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MBP needs new logic board. :(

G

george.dye

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 17, 2008
36
0
Well I never thought I would be here. I suppose reality is when it happens to you.
After I got my MBP, 17" 2.8 (Only 1.5 months old now) i noticed it was slightly odd. Perhaps it was a placebo effect since this is my first mac. However the problem only escalated.

Last week I started getting 10-20 minute start ups; programs would lock up and become unresponsive. The laptop was sickening to use. So I called apple. I was on the phone one time for 35 minutes, and another time for 42 minutes. Both times a genius was unable to help. They recommended I take it to a repair shop. Well I live in South Dakota, so this is difficult. So I ended up taking it to a licensed repair shop in Sioux Falls, SD. This was an hour drive, but it wasn't too bad.

After leaving my computer with them they thought it was my hard drive. So they ordered another. This did not help, so they tested other avenues. Apparently the motherboard was shot, so they ordered another one. I dropped my laptop off on the 26th. So they have already sent two parts overnight to the repair shop. I should hopefully get my laptop today.

I was very pleased with apples customer service, and that off the repair shop. However I am upset that a nearly brand new laptop has had such a catastrophic failure. I have lost a bit of trust in apple.:(

p.s. My dell desktop has never even looked at me wrong, nor has my dell laptop.
 
it happens man, sorry
all brands have problems, sometimes you have an old computer that is flawless and other times a new one gives you grief
 
cababah said:
Are the motherboards on most PCs as faulty as the logic boards on macs?
Click to expand...

I don't see it as being disproportionate for PC laptops vs Mac laptops regarding logic boards. If it were, it'd have been a major red flag mentioned by reviewers by now. Also, consider that for certain types of issues, Apple's internal policy is to do a logic board replacement.
 
I suppose so :rolleyes:. I do fix computers (PC's) for a living and I do never see a MAC in for repair/issues. Ohh well, I do still love my mac. Also the repairs are free :D. I heart applecare
 
george.dye said:
I suppose so :rolleyes:. I do fix computers (PC's) for a living and I do never see a MAC in for repair/issues. Ohh well, I do still love my mac. Also the repairs are free :D. I heart applecare
Click to expand...

Repairs are only free if you buy the 350 dollar plan. so...not really free.
 
macs have come down in price a lot since the early nineties, and naturally some compromises with quality had to be made somewhere along the line. they cost a fraction of what they used to, so i'm not at all surprised. I had my MBP in for repair for a faulty optical drive.
 
:( :( :( :(

So, I went to the repair office yesterday afternoon in terrible weather to pick up my MBP. :D So from SAT to THUR on a repair. I was quite pleased with this as they did order two parts separately and install a new logic board/motherboard in one day. I got my laptop home, and began installing all of my widgets and programs. However to my horror my speakers emit a horrendous crackle and pop.

My speedily repaired laptop is now greeting me with hisses and cracks; I nearly lose it. After driving an hour there and an hour back twice, my issues have not been fixed. On top of this its 8:00pm now, the repair shop is closed, as is apple-care.

I was able to call the repair shop today, and after conferencing with a very nice gentlemen my issue was near fixed. Both speakers hissing on a new logic board indicates a failed logic board. So this man ordered me another logic board. So now I will have to take my laptop in for another repair. Another hour drive there and an hour drive back out of my busy schedule.:mad:

Perhaps on my third logic board I can get a functioning unit. :p

Am I over-reacting? I understand this is not normal, and the customer service has been exceptional throughout. However this has inconvenienced me greatly.

Thoughts?
 
I'm sorry to hear that you still have problems.
Most likely you've encountered someone that haven't done their job properly.
I've had two logic board replacements myself.
First was my Powerbook G4, and it wasn't fixed.
After taking it back again they gave me a new computer,
a newer version! My 1.33Ghz with combo drive exchanged for a 1.5Ghz with superdrive!
They even gave me two weeks to transfer stuff before UPS picked up the old one! (The 1.33Ghz had kernel panic several times a day)

I also had one of those faulty 8600MGT gpus, it panicked every time I hooked up my external monitor.
My local apple retailer ordered a new logic board and the week later they changed it in less than 4 hours.

Maybe I've been lucky, but when things have failed I've got everything fixed smoothly and without causing me much problems.

I really hope things will be solved for you this time!
 
george.dye said:
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
I wouldn't have driven 2-hours round trip to have my MBP serviced when AppleCare can arrange to have it serviced free of charge via overnight shipping. :eek:

cluthz said:
I really hope things will be solved for you this time!
Click to expand...
Same. When working, the machine you bought is quite an awesome machine. I'm sorry to hear that you've had as many problems with it (and the repair process).
 
electroshock said:
I don't see it as being disproportionate for PC laptops vs Mac laptops regarding logic boards. If it were, it'd have been a major red flag mentioned by reviewers by now. Also, consider that for certain types of issues, Apple's internal policy is to do a logic board replacement.
Click to expand...

