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Spilt water on my keyboard; please help me.

K

KnowNol

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 11, 2009
75
0
This is the damage.

Everything works expect the backlit keyboards. How much would a repair cost?
 
Maybe we need a "I spilled [insert liquid type here] on my laptop please help sticky

along with a "Is now a good time to buy a laptop" sticky
 
Well, my only problem is that those keys dont light up. Would Apple fix this for free?
 
If you even go to apple they will probably void your whole warranty, better go to a repair place and they might replace it without voiding your warranty
Not really sure tho if opening the macbooks does void your warranty too
 
Alvi said:
If you even go to apple they will probably void your whole warranty, better go to a repair place and they might replace it without voiding your warranty
Not really sure tho if opening the macbooks does void your warranty too
Click to expand...

Only if they can tell it's been opened.

I have opened at least 3 machines that apple did warranty service work on where the screws near the battery weren't inserted all the way, as if they were using a screwdriver with a thick handle & base so they had to insert it at an angle. When looking to void your warranty, they are going to look for the same mistakes they themselves make when opening and reassembling the machine. There are places out there that do things a bit more stealthy.
 
l.a.rossmann said:
Only if they can tell it's been opened.

I have opened at least 3 machines that apple did warranty service work on where the screws near the battery weren't inserted all the way, as if they were using a screwdriver with a thick handle & base so they had to insert it at an angle. When looking to void your warranty, they are going to look for the same mistakes they themselves make when opening and reassembling the machine. There are places out there that do things a bit more stealthy.
Click to expand...

It doesn't matter if it has been opened if the submerge indicators are triggered.
 
I also believe water damage tends to stain some of the components. I'm not sure if that is the case as I have no real experience but I recall reading as much on one of those "oh crap I spilled water" threads
 
maflynn said:
I also believe water damage tends to stain some of the components. I'm not sure if that is the case as I have no real experience but I recall reading as much on one of those "oh crap I spilled water" threads
Click to expand...

There are indicators that change color under the keyboard. If they are triggered, warranty void.
 
Apart from the color indicators, Apple puts a special coating on the screws so that they can tell when a laptop has been opened (or someone has made an attempt at opening it).
 
PK! said:
Apart from the color indicators, Apple puts a special coating on the screws so that they can tell when a laptop has been opened (or someone has made an attempt at opening it).
Click to expand...

:confused::confused: how would they check that the coating is still there without removing the screws themselves??
 
I'd take the advice of another poster and just buy the keyboard somewhere and either do it yourself, or have someone else replace it. The security screws or any other anti-tamper devices are a joke and are used merely to intimidate end users from opening their computer. Granted if you open it up and screw something up the particular part that you screwed up won't be covered, but the magnuson-moss warranty act specifically allows you to replace your own components. A general rule of thumb is if it's something that's physically possible to service by Apple, then you can do it yourself (granted you take precautions). By this I mean you can't crack open a hard drive and expect it to not void the hard drive warranty. This is because a hard drive would never be serviced...it's a replacement item.
 
PK! said:
Apart from the color indicators, Apple puts a special coating on the screws so that they can tell when a laptop has been opened (or someone has made an attempt at opening it).
Click to expand...

This is definitely not true. The Polycarb MacBooks have user serviceable HD's and Ram. There is no coating on the screws to tell if the metal shield has been removed.

Chef Jay
 
If I go to Apple, the worst thing they can say is I have to pay for the repair. I can always say no. I should at least visit an Apple store before doing any repair myself.
 
KnowNol said:
If I go to Apple, the worst thing they can say is I have to pay for the repair. I can always say no. I should at least visit an Apple store before doing any repair myself.
Click to expand...

but then they will have noted that you damaged your computer and your warranty is now null and void.
 
maflynn said:
but then they will have noted that you damaged your computer and your warranty is now null and void.
Click to expand...

Again, the magnuson-moss warranty act prevents a manufacturer from making a warranty "null and void". If he damaged the keyboard, the rest of the warranty is still in place unless the damage he caused caused damage somewhere else as well.
 
mingoglia said:
Again, the magnuson-moss warranty act prevents a manufacturer from making a warranty "null and void". If he damaged the keyboard, the rest of the warranty is still in place unless the damage he caused caused damage somewhere else as well.
Click to expand...

Ok let me rephrase it. His warranty is void because of the damage caused by his neglect. He can try to repair/replace the components but because of the sensors and other indicators showing water damage he affectively will not have any warranty on his MBP. I hate to sound harsh and I feel for the OP but it is what it is.
 
PK! said:
Apart from the color indicators, Apple puts a special coating on the screws so that they can tell when a laptop has been opened (or someone has made an attempt at opening it).
Click to expand...

How the heck can apple tell that it was "unscrewed" if they have to remove the screws themselves?

And by the way, before you spread facts that do not make sense:

The coating on the screw threads that Apple puts is similar to LocTite, to prevent the screws the "unscrewing" itself.
http://www.henkelna.com/cps/rde/xchg/henkel_us/hs.xsl/product-search-1554.htm?param1=subsubapplicationRedDotUID=|subapplicationRedDotUID=00000002IP|applicationRedDotUID=0000000276|advanced=|brandRedDotUID=________________0000000389|pageIndex=0|action=search|
 
PK! said:
Apart from the color indicators, Apple puts a special coating on the screws so that they can tell when a laptop has been opened (or someone has made an attempt at opening it).
Click to expand...

It doesn't matter if the laptop has been opened. The RAM and HD is user replaceable.
 
mingoglia said:
Again, the magnuson-moss warranty act prevents a manufacturer from making a warranty "null and void". If he damaged the keyboard, the rest of the warranty is still in place unless the damage he caused caused damage somewhere else as well.
Click to expand...

Spilling water on any part of the laptop would void the entire warranty.

The act you speak of is more interested in cars, not laptops where all functions are controlled from a motherboard.
 
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