MBP i7 Self-Repair

[Shaki]

My MBP i7 has suffered from liquid damage so the first thing I did was take it apart and dry whatever I could. I didn't wait a whole 72 hours but I went ahead and plugged it in to the adapter and powered on, and to my surprise everything worked, except the battery. Mac showed it as an X, and the battery meter button didnt light up at all. Also, the date/time is not saved any more along with wifi password.

I took it to the genius bar today and upon inspection the man tells me that there is liquid EVERYWHERE and quotes me at $1200.00. To replace, EVERYTHING in the machine. I told him that everything on it works, except the battery. He SAID he tried to swap the battery out but it didn't make the difference. The point is, I have repaired an older MBP before so I know my around the hardware - I want to try to fix it myself and am hoping to be pointed in the right direction

- The tech suggested that the logic board is completely shorted out - which is confusing when the computer works. Where can I find such a part if at all?

- Does replacing the board mean i have to replace the cpu as well? Is that part of the board or seperate?

- Is there any way I can test myself for whether the battery or the logic board if is in fact faulty? This way I know what parts to get.

Thanks a lot for your time! Really appreciate any support!

 

[miles01110]

I believe the power management hardware is part of the logic board itself, so when they say "it's the logic board!" it means "it's the power management part of the logic board" which clearly is not recognizing the battery. It'd be virtually impossible to troubleshoot this problem at the board level without detailed board layouts and a high level understanding of electrical engineering.

So, needless to say, I think this problem is beyond the common expertise often found here.

 

[bizzle]

If you're willing to spend the money to replace parts at least first try cleaning them. If you are experienced with handling sensitive computer components, remove them from the casing and clean any areas with corrosion with a toothbrush and alcohol. I've fixed many boards this way. First time I recommended it to someone on here, it worked.

 

[Eddyisgreat]

The point is, I have repaired an older MBP before so I know my around the hardware

.......................................

- Does replacing the board mean i have to replace the cpu as well? Is that part of the board or seperate?

hmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Anyway if he tried to swap out the battery and it still didn't work......then it's probably the logic board. There are many many points of failure that you could've destroyed with the spill, but the two that hop out at me are the cable which connects the logic board to the battery for 40 bucks. If it looks like it could be damaged, that might be all you need. Otherwise, the next point is the logic board and that's not a cheap fix, obviously. Personally, if you can guarentee that your warranty would be restored after the fix, i'd go for the flat rate service and just get it over with. Yes, it's creeping up on the cost of a new machine, but these components aren't cheap, and it's the reason we keep out computers out of the rain and out of the bars. You could also whip out your multimeter (I assume you have one) and start testing points from the magsafe board all the way to the battery. //shrug

 

[vant]

Logic board comes in one piece. GPU/CPU is included and is not separate. You will most likely need a new one.

You sound like you knew what you were doing, but I'm still confused about why you turned the computer on so early?

I would wait a WEEK before turning the computer on. God only knows if there was liquid present when you turned it on.

 

[Theclamshell]

If you're willing to spend the money to replace parts at least first try cleaning them. If you are experienced with handling sensitive computer components, remove them from the casing and clean any areas with corrosion with a toothbrush and alcohol. I've fixed many boards this way. First time I recommended it to someone on here, it worked.

I don't know if that someone was me but he is right. His suggestion saved my macbook and its been on for days with no problem.

 

[Shaki]

Thanks for all the responses! Very helpful! Here is update since I've visited the genius bar.

- When I brought the computer home, I noticed that the laptop which did not have one scratch on it before, was scratched ALL OVER by the technician. The moron also forgot to re-install the RAM sticks inside so my computer refused to boot up until I opened it and saw what he did. I re-installed the RAM myself and voila, the computer boots to Snow Leopard and functions as it should.

- Pissed off at the service, I wrote to apple customer service - to which I got a call from a manager at the store to bring the laptop back. Once I did that, he and a "team" looked at the mac to give me the same answer - $1200 or we cannot help you.

Now I am really in a dilemma. FACT, the computer works perfect with the exception of the battery which was damaged by the liquid (turned out to be juice). I don't know whether to shell out $1200 to apple to fix this unit, or to repair myself. Through my research I found that the logic board that matches my system retails at $1500-1700, which is even more expensive than the apple estimate. The reason I am so confused is that the laptop STILL WORKS, even with all this liquid damage to the logic board, and battery unit. I have opened the unit and cleaned all traces of liquid I can but there is not much I can do.

I found that TekServe, an apple authorized repair center in NYC offers cleaning service for $250 in which they will clean all parts affected by the liquid. But my question is, even if the parts are properly cleaned - is there a chance that my computer will eventually die out?

I literally have a few options at this point:
- Pay Apple $1200 to replace all parts inside
- Clean the logic board, and get a new battery and hope the computer will live on.
- Sell it.

Just hurts that the mac I saved so long for works and I still have to get it repaired

 

[nwbusa]

- When I brought the computer home, I noticed that the laptop which did not have one scratch on it before, was scratched ALL OVER by the technician.

I'd raise hell about this alone. ALWAYS check and document the cosmetic condition before you drop it off for repair, and make sure it's not damaged before you leave the store after you pick it back up. I take good care of my things and wouldn't accept careless damage caused during the service.