planning for MBP keyboard replacement

[jeyf]

well super good news my late 2016 MPB gets a new life

but some questions:
-can the keyboard replacement be done at my local apple store?
-is there an abundant supply of replacement parts to get the repair completed
-will they replace the whole mother board? so the SSD will be tossed too, loose all data
-what macOS will be installed on the new mother board?


I need to do a backup and currently have macOS 10.13.2
-will TimeMachine back up onto a home network NAS box?
-i have (2) users setup on my MBP; so one backup covers both users?

thanks in advance.

 

[AppleHaterLover]

-can the keyboard replacement be done at my local apple store?

yes, that’s sort of the purpose of the store I guess

-is there an abundant supply of replacement parts to get the repair completed

how could we possibly know ????

-will they replace the whole mother board? so the SSD will be tossed too, loose all data

No, but if the genius breaks something during the repair, yes, in which case you’re SOL

-what macOS will be installed on the new mother board?

see question 2


I need to do a backup and currently have macOS 10.13.2
-will TimeMachine back up onto a home network NAS box?
-i have (2) users setup on my MBP; so one backup covers both users?

thanks in advance.[/QUOTE]

 

[jksu]

well super good news my late 2016 MPB gets a new life

but some questions:
-can the keyboard replacement be done at my local apple store?
-is there an abundant supply of replacement parts to get the repair completed
-will they replace the whole mother board? so the SSD will be tossed too, loose all data
-what macOS will be installed on the new mother board?


I need to do a backup and currently have macOS 10.13.2
-will TimeMachine back up onto a home network NAS box?
-i have (2) users setup on my MBP; so one backup covers both users?

thanks in advance.

most are sent out i believe. they gave me a 5 working days estimate and were done in 3. not sure about the supply of parts but there was no delay for me. you can always ask at your applestore appointment before leaving it. would always back up data, but the keyboard/battery replacement did not affect my SSD. i just backup with carboncopycloner onto an external usb drive which copies the entire drive and is even bootable.

 

[Schranke]

-is there an abundant supply of replacement parts to get the repair completed

I guess it really depends on your keyboards layout/language and which part of the world you are in relative to that.

 

[Fishrrman]

I wonder how many Apple Stores are set up for a complex job like this. Even if they are, some may have enough parts, others may not. Simply no way to know this, unless you work there.

Chances are the unit WILL be "sent out" for repair, since the entire top case must be swapped out.

By "swapping out the top case", I am going to GUESS that the motherboard itself gets "retained" and placed into the new top case. Since the hard drive (SSD) is soldered to the motherboard on some units, that will be retained as well (I think, I could be wrong).

In any case... BEFORE you hand it over for repair, you should do this:
1. Get an external USB3 drive
2. Download CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper (both are free to download and use for 30 days)
3. Create a BOOTABLE CLONED BACKUP of your internal drive
4. Set that aside for safekeeping.

This way, if it comes back with a NEW hard drive installed, it's a simple matter to hook up the bootable backup, and either "clone it back over" or use setup assistant (or migration assistant) to get you back "to where you once belonged"...

 

[maflynn]

Chances are the unit WILL be "sent out" for repair, since the entire top case must be swapped out.

My 2012 MBP was repaired on site. When I say repaired, I was getting a new battery but that of course necessitated a total top case replacement.

 

[jerryk]

This article details how Apple is planning on handling the keyboard fixes. https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...macbook-pro-keyboard-service-program.2124732/

Bottom line plan a week without your system.

Personally, I would backup anything you want to keep since if something goes wrong during the repair they will likely just give you a replacement system.

 

[Beau10]

Just to note, I dropped off my 2016 nTB yesterday at the main Apple store here in San Diego (Fashion Valley).

They shipped it off and told me that the keyswitches may be replaced rather than the entire top case. I tried pushing to ensure that the topcase would be replaced but the Genius said he had no control over the matter. Seems that Apple may be trying to reign in costs but I'm hoping the fact that I have 4 flakey keys will sway them.

From the work order:

"Issue: E, t, w and 2 keys repeat intermittently.

Steps to Reproduce: Was able to verify e and t repeating.

