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Spilled Soup on my MBP?

M

meep1234

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 3, 2012
8
0
Okay...so my issue seems minor compared to others, but the more I read the more paranoid I'm getting. I spilled around a spoon of hot and sour soup on my mbp. It was on, nothing happened, I turned it off and turned it upside down for a few seconds (thick soup, so nothing flowed). I wiped it away (it hit the q-r and a-f areas only) and got everything I could from around/inside the keys by using a card - there was no liquid on the surface level anymore, so anything left went past the keyboard grid thing. I turned it on again, checked what to do, and turned it back off. Everything worked fine after 4 days...read some more and thought I should keep it off longer since it was thick soup and I'm paranoid. It's been over a week since the spill, and I'm not sure what to do next or if anything happened at all. All I'm seeing now is that the S key makes a sticky noise if I press it down all the way (which I never do).

Can I assume it's fine? What should I do if I have issues down the road? My 3 year AppleCare is void for sure I'm guessing....and I'm not confident about taking it apart to check for residue...so if the problem doesn't have to do with this, will it be covered if I don't mention the spill? I also spilled like a drop of water on it earlier...wiped it away and never turned it off since I didn't think much of it. This was 3 weeks ago - can I assume it did no damage?

Sorry this is so long - really worried since I can't afford to replace or lose it.
 
lol another one of these

should invest in a keyboard cover...no body listens to me....ffs

dry it off as much as u can and leave it 48 hours to dry just to be sure
 
Most likely if it's ok now it should stay ok.

Most liquid damage occurs right away.
 
I Beg To Differ

Sorry, but if any of that liquid got in anywhere near the logic board, it could be weeks before you notice any problems.

Some liquids are corrosive, others more benign...I'd get it checked.
 
As a side note, consider purchasing a keyboard cover. I have a bad habit of spilling liquids on my keyboards however a keyboard cover seems to protect well. You can get the cheap ones for $2 off amazon (they suck in regards to backlighting) or spend $25 and get the Moshi (heard it's good - just bought one so am still waiting).
 
So should I book an appointment with the genius bar and they'll check it out? How much will I have to pay?

If I do have problems in the future that are completely unrelated to this, will my warranty still be void?


Can I use my laptop for the time being, seeing as it's been over a week, everything should be dry?

Thanks again! I'll check out the keyboard covers.
 
I disagree with my fellow posters on getting it checked. I don't think the genius bar is going to be willing to disassemble your MacBook in order to establish whether or not the logic board has been affected since that would result in an out-of-warranty repair. They would need to see the top side of your logic board which involves removing it from the clamshell. If it's working fine now I would continue to use it. If it stops working in the future and needs to be repaired then so be it, but there's no need to do anything about it now.
 
I booked an appointment for Sunday and will see if there are any problems from now until then. Ultimately, I guess this means it's my call on whether to take it in or not :/ By paying I meant for them to actually take it apart (and potentially clean?) once I mention the spill.

Thanks again everyone :)
 
It seems you're leaning towards taking it in so go ahead and follow through with your appointment so you don't regret it later. You can make a decision on how to proceed after discussing your problem with a genius. I think I came off a little stronger than I meant to in my previous post.
 
Bill Gates said:
I disagree with my fellow posters on getting it checked. I don't think the genius bar is going to be willing to disassemble your MacBook in order to establish whether or not the logic board has been affected since that would result in an out-of-warranty repair. They would need to see the top side of your logic board which involves removing it from the clamshell. If it's working fine now I would continue to use it. If it stops working in the future and needs to be repaired then so be it, but there's no need to do anything about it now.
Click to expand...

This is the best advice.

If you take it in and admit spill, then probably anything in the future will not be covered. It's probably fine, and your spill sounds minor enough that it wouldn't have triggered any moisture sensors. So, if you do have any problems in the future they will stand a good chance of being covered. Continue with your appointment and you blow that. Just stop stressing about it. Have some more hot & sour soup instead, that stuff is awesome!
 
^This is exactly why I am hesitant to take it in. I mean, I don't want them to claim some random problem with the laptop had to do with liquid damage so they can't do anything for it (I've had it for a little over half a year and have had to take it in three times - can't imagine not having apple care). I guess I won't take it in unless I have an actual problem.

@Bill Gates No, you weren't too strong at all - I've just been beyond paranoid. I usually take really good care of my stuff, so something like this hasn't happened to me before.
 
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meep1234 said:
^This is exactly why I am hesitant to take it in. I mean, I don't want them to claim some random problem with the laptop had to do with liquid damage so they can't do anything for it (I've had it for a little over half a year and have had to take it in three times - can't imagine not having apple care). I guess I won't take it in unless I have an actual problem.
Click to expand...

Unless it's something physical (which Apple won't cover anyway), it's pretty hard to argue that liquid didn't have a factor in the spill even if it was localized on a different area of the machine. Sure, if you spilled a blob of soup on a key and wiped it away, then that's one thing, but knowing the inside of the board, the q-r and a-f areas either sit ontop of or close to the fan, or directly on top of the logic board. These are complex machines and the PBCs on these things are very sophisticated, hence why they're so expensive in the first place. Get just the tiniest drop of water in the right area and you can short out the battery or disconnect the display.

Anyway if they do come back and say that you're screwed, you can request a prorated refund of your applecare. My suggestion? DO NOT take it in to the Apple store. If you have any questions, CALL APPLECARE AND HAVE IT SENT TO TEXAS (if you're in the U.S.). In my experience I can describe the local apple store techs as uptight overworked anger mongers who love to say "no", vs the guys down in texas walking around in Hawaiian shirts knocking back beers and fixing up whatever gets thrown their way, just for kicks. I say this because i've had numerous experiences where the local genii either deny to help me or say that nothing is wrong, yet the problem is magically resolved everytime when sent to the repair depot. I think they'll make less of a fuss, if any, for any issues you may have.
 
I tried calling apple care, and they asked for my serial number. I wasn't sure if I should go ahead with it since I don't want them recording liquid damage - will they do that?

Do you know how long it takes to have it sent down and come back?
Edit: Never mind - from what I'm seeing it would take around a week if any necessary parts are there.

Sorry, last question: When you say if I have any questions, do you mean if I'm just concerned or if something actually starts acting weird?
 
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Dude... just STOP the insanity. You are getting yourself so worked up, and are going to work yourself into a position to get any future claims voided.

Just RELAX and keep using your computer. IF something happens in the future, then take it in.
 
haha yeah...I am totally blowing this out of proportion I guess...especially compared to people who spill something all over their laptop and have it end up working fine xD The keys aren't sticking anymore either so I'll just give it a rest.
 
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