Pepsi in 07 MBP.. :(

[thinkpink]

So, on valentine's day a friend of mine managed to spill about a half a can of pepsi into my keyboard. I did all the right things after a spill (hah ) I immediately took out the battery, dried it off, opened the case up as far as I could and (this is sad) poured out all of the soda that was in it. I then propped it up in a V-shape against the wall for 4 days.

When I took it into the Apple store, they checked my hard drive and I didn't loose any data. They said surprisingly that the only soda residue left was on the optical drive. BUT because it is a liquid damage, they won't even clean it for me because they consider it a tier 4 repair. 1240$ is a lot of money to have them clean it. Which leads me to my question.

What is the best product to clean it with? I have something called "contact cleaner" which seems like it will work and says it is safe on components, optical fibers and a slew of other things. But is alcohol better?

BTW the friend that spilled the soda said he'd pay for it to either get fixed or be replaced.

 

[alphaod]

You could disassemble the whole computer and soak each part in 91%+ alcohol.

Then dry each piece by hand, then air dry everything before putting it back together.

 

[GGJstudios]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=spilled+site:forums.macrumors.com&as_qdr=y&btnG=Search

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=34883

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/6999222/

 

[Quu]

Bill your friend and have him pay for the repair. If one of my friends did that to my machine you can bet 100% that they would be paying for it.

I bet he wouldn't like it if you just came over to his place and poured soda on his expensive electronics.

 

[thinkpink]

So then a non-alchoholic based cleaner is best according to apple? Thank you GGJstudios for the links. I had searched the site for "soda spill" but didn't see your post of the link to apple's site.

Let's hope that it works!

 

[be300test]

replace parts

pop is the worst. soaking them may work. but corrosion is still going to happen...even if you clean it well...and with only alcohol. your better off just replacing damaged parts.

repairing spill damage is not a permenant solution (yes even if some of you have done it and it still is running today). spill damaged just needs to have the parts replaced.

who put the pop near the computer anyway ?...i was just thinking...if your friend was an alcoholic this disaster could have been adverted

 

[thinkpink]

who put the pop near the computer anyway ?...i was just thinking...if your friend was an alcoholic this disaster could have been adverted

The pop wasn't even near my computer really! He managed to knock the can so it went flying and it just HAD to land on my computer...

 

[acfusion29]

The pop wasn't even near my computer really! He managed to knock the can so it went flying and it just HAD to land on my computer...

Make him pay man... He just damaged your $2000 piece of equipment!!

 

[adamvk]

So now is it $1240 a normal price for most computer companies? I love my first Mac, but boy O boy it seems like Apple enjoys ripping people off for repairs, maint, etc.

 

[Hrududu]

Anyone successfully cleaned out the inner parts of a computer with distilled water? Since there aren't any minerals or anything in it, I don't think it would cause any damage to electrical parts. It would also dry without any residue.

 

[be300test]

ok

So now is it $1240 a normal price for most computer companies? I love my first Mac, but boy O boy it seems like Apple enjoys ripping people off for repairs, maint, etc.

ever blow an engine in a car?

1240 is expensive...but you have to pay for mistakes.

1240 is not a rip off...tier 4 is simply a replacement of any part in the notebook that is damaged be it damaged by water of physically. they just simply cover there costs by the cost of replacing every part.

its not like apple is giving you a new keyboard and charging you 1240...remember how much these are new...

 

[MidwestStuck]

$1240 just to clean the optical drive?! That seems like an ungodly repair fee to me. I won't demand a friend of mine to pay for the repair, especially when it was unintentional and freakish. You still can use your computer - it's a matter of deciding whether your friendship outweighs the computer or not. However, if some person I don't know too well came over and spilled a can of beer on my computer in a drunken stupor, you can be sure that I'll bill his a**.

 

[Eddyisgreat]

So now is it $1240 a normal price for most computer companies? I love my first Mac, but boy O boy it seems like Apple enjoys ripping people off for repairs, maint, etc.

