My first gen imac g5 is a lemon

[cylack]

I have a first gen imac g5 (bought it in dec. 2004). So far I've had three major problems with it:

1. After 6 months of use, the power supply burned out and had to be replaced.
2. 3 months later the well known video problems due to faulty capacitors appeared. The midplane board was replaced.
3. I was out of the country for 6 months; after the midplane board was replaced in August my imac was sitting unused. Booted it up yesterday and the computer would just hang. Took it to the genius bar at the apple store today and was told the logic board has to be replaced. Luckily, though the computer is out of warranty, Apple has extended the warranty for this specific problem.

At this point, I am very frustrated. I am going to call Apple and request that they replace my imac with a new one. It is obvious reading the posts here and Apple's boards (btw, before Apple's board monitors started censoring and delting posts that address these problems - my post on the Apple board yesterday was deleted by the monitors) that many users have had lemons with the first gen imac g5. I consider three major problems in less than a year to be symptomatic of a "lemon".

If Apple doesn't replace lemon imac g5's what are the alternatives...I wonder if they would buckle if enough people threaten a class action lawsuit. Something must be done to alert the general public about this problem.

 

[iGary]

I have a first gen imac g5 (bought it in dec. 2004). So far I've had three major problems with it:

1. After 6 months of use, the power supply burned out and had to be replaced.
2. 3 months later the well known video problems due to faulty capacitors appeared. The midplane board was replaced.
3. I was out of the country for 6 months; after the midplane board was replaced in August my imac was sitting unused. Booted it up yesterday and the computer would just hang. Took it to the genius bar at the apple store today and was told the logic board has to be replaced. Luckily, though the computer is out of warranty, Apple has extended the warranty for this specific problem.

At this point, I am very frustrated. I am going to call Apple and request that they replace my imac with a new one. It is obvious reading the posts here and Apple's boards (btw, before Apple's board monitors started censoring and delting posts that address these problems - my post on the Apple board yesterday was deleted by the monitors) that many users have had lemons with the first gen imac g5. I consider three major problems in less than a year to be symptomatic of a "lemon".

If Apple doesn't replace lemon imac g5's what are the alternatives...I wonder if they would buckle if enough people threaten a class action lawsuit. Something must be done to alert the general public about this problem.

They fixed a problem out of warranty and you want more? 😕

 

[riciad]

Go take your class action lawsuit somewhere else. Apple has addressed these problems in a fair manner, I think.
My mid-plane started failing after 8 months and was replaced by an AASP in 1 hour while I waited and has been fine since.
My hard drive showed signs of dying a couple of weeks ago (caused more by our poor electricity supply than an inherent fault in the drive) and Apple had a replacement drive delivered to my door 24 hours after I made the phone call.
I've had 5 Macs and these are the only problems I've ever had. I'm sure not going to complain.

 

[jer2eydevil88]

Every computer is prone to breaking. If you are getting things fixed outside of the initial warranty coverage you should be kissing the shoes of Mr. Jobs not threatening a class action suite.

Regardless of your "bad" Apple experience I suggest you hear some Dell customers gripe about the way Dell handles tech support these days.

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

Look people that first run of Imac G5s were lemons, more problems then any machine apple released for the desk top in many many years. Thats the facts. He should just contact apple and then report what they say but lets not deny all the problems that G5 Imac had when it came out. There are many many ImacG5 owners who now know all about midplanes and bad power supplys.

 

[DTphonehome]

There are many many ImacG5 owners who now know all about midplanes and bad power supplys.

Yeah, I had a bad Rev A, but I also had AppleCare, and so Apple replaced it with a Rev C, a year and a half after I got the Rev A. If you're going to jump on a first gen product, it would be wise to get the extended warranty. After all, the included warranty (which every buyer knows about) lasts only so long. After that, it's not Apple's problem. The "lemon laws" the original poster was referring to only apply in very specific circumstances. Every state is different, but a common theme is that it has to be the SAME problem each time (unlike original poster's iMac problem), and that it has to be WITHIN the warranty period. If your car breaks down from a failed transmission three times the day after your warranty is up, boo hoo, that's just too bad. That's not a lemon. And neither is your iMac.

