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Voiding Warranty if Upgrading Ram & SDD (Third party)

A

agentdcooper

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 14, 2012
13
0
Hi

I live in the UK,

I just spoke to two Apple representatives, one from Applecare, (not sure which country they were from).
The other was from the Apple store in Regent Street.

They both told me that installing non apple ram and hard drive or SSD in a classic MBP (non retina) will void the warranty.
The Regent Street rep said that if I purchased apple ram/hard drive and got one of their technicians to do this, it would not void the warranty.


Is the policy different for different countries? Could they both be wrong?
I really would like a definitive answer on this matter.


This really has made me think again about purchasing a Macbook Pro. I want it for photo editing and light video editing so the ram upgrade and SSD upgrade was pretty much essential. I really cannot afford to pay Apple prices for their upgrades.


Thanks.
 
i believe it will not void warranty. just putback the original HDD and ram when claiming warranty. correct me if im wrong
 
The are deemed user replaceable and Apple even provides instructions on how to do it in the Owner's Manual, both people you spoke to are full of crap.

The warranty WILL be void on both the RAM and HD, as in, Apple will not cover defects of those components, since they are not Apple installed. The rest of the machine is still covered under warranty.

Straight from the horse's mouth: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1270

Edit: if it worries you so much, keep the original hard drive and memory around, plop those back in if you ever need warranty work, they'll never notice.
 
The instructions to upgrade the computer memory is provided in the user guide and on Apple's website, so by that definition, you warranty cannot be voided.

The hard drive uses readily available Philips screws for the same reason. User upgradeability.

As long as you don't break something else while upgrading your computer, you should have no issues with warranty.
 
ram only?

I just spoke to an authorised reseller who said that he can guarantee that only the ram is upgradable and will not void the warranty. A hard drive upgrade will void the warranty.

This is getting ridiculous, surely they should all know the right answer.
 
agentdcooper said:
I just spoke to an authorised reseller who said that he can guarantee that only the ram is upgradable and will not void the warranty. A hard drive upgrade will void the warranty.

This is getting ridiculous, surely they should all know the right answer.
Click to expand...

I've sent in dozens of computers in for warranty with everything from upgraded RAM to replaced HDDs to even computers with optibay replacements. I've never had an issue getting warranty support.

These "authorized resellers" just want you buy hardware and pay them to install it.
 
I thought it would only void the warranty if there was damage done during the installation or the new components damaged the machine after they were installed.
 
check the manual that comes with your mbp, it specifies if it voids or not the warranty

on mine it says its user replaceable for both, the ram and the hdd
 
alphaod said:
I've sent in dozens of computers in for warranty with everything from upgraded RAM to replaced HDDs to even computers with optibay replacements. I've never had an issue getting warranty support.
Click to expand...

I have, from a Apple store with a Mini that had kernel panic issues. They blamed third party RAM. Handed me the machine back.

Took it home, swapped the factory ram back in, still kernel panic'ed, took it back to the store. They replaced the logic board. Fixed. I live 80 miles from an Apple store, total of three round trips, 480 miles worth of gas + 8 hours of personal time. Time and $ I'm probably at a loss having not bought it from Apple. Your call.

It's user replaceable, but doesn't mean they have to fix it if they blame the issue on your third party upgrade.

-
 
Ccrew said:
I have, from a Apple store with a Mini that had kernel panic issues. They blamed third party RAM. Handed me the machine back.

Took it home, swapped the factory ram back in, still kernel panic'ed, took it back to the store. They replaced the logic board. Fixed. I live 80 miles from an Apple store, total of three round trips, 480 miles worth of gas + 8 hours of personal time. Time and $ I'm probably at a loss having not bought it from Apple. Your call.

It's user replaceable, but doesn't mean they have to fix it if they blame the issue on your third party upgrade.

-
Click to expand...
Sounds like the Genius you spoke to was being lazy/stupid. They could have easily swapped in spare RAM and checked to see if the problem still exists.
 
Ccrew said:
I have, from a Apple store with a Mini that had kernel panic issues. They blamed third party RAM. Handed me the machine back.

Took it home, swapped the factory ram back in, still kernel panic'ed, took it back to the store. They replaced the logic board. Fixed. I live 80 miles from an Apple store, total of three round trips, 480 miles worth of gas + 8 hours of personal time. Time and $ I'm probably at a loss having not bought it from Apple. Your call.

It's user replaceable, but doesn't mean they have to fix it if they blame the issue on your third party upgrade.

-
Click to expand...

That's why you're supposed to pop the original RAM back in when taking it to the "genius". They make up excuses but it doesn't mean it voids your warranty, there's no excuse especially for a mini owner. It takes like 30 seconds to swap RAM sticks.
 
Installing RAM will NOT void your warranty, as it is a user-serviceable item. See here: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1270

Installing HDD WILL void your warranty though, as it is not a user-serviceable item. However, you could argue here that the warranty is only void on the HDD, not on the rest of the machine, but it could become a bit tricky legally if they get stubborn.
 
