Scratch and Dent on MBP

[ARK]

Well we have a small scratch with a dent on the top lid of our MacBook Pro. The scratch/dent is about the size of a pencil eraser. I didnt use it all last week and noticed it Friday night. The wife used it but doesn't remember doing it.

I hate that its dented now since I wiped it down nearly every time it was used. I still love it, but I see it every time I use it now. Kinda like a dent on a new car. I guess I should look at it as adding character but I see no character in a dent. Kinda takes the mystique out of it for me.

Anyone else feel the same way once their laptop took minor damage?

UPDATED with picture below...

 

[01jamcon]

Yer, same, I hate gadgets that have minor cosmetic damage, especially Apple products. It takes away that special feeling you get from such a beautiful product. I did find that on my old mobile phone, once I had beaten it past a certain point through wear and tear, then yes, it did give it some character. So I guess my advice would be...now that the look is ruined, may as well go out and give it some proper dents

 

[EX1127]

I just lost one on the little pads that goes on the bottom of mine and its bothering me so bad i wish there was a way to fix it

 

[uberamd]

I just lost one on the little pads that goes on the bottom of mine and its bothering me so bad i wish there was a way to fix it

Remove the one on the other side so at least it will sit level and not wobble.

 

[killianb]

I just lost one on the little pads that goes on the bottom of mine and its bothering me so bad i wish there was a way to fix it

You could steal one from a display model in your local Apple store!

I'm joking of course.

If you went in to Apple and explained to them your problem and how much it's annoying you, maybe they'll have a faulty machine "out back" that they could remove one from?

 

[Insulin Junkie]

Cover it up with a sticker or a hardshell case if it bothers you that much.

No damage on mine yet, but if it does dent one day I'm going with the case idea.

 

[killianb]

Well we have a small scratch with a dent on the top lid of our MacBook Pro. The scratch/dent is about the size of a pencil eraser. I didnt use it all last week and noticed it Friday night. The wife used it but doesn't remember doing it.

I hate that its dented now since I wiped it down nearly every time it was used. I still love it, but I see it every time I use it now. Kinda like a dent on a new car. I guess I should look at it as adding character but I see no character in a dent. Kinda takes the mystique out of it for me.

Anyone else feel the same way once their laptop took minor damage?

Have you done anything lately that might have caused your wife some upset? Maybe she did it but claims she knows nothing about it? Lol.

 

[bli625]

Live with it man. Things get dented. Things get damaged. It's all apart of life. Just move on. There's more important things to worry about than.... a small dent in your computer.

 

[Eddyisgreat]

Thankfully Apple products have a very strong OEM part presence. Better than any other OEM i've worked with. If cost is no option you can easily find a replacement top case, replacement feet, and ebay always has a fresh assortment.

Powerbookmedic.com
ifixit.com

 

[maflynn]

There's more important things to worry about than.... a small dent in your computer.

Perhaps, but when people have invested a lot of money and effort to keeping their computer pristine only to incur a dent. Its frustrating. Besides, to some, it may be a "more important" issue. What you consider important or trivial is not what others do. Clearly the dent is bothering the OP and to be honest it would bug me as well.

 

[ARK]

Perhaps, but when people have invested a lot of money and effort to keeping their computer pristine only to incur a dent. Its frustrating. Besides, to some, it may be a "more important" issue. What you consider important or trivial is not what others do. Clearly the dent is bothering the OP and to be honest it would bug me as well.

Exactly. Its like buying a hot new car and getting a door ding at the grocery store. Takes the wind out of the sails. Im hoping the camera or screen will go out now so Apple would have to replace it under warranty. ehhe

 

[bli625]

Perhaps, but when people have invested a lot of money and effort to keeping their computer pristine only to incur a dent. Its frustrating. Besides, to some, it may be a "more important" issue. What you consider important or trivial is not what others do. Clearly the dent is bothering the OP and to be honest it would bug me as well.

That's true. I agree that a MacBook Pro is quite the investment. But I'm just saying... use it the same way even if it has dent. If anything, it gives it a sort of character. It's a tool and it's meant to be used. Things naturally get cosmetic imperfections when they are used.

I try to keep my MacBook Pro as spotless as possible, but in the event that it does get a scratch or two, I'll live with it.

 

[bli625]

Exactly. Its like buying a hot new car and getting a door ding at the grocery store. Takes the wind out of the sails. Im hoping the camera or screen will go out now so Apple would have to replace it under warranty. ehhe

See that's the type of stuff that screws everyone else over. Why would you ever want another part of your computer to break just to get it replaced because you now have a dent on your computer. You certainly wouldn't be saying this if you didn't have that dent would you? And even if your screen did go dead or something, they would definitely try to argue that the dent was the reason, which would decrease or maybe even eliminate any chance of a replacement computer.

 

[Apple Corps]

Obsession of ownership vs joy of use - some people just have their sails trimmed to catch a different wind.

I've flamed through this topic a few times over the years - people focused on this stuff are - IMO - hardly ever going to be swayed in their thinking.

Reminds me of a past experience. My one BMW M5 was a joy to drive - and it got some very serious driving in road rallies in N California - it was designed and built to drive. A number of owners would literally be out wiping down the brake dust off the wheels when we stopped for lunch - they never really used the M5 near the capabilities for which it was built. They obsessed about bug splatter during the runs. Their wonderful M5s had become $80,000 millstones of worry around their necks.

I had a rock fly up and nail my windshield at around 400 miles. A honk'n big pine cone crunched down on the hood with only around 600 miles on it. Neither reduced the joy of DRIVING that machine. The damage from those events was fixed w/o difficulty and never hurt the value.

When I traded that car I knew it had been treated well and thoroughly enjoyed. Some other owners were still fondling their cars reluctant to run the rpms up or brake too hard - but little brake dust on the wheels.