 

[obeygiant]

The same thing happened to my brother.
His 17 in 1st gen imac never worked properly so he just kept
taking it back. After the third time, Apple called him and said that
they've spent almost as much on techs as it would to just replace
the computer and they gave him a new 20 inch iMac rev C.

My advice is if it keeps screwing up, keep taking it back and after
a while somebody at apple will say enough is enough.

Apple should stand by its product and if it doesnt work, they should replace it.
In fact they should issue a recall.

warranty aside, they told him they KNEW of a capacitor problem with the first iMacs
and they would fix it for free. what they dont tell you is that the problem left un fixed
will damage the rest of logic board and other systems so it can screw up the entire computer.

 

[kretzy]

Apple seem to be treating you pretty fairly. The last thing the world needs is another stupid class action.

 

[iGary]

Look people that first run of Imac G5s were lemons, more problems then any machine apple released for the desk top in many many years. Thats the facts.

Mine is approaching two years old, and is still running like a charm at the publishing office I used to work at.

 

[cylack]

Called Apple today - they won't replace it

Apple said they would not replace it, and I cannot buy Applecare once the one year warranty has expired. I am far from some newbie to Apple. I have owned Apple computers continously since the Apple IIgs back in 1986; this is my 12th Apple I've owned. When you pay a premium price on a product, you expect premium service. This isn't some cheapo $500 Dell; I paid $1900 for this computer. Instead of doing the RIGHT thing and recalling the machines, Apple has decided to screw its loyal customers over. Apple told me the new logic board should fix all the problems; I asked the customer service guy what happens if the computer breaks down again...would you replace the computer then? He said they deal with it on a case by case basis, but its rare that they replace a computer thats out of warranty.

It really pisses me off that Apple would act like this. I got a ton of calls from Apple before the warranty expired asking me to sign up for AppleCare. They KNOW about these machines and still won't recall them. People, don't be blinded by your love of Apple and ignore shoddy customer service. If this computer breaks down again, and they won't replace it, I will sell it on eBay and take a loss...and buy a new Windows Vista machine...at that point Apple would have lost a customer who did 20 years of business with them. Apple won't get by just on ease of use much longer, and Itunes does work on Windows.

 

[slb]

Let me see if I get this straight. Apple is already fixing a problem for you out of warranty, they called you multiple times to get you to buy AppleCare, but you refused it, and they said it's rare that they'll replace a computer out of warranty, which is completely reasonable.

They're not just going to repair something for free a year later when the warranty has expired; a warranty is a warranty, and you refused AppleCare. What more do you want? An entire recall just because you had problems? How is it shoddy service when they're already fixing something for you out of warranty and you refused AppleCare? For a $1900 piece of hardware, I'd have extended the warranty and gotten it replaced with a brand new Rev. C the next time something went wrong.

I understand the frustration when things go bad, but come on. Apple's not going to kiss your feet just because you were a customer in the 80s.

 

[California]

It really pisses me off that Apple would act like this. I got a ton of calls from Apple before the warranty expired asking me to sign up for AppleCare. They KNOW about these machines and still won't recall them.

No, you KNEW you had a problem with this computer BEFORE your AppleCare expired and yet you didn't buy it?

If I were you, I'd get on the phone and BEG Apple to extend the coverage and let you buy the warranty since you've been having all these problems.

Quit whining and start begging.

 

[FarSide]

You should have bought AppleCare. - Sry
You do know, that there are problems & Apple did recommend it personally.

 

[ddiscepoli]

I Agree

If there is a known problem why shouldn't apple have notified me ? If there is a known problem why not recall. I filled out the registration. Mine is in with the known bad capacitors problem but I was unaware until my imac g5 died 4 months too late for it to be covered. Had I known I would have had it looked at. Class action... I'm in.