Thats pretty funny those scam artist resellers told you that, so that they get paid to install it for you. Scumbags.
 
Ccrew said:
I have, from a Apple store with a Mini that had kernel panic issues. They blamed third party RAM. Handed me the machine back.

Took it home, swapped the factory ram back in, still kernel panic'ed, took it back to the store. They replaced the logic board. Fixed. I live 80 miles from an Apple store, total of three round trips, 480 miles worth of gas + 8 hours of personal time. Time and $ I'm probably at a loss having not bought it from Apple. Your call.

It's user replaceable, but doesn't mean they have to fix it if they blame the issue on your third party upgrade.

-
Click to expand...

So they didn't say, "Sorry your warranty is void since it has third-party RAM." That was the point I was trying to make for the OP. Also sounds like your Genius was just lazy.
 
It wont void the warranty.
But when you send it in for repair and still have the 3rd party parts inside, they can blame that for the problem.
Thats what they mean.

When I was in Japan talking to technician, they told me when you send it in, just put the original parts in.
They said "it wont void your warranty, but repair team can blame the 3rd party parts for the cause of the problem.
Just throw back the original parts in then send it in."
 
BlaqkAudio said:
Yes it is. Apple even includes instructions on how to do so in the MBP user guide.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I stand corrected! The HDD indeed seems to be user-serviceable on the 2012 MBP

Found it here: http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/macbook_pro-15-inch-mid-2012-important_product_info.pdf under 'Learning More, Service, and Support'. I though they changed that with the unibody models (and I can't find a HDD change instruction online), but the manual clearly states that the HDD is user-replaceable.
 
OP,

I'd recommend you go to the Apple website and search for the manual of you MBP (e.g. Here's a random manual: http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/macbook_pro_15inch_late_2011.pdf)

Assumedly (as is the case in this manual), it expressly states, which parts are deemed "user replaceable", i.e. operations which as such do not void the warranty. I nevertheless honestly recommend that you keep the original parts as you will get warranty service without hassles if you pop them back in.

Also, start taking notes on the names of apple reps you talk with - otherwise it's impossible to direct feedback...

RGDS,
 
Ccrew said:
I have, from a Apple store with a Mini that had kernel panic issues. They blamed third party RAM. Handed me the machine back.

Took it home, swapped the factory ram back in, still kernel panic'ed, took it back to the store. They replaced the logic board. Fixed. I live 80 miles from an Apple store, total of three round trips, 480 miles worth of gas + 8 hours of personal time. Time and $ I'm probably at a loss having not bought it from Apple. Your call.

It's user replaceable, but doesn't mean they have to fix it if they blame the issue on your third party upgrade.

-
Click to expand...
You could've checked whether this happens with the stock RAM as well and installed before your first trip.

Always keep the stock hard drive and RAM around and install it prior to Apple Store visits, that's all there is to it.
 
Giuly said:
You could've checked whether this happens with the stock RAM as well and installed before your first trip.

Always keep the stock hard drive and RAM around and install it prior to Apple Store visits, that's all there is to it.
Click to expand...

It's not all there is to it really,. People here claim it's user replaceable and subsequently it's still an Apple issue if it's not working right. Mine was simply an example of how they'll throw it back at you. Mine wasn't the third party RAM, and I knew it wasn't. They just weren't having any parts of the argument.

There are also those here that don't know how to do it themselves or don't care to and those that will say "don't buy it at time of purchase, buy it afterwards to save $" Just because you and I know how to open one up doesn't mean everyone does.
 
Ccrew said:
It's not all there is to it really,. People here claim it's user replaceable and subsequently it's still an Apple issue if it's not working right. Mine was simply an example of how they'll throw it back at you. Mine wasn't the third party RAM, and I knew it wasn't. They just weren't having any parts of the argument.
Click to expand...

Uhm, I can't agree with you. User-replaceable means 'you can replace it', not 'we guarantee that it will work'. If some new RAM you have installed does not work with you laptop, its not Apple's problem. Ultimately, you can't demand that they design their products to be compatible with every possible RAM vendor out there. Basically, any third-party RAM/HDD should work if it adheres to the specification, but it is never guaranteed to work. I had Corsair RAM (a high quality product) cause kernel panics on my iMac, but working flawlessly on the MMP. Go figure.
 
Ccrew said:
It's not all there is to it really,. People here claim it's user replaceable and subsequently it's still an Apple issue if it's not working right. Mine was simply an example of how they'll throw it back at you. Mine wasn't the third party RAM, and I knew it wasn't. They just weren't having any parts of the argument.

There are also those here that don't know how to do it themselves or don't care to and those that will say "don't buy it at time of purchase, buy it afterwards to save $" Just because you and I know how to open one up doesn't mean everyone does.
Click to expand...

Apple Support Database HT4432 - Mac mini: How to remove or install memory. "About this Mac" also gives you the link to the Memory Upgrade Instructions.
 
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