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Water (Wine) Damage. How screwed am I?

M

MACelmore

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 11, 2013
116
49
So as the title indicates, I spilled wine on my rMBP last night. I immediately cleaned it off and used cotton swabs to get in the cracks. My roommate told me to turn it off and leave it in front of the fan all night, which I tried to do, but when I was cleaning it I accidentally hit the power button and it powered right up.

I mention that because this morning it's no longer powering up. I'm fearing the worst but please please please tell me there's a way to fix this. There has to be :(
 
First rule of liquid spills is to turn the case part immediately upside down so gravity gets the liquid out from under the keys away from the logic board. When I've had panic calls from clients with the screen open leave it on the edge of a table with the screen over the end and a pair of books on the table resting on the speaker sides letting all the fluid fall on the table itself.

Rubbing the key tops with spills as it is only makes the liquid you can't see make its way through the keyboard membrane and onto the logic board which sounds like what's happened in your case I'm afraid.
 
MACelmore said:
So as the title indicates, I spilled wine on my rMBP last night. I immediately cleaned it off and used cotton swabs to get in the cracks. My roommate told me to turn it off and leave it in front of the fan all night, which I tried to do, but when I was cleaning it I accidentally hit the power button and it powered right up.

I mention that because this morning it's no longer powering up. I'm fearing the worst but please please please tell me there's a way to fix this. There has to be :(
Click to expand...
Wine has a lot of sugars. + Liquid causes circuit boards to swell, and short circuits.

You could tear it apart, look for the staining on the mainboard, scrub with 91+% isopropyl. If circuits weren't damaged, might clear up.

Very very long shot. Probably beyond repair.
 
Okay, so assuming the worst, what's my next move? Let it dry out for a few days and then try it? Take it to the Apple store today? Also, I have documents on there that I need!! Can the apple store recover those? I have AppleCare...
 
You could leave it upside down for a few days to dry anything out, if you need your data back quick take it to Apple. Be prepared for the big cost of a new logic board/top case though. Your SSD will probably be more likely be ok along with your data on it but it all depends where the liquid has leaked through the keyboard onto the components underneath.
 
Menel said:
Wine has a lot of sugars. + Liquid causes circuit boards to swell, and short circuits.

You could tear it apart, look for the staining on the mainboard, scrub with 91+% isopropyl. If circuits weren't damaged, might clear up.

Very very long shot. Probably beyond repair.
Click to expand...

liquid damage is always a crapshoot , i have had liquid damaged laptops i pull apart that only need a new magsafe board and than some i pull apart that look like water has been sitting in it for days.

i would consider doing the teir repair from apple and just chalking it up as a lesson learned....i learned that lesson myself.
 
MACelmore said:
So as the title indicates, I spilled wine on my rMBP last night. I immediately cleaned it off and used cotton swabs to get in the cracks. My roommate told me to turn it off and leave it in front of the fan all night, which I tried to do, but when I was cleaning it I accidentally hit the power button and it powered right up.

I mention that because this morning it's no longer powering up. I'm fearing the worst but please please please tell me there's a way to fix this. There has to be :(
Click to expand...

Go to your local Chinatown, buy some uncooked rice grains and also a container large enough to place your rMBP in, and pour the uncooked rice grains over the rMBP. Place it at an angle (i.e. so that the rice grains wouldn't fall into the laptop via the air vents) and then leave it that way overnight.

Uncooked rice grains absorb moisture very well.
 
I'm in the same predicament right now as well. I was playing music at a party on Saturday night and somebody knocked over a beer that spilled behind my Macbook Air and made a puddle under it. My laptop was still working when I noticed this (was playing pong at the time) and I lifted it up, wiped it down, closed the laptop to do so and when I opened it back up it wouldn't power on. Unplugged it, put it in a box with rice inside and have been just waiting. I heard it's best to wait 48-72 hours before you try turning it on again. Obviously it not ever turning back on is not an ideal situation, but I'm trying to look at the positive side. I just recently got my tax return and although a new Macbook isn't what I was planning on spending it on (school loan), it does give me some relief if I do need to purchase a new laptop. I hope everything works out for the both of us.

Note: I hear repairs cost around $755+ for this kind of damage if the laptop is truly messed up. I don't think it's worth it to drop $755 over buying just a whole new computer.
 
Update

Update on my situation: I let my Air sit in a box of rice for about 2 and a half days and tried to turn it on today and looks like everything is working fine. My spill was just it sitting in a puddle though, not on the keyboard. I don't even know if anything got in it. But yeah, hope this gives you hope. I've heard stories about a lot of people spilling on their Macbooks and end up being fine.
 
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