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cbk1994 · Aug 24, 2007, 05:58 PM

When I got my MacBook Pro, it had a bump (like it had been dropped (not very hardly) on one of its corners. Seeing as my warranty expires in about 50 days, I want to see if they'll cover it. I've never bothered checking before because everything works fine, and I've been needing my computer. However, since my warranty is about to run out, I'd like to see if they will cover it.

I'm pretty sure you can get a new body for the MBP without replacing the whole computer-- I wouldn't do that.

Can someone please tell me:
-How much would it cost to get this fixed?
-Will they cover it
-Do you think it damaged anything

Besides occasional disc drive errors, the disc drive works fine (thought I use it once every four months or so!).

Thanks, I'm attaching the pictures right here (sorry they're so big):

bballe336 · Aug 24, 2007, 06:09 PM

If you've waited long I doubt they'd cover it. It's always worth a try though, you never know what will happen.

cbk1994 · Aug 24, 2007, 06:28 PM

Hmm, well would they cover it if I said that it wasn't like that out of the box? I'm not sure exactly what the warranty covers.

tinkered · Aug 24, 2007, 08:36 PM

Here is the warranty: http://images.apple.com/legal/warran...puwarranty.pdf
It would be covered, but it is going to be hard to demonstrate that you did not drop it.

cbk1994 · Aug 24, 2007, 08:57 PM

Well, if the warranty says that they will cover it, I'll just call them and say the warranty is supposed to cover it. I'll make it clear it's up to them to make sure I didn't drop it.

Plus, if I'd dropped it, it'd probably have more than that. That looks like it just fell while inside a lot of packaging or something, or it would have dented a lot more.

Well, if I call them, do you think they would do it? Also, if they won't do it, what will it cost me to get them to replace the body? They can do that without replacing the whole computer, right?

tinkered · Aug 24, 2007, 09:02 PM

Here is the link a sight that will sell you the part so you can do it yourself (voiding the warranty of course): MacBook Pro 15" - iFixit: iPod, iBook, & PowerBook Parts and Accessories

If you have Apple repair it, it will cost more. Apple overcharges for labor.

Jondot · Aug 24, 2007, 09:13 PM

Originally Posted by cbk1994

Well, if the warranty says that they will cover it, I'll just call them and say the warranty is supposed to cover it. I'll make it clear it's up to them to make sure I didn't drop it.

Plus, if I'd dropped it, it'd probably have more than that. That looks like it just fell while inside a lot of packaging or something, or it would have dented a lot more.

Well, if I call them, do you think they would do it? Also, if they won't do it, what will it cost me to get them to replace the body? They can do that without replacing the whole computer, right?

Call me inexperienced when it comes to Macs and their support, but I don't think telling them what their warranty covers will do much good.

I can't see this dent being caused by you or anyone dropping it, really. Especially not inside the packaging. It looks to me like it was caused during the manufacturing process, but I could be wrong.

There's a similar issue here: AppleDefects.com � MacBook Pro Mysterious Latch Bulge - Customer Complaints & Issues - Defective Apple Products, iPod, MacBook, iMac, Mac problems

But yeah, assuring Apple it's not your fault will be tricky. Getting it repaired? I really don't know. The best idea would be to ask, I guess, but since it's not harming the computer and might not be anything more than a manufacturing blip, it's not worth the cost. But you never know, they might well sort it under warranty. Good luck

MacosNerd · Aug 24, 2007, 10:01 PM

Originally Posted by Jondot

Call me inexperienced when it comes to Macs and their support, but I don't think telling them what their warranty covers will do much good.

Sure it does, the front line folks are not too knowledgeable in the specifics, they're trained to read a checklist. Apple posts the warranty for a reason and if a given customer rep, is not abiding by that then its up to you to speak up. No I've never needed to do that and I hope I don't but I have no problems speaking up.

cbk1994 · Aug 24, 2007, 10:02 PM

Well, if at all possible I'd really like to get it fixed. I love my MacBook Pro, and have always taken care of it. It almost embarrasses me to have this on my computer.

Well, does anyone know what it would cost to get Apple to fix it if they won't cover it? Thanks everyone.

amazing · Aug 25, 2007, 12:02 AM

I really don't think Apple's gonna believe that you accepted the MBP that way in the first place. And that you didn't call them up to let them know in--what, a year? You say your Applecare is expiring, that's the first year, hmm? Sorry, don't think so.

analogika · Aug 25, 2007, 06:24 AM

Originally Posted by cbk1994

Well, if the warranty says that they will cover it, I'll just call them and say the warranty is supposed to cover it. I'll make it clear it's up to them to make sure I didn't drop it.

Warranty NEVER covers external damage.

In fact, in most cases, external damage is considered evidence of misuse and will completely void the warranty on your device.

Period.

Any authorized service provider, and Apple themselves, will charge you in full for replacement of a part with cosmetic damage incurred by misuse (and a complete bottom-case replacement is *EXPENSIVE* - think $500+ including labor), and any other failure on the machine will probably not be covered under warranty, since mid-term consequences of whatever caused that dent are likely to include eventual component failures.

That's the situation - coming from someone who actually deals with cases like yours on a daily basis.

You can always try anyway, but realize that nobody owes you ANYTHING, so anything that does happen is completely up to them and how friendly and forthcoming they want to be.

So be nice, whatever happens, okay?

