So a few nights ago I spilt water near my MacBook Pro. I took all of the correct precautions but later realized my microphone does not work anymore. That seems to be the extent of the damage. Today, I got a quote from apple to fix it. $317.95. Is it just me or is this ridiculous?? So my question is should I just bite my tongue and pay for the repair, or sale it on eBay and buy another one? I think I could get $900 on eBay (am I accurate or living in fairytale land?) for the Pro as is and then buy the new MacBook (which I have been wanting anyway) for $1250 wit my education pricing, only $32 more than I would spend to fix the Pro. Any comments or advice would be helpful. Thanks.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Need Advice: Damaged MacBook Pro
- Thread starter Kygordo
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
If you split water near your MacBook Pro then there should be damage. If you spilt water on your MacBook Pro then you could experience the issue you are having. Just because your laptop was in the same vacinity as water would not cause the microphone to stop working.
That is a very reasonable price for a logic board replacement.
If you sell it on eBay without fully disclosing the issues then that could be considered a fraudulent transaction and would be reversed by PayPal if brought up by the purchaser.
That is a very reasonable price for a logic board replacement.
If you sell it on eBay without fully disclosing the issues then that could be considered a fraudulent transaction and would be reversed by PayPal if brought up by the purchaser.
Thank you for the reply. Just to clarify a few things, the laptop was closed and the water would have just hit it for a few seconds. I picked it up and shut if off as soon as the spill occurred. And I intended to fully disclose that the microphone does not work. Which is why i was asking about a price range I could expect on eBay. Sorry for the confusion and thanks again for the reply!
For pricing you should look at recently completed auctions and see what the final price was. After spot checking a few of them that should give you a pretty good idea of a price to expect and adjust for damages. Since Macs are mostly protected from outside elements when closed I can't image water having much effect if a little just splashed on it. Maybe some water just got in the port. You can spray a can of compressed water to try and blow any remaining water that might be left.
Last edited:
That port is part of the the logic board. Component level repair is almost nonexistent these days so if the port is bad the entire logic board would have to be replaced.
You will most likely take a hit on the price as you are selling a "water damaged" system, do you not have insurance you can go through?
The only reference on resale that I can help with is when I sold my 2011, 11" Macbook Air (on Craigslist).
I got my Macbook Air in 2011, and sold about a year later in 2012. I paid educational pricing, so I believe I got $100 off at the time. I chose the base model, I think.
I got $100 less than I paid for the Macbook Air, taxes not taken into consideration (I think). Part of what helped with the resale was the fact that I bought it cheaper in the first place.
Things that will make recouping money harder:
- damage
- the higher you stray from base configuration (the more expensive from the base price you get, the less you may get back)
- battery life (objective measurement shown by the Macbook Pro)
- how old the Macbook Pro is
- if there are any price drops on the Macbook Pro when you go to sell (regardless of your model)
- if too many people are selling similar stuff at the same time you are
One thing that will work in your benefit is the fact that the Macbook Pro 2015 didn't get a price reduction, and the 2016 is prohibitively expensive. This will probably increase the demand for used Macbook Pros by a little bit. The damage bit is the worry.
I got my Macbook Air in 2011, and sold about a year later in 2012. I paid educational pricing, so I believe I got $100 off at the time. I chose the base model, I think.
I got $100 less than I paid for the Macbook Air, taxes not taken into consideration (I think). Part of what helped with the resale was the fact that I bought it cheaper in the first place.
Things that will make recouping money harder:
- damage
- the higher you stray from base configuration (the more expensive from the base price you get, the less you may get back)
- battery life (objective measurement shown by the Macbook Pro)
- how old the Macbook Pro is
- if there are any price drops on the Macbook Pro when you go to sell (regardless of your model)
- if too many people are selling similar stuff at the same time you are
One thing that will work in your benefit is the fact that the Macbook Pro 2015 didn't get a price reduction, and the 2016 is prohibitively expensive. This will probably increase the demand for used Macbook Pros by a little bit. The damage bit is the worry.
$317 sounds like a very reasonable price to replace the logic board on the unit. I would do it.
When I looked on eBay I saw other water damaged 13 rMBPs seemed to go for $300-500. Then there is the whole issue of water damage causing further failures as additional shorts develop due to component corrosion.
When I looked on eBay I saw other water damaged 13 rMBPs seemed to go for $300-500. Then there is the whole issue of water damage causing further failures as additional shorts develop due to component corrosion.
Those numbers sound quite accurate in my experience, and the seller would absolutely HAVE TO disclose the water damage (yes, it's water damage).
Plus there's the PayPal and eBay fees. You're looking at probably $275-$400 net when all is said and done. Repair it, and it'll probably net closer to $600-$750. I sell lots of stuff on eBay (it's a fun hobby, but I get my stuff from yard sales where the real suckers sell their stuff).
But here's a funny fact: older MacBooks don't depreciate on eBay that badly. People looking for a used MacBook want a good deal but they don't really care about getting the latest model. So while the models do depreciate, it's only about $100 per year UNTIL they are obsoleted by Apple, in which case you can't sell them for the shipping cost.
Good luck buddy. I'm sorry you had an expensive mistake but get the thing repaired and keep using it, rather than try to use your mistake as an excuse to buy the cool new model.
With water damage shut it down fast open it out if it's anything that opens, and leave it to dry out for a couple of days or more. Maybe in a bowl of dry rice or with some of those little silicon bags you get in the boxes of new electrical gear.
A lot of things can be fixed with super fast shut down and thorough drying.
I dropped an iphone 4s in a bowl of water and followed this protocol and it survived perfectly.
I also dropped a smoothie on a camera and my Apple superdrive.
The superdrive was fine after a few days, the camera iris that protects the lens has never totally recovered but the camera seems to cope.
Just don't eat and drink near your gear!
Oddly I've never dropped wine in anything.
A lot of things can be fixed with super fast shut down and thorough drying.
I dropped an iphone 4s in a bowl of water and followed this protocol and it survived perfectly.
I also dropped a smoothie on a camera and my Apple superdrive.
The superdrive was fine after a few days, the camera iris that protects the lens has never totally recovered but the camera seems to cope.
Just don't eat and drink near your gear!
Oddly I've never dropped wine in anything.