.

Likewise, a video I had showing the laptop display blinking wasn’t accepted. I was told they couldn’t be sure the video wasn’t of someone else's monitor.

I was told the overheating was normal performance for the machine and they wouldn't clean it.

To add to my frustration, the “Genius” spent 25% of our conversation time trying to convince me to buy a new machine or trade mine in.

This is by far the worst service experience I’ve had with Apple. A few years ago I had an issue with the display and they simply sent it out to be fixed. Likewise, they resolved the overheating issue by sending it out to be cleaned, which worked (until now).

Help!

 

[dmccloud]

What kind of "extended warranty" do you have in 2025 on a 2020 MacBook?

 

[brooklinebiker]

AppleCare+, Technical support & accidental damage coverage, Annual Plan

 

[FreakinEurekan]

If the display is working in the store, it's not an issue with your Mac. Could be an issue with the display.

 

[Bigwaff]

If the display is working in the store, it's not an issue with your Mac. Could be an issue with the display.

@brooklinebiker Don't forget the actual cable used to connect the display as well.

 

[kitKAC]

I was told the overheating was normal performance for the machine and they wouldn't clean it.

You can clean it yourself, take off the back cover and use a can of compressed air.

 

[brooklinebiker]

You can clean it yourself, take off the back cover and use a can of compressed air.

Won't removing the back cover void the warranty?

 

[ignatius345]

Seems like the customer-friendly thing to do would be to at least test the hardware for you themselves using the more sophisticated diagnostic equipment I assume they have. Episodic hardware issues do exist and it's pretty effed up to demand that you get them to show to the "genius's" satisfaction.

One thing you might try is to see if you can go to a friendlier Apple-authorized service provider. Obviously YMMV but I've had great experiences at the last two local Apple-authrorized shops I've gone to for in-warranty repairs to Macs.

I would try that before you go taking the thing apart yourself, since it's under warranty.

 

[brooklinebiker]

I

Seems like the customer-friendly thing to do would be to at least test the hardware for you themselves using the more sophisticated diagnostic equipment I assume they have. Episodic hardware issues do exist and it's pretty effed up to demand that you get them to show to the "genius's" satisfaction.

One thing you might try is to see if you can go to a friendlier Apple-authorized service provider. Obviously YMMV but I've had great experiences at the last two local Apple-authrorized shops I've gone to for in-warranty repairs to Macs.

I would try that before you go taking the thing apart yourself, since it's under warranty.

I like your idea lot. I used to go to a local Apple authorized repair vendor who was great but they closed in the spring.

Is there a list of such places?

 

[ignatius345]

I used to go to a local Apple authorized repair vendor who was great but they closed in the spring.

Is there a list of such places?

Not sure. I'd just look up Mac repair places and make sure they're authorized?

I had a weird intermittant random shutoff issue with my old iMac 5K, and the indie shop I went to (Mikey's Hookup in Brooklyn) were so cool about it, they literally left it plugged in for days on end in a corner of their shop to see if it would happen. Obviously not something every shop would do, but it was definitely a better experience than I'd have gotten from an Apple Store.

 

[kitKAC]

Won't removing the back cover void the warranty?

No.

 

[Brian33]

I agree with @kitKAC -- taking off the back cover won't void your warranty, unless you drop some little screws or something in there. If you really think it's overheating due to dust, compressed air is worth a try. (I've heard using a vacuum is a bad idea due to a build up of static electric charge that could zap something.)