Suggestions - Advice needed re:MBP ongoing LogicBoard GPU problems

[colonelsanders]

Hey all,
I currently have the early 2008 Unibody MBP. Technically it's the 5,1 2.4 GHZ model. Apple gave it to me as a replacement for my mid 2007 MBP that had problems with the GPU (8600M). They told me that they were able to make the replacement available because I had purchased Applecare. All of this took place in January of 2009. When they gave me the unibody as a replacement I was told that if i wanted Applecare on the new unit that I would have to repurchase it. I did so.

Within the first two months of owning the new Unibody the internal fans died and needed to be replaced, the right speaker was DOA, and the optical drive started eating disks. All of these issues were fixed via Applecare. In Jan of 2011 the battery started to bulge in the middle. It was so bad that it high centered the machine on my desk and allowed it to roll either left or right. I took it to Apple and the battery was replaced via Applecare.

Fast forward to March of 2011. I started experiencing horizontal line flickering issues with the screen. Based on my experience with the mid 2007 MBP I took the machine into the Apple Store right away. After two days of testing they diagnosed the issue as a faulty logic board. They ordered a replacement and after a week i had my machine back home and running. Thank you Applecare.

Fast forward to October of 2011. I started noticing the horizontal flickering again. I knew I was going to be moving states soon so I wasn't in a hurry to drop off my machine at the Apple store for further diagnosis. I am now fully moved and settled in. I took my MBP to the Applestore yesterday for the same flickering issue as before. They ran the diagnostic tools and nothing showed as wrong with it. They asked if i could leave the machine over night for further testing and issue replication. I let them keep it overnight. I got a voice-mail today saying that they have diagnosed the problem as a faulty logic board. They have ordered another replacement. It will be covered via Applecare.

My problem is that Applecare expires sometime mid January. Should I be demanding an extension to the repairs on the machine or even an extension to Applecare? What about a replacement machine? The original logic board went bad, the first replacement went bad and now they want to put in a third. Based on my experiences I am skeptical that it won't die after my warranty expires. This machine has been nothing but problems. I'm looking for advice before I head into the Apple Store to chat with a manager.

Respectfully,

Curt

 

[yousifabdullah]

I had a similar problem.

My current MacBook Pro 15" is the Late 2008 unibody, 2.8Ghz CTO model to be exact. My problems started in July with what you describe as flickering. Precisely the same issue. After calling AppleCare, I was advised to have the MBP repaired. Fast forward two months, same problems again. Fast forward two weeks, yet again the same problems. After three hardware repairs, the MBP still has the same issue. I simply kept talking on the phone and was always polite, never pushed anything. (If AppleCare won't help you, ask to be forwarded to the Customer Relations department, that helped in my case. AppleCare in fact initially denied the possibility of a replacement in my case, so I had to keep pushing and eventually the CR department handled my case.) AppleCare sort of expired a month ago, but here I am, getting my current MBP replaced for free.

In fact, I just received an email from Apple today with a tracking number for my new MBP, which was dispatched from China this morning. I suggest you have your MBP repaired, and should things go wrong, there's always a 90-day warranty for the repair itself. You could then just call AppleCare again and explain the situation, and hopefully they'll replace your MBP as well.

Ps. Apple also upgraded me to the hi-res antiglare display for no extra cost. Ain't that sweet?

Pps. If you need some help proving there is a fault in your machine, let Apple know that the Late 2008 models are notorious for having these problems. Let them know of this detailed Inquirer article about possibly defective Nvidia chips and this CNET article on the flickering issue. Also if possible, record the trouble you're experiencing with your phone's camera or a video camera, and upload the corresponding video to YouTube. I did this in my case, which helped a lot. Here's the issue I'm experiencing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI7aOvcbpsA (skip to 1:26).

Hope this helps and good luck!