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Stripped the last screw

afinch1992

afinch1992

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 13, 2012
396
17
Phoenix, AZ
I am opening my macbook pro for the first time and the last damn screw is stripped now. All the screws were somewhat difficult to dislodge, but once I broke the little blue seal they were easy to get in and out. Now, the last tiny screw is impossible to dislodge and caused me to strip the head. What are my options? just take it to the apple store and have them take a look at it?

Been waiting all week to get my ssd and ram and once everything is here this happens...
 
Don’t have much of a solution but if there is one thing I learned in engineering school it is to never keep turning the screw if the driver is slipping.
 
ok don't feel bad, I did the same thing and I work with tools ALL the time...didn't think it would happen to me....
I have a dremel with an etching/engraving bit. What I did was to etch a small line/groove on the top of the screw so I would have a point to apply force to. I then took a tiny flathead screwdriver and tapped the head counterclockwise on the line and moved it just enough to get it turning. Hope that helps you....
 
You can try putting a rubberband between the screwdriver and the screw head and see if it grips, or you can use a screw extractor.
 
thanks for the suggestions guys. I dont have a dremel, so i cant do that. I'll try the rubber band method and see if it budges.

Ill probably stop by the apple store sometime this weekend if all else fails. just a couple more days left in the slow lane I guess
 
so now that I am putting all the screws in, the same screw but on the opposite side of the machine will not go all the way back in and there is a noticeable gap on the same side. Has anyone experienced this before?

This is by far the most frustrating upgrade I have ever experienced!

edit: they are the single screws at either side of the machine btw
 
Last edited:
afinch1992 said:
so now that I am putting all the screws in, the same screw but on the opposite side of the machine will not go all the way back in and there is a noticeable gap on the same side. Has anyone experienced this before?

This is by far the most frustrating upgrade I have ever experienced!

edit: they are the single screws at either side of the machine btw
Click to expand...

Make sure you're not putting in vertical, as it actually sits at a slight angle. If there's more than minor resistance, it's probably not at the right angle.

jW
 
Mal said:
Make sure you're not putting in vertical, as it actually sits at a slight angle. If there's more than minor resistance, it's probably not at the right angle.

jW
Click to expand...

yes i did notice its at an angle. probably why i stripped the other side. I put it in at an angle but a portion still sticks out. Its very minimal, still there. I'm more concerned about the small gap that has formed where the shell and the rest of the body meets
 
Well for anyone that comes upon this thread later on I did find a pretty cheap solution. I purchased this 8 in 1 screwdriver for about $7 from my local home depot and it was able to grip the screw right away.

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/husky-8-in-1-phillips-and-slotted-screwdriver-set-74501.html#.UHpBzGlNaJc

I also purchased a complete set of brand new screws for the case for under $10 on amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007ZW548E/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

The one screw on the other side is still sticking out a tiny bit, but I plan to take every screw out once I put the ssd and ram in and then place the case on again.
 
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For the exterior screws, I like to put them in loosely in a sort of star-pattern like when you're replacing a tire. Then I adjust the cover if necessary to make sure everything's lined up, then I tighten all the screws.

Be careful with the two screws that hold the bluetooth/wireless module. A lot of people strip those screws, including me. My solution was to etch a notch in the screw by taking a small flathead, putting steady downward pressure and slowly rocking it from side to side.

I basically turned it into a flathead screw, and the best part was the screws are still usable.
 
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