White Wine on my Macbook Pro :/

Z

zenvision

macrumors regular
A friend of mine just accidentally spilt white wine on my Macbook Pro, it went over my keyboard and right speaker...I quickly turned it over, and dried it with a towel and then used a hairdryer...was that a bad idea? I'm using it now and the keys seem fine, the speaker is fine...everything seems normal. Is there anything else I should do?

I'm a bit worried! I have AppleCare but its not insured...
 
You can always take it to an Apple store and see if they will check it out for you. Make sure nothing is damaged. I ruined my iBook that way. Spilled a glass of wine and it trashed the logic board.

The scary thing is, the computer worked fine for a few months after the spill, and then one day, just crapped out. The fact that it's working now is a good sign, but does not indicate an absence on problems that may yet arise.

BTW, AppleCare does not cover liquid damage.
 
Chances are since you simply air/hairdryed it for a short period of time that problems will crop up. Usually you want to let spilled-on computers sit open *without the battery in* for a couple days to get as much liquid as possible out. Also, since its white wine instead of plain water there's probably some manner of residue inside the laptop that would be readily visible to a service rep and could possibly cause you problems in the future. If you take it in and they open it up, chances are they'll void your warranty because of spills and give you a good-sized quote to repair it.

Ideally it should be taken apart piece-by-piece, cleaned with distilled water (or something that would evaporate faster), left to air dry for a long time, and reassembled. I'm not sure exactly what Apple does.

I doubt you want to do this: http://www.engadget.com/2007/03/20/what-to-do-if-you-spill-liquid-on-your-laptop/
 
My mate ruined his iBook G4 by spilling beer on it. The screen only half-worked, and the USB ports were rendeered useless. It all happened over about 2-3 weeks, so I suggest you quickly book in to the Genius Bar and ask for a once-over.
 
Thing is, everything works absolutely fine...keys included. There's just a slight smell of wine ;)

I'm tempted to go get it checked out, but if I go in and tell them wine was spilled on it they will remove my warranty...
 
Not to be the bearer of bad news, or further bearer of bad news, Apple techs will figure out the spill irrespective of whether or not you tell them (they always do). So, the best thing is just to hope that you don't have an issue with the computer, because the warranty in all likelihood will be deemed void if you ever need it serviced.
 
If you are really concerned and the thought of likely voiding your warranty by fessing up to the mac "geniuses" of what you have done to your machine - go over to ifixit.com, check out their disassembly guide for your machine and get to work.
 
negatv1 said:
If you are really concerned and the thought of likely voiding your warranty by fessing up to the mac "geniuses" of what you have done to your machine - go over to ifixit.com, check out their disassembly guide for your machine and get to work.
Click to expand...

In this instance, what then should he use to clean the machine and its parts?

I remember, in my P.C. building days (good riddance), I had a similar situation pop up with a motherboard and soda. I did some research, and the consensus seemed to be that I should use denatured alcohol and Q-Tips to clean. It worked marvelously....would this be the way to go for him as well?
 
There is a freon replacement which comes in a spray can (nozzle like WD40). It is used in aerospace for cleaning electronics. It is a cleaner/degreaser that evaporates. It is generally not available to the public. You should be able to find it with a little research.

Good luck.
 
the problem with the wine is that it will slowly eat at any electronics it was spilled on. you need to use a cleaner like distilled water. there's also an electronics parts wash but i forget what's in it or where to get it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Back
Top