To some the MBP is a statement or "mystique"

To others it is a tool to be used to accomplish something

To a few it is a proxy for something else

I doubt many opinions are going to be changed.

 

[ARK]

See that's the type of stuff that screws everyone else over. Why would you ever want another part of your computer to break just to get it replaced because you now have a dent on your computer. You certainly wouldn't be saying this if you didn't have that dent would you? And even if your screen did go dead or something, they would definitely try to argue that the dent was the reason, which would decrease or maybe even eliminate any chance of a replacement computer.

Youre right, I wouldnt be saying it if I didnt have the dent. I don't see why that screws everyone over though. Im not going to buy a replacement screen just so the dent is gone. The part is $999. The only way for the dent to be gone at this point is for some defect to happen. A small scratch and small dent does not make a screen malfunction. If that was the case no one would be able to get repairs from Apple.

 

[ARK]

Obsession of ownership vs joy of use - some people just have their sails trimmed to catch a different wind.

I've flamed through this topic a few times over the years - people focused on this stuff are - IMO - hardly ever going to be swayed in their thinking.

Reminds me of a past experience. My one BMW M5 was a joy to drive - and it got some very serious driving in road rallies in N California - it was designed and built to drive. A number of owners would literally be out wiping down the brake dust off the wheels when we stopped for lunch - they never really used the M5 near the capabilities for which it was built. They obsessed about bug splatter during the runs. Their wonderful M5s had become $80,000 millstones of worry around their necks.

I had a rock fly up and nail my windshield at around 400 miles. A honk'n big pine cone crunched down on the hood with only around 600 miles on it. Neither reduced the joy of DRIVING that machine. The damage from those events was fixed w/o difficulty and never hurt the value.

When I traded that car I knew it had been treated well and thoroughly enjoyed. Some other owners were still fondling their cars reluctant to run the rpms up or brake too hard - but little brake dust on the wheels.

To some the MBP is a statement or "mystique"

To others it is a tool to be used to accomplish something

To a few it is a proxy for something else

I doubt many opinions are going to be changed.

Nice post and sweet about the road rallies. I hear you regarding the owners with garage queens. To me the MBP is a slick looking beast that helps my wife get her medical work done and helps me get my graphic design work done. Only now it has a dent.

 

[bli625]

Youre right, I wouldnt be saying it if I didnt have the dent. I don't see why that screws everyone over though. Im not going to buy a replacement screen just so the dent is gone. The part is $999. The only way for the dent to be gone at this point is for some defect to happen. A small scratch and small dent does not make a screen malfunction. If that was the case no one would be able to get repairs from Apple.

Exactly. My response was directed to this.."Im hoping the camera or screen will go out now so Apple would have to replace it under warranty." Apple will try to blame any defect on the dent. Therefore, they will not REPLACE it under warranty.. but they will charge you to REPAIR the machine. (i.e. new housing, display, etc). I've dealt with this before and they will blame a hardware defect on a small dent.

It screws people over because your intentions are to get a machine with nothing but a dent replaced.. If everyone did that, Apple would be forced to drive up their already high prices.

 

[rgarjr]

If it bothers you that much, tell the wify to get you a new one...

 

[ARK]

Exactly. My response was directed to this.."Im hoping the camera or screen will go out now so Apple would have to replace it under warranty." Apple will try to blame any defect on the dent. Therefore, they will not REPLACE it under warranty.. but they will charge you to REPAIR the machine. (i.e. new housing, display, etc). I've dealt with this before and they will blame a hardware defect on a small dent.

It screws people over because your intentions are to get a machine with nothing but a dent replaced.. If everyone did that, Apple would be forced to drive up their already high prices.

I understand how you could interpret that. Thats not my intentions at all. IF the screen, camera, etc. were to go out.. a side benefit would be the dent would be gone. This dent really is too small to cause a malfunction.

 

[bli625]

I understand how you could interpret that. Thats not my intentions at all. IF the screen, camera, etc. were to go out.. a side benefit would be the dent would be gone. This dent really is too small to cause a malfunction.

Mhm. :-D

 

[ARK]

If it bothers you that much, tell the wify to get you a new one...

 

[alphaod]

Youre right, I wouldnt be saying it if I didnt have the dent. I don't see why that screws everyone over though. Im not going to buy a replacement screen just so the dent is gone. The part is $999. The only way for the dent to be gone at this point is for some defect to happen. A small scratch and small dent does not make a screen malfunction. If that was the case no one would be able to get repairs from Apple.

Get a skin for the back; you won't be seeing the dent anymore.

 

[Eddyisgreat]

Its different from taking good care of your machine and not using it enough to rev up the fans or something silly like using an external hard drive and optical drive as to not utilize the internal components.

When I first got my MBP I decked it out with the works. Keyboard condom, full marware protection pack, and an incase hardshell. After 11 months of using it day in and day out for school, leisure, work, on trains buses and planes, coffee shops for atleast five hours a day every day my machine looks without a doubt brand new. ZERO scratches on the bottom or top case (all transfered to the hardcase), NO keyboard wear (from skin oils and other random crap), perfect screen, perfect trackpad etc etc. iKlear treatment every weekend and all that. Why? Because A)I don't feel like Being denied for Applecare on a whim because of a giant, avoidable dent on the side of my machine B) Resale value will be much higher C) This is one of my few possessions and I take care of ALL of my hardware. I don't have disposable $400 dollar black friday laptops all over the place with celeron processors and 40 gig hard drives. I'd rather just have high end stuff that lasts (and all my macs last because I take care of them).

Its just easier this way.

 

[ARK]

Here is the dent I'm referring to..

 

[Ivan P]

Here is the dent I'm referring to..

I have one like that on my left speaker, I feel your pain.