 

[FireSlash]

If there is a known problem why shouldn't apple have notified me ? If there is a known problem why not recall. I filled out the registration. Mine is in with the known bad capacitors problem but I was unaware until my imac g5 died 4 months too late for it to be covered. Had I known I would have had it looked at. Class action... I'm in.

This is common business practice. The problem won't manifest itself on all machines, so they only fix it if it breaks, sometimes extending warranties a bit to take care of the customer. Just because the part is prone to breaking doesn't mean it always will.

Look at car dealers. Ever seen a TSB? Companies won't recall something that might not break unless it's a safety issue.

If you want a computer example, the company I work for sold thousands of eMachine computers with 100% defective audio front panels. Most people probably didn't notice, but we were sent around 10 replacement panels to swap them out if customers brought them in. (Note: our store sold around 50 of this model). We didn't even use all 10. eMachines didn't notify their customers, and we didn't either (eMachines did not want us to)

So please. Stop bitching about a part that "is prone to failure" and look at everyone else for a second.

 

[ddiscepoli]

This is common business practice. The problem won't manifest itself on all machines, so they only fix it if it breaks, sometimes extending warranties a bit to take care of the customer. Just because the part is prone to breaking doesn't mean it always will.

Look at car dealers. Ever seen a TSB? Companies won't recall something that might not break unless it's a safety issue.

If you want a computer example, the company I work for sold thousands of eMachine computers with 100% defective audio front panels. Most people probably didn't notice, but we were sent around 10 replacement panels to swap them out if customers brought them in. (Note: our store sold around 50 of this model). We didn't even use all 10. eMachines didn't notify their customers, and we didn't either (eMachines did not want us to)

So please. Stop bitching about a part that "is prone to failure" and look at everyone else for a second.

In your example I doubt that the audio failure smoked and caused total system failure. I think that you would have had to use more than the ten boards that you were given. What if half of the thousands of eMachine owners came to you for repair. What do you tell them, Sorry about your luck! That will keep them coming back for their next computer.

Customer satisfaction should be the "common business practice" not lets keep this information from the customer and hope it goes out of warranty before he finds out about it.

So I should just accept the reality that the computer I bought is only going to last for just outside the warranty period , which had to be extended because of the extent and degree of a common failure, even though all of my previous computers (five in all) from Apple lasted 6-8 years and were still working when I decided to replace them. I expect better from them.

 

[Lord Zedd]

Sounds more like a 10 year old kid whining that his dad won't buy him a new computer because he doesn't like this one anymore.

Suck it up. You bought a bad computer, you saw the signs and you knowingly did nothing about it. You made your bed now sleep in it.

 

[LouisBlack]

I'm not sure if he cares now that it's TWO years later!!

 

[Gokhan]

i feel for you man but trust me with Apple you either get a brilliant rep who does everything for you or a not so good one , i believe you got the latter but just be glad Apple even repaired it.

Next time buy applecare , the equipment is so expensive it doesn't make sense not to invest in applecare plus in situations like this its a good bargaining tool.

Sorry i know Apple sucked in this situation but they are do not always act like the high and mighty company they convey thats why you need to protect yourself with Applecare , so ultimately although the hardware defect is Apple's fault for not protecting against a inevitable failure is YOURS.

 

[douglasgottlieb]

1G iMac G5 is a Lemon

I've had nothing but repairs with my first generation iMac G5 and so has my dad, who I'd convinced to buy one too.

My repairs continued all throughout the AppleCare extended warrantee, which I'd wisely purchased.

My previous repair came just inside the AppleCare deadline. Now, a year and 10 days later, the thing is dead again and Apple expects me to pay for it.

Sure, it's an old computer. WAY old. But this first gen iMac had numerous design changes pretty quickly. Surely Apple knew that there was a problem with it, and now those of unfortunate enough to have trusted a first generation Apple product are toast.

