Repairing a dropped MBP

[Kiddo86]

I dropped my MBP today (about 10 minutes ago, actually) and so not to waste any time, I'm looking into my options for repair.

The damage is confined to the casing on the disc drive front corner, making it very hard to insert and remove discs. All internals, including the disc drive, are working as normal so far. The thin casing strip above the disc insert is just bent outward about .5 cm and the top casing is bent slightly downward on the corner.

Unless someone has another suggestion, I've narrowed my options to either taking the thing apart myself and trying to bend it back as best as I can or sending it into macservice.com. MacService's website says they will replace the bottom case for $350 and if I decided that I want the whole thing to look like new, I could also have the top case replaced for another $350. I'm a college student, so I have plenty of other things to be using my money on.

I've never dissected a laptop before... what would I be getting myself into if wanted to get at that corner to bend it back? I'm guessing all the components sit inside the bottom casing so I wouldn't actually be able to remove that part., but only take off the top.

 

[DesignerOnMac]

I dropped my MBP today (about 10 minutes ago, actually) and so not to waste any time, I'm looking into my options for repair.

The damage is confined to the casing on the disc drive front corner, making it very hard to insert and remove discs. All internals, including the disc drive, are working as normal so far. The thin casing strip above the disc insert is just bent outward about .5 cm and the top casing is bent slightly downward on the corner.

Unless someone has another suggestion, I've narrowed my options to either taking the thing apart myself and trying to bend it back as best as I can or sending it into macservice.com. MacService's website says they will replace the bottom case for $350 and if I decided that I want the whole thing to look like new, I could also have the top case replaced for another $350. I'm a college student, so I have plenty of other things to be using my money on.

I've never dissected a laptop before... what would I be getting myself into if wanted to get at that corner to bend it back? I'm guessing all the components sit inside the bottom casing so I wouldn't actually be able to remove that part., but only take off the top.

I would check other sites for the cover parts and do it yourself. Check eBay as well. I think $700.00 is a bit much for just the cases, but not sure.....

 

[tersono]

You'll find a take-apart guide at iFixit. They can also supply parts if you need them.

You could either try to straighten out your existing case, or look at doing the replacement yourself - it depends on the extent of the damage, really.

 

[madmaxmedia]

I think you should be able to follow the iFixit guide, take off the top case, and then be able to bend the bottom case so disks will fit in.

It's not that bad of a job, OTOH it depends on your comfort with this sort of thing. Just review the iFixit guide and you can decide for yourself if you can handle it.

The most important detail really is to keep track of the screws. In their old guides they would provide a page that you could print and put some double-sided tape (or just regular tape in a loop to make sticky on both sides), so you could keep track of the screws. But you can do the same thing yourself, just keep track of which screws were removed from which page in the guide, and you'll be fine.

You have to wiggle the top case a little bit to get it off, but it's really no big deal. The rest is literally just removing screws. Make sure you have a small enough screwdriver, a good choice is the kind you get with the eyeglass kits.

 

[Consultant]

have not heard of MacService, but you should look into

ifixit.com
techrestore.com

 

[Kiddo86]

thanks a lot guys, I think I'll sit down with it tonight to tear it open and report back on how it goes. The more I think about it, the more I think that superficial damage isnt worth paying for. I was planning on keeping this thing for another 4-5 years anyways so it's not like I'm losing resell value or anything.

 

[Kiddo86]

Alright...

I've managed to bend the casing back into place well enough that I can easily insert and remove discs. There is still a very distinct bend outward that I will probably try to cover with some sort of tape just to keep dust, etc from getting in there.

The walkthrough found here, http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/MacBook-Pro-15-Inch-Core-2-Duo/Lower-Case/115/29/, looks like something that I COULD do, but would be very nervous about... perhaps, over the summer sometime, I'll get tired of looking at the damage and go for it.

Thanks to everyone again, and special thanks to everyone that mentioned ifixit.com... wonderful website!

 

[Kiddo86]

one last update...

right after my last post I decided to take my MBP back under the knife for another, more thorough procedure. after removing the entire upper case, I was able to do a more thorough repair. The bottom case no longer bends outward at all. The only remaining damage is a vertical separation between the top and bottom case which I decided to cover with a thin strip of duct tape... making the presence of damage more obvious, but effectively eliminating any chance of dust getting in there. Inserting and removing discs remains a bit of a pain, but I don't use the drive more than once a month anyways.

For anyone who comes across this post with similar problems of their own... I suggest ifixit.com, and a lot of patience when doing the work.

 

[lovemac125]

When taking apart any equipment an ice cube tray is a great way to keep track of the screws you remove. And if you take a small putty knife you can open the slot that disks need to pass through. Making it easier to get CD/DVDs in and out.

 

[shibby327]

with what tools did you use to bend the case back into place may I ask? I had a similar problem and my bottom casing has sort of a 1/2 cm bulge on the right side of the drive slot.