What happens to old logic boards?

[CamH132]

I have a 2017 Macbook Pro with a fried logic board. I intend on getting it replaced by my authorised mac repair shop - although they have told me that I can not keep the old logic board as it has to be returned to apple.



Does anyone know what happens to these old boards - whether they are recycled or repurposed?



I have a lot of my logins / passwords / information / photos etc that is both personal and for work stored on the computer’s SSD - which is soldered into the logic board. I do not want anyone to potentially have access to all of my files so without knowing what happens to the old logic boards I am reluctant to hand my computer over for repairs.

 

[JPack]

Old logic boards are reworked and tested. You often find them in Apple refurbished machines. There's at least $300 worth of components on the board. It would be nuts for Apple to axe it half.

 

[saudor]

Old logic boards are reworked and tested. You often find them in Apple refurbished machines. There's at least $300 worth of components on the board. It would be nuts for Apple to axe it half.

It's funny. Repairs are insanely expensive and sometimes gets close to buying new. You technically paid for the "older board" but apple takes it from you and resells it for more $$$.

 

[russell_314]

It's funny. Repairs are insanely expensive and sometimes gets close to buying new. You technically paid for the "older board" but apple takes it from you and resells it for more $$$.

Yes they are taking away the defective part for recycling or repurposing but they are also installing a non defective part that is worth more than the defective one. Sure if it wasn't for that minor little detail Apple would be making $$$$ but it wouldn't be a repair then LOL

 

[JPack]

It's funny. Repairs are insanely expensive and sometimes gets close to buying new. You technically paid for the "older board" but apple takes it from you and resells it for more $$$.

It's a double whammy as this means less refurbished parts on the market, which increases overall repair costs. There are thousands of REWA trained technicians around the world who can repair logic boards.

Apple learned from printer manufacturers who will pay for shipping and packaging to take your old cartridges back. They want it not to recycle, but to prevent refills and re-manufacturing.

 

[saudor]

Yes they are taking away the defective part for recycling or repurposing but they are also installing a non defective part that is worth more than the defective one. Sure if it wasn't for that minor little detail Apple would be making $$$$ but it wouldn't be a repair then LOL

But you also pay several hundreds of dollars for the non-defective part + labor costs as well - especially if it involves the logic board. Apple is not doing it for free.

Going back to OP, that 2017 is probably not under warranty so they're probably paying out of pocket. Since the original part is already paid for, not sure why apple is not letting OP keep it other than the fact that they want to resell that part later. As far as Tim's wallet is concerned, OP paid for the original part. OP is paying labor+material costs for the new one. OP has a valid reason to keep the old part (vs most people usually not caring )

Anyways I asked an apple genius on this and they told me it's to help cover repair costs. In essence, they're double dipping an already paid for part to generate more $$$

 

[CamH132]

yep, i was basically told that the old logic board gets returned to apple as an ‘exchange’ for the new one. If i wanted to keep the old board they said the overall repair cost would double in price.

My main issue still lies with the data on the SSD that is soldered to that logic board though. If the purpose of sending the old board back to apple is so they can refurbish it, I do not want them to have access to the files / information that is saved on there.

 

[alFR]

My main issue still lies with the data on the SSD that is soldered to that logic board though. If the purpose of sending the old board back to apple is so they can refurbish it, I do not want them to have access to the files / information that is saved on there.

If you're using FileVault on your internal drive with a decent strength login password you have no worries, no-one will be able to access your data. You are using FileVault, aren't you?

 

[Fishrrman]

Just wondering... what led you to believe that the logic board went bad on you...?

 

[CamH132]

If you're using FileVault on your internal drive with a decent strength login password you have no worries, no-one will be able to access your data. You are using FileVault, aren't you?

To be honest, i don’t remember so am assuming probably not. I have always had to login using my password which gives me a glimmer of hope - but i do not specifically remember enabling filevault.

I have had problems with other macbooks over the last ~10 years (including another fried logic board) but have always been able to remove the hard drive myself to protect and restore my data. It wasn’t until this computer failed that i opened it up and realised everything is soldered on and not removable.

Just wondering... what led you to believe that the logic board went bad on you...?

It was diagnosed by an authorised mac repair shop - however i chose not to go through with the repair yet until i figure out what to do with my SSD

 

[alFR]

IIRC it’s been enabled by default in the last few versions of macOS (you need to opt out during setup to not use it) so you probably were using it. To be honest it’s probably not an issue anyway: for it to be an issue there would have to be a bad actor in Apple’s refurb centre who (a) happened to work on your logic board and (b) picked that particular board to try to get data from. All in all it’s not very likely. If you’re still concerned your only options I can see are to either just pay the extra to keep the board or to remove the board and take a drill to the SSD (in which case I doubt they would take it back, so you’d end up paying anyway).