Lesson learned.

I won't trust a G1 Apple product again.

 

[Hrududu]

Let me see if I get this straight. Apple is already fixing a problem for you out of warranty, they called you multiple times to get you to buy AppleCare, but you refused it, and they said it's rare that they'll replace a computer out of warranty, which is completely reasonable.

They're not just going to repair something for free a year later when the warranty has expired; a warranty is a warranty, and you refused AppleCare. What more do you want? An entire recall just because you had problems? How is it shoddy service when they're already fixing something for you out of warranty and you refused AppleCare? For a $1900 piece of hardware, I'd have extended the warranty and gotten it replaced with a brand new Rev. C the next time something went wrong.

I understand the frustration when things go bad, but come on. Apple's not going to kiss your feet just because you were a customer in the 80s.

Took the words right out of my mouth. Apple offers extended warranty for this exact reason. AppleCare for the iMac is also the 2nd cheapest one available. I spent $2000 on my MBP and my AppleCare cost over double what yours would have. If you can spend $1900 on a computer, than $170 for an extra 2 years of coverage shouldn't be a major issue. Electronics fail, and If you've been around Apple for a while then you'd know that since about 1999 the quality of the computers has fallen.

 

[mactech2007]

It is a lemon

I have replaced over 500 of these imac logic boards and power supplies working for an Apple dealer. The cause is failed capacitors which is widely reported on the web. Just search capacitor plague. It also may have to do with the heat inside these machines due to poor ventilation.
What is amazing, is that most of the replacement boards STILL have the bad capacitors in them. So they just fail again. It make take a month, perhaps a year if it is not used as much, but they WILL fail again for the same reason.
I have one of these machines myself, and it has had a logic board and a power supply replaced. The MLB was replaced just under 3 months ago, and guess what...it has blown caps again. Apple has been good about replacing them for customers, and has a program that extends the coverage for these problems. But they should have just replaced the entire machines for the users affected, or have issued a recall. I wonder how many people never found out about the repair program and simply threw the macs out!
If you have had 3 repairs from Apple, you can ask for a CRU (customer replacement unit)
They won't admit it, but 3 times and you can start to mention CRU, and don't back down.
Apple has good support, but this model is a true lemon. A class action lawsuit would not be out of line.

 

[boris851]

boris

I have 3 iMac G5s. Every one of them has failed due to faulty logic boards. So, for you rah-rah types who laud Mac's customer service, you've obviously drunk the Koolaid. These other posts about failed logic boards are not isolated anecdotal incidents. In my experience over 28 years with Apple, and 14 Mac products, most of which has been good, clearly the G5 is an anomaly. That said, 3 failed G5s indicates something is drastically wrong with the G5. Moreover, Macs denying this problem has soured me and made me pretty frustrated. Has anyone had any success getting Apple to admit and fix the problem like mine?

 

[Sun Baked]

Bad run of capacitors from a specific time period.

With any product that used those capacitors from that factory produced during that period, it is prone to failure.

Sort of sucks that it had to be on expensive computers and tvs instead of cheap $10 wall phones.

At least Apple extended the warranties and is still repairing them past the warranty extension, instead of just waiting for the problem to go away.

 

[MTI]

Luckily, replacing capacitors is not a technically challenging procedure or particularly expensive. Capacitor kits that have the 30 or so pieces can be had for less than $20. As mentioned above, Sony, Dell, IBM, HP all had issues with that supply of counterfeit capacitors from their assembly vendors.

The iMac that is much worse is the early 2006 Intel iMac with the LCD "vertical line" plague. Apple also increased the warranty replacement for those, but that has since lapsed. A replacement LCD, which is specific to that model iMac can easily cost over $400.

The high costs of certain replacement parts (even from non-Apple vendors) seems to be an easy way of forcing consumers to replace rather than repair.