Proposed Resolution: Depot repair of key caps and or topcase.

Estimated Turn Around Time: We'll call you in 3 - 5 days"

The communication linked in the post above looks promising, hoping that the store simply didn't get an update to the policy.

 

[bocastephen]

I've been through this before twice, so here is my advise based on my own experience:

1. back up your machine with Time Machine - you'll need the backup for step 1 below
2. buy a new identical (or current model) macbook the day of, or the day before your Genius Bar appointment
3. bring new macbook home, use the TM backup and restore it to a working state that matches the old machine. Take very good care of the new machine - no spills, scratches, drops, theft etc., you don't want to be stuck with it
4. bring your old macbook for the genius bar appt - you will refuse to identify which keys are malfunctioning, making them put "random" or "all" on the work order to basically force the repair depot into replacing the topcase entirely otherwise they will try and repair individual keys and you'll be back to square 1 in no time
5. watch the clock - you have 14 days to return the "loaner" - the repair should take about 7 days max, but usually around 5, but with everyone rushing in with their defective keyboards, it could go to 10-12 days
6. keep your new/modified files on icloud or dropbox during the repair time so you can sync them back to your old machine quickly and easily - you don't want to do a backup of the loaner and restore to the old machine, that just creates complications
7. follow the process to deactivate itunes, log out of Icloud, and wipe the hard drive carefully before re-repacking your "loaner" and take it to the Apple store to return at the time you pick up the old machine....if you suffer from a guilty conscious, which you shouldn't be when playing hardball with a publicly traded corporation, you can return the "loaner" to a different Apple Store from the one where you will pick up the repaired one. Apple will just test the "loaner" and sell it in their refurb store - the hit they take on the value is punishment for putting out a defective product in the first place and refusing to acknowledge how widespread the defect was.

I know some "super fans" might howl in disgust about doing the buy-and-return loaner thing, but there is nothing wrong, immoral or illegal about it - and it's not like other customers aren't doing it either. Since we can't have real loaners, and some of us cannot be without our computers for 5-10 days as they are absolutely needed for business, this is the only realistic option.

 

[Beau10]

I know some "super fans" might howl in disgust about doing the buy-and-return loaner thing, but there is nothing wrong, immoral or illegal about it - and it's not like other customers aren't doing it either. Since we can't have real loaners, and some of us cannot be without our computers for 5-10 days as they are absolutely needed for business, this is the only realistic option.

Agreed, Apple should expect this type of activity as long as they are not providing loaners or same-day service. They could easily pull from refurb stock and take a minimal repackaging loss.

 

[dk808]

Just to note, I dropped off my 2016 nTB yesterday at the main Apple store here in San Diego (Fashion Valley).

They shipped it off and told me that the keyswitches may be replaced rather than the entire top case. I tried pushing to ensure that the topcase would be replaced but the Genius said he had no control over the matter. Seems that Apple may be trying to reign in costs but I'm hoping the fact that I have 4 flakey keys will sway them.

From the work order:

"Issue: E, t, w and 2 keys repeat intermittently.

Steps to Reproduce: Was able to verify e and t repeating.

Proposed Resolution: Depot repair of key caps and or topcase.

Estimated Turn Around Time: We'll call you in 3 - 5 days"

The communication linked in the post above looks promising, hoping that the store simply didn't get an update to the policy.

Did the work order you got have a cost? The email I got has a $695 repair charge (which they waived) so I’m assuming they’re replacing the top case too

 

[Beau10]

Did the work order you got have a cost? The email I got has a $695 repair charge (which they waived) so I’m assuming they’re replacing the top case too

Yeah, it did. BTW I got the top case replaced.

 

[dk808]

Yeah, it did. BTW I got the top case replaced.

Thank you I was worried they would only change one key for me. Do you notice any difference with the new keyboards? Also how do you know if the top case is replaced or not? Can I ask the Apple employee when I go to pick it up?

 

[MacZonie]

The product repair summary will indicate what parts were replaced. For my 15" 2016 MBP, the summary indicated they replaced "605-02939 Top Case with Battery ANSI Space Grey". From dropping off at the Apple store t o picking it up took exactly 4 business days.