I spilled a bottle of water on my new 13" Macbook Pro. The keyboard doesn't work correctly now and letters are automatically typing on the screen. Some keys don't work completely. Would anyone know at the minimum, about how much it would cost to repair? Or would it be cheaper to get a new one? Thanks.
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Water Spill - New 13" Pro
- Thread starter WxMan
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Thanks. Unfortunately, only Apple Care which won't cover accidents is what I only have. Almost all the keys on the keyboard have stopped working at this point. I even turned off the computer and tried turning it upside down to drain it.
For future reference (for what its worth) if you ever spill liquid onto an electronic device in the future then turn it off immediately and leave it to dry for a few days. Do not turn it on when there is even the smallest possibility it could still be damp, as it will short out the electrics.
Thanks. I appreciate the info. I'll have to call Apple or take it in this week and see what they say.
I called a genius at the Apple Store that's about 40 minutes away from me and he said it's going to be expensive to fix. He told me at the minimal, it would be in the hundreds of dollars, but couldn't give an exact figure without seeing it first. I decided to just save up for a new one and take the hard drive out of this one. I'll save the hard drive and I'm throwing the rest of the notebook out with the trash tomorrow night. The notebook was a good notebook though and I'm definitely buying Apple in the future.
Did you happen to use an Amex card when you purchased it? Some credit cards automatically have lost/damaged protection at no additional cost to you. Also, I dont know how old you are, but your home owners insurance may also cover things like this. I know its a long shot, but you never know!
OP, if you wanna risk $200 or so more, it may be worth trying this.
I've never done it, but who knows maybe you can.
Before you throw it out, put it upside down in a dry, heated (but not too hot) space, somewhere where an air current come through) and leave it there for about a week.
If it's just water, you might get lucky and it will work again.
This worked for me for several keyboards I did this with..
Mind you, I haven't tried with laptops, but what do you have to lose at this point ?
If it's just water, you might get lucky and it will work again.
This worked for me for several keyboards I did this with..
Mind you, I haven't tried with laptops, but what do you have to lose at this point ?
I've fixed computers like this before. (I have an COMP TA A+)
Anyway, That usually means the keyboard is still not dried out. Take a can of compressed air to it and wait a few more days and try it again.
You def. wont get AppleCare or warranty coverage, considering it's accidental damage and there are moisture sensors in the computer. Apple will probably say it costs $600 or some price, which is the luck i've had in the past.
You'd probably be better off taking it to a Apple certified technition, and with labour it would probably be around ~$200. (Just a guess)
To get to the keyboard you basically need to gut the computer, which would put labour costs up quite high.
Def. Don't throw it out, i've seen water damaged new ones that sell for up to $800.
It would really help recoup the cost of a new one. Plus, yours is even still turing on compared to most completley dead ones.
Anyway, That usually means the keyboard is still not dried out. Take a can of compressed air to it and wait a few more days and try it again.
You def. wont get AppleCare or warranty coverage, considering it's accidental damage and there are moisture sensors in the computer. Apple will probably say it costs $600 or some price, which is the luck i've had in the past.
You'd probably be better off taking it to a Apple certified technition, and with labour it would probably be around ~$200. (Just a guess)
To get to the keyboard you basically need to gut the computer, which would put labour costs up quite high.
Def. Don't throw it out, i've seen water damaged new ones that sell for up to $800.
It would really help recoup the cost of a new one. Plus, yours is even still turing on compared to most completley dead ones.
If you are looking to dry it out do the following.
Get a large enough zip lock or bag that you can seal for the macbook. If you can, you should always immediately remove the battery but we all know how that goes with Apple products.
Get a few bags of rice or even better the cat little that is made up of pure silica gel. http://www.freshstep.com/prodcrystals.php
Put the laptop in the bag, fill it with the rice or silica gel and leave it there for two days. If it is going to have any chance of working, that will do the trick of getting all the moisture out of it.
I have saved 3 cells phone in this manner. Have 5 daughters, I keep this stuff on emergency standby at all times.
and... I just found this.... if only they made a laptop kit: http://www.silicagelpackets.com/irecovery-cell-phone-electronics-drying-kit/
Get a large enough zip lock or bag that you can seal for the macbook. If you can, you should always immediately remove the battery but we all know how that goes with Apple products.
Get a few bags of rice or even better the cat little that is made up of pure silica gel. http://www.freshstep.com/prodcrystals.php
Put the laptop in the bag, fill it with the rice or silica gel and leave it there for two days. If it is going to have any chance of working, that will do the trick of getting all the moisture out of it.
I have saved 3 cells phone in this manner. Have 5 daughters, I keep this stuff on emergency standby at all times.
and... I just found this.... if only they made a laptop kit: http://www.silicagelpackets.com/irecovery-cell-phone-electronics-drying-kit/
Excellent tips. Thank you all very much for the information. I am going to continue to dry it out and if all fails, I may just sell it on Ebay to recoup the cost of a new Macbook Pro. Great tip about the cat litter and rice. Will have to try it out and see how it goes. Thanks again.
I got curious how much a repair would actually cost and decided to take my computer into the Apple store and they said since this was my first Mac, they would replace it free. I'm keeping liquids far away from my computer now. My new one is working perfectly.
Apple is the best! Thank you Apple!!! 
Apple is the best! Thank you Apple!!!
I got curious how much a repair would actually cost and decided to take my computer into the Apple store and they said since this was my first Mac, they would replace it free. I'm keeping liquids far away from my computer now. My new one is working perfectly.
Apple is the best! Thank you Apple!!!
Congratulations! That is awesome. You have got to love Apple.
You must be really happy. (hell I know I would be)
Just be a little careful with liquids. Consider a keyboard protector to further protect your investment.
I got curious how much a repair would actually cost and decided to take my computer into the Apple store and they said since this was my first Mac, they would replace it free. I'm keeping liquids far away from my computer now. My new one is working perfectly.
Apple is the best! Thank you Apple!!!
Congrats!!! Steve Jobs said today that they love and care about their customers, he's not kidding!!
Man, do yourself a favor and get a silicone keyboard cover for possible future spills. I use the iSkin, but don't get the Moshi Clearguard. Here's the link to iSkin.http://www.iskin.com/protouch_macbook/fx_features.html#continue
Were you within the 14-day return period? Im just wondering. This is very out of the ordinary for Apple, and you should never expect them to do anything like this, so just be careful with your precious computer!
Well awesome for you I guess...
Looks like the iGeneration is more important than people who have been buying their computers for over a decade.