Arghh, my Macbook pro has died!

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zactommo

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#32119 13-Apr-2009 17:18

My macbook pro developed a fault over the weekend, and i'm looking for advice as to what the problem is, and what I might be able to do about it. Just to make it clear, i got the laptop two months ago, second hand, and its well out of the warranty period.

I'd given my laptop to someone to use at an event over the weekend; they we're side of stage using it, and I was elsewhere. It got stored in a container overnight, and when we got it out in the morning (the event was in a marquee, and it was flippin cold this morning) the thing when nuts when it was turned on(I wasn't there at the time) Apparently it showed a whole heap of nonsense on the screen, then locked up, and then wouldn't start at all. After we warmed it up a bit, it would start, but the LCD backlight won't turn on, so thats where I am at at the moment. Have tired the standard stuff like SMU reset, but I don't know where to go from here.

Could be the backlight inverter maybe, or the logic board. Is there anyway to tell what the exact problem is. Both of those sound like expensive things to fix. Any suggestions for other software resets etc that might make it work?

Thanks for your help

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#206700 13-Apr-2009 17:53

can you boot from the OS disc or TechTool disc at all?

zactommo

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#206701 13-Apr-2009 17:58

Computer boots ok it seems, I can very very faintly see the screen in the right light.

kaiwai

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#206709 13-Apr-2009 19:44

zactommo: Computer boots ok it seems, I can very very faintly see the screen in the right light.

According to the consumer guarantee act - warranties mean nothing given they must provide a warranty based on 'fair wear and tear' which means yours has actually a mandatory 2 1/2 years warranty. Know your rights, beat your chest - and you'll find that unless the Magnummac/Renaissance wants a show down - they'll fix it.

zactommo

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#206711 13-Apr-2009 19:57

I'm not quiet sure how old it is, but it may be within two and a half years old. Their are a couple problems with that solution for me.
1) They could say that the time at which is broke, it was being used outside of reasonable operating condition.
2) it has a dent which could be considered as evidence of misue/abuse of the machine.
3) The general manager at my workplace is also they national manager(or something like that) of magnum mac, and he is based in the CHCH store, where I would go if I was to get it repaired(this could be to my advantage if I do need repairs)

I was actually more looking to find out how I could tell what the exact fault is, and what I could do about it.
I have two ex magnum mac technicians at my work, so I will probably take it to one of them on wednesday when I'm back.

zactommo

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#206712 13-Apr-2009 20:08

I checked online, and according to the apple site, the computer is still under warranty, which means they must have purchased an extened 3 year apple care plan. But it throws up two problems for me.

1) My MBP has larger hard drive that I installed myself when I got it about 3 months ago, and its not an apple brand one
2) It has a dent, and the case is lifting ever so slightly at the front, which may make them say that I have abused the product.
Thats two possibly ground for voiding the warranty, which could cause some problems.

Any thoughts?

kaiwai

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#206713 13-Apr-2009 20:11

zactommo: I checked online, and according to the apple site, the computer is still under warranty, which means they must have purchased an extened 3 year apple care plan. But it throws up two problems for me.

1) My MBP has larger hard drive that I installed myself when I got it about 3 months ago, and its not an apple brand one

2) It has a dent, and the case is lifting ever so slightly at the front, which may make them say that I have abused the product.

Thats two possibly ground for voiding the warranty, which could cause some problems.

Any thoughts?

The hard disk will be less of a problem given that IIRC it is a usable upgradeable component.

The dent, however, might cause problems; it depends on the nature of the dent I guess and how bad the lifting is. Given the current economic climate - you might find that they'll use any excuse to harvest money from you.

josephhinvest

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#206766 14-Apr-2009 09:01

Hi zactommo,

Sorry to hear about the issue with your machine. A couple of things worth noting, and IAAACMT (I Am An Apple Certified Macintosh Technician).

> I can very very faintly see the screen in the right light.

First reset your PRAM (cmd+opt+P+R when rebooting) on the off chance it's a bung brightness setting.
Otherwise it sounds like the inverter/backlight has failed.
This can be bad, as most models of MacBook Pro require a whole display assembly replacement for any display fault.

> consumer guarantee act...

My understanding is the CGA requires goods to be usable for a Reasonable Period Of Time. I believe this is decided on a case by case basis when you make a complaint under the CGA.

> unless the Magnummac/Renaissance wants a show down

This is a bit misrepresentative, Renaissance are neither the Manufacturer nor Distributor, and do not have the ability to alter your machines warranty status. As you are not the original purchaser, I don't know if you'll have grounds to beat your chest, without the original Proof of Purchase.
However, the warranty is tied to the units serial number, not the customer. If the unit is still under warranty, an Apple Authorised Service Provider may well still repair it. I would suggest not advising them you have purchased it second hand.
For quality issues, you have to go to the Manufacturer, i.e. Apple. Apple Australia have a toll-free phone number, 00800 7666 7666.

> It has a dent, and the case is lifting ever so slightly at the front, which may make them say that I have abused the product.

This is a bit of a grey area. We can allow for dents and dings, if they are not directly related to the fault.
i.e. a dent near the hard drive, and a clunky hard drive, is a no-brainer.
However, reasonable wear and tear and dents will not automatically void the warranty for all issues.

> Given the current economic climate - you might find that they'll use any excuse to harvest money from you.