 

[russell_314]

But you also pay several hundreds of dollars for the non-defective part + labor costs as well - especially if it involves the logic board. Apple is not doing it for free.

Going back to OP, that 2017 is probably not under warranty so they're probably paying out of pocket. Since the original part is already paid for, not sure why apple is not letting OP keep it other than the fact that they want to resell that part later. As far as Tim's wallet is concerned, OP paid for the original part. OP is paying labor+material costs for the new one. OP has a valid reason to keep the old part (vs most people usually not caring )

Anyways I asked an apple genius on this and they told me it's to help cover repair costs. In essence, they're double dipping an already paid for part to generate more $$$

Apple pushes hard to promote recycling and reuse. This is a case where Apple is doing something very positive for the environment but a cynical person will find evil in it. A less cynical person might say perhaps "it's to help cover repair cost" means Apple can charge less for repairs instead of "double dipping". There's always a cynical way to look at things but the way I see it is Apple is keeping tons of materials out of landfills by recycling them and that's a win for everyone.

If someone has a special case where the data on their SSD might be illegal or some type of corporate/ government secret then they can probably afford the cost of a new MacBook and physically destroy the old logic board with SSD.

 

[russell_314]

yep, i was basically told that the old logic board gets returned to apple as an ‘exchange’ for the new one. If i wanted to keep the old board they said the overall repair cost would double in price.

My main issue still lies with the data on the SSD that is soldered to that logic board though. If the purpose of sending the old board back to apple is so they can refurbish it, I do not want them to have access to the files / information that is saved on there.

Exactly they are saying that the cost of the new part is being subsidized by the old one being returned. If you ever worked on an automobile it's similar when it comes to some parts. They will have a "core charge". You can choose not to return the old part and you don't get the core charge refunded. It looks like Apple gave you this option which surpises me a little but I think it's always good to have more choices.

They are not going to "have access" to your files. Apple isn't interested in what you have in your photos or documents. To access it they would have to attach this SSD to a new logic board then set it up. They don't have a reason to do this unless you're some type of government agent or dissident then you should have paid to keep your old part. The SSD chips is going to be taken down for metals. They would never reuse an SSD chip because of how they wear. That's asking for trouble. No one will get your SSD chip on their refurbished Mac if that's what you worry about.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"It was diagnosed by an authorised mac repair shop - however i chose not to go through with the repair yet until i figure out what to do with my SSD"

Was this an Apple Store genius bar, or a "third-party [non Apple] provider"?

Your reply still doesn't give a hint as to what's not working.
What happens when you try to power it up?
Does it remain dark, no sign of life at all?
Does it begin to boot, then fail?

If it won't boot to the internal drive, will it boot to INTERNET recovery?
Command-OPTION-R
???

I'm not familiar with the SSD on that one, is it soldered directly to the motherboard, or is it removable (but an Apple proprietary design)?

IF it's soldered in, then I reckon you have two choices:
Choice 1:
Hand it over to the shop and hope for the best
or
Choice 2:
Keep it, put it into the closet so no one else can access the motherboard, and buy something new.

(well, I guess you could take a sledgehammer to it...)

 

[CamH132]

OP wrote:
"It was diagnosed by an authorised mac repair shop - however i chose not to go through with the repair yet until i figure out what to do with my SSD"

Was this an Apple Store genius bar, or a "third-party [non Apple] provider"?

Your reply still doesn't give a hint as to what's not working.
What happens when you try to power it up?
Does it remain dark, no sign of life at all?
Does it begin to boot, then fail?

If it won't boot to the internal drive, will it boot to INTERNET recovery?
Command-OPTION-R
???

I'm not familiar with the SSD on that one, is it soldered directly to the motherboard, or is it removable (but an Apple proprietary design)?

IF it's soldered in, then I reckon you have two choices:
Choice 1:
Hand it over to the shop and hope for the best
or
Choice 2:
Keep it, put it into the closet so no one else can access the motherboard, and buy something new.

(well, I guess you could take a sledgehammer to it...)

I do not have an Apple Store / genius bar in my city. The place i took the laptop to is a third party shop who is authorised by apple to do repairs. The computer remains dark with no sign of life - the repair shop has diagnosed the computer as having a fried logic board which is likely to have been caused by the extremely high humidity (and condensation as a result) we have been experiencing lately. it was noted that they had received multiple macbooks with the exact same problem lately. The SSD is soldered directly onto the logic board.

 

[Fishrrman]

IF you have access to another Mac with USBc ports, you might consider using the "Apple Configurator II" utility (free from Apple) to reset the firmware and restore the Mac.

There are posts about using it on the net, may also be a YouTube video or two.
You'll have to "do the researching".

That has worked for others with seemingly-"dead" MacBook Pros.

Chances are the repair shop you took it to has NO IDEA that this is possible, nor how to do it.

Good luck.