I bought a secondhand MacBook with the three year applecare plan which runs out in September 2010. It's always been great but recently I've started to have some issues and I have some questions regarding apple's warranty services.
It's a MacBook (13-inch Mid 2007), the model with the rubbish video card, superdrive, 120GB HDD and 2.16 core 2 duo. I've always taken good care of it. I've put 2GB Ram into it and a larger 320GB HDD but nothing, even the software was changed recently. I am running Snow Leopard which I've had since it came out.
Checking my warranty online, the following information is displayed:
Registered
Telephone Technical Support: Active
Estimated Expiration Date: September 20, 2010
Call Apple Support
Repairs and Service Coverage: Active
Your product is covered for eligible hardware repairs and service under Apple's TriCare agreement.
For more information about your coverage, please contact us.
Estimated Expiration Date: September 20, 2010
The problems:
Lately it's started acting up, it couldn't boot with the question mark on the folder showing up. I've reinstalled and changed harddrives but every 20 or so times I boot up, it'll happen. It would also very occasionally crash when waking from sleep. The casing is getting very cracked and lines are showing too.
This was all fairly mild so I was going to leave it be for now but then yesterday the superdrive stopped working. Every time I insert a CD or DVD, it'll go in, make some dodgy sounding noises and then either eject or do nothing with the CD stuck inside. I've managed to get it out every time but it will not mount DVD's CD's or CDR's.
I'm a little worried in case all this is a sign of something bigger going wrong like a logic board on its way out (no doubt dying just after my warranty goes).
Now, checking online with the apple support page tells me I have 'TriCare' coverage and so I'm hoping they'll replace the superdrive, fix the casing and possibly sort out the more difficult to pin down HDD issues.
But I live a over two hours drive away from an Apple store (there is an Apple Authorized Service Provider nearby though) and I'm a musician currently in the process of finishing an album off so if at all possible I don't want to be without my MacBook for more than a few hours.
The questions
If I take it to an AASP, is this as good as taking it to an apple store? That is, will they be able to fix it and replace the needed parts.
Will they be able to fix it and give it me back the same day, or at least the following day?
Is there anything else I need to do or does any of this indicate a likely larger problem?
I have backed up fully and updated. I haven't dropped the Mac, spilled water on it or done anything else destructive.
It's a MacBook (13-inch Mid 2007), the model with the rubbish video card, superdrive, 120GB HDD and 2.16 core 2 duo. I've always taken good care of it. I've put 2GB Ram into it and a larger 320GB HDD but nothing, even the software was changed recently. I am running Snow Leopard which I've had since it came out.
Checking my warranty online, the following information is displayed:
Registered
Telephone Technical Support: Active
Estimated Expiration Date: September 20, 2010
Call Apple Support
Repairs and Service Coverage: Active
Your product is covered for eligible hardware repairs and service under Apple's TriCare agreement.
For more information about your coverage, please contact us.
Estimated Expiration Date: September 20, 2010
The problems:
Lately it's started acting up, it couldn't boot with the question mark on the folder showing up. I've reinstalled and changed harddrives but every 20 or so times I boot up, it'll happen. It would also very occasionally crash when waking from sleep. The casing is getting very cracked and lines are showing too.
This was all fairly mild so I was going to leave it be for now but then yesterday the superdrive stopped working. Every time I insert a CD or DVD, it'll go in, make some dodgy sounding noises and then either eject or do nothing with the CD stuck inside. I've managed to get it out every time but it will not mount DVD's CD's or CDR's.
I'm a little worried in case all this is a sign of something bigger going wrong like a logic board on its way out (no doubt dying just after my warranty goes).
Now, checking online with the apple support page tells me I have 'TriCare' coverage and so I'm hoping they'll replace the superdrive, fix the casing and possibly sort out the more difficult to pin down HDD issues.
But I live a over two hours drive away from an Apple store (there is an Apple Authorized Service Provider nearby though) and I'm a musician currently in the process of finishing an album off so if at all possible I don't want to be without my MacBook for more than a few hours.
The questions
If I take it to an AASP, is this as good as taking it to an apple store? That is, will they be able to fix it and replace the needed parts.
Will they be able to fix it and give it me back the same day, or at least the following day?
Is there anything else I need to do or does any of this indicate a likely larger problem?
I have backed up fully and updated. I haven't dropped the Mac, spilled water on it or done anything else destructive.