The logic board is one of the most expensive peices of the machine, and rightfully so. Any amount of liquid would have destroyed everything under it including:

2 fans
components connected via connectors (wireless modules, keyboard cabling, sata connectors for hd and cd)
possibly the hard drive and cd drive, but the hard drive is a measly 100 dollars to replace.
the keyboard itself.
possibly the trackpad module if I am remembering its position correctly.

They aren't going to clean it. They probably can't. They will have to replace it. The aluminum can probably go through the dishwasher or cleaned off with iKlear easily, but if enough circuit damage has occoured, the keyboard and the entire logic board will have to be replaced.

OP: It would be a bargin to have Apple Clean it. If it doens't work, ifixit has the logic board and keyboard for what I think is your model. Looking at 1099 for the logic board and 89 for the keyboard. Hopefully your memory modeles aren't nuked.

Good luck.

 

[acfusion29]

$1240 is not a lot if you think about it guys. How bout labor? It's a human being working on your laptop, not a robot.

 

[be300test]

$1240 is not a lot if you think about it guys. How bout labor? It's a human being working on your laptop, not a robot.

yea....all the robots are at micro$oft

 

[Quu]

yea....all the robots are at micro$oft

haha

 

[otis123]

uggh, make him pay! get a new unibody that will teach him the error of his ways!

 

[Nikos]

Clean it with soap and water, wait four days, turn it on. I've seen this work with other electronics several times, but I can't say it will work with a macbook. Can't really do any more harm IMO.

 

[xoggyux]

If the computer is working and you already cleaned the internal components except for the optic drive, then just leave it like that or buy a new optic drive (keep in mind that the optic drive is not standard and might cost quite a bit,) dont pay apple to fix it since for that price you better buy a new computer.

 

[adamvk]

Have you considered buying another Macbook Pro and then selling your current one on ebay?

Heres a MBP 2.16GHZ, 2GB Ram, 100GB HDD, Matte display, etc, etc.

http://www.powermax.com/parts/show/c-u65549

Only $1249 for THAT. I don't know what the specs are on yours though.

 

[THX1139]

Have you considered buying another Macbook Pro and then selling your current one on ebay?

Heres a MBP 2.16GHZ, 2GB Ram, 100GB HDD, Matte display, etc, etc.

http://www.powermax.com/parts/show/c-u65549

Only $1249 for THAT. I don't know what the specs are on yours though.

Although you didn't say in your post, I'm assuming you recommend telling them that the computer is damaged when you sell it? Uh... that's why I never buy expensive stuff on eBay. Too much risk in getting scammed or ripped off buying damaged goods.

By the way, I'd have my friend replace the computer. They get to keep the old one. If I did something like that, I'd insist on replacing. What kind of friend would leave you with a 1200 repair bill even if was an accident?

 

[ajohnson253]

holy ****


uhgg, He'd have to come out of pocket if it was me

 

[adamvk]

Although you didn't say in your post, I'm assuming you recommend telling them that the computer is damaged when you sell it? Uh... that's why I never buy expensive stuff on eBay. Too much risk in getting scammed or ripped off buying damaged goods.

By the way, I'd have my friend replace the computer. They get to keep the old one. If I did something like that, I'd insist on replacing. What kind of friend would leave you with a 1200 repair bill even if was an accident?

I know it would be damaged on Ebay, but the seller could probably get $500ish or so..

 

[P90Xfit]

Yes, I would make him pay, and if he didn't want to? Small claims court! You could sell it "as is" on ebay, for a few bucks.

 

[Bubba Satori]

So now is it $1240 a normal price for most computer companies? I love my first Mac, but boy O boy it seems like Apple enjoys ripping people off for repairs, maint, etc.

Apple isn't ripping off on the repair. A customer of mine bought a 17" MPB last year. Cat knocked over a beverage on it. When he bought it he didn't get the 3 year accidental coverage for it. My company quoted $1,400 to fix it. He didn't have it, so he got a $699 HP, which came with twice as much memory and an HDMI port on it. He got the coverage on the HP.