Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Will a 2nd hard drive void the warranty?
- Thread starter Jorg1312
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Thats not good!
Do you think they'd actually know if I'd just put it all back as it used to be before going to the Apple store?
I'm not sure if they have tamper-proof tape on the optical drive. Otherwise, as long as you don't damage anything or make marks, you should be fine. I'd search the procedure on YouTube and see if you have to remove any tamper proofing.
My early 2011 MBP has a 2nd HDD in the optical bay.
I have had warranty repair done, but prior to bringing it in, i just popped the 2nd HDD, and placed the DVD drive back in. They were none the wiser.
Yes, it technically voids the warranty/AppleCare, as the SuperDrive is not a user-serviceable part. However, many do this and simply replace the SuperDrive before taking their Macs in for service.
That's what I'm thinking. No guarantee but worth a shot.
The only problem is I wanted to replace the main HDD with a Hybrid SSD HDD and use the main one as the 2nd HDD so I couldn't put it back to the exact original state.
However I keep reading that swapping the main HDD does not void warranty apart from the actual HDD you replace it with of course. Does that sound right?
Replacing the HDD with another HDD or SSD does not void the warranty. The MBP User Guide even gives instructions on how to do so. The same is true for RAM.
I understand that HDD and RAM can be upgraded without voiding the warranty.
But many will be removing their optical drive to put in another HDD.
For those going this route, would it be better to not purchase the Applecare and only do the upgrade after the 1st year warranty is over?
It is possible to pop back in the optical drive prior to servicing but that would be a risk wouldn't it? And the people at the service center may consider your additional 2 years of Applecare as void.
It's a risk to take. But not buying Applecare itself is a risk as well given how costly some repairs are.
But many will be removing their optical drive to put in another HDD.
For those going this route, would it be better to not purchase the Applecare and only do the upgrade after the 1st year warranty is over?
It is possible to pop back in the optical drive prior to servicing but that would be a risk wouldn't it? And the people at the service center may consider your additional 2 years of Applecare as void.
It's a risk to take. But not buying Applecare itself is a risk as well given how costly some repairs are.
If you want extended warranty you could look at finding a professional fitter who might give you warranty.
Its not too difficult to build the Superdrive in and out. You will need the right tools though.
Of course they still might see little scratch marks on the screws so a risk remains.
I decided to just do it. I need to work with that machine asap and cant be bothered always carrying external drives with me.
Just put it back before you get warranty work. They don't look for "tampering". I've brought it back for warranty work with the SSD in the optical bay a few times and it all depends on whether you get a nice customer-friendly "genius" or a super Apple employee "genius". The first will ignore it and help you out, while the latter will talk down to you about how you've voided your whole computer's warranty, laugh at you and go seek approval and a head pat from his supervisor.