Most reviewers don't keep hold of a computer for very long. Many reviewers like to stay on very friendly terms with the manufacturers and wouldn't mention a HW issue. That's just the way things are.
 
Azathoth said:
Most reviewers don't keep hold of a computer for very long. Many reviewers like to stay on very friendly terms with the manufacturers and wouldn't mention a HW issue. That's just the way things are.
Click to expand...
Agreed about the reviewers! :)

Consumer Reports and PC Magazine typically do large yearly, surveys of owners in regards to their repair experiences.

cababah, here's PCMag's 2009 notebook service and reliability survey results:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2352798,00.asp
 
Well a conclusion has not been reached with my issue. I called apple-care later today and spoke with a gentleman who tried, albeit valiantly, but failed to repair my issue. He said he was unsure about what the issue was, and recommended I see the repair shop again. I thanked him for his time, and got off the phone.:mad:

Now I call apple-care again, a little later in the day. I spoke with a rude gentlemen and he informed me it looked like a hardware issue. We talked about my options.

1. Go to the repair shop. 1 hour there, 1 hour back, and my schedule gets messed up.

2. 1-2 Business days waiting for a box, 7-10 business days for mail in repair. (This quote is straight from an apple-cares manager's mouth.)

Both options only served to anger me more, as both seemed to inconvenience more than the last.

Now I spent some time collecting my thoughts. I then called apple-care again and spoke with a very nice lady, I then asked to speak with her supervisor.

This gentlemen was polite, although slightly hard of hearing:p
He told me about the options again, although in more detail. He said due to the nature of the speakers (Crackle/popping) it was a hardware issue and would need to be looked at. He said if the next repair was not successful, or if another problem were to arise he would most likely replace my machine.:(

So I am still without a fully functioning computer. (The audio jacks do not work either) I must either waste more of my time/money driving and waiting (Missing work and school) or wait 8-12 business days for the same effect. :mad:


Can someone assuage me?

rant off
 
When I mailed mine in for a repair, it was gone for about 36 hours total. I gave it to DHL on a Tuesday night and it was back in my hands early Thursday morning.

Granted, it went in for a keyboard replacement (minor surgery), not a logic board replacement (major surgery).

I'm sorry for your hassle. Hopefully, whichever method you chose, the next fix will make it perfect. If not, then I hope at least Apple will have released updated MacBook Pros by then, so if they do offer to replace yours, you'll at least have a chance of getting a newer model. :)
 
If I were him I would send it in to Apple via mail, I wouldn't trust anyone else (even a "certified" Apple tech) to replace my logic board. Ram or HDDs maybe, but there are to many risks associated with messing around with major internals.
 
Ugh still no conclusion. Well today I am missing two classes, two hours of work, driving two hours, and only to hopefully have a functioning computer today.

1.Two Classes Missed

2. $41.04 lost from missing 2 hours of work

3. 110 miles @ 2.65/gallon @ 21mpg = $14.00

I can only hope that this repair is both timely and successful. (However I would rather just get a new computer, as I have lost trust in this one.)

While this method is more costly, I cannot afford to have a non-functioning computer for 8-12 business days.
 
from now on, go for the option where you send it to apple. I suspect they have more facilities for diagnosing problems with their machines. Clearly the people you're taking it to now aren't doing a good job.
 
Let us know how it ends.

sometimes things just go wrong.
I bought a new MBP 13" and within a week had a faulty logic board.
They didn't make a fuss out of it, but took it in to replace the logic board. Then they had some trouble getting a new board (the NBP13" was just a week out!) and when it got there, the guy repairing damaged one of the tiny, tiny and way to short wires. He showed me afterwards. So he had to make another part order. All in all it took two weeks to get it repaired.
I wasn't happy with it, but what I did like was the genius just honest telling me he damage a wire so it took some extra time.
 
Closure :p

Well I drove down to Sioux Falls, and dropped off my Mac. He said it would be about a half hour, so I gladly waited and surfed the internet on an octad mac pro (That's about all they're used for:rolleyes:) I got the machine back after about that time, and it worked. Plain and simple.

All has gone well with everything, so I am pleased. I did get a new keyboard while I was there, and wow! The apple keyboards, (Wired only, 10-key is a necessity) are incredible. They are so easy on your wrists!
 
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