rMBP trackpad repair costs?

[conkerbot]

Hi,

So after lending out my rMBP to a friend who really needed one (as in any decent laptop) for a hackathon event I was handed it back with a warning; sometimes the trackpad was going a little skitz for them. That filled me with dread as it was working fine for me; I immediately turned the thing on and sure enough, within ten minutes the cursor was jumping and became uncontrollable. Also, the left click (but not right click) was feeling sticky.

So, as I did when I got the machine back, I asked my friend if they've dropped it/spilt something on it/done something else they can think of. I stressed I wouldn't be too angry as I knew **** happened, but they denied it and I do trust them quite a bit so not sure as to the root cause.

After leaving the machine for a while tipped down, it seems fine (albeit still a tad sticky) after use for a while. But I'm worried that it will flare up again, or I will need something else replaced and if it is accidental damage it will invalidate a future claim.

So, I'm planning to go to an Apple Store, be totally honest and see what happens. I know Geniuses can be really cool when it comes to Accidental Damage, and that's what I'm kinda hoping for, but I know if my friend is telling porkies that Apple owe me nothing.

So has anyone had their trackpad repaired, and if so what costs will Apple charge? Thanks!

 

[Asuriyan]

That isn't a repair you really want done out of warranty. On the 15", the battery is glued in under the trackpad, which means that rather than try to replace the trackpad itself they're probably going to give you a new top case assembly, battery, trackpad and possibly keyboard.

The 13" is a bit easier to work on according to iFixit, but I'm not sure how this would apply to repair costs.

If there's no liquid damage, you'll be fine. If there is... ask them to print off an invoice for the repair and hand it to your friend.

What on earth would possess you to loan out your ~$2000 computer, anyway? I won't even loan my friends video games.

 

[chrise2]

As I don't think there's a single rMBP in existence that's not under AppleCare, you should be able to get it replaced or fixed for free. Maybe don't mention anything about lending it out to anyone.

 

[conkerbot]

That isn't a repair you really want done out of warranty. On the 15", the battery is glued in under the trackpad, which means that rather than try to replace the trackpad itself they're probably going to give you a new top case assembly, battery, trackpad and possibly keyboard.

The 13" is a bit easier to work on according to iFixit, but I'm not sure how this would apply to repair costs.

If there's no liquid damage, you'll be fine. If there is... ask them to print off an invoice for the repair and hand it to your friend.

What on earth would possess you to loan out your ~$2000 computer, anyway? I won't even loan my friends video games.

I really thought that I could trust them - they let me drive their car quite regularly. That's why I'm not too quick to say "they did it". And if I do need to pay I'll definitely ask for at least a contribution. If the cost is >£350 I'll just squaretrade it and get it done for free under accidental damage.

As I don't think there's a single rMBP in existence that's not under AppleCare, you should be able to get it replaced or fixed for free. Maybe don't mention anything about lending it out to anyone.

Ye mine's under AppleCare (or, more specifically, Apple HE CC Contract Uplift) so they'll repair for free? I thought that they had liquid damage sensors?

 

[chrise2]

Lol, yeah. For sure leave out the hackathon part when talking to Apple. Ha!

That isn't a repair you really want done out of warranty. On the 15", the battery is glued in under the trackpad, which means that rather than try to replace the trackpad itself they're probably going to give you a new top case assembly, battery, trackpad and possibly keyboard.

The 13" is a bit easier to work on according to iFixit, but I'm not sure how this would apply to repair costs.

If there's no liquid damage, you'll be fine. If there is... ask them to print off an invoice for the repair and hand it to your friend.

What on earth would possess you to loan out your ~$2000 computer, anyway? I won't even loan my friends video games.

 

[pwfletcher]

Mine got a little sand in it and got crunchy when I pressed it. I turned it upside down and hit it with the air gun and now everything works fine ;-)