Again, this is a bit misrepresentative. Renaissance, or any Apple Authorised Service Provider will be charged by Apple for the parts used for any non-warranty repair, or components that are deemed faulty through Abuse. We don't go out of our way to charge customers, but it's unreasonable to think that we could carry the cost of your repair, possibly many hundreds of $$$.

However, having said all that, I'm happy to confirm your warranty status, and look at your machine, if you're in Auckland.

Cheers,
Joseph.

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

zactommo

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#206769 14-Apr-2009 09:09

jofizz:
IAAACMT (I Am An Apple Certified Macintosh Technician).

Being that your a certified technician, what would your thoughts be on the fact that i've replaced the hard drive with a bigger one. (i've done this to my last two mac laptops, and my imac) Would you be inclined to void my warranty based on that?

josephhinvest

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#206773 14-Apr-2009 09:35

zactommo:
jofizz:
IAAACMT (I Am An Apple Certified Macintosh Technician).

Being that your a certified technician, what would your thoughts be on the fact that i've replaced the hard drive with a bigger one. (i've done this to my last two mac laptops, and my imac) Would you be inclined to void my warranty based on that?

I personally would not consider the warranty to be void in this instance. My rule of thumb is that if I can't tell it's been done, then there's no problem.

zactommo

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#206792 14-Apr-2009 10:32

These are the dents that I think may void my warranty.

None of these dents were there before I gave it to be used at the event, so I will be asking how the heck this has happened. I'm guess they are probably large enough to void the warranty.

This is the case lifting. Was like this when I purchased it.

Thanks for your help

josephhinvest

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#206878 14-Apr-2009 16:18

zactommo: These are the dents that I think may void my warranty.

None of these dents were there before I gave it to be used at the event, so I will be asking how the heck this has happened. I'm guess they are probably large enough to void the warranty.

This is the case lifting. Was like this when I purchased it.

Thanks for your help

Wow those are very unusual dents!
To be so symmetrical is very odd. Well, again, I still think it may be possible to replace under warranty.
If the display assembly (the whole clamshell) along with the hinge cover piece are all free from damage, then the display assembly may still be exchangeable.
If the display assembly itself has dents, then there's still a grey area of reasonable wear and tear, but would be less likely to be covered, with the overall condition.

zactommo

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#206881 14-Apr-2009 16:22

Yeah, they are very unusual, i'm still trying to find out how it happened, and who did it.
Do you know what magnum mac charges for an inspection these days if they decide the warranty is void?

zactommo

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#207664 17-Apr-2009 18:47

So magnum mac has decided that warranty is void because of the dents. I tried to argue the point that the dents are not near anything related to the backlight, and infact, its pretty much empty space behind them, but to no avail, they wouldn't budge. Rang up apple phone support, went through some stuff, then they gave me a case number. Am comteplating taking it to service plus on monday (the only other mac repaired in CHCH) hoping they will be more gracious!

stevenz

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#209168 25-Apr-2009 10:36

I've been told in the past by an Apple tech that as long as a user upgrade of either the HDD or RAM appears to have been done competantly, and isn't directly related to whatever the warranty issue is, then they're not worried about it.

I'm not sure what the stance is on a CPU upgrade.

Those are some big dents, I'd be screaming at the people I lent it to and getting someone to promise to pay for any costs, that's pretty crappy of them. This is why I never lend expensive stuff to anyone unless they a) promise to pay for potential damages and b) I know they can actually do so if need be.

If a user bought a PC to me with damage like that, there is NO WAY I'd look at it under warranty, it's obviously been bashed pretty hard.

kaiwai

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#209338 25-Apr-2009 22:09

jofizz:
> consumer guarantee act...
My understanding is the CGA requires goods to be usable for a Reasonable Period Of Time. I believe this is decided on a case by case basis when you make a complaint under the CGA.

Yes and this has been covered many times - a laptop based on fair wear and tear should last atleast 2 1/2 to 3 years. IIRC it was an investigation as to whether the extended warranties were value for money.

> unless the Magnummac/Renaissance wants a show down

This is a bit misrepresentative, Renaissance are neither the Manufacturer nor Distributor, and do not have the ability to alter your machines warranty status. As you are not the original purchaser, I don't know if you'll have grounds to beat your chest, without the original Proof of Purchase.

However, the warranty is tied to the units serial number, not the customer. If the unit is still under warranty, an Apple Authorised Service Provider may well still repair it. I would suggest not advising them you have purchased it second hand.

For quality issues, you have to go to the Manufacturer, i.e. Apple. Apple Australia have a toll-free phone number, 00800 7666 7666.

I've had companies who have tried to shirk out of their responsibilities - you import and sell equipment; as a customer I don't care who does what and where, as far as I am concerned - its up to you to sort out the mess behind the scenes.

> Given the current economic climate - you might find that they'll use any excuse to harvest money from you.

Again, this is a bit misrepresentative. Renaissance, or any Apple Authorised Service Provider will be charged by Apple for the parts used for any non-warranty repair, or components that are deemed faulty through Abuse. We don't go out of our way to charge customers, but it's unreasonable to think that we could carry the cost of your repair, possibly many hundreds of $$$.

There moister detector in the new iPhone sit in the ear phone connector which basically means that after a heavy work out at the gym - you have invalidated you warranty. You can't tell me that isn't a revenue harvesting scheme. Will you fix that iPod even if the moister detector is in an unreasonable place?

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