Repair old MacBook Pro or buy new?

[joshen]

Hello everyone,

Backstory: I've been using a Late 2013, Core i5 2.6GHz, 16GB RAM MacBook Pro for almost 6 years now. Unfortunately due to a recent accidental drop, the display has been broken (for the second time in its lifetime - clumsy much). I'm currently residing in a European country with no Apple Store, but I got a quote from a premium service provider for a display replacement at €600 (around $700). I'm able to fix it myself, but unfortunately iFixit EU doesn't have any displays in stock and I don't trust eBay or other third party sellers due to previous bad experiences with replacement parts. It's probably wiser to buy a similar used machine and scavenge the screen, but there's another issue. I noticed that the battery of the laptop is swollen and in need of replacement (also for the second time in its lifetime, first replacement took place in 2015). I'm not going to attempt a repair myself due to the danger of puncturing it since it's glued to the top case, so it definitely needs official service (another €200).

Since the machine is aging anyway (though it hasn't affected me at all so far), do you think the cost and hassle of repairing it is worth it? I've been eyeing the newest 2019 13" MBP w/ Core i5 and 16GB RAM, but I'm not sure how to proceed so I'm looking for more advice.

 

[Howard2k]

For that much money, I would probably replace. As much as I question the 2019 keyboard reliability, I would struggle to spend so much on a 2013 Macbook Pro. I'd also consider 2018 refurb if that's an option.

 

[kp98077]

Hello everyone,

Backstory: I've been using a Late 2013, Core i5 2.6GHz, 16GB RAM for almost 6 years now. Unfortunately due to a recent accidental drop, the display has been broken (for the second time in its lifetime - clumsy much). I'm currently residing in a European country with no Apple Store, but I got a quote from a premium service provider for a display replacement at €600 (around $700). I'm able to fix it myself, but unfortunately iFixit EU doesn't have any displays in stock and I don't trust eBay or other third party sellers due to previous bad experiences with replacement parts. It's probably wiser to buy a similar used machine and scavenge the screen, but there's another issue. I noticed that the battery of the laptop is swollen and in need of replacement (also for the second time in its lifetime, first replacement took place in 2015). I'm not going to attempt a repair myself due to the danger of puncturing it since it's glued to the top case, so it definitely needs official service (another €200).

Since the machine is aging anyway (though it hasn't affected me at all so far), do you think the cost and hassle of repairing it is worth it? I've been eyeing the newest 2019 13" MBP w/ Core i5 and 16GB RAM, but I'm not sure how to proceed so I'm looking for more advice.

no, I'd get the 2019...

 

[Alaska_guy]

Contact rossman, bet it would only be $300. Rossman group. YouTube him. He does nothing but MacBook repair.

 

[joshen]

Contact rossman, bet it would only be $300. Rossman group. YouTube him. He does nothing but MacBook repair.

Sending it all the way to New York would be costly due to shipping and customs. I'll see if I can find a decent local repair shop before buying a new one.

 

[jerryk]

Hard to justify spending too much on a 6 year old system. With a display and top case replacement you looking at over 750 Euro.

What do they want for a new 2019?

 

[calbear92]

I also have a late 2013 13" MBP 16gig RAM/500G SSD. I had the display replaced 2x under Staingate, logic board/battery x2 all under Apple's various programs. However, last spring, I travelled overseas to India and when I got to the hotel and boot up- the screen was just black. I could hear the chimes and it seemed that MBP was working- just no video.

Called Apple Support and tried to be over the phone troubleshooting, but they recommended that I take it to an authorized Apple reseller in India. I elected to wait until I returned to US.


Went to the Westfield Valley Fair Apple Store in Northern CA and was quoted $550 to replaced the screen on my dime. I elected to do it and everything was fine when it was shipped back to me from the Apple Depot. [the Genius looked at my computer's history and said that if something happened again- Apple would just replace it with an entirely new current model].

Fast forward 4 months, I noted that the screen (and Apple logo on the back) would periodically go out. I would have to physically lift up the MBP unit and then, it would stay on. Bought it back to Apple in Cerritos Mall and they said opened it up to check for any loose connections. They tightened up the connectors and said it should be good. It was good for another 2 weeks and then, simliar issue returned. The "promise' of replacement is up to each manager at each location and they said that they would have sent it out to be repaired again at the Apple Depot in Houston.


Once the post Christmas sales started, I found a 2017 15" MBP 16 gig Ram, 2TB SSD, 3.1 i7 for $2699 with free shipping, no tax from BH Photo matching Adorama (AD was offering Silver only and I wanted Space Gray). It was simply too good of a price to upgrade instead of repairing a machine that will be considered obsolete by Apple next year.

My 2 cents would be that spend your $ on a current model. The improved performance is substantial.

 

[joshen]

Hard to justify spending too much on a 6 year old system. With a display and top case replacement you looking at over 750 Euro.

What do they want for a new 2019?

Around €2100 for the i5/16/512 model. The i5/16/256GB model is €200 less (and in stock, I was told the 512GB needs 4 weeks BTO). I'm tempted to go for 256GB to skip the long wait, but I was always running low on my previous model and it sucked having to delete stuff all the time.

 

[jerryk]

Around €2100 for the i5/16/512 model. The i5/16/256GB model is €200 less (and in stock, I was told the 512GB needs 4 weeks BTO). I'm tempted to go for 256GB to skip the long wait, but I was always running low on my previous model and it sucked having to delete stuff all the time.

Tough decision on the SSD size. I usually error on the side of having more space. But, I also like having more money in my wallet.

 

[calbear92]

Around €2100 for the i5/16/512 model. The i5/16/256GB model is €200 less (and in stock, I was told the 512GB needs 4 weeks BTO). I'm tempted to go for 256GB to skip the long wait, but I was always running low on my previous model and it sucked having to delete stuff all the time.

Do you need a computer right away? If so, buy the 256gig one and then, return within the return window. 256gig these days with media is pretty tight.

Otherwise, I'd hold out for the 512 model.