JustinHorne · Aug 25, 2007, 06:29 AM

"You can always try anyway, but realize that nobody owes you ANYTHING"

If it honestly came that way from the factory, I wholly disagree.

analogika · Aug 25, 2007, 07:32 AM

Originally Posted by JustinHorne

"You can always try anyway, but realize that nobody owes you ANYTHING"

If it honestly came that way from the factory, I wholly disagree.

a) The chances that it actually came that way from the factory are close enough to zero for Apple to sensibly discard.

b) If it did, it took him A FULL YEAR to bother reporting it? WTF? Reason #2 that Apple will sensibly discard the possibility.

If he walks in to a Repair Center with an attitude of entitlement, they'll just blow it off, because if push comes to shove, those two points are going to make it IMPOSSIBLE to prove that this is Apple's problem, and not his. Legally, Apple owes him NOTHING - even if they shipped the machine this way (which I doubt), the negligence of waiting until just before the warranty expires to do anything about it makes the customer's claim slightly silly.

Hence my comment about being nice, whatever happens. Being nice to your authorized technicians is ALWAYS a good idea, seeing as there are some things which *are* up to the discretion of the guys sitting at the bench, and how exactly they word their report. Not necessarily in this case, but you never know.

cbk1994 · Aug 25, 2007, 08:54 AM

So now you're calling me a liar?

It's very possible it didn't ship out of Apple this way, and that it was damaged during shipping.
I don't see anything in the warranty that says I only have x number of weeks to report something. I really don't care if they "doubt it happened". If their warranty will cover it, then I'll just tell them that they need to replace it. Maybe they'll want proof. Who knows.

analogika · Aug 25, 2007, 03:28 PM

I won't call you a liar.

But if it arrived from Apple like that, with that dent, fresh out of the box, then I *will* call you an idiot for not reporting it *immediately*, when it simply would have been replaced, no questions asked.

I've sold a lot of these machines, and I've *never*, in three years, seen a new Alubook with a dent like that.

Best of luck getting anything done on goodwill.

You'll need it.

amazing · Aug 25, 2007, 04:36 PM

Well, let's put it a little more diplomatically, namely that because of your long wait to report anything, your claim has zero credibility.

analogika · Aug 25, 2007, 05:49 PM

Originally Posted by amazing

Well, let's put it a little more diplomatically, namely that because of your long wait to report anything, your claim has zero credibility.

Originally Posted by analogika

b) If it did, it took him A FULL YEAR to bother reporting it? WTF? Reason #2 that Apple will sensibly discard the possibility.

He then told me I was calling him a liar.

But yeah.

Basically, my advice is to take it in for repair, and BE FRIENDLY about it whatever happens, because Apple has every right in the world to simply laugh at you and send you packing.

And if you're NOT FRIENDLY about it, chances are 100% that they will.

SkaGoat · Aug 25, 2007, 09:46 PM

He was pretty dumb for not calling up Apple Care as soon as he opened it and saw that dent... but...

Apple has no right to laugh in anyone's face, if they were a competent company that cared about making customers happy they would just fix the laptop.

Alot of Authorize Repair depots are full of smug people who think they're better than the customer they're supposed to be helping... (the one in my area is like that) and for that reason I won't buy a computer from them.

cbk1994 · Aug 25, 2007, 10:18 PM

Well, I will see what they say and report back.

If they aren't going to cover it, I'm not going to get it fixed for $500, that would be crazy.

Thanks for the person who pointed me to the link where you can buy the parts, but there's no way I'm going to do that; I'd mess up my computer big-time.

Last question-- does anyone think that the dent might have affected the SuperDrive at all?

Thanks,
Chris

analogika · Aug 26, 2007, 01:27 AM

If the thing got banged, there is NO telling what might have been affected - which is exactly why dents in the casing, or dropping of the machine will usually void the warranty entirely.

A sharp shock could have knocked the Superdrive mechanism out of whack, or prematurely damaged the hard drive bearing or read/write mechanism, or produced the first inklings of a hairline crack anywhere on the main logic board, or dislodged any of the connectors in the machine, etc.

These are all consequences that may show up long after the drop, which is why generally, no tech will touch a machine that has been damaged.

Again, unless you're lucky.

Incidentally, most of those symptoms can also occur if a laptop is carried around a lot, banged into doorways, etc., even if no external damage is visible, i.e. the warranty is NOT voided. Which is why I'd *always* buy extended warranty on a laptop.

phoenix78 · Aug 26, 2007, 03:39 AM

ummm i have look at that picture and that is NOT a BUMP. If it were a bump it would be indented... It is not indented but rather it looks like someone tried to pry it open at that location... So it is bent out.

Maybe this changes things but i assume it wont. Yu have a certain period right when you buy it to inspect the machine and then find fault with it. You would have been able to declare it DOA upon noticing it. I think it has been left too long with 50 days left on warranty lol.

If i were you i would get something soft to place over the extruding bit and tap it gently to 'beat' it back into place without scratching it and without beating it back to far. Aluminium is highly malleable and should be able to minimise the appearance. Probably not perfectly but you can improve the appearance with some careful tapping.

analogika · Aug 26, 2007, 03:55 AM

Originally Posted by phoenix78

ummm i have look at that picture and that is NOT a BUMP. If it were a bump it would be indented... It is not indented but rather it looks like someone tried to pry it open at that location... So it is bent out.

The bottom case got pressure on the corner from the right, resulting in that bump coming forward.

The bump is NOT the result of somebody trying to pry it open - that would leave completely obvious marks in the plastic trim around the edge.

And hammering around on the case while all components are still mounted within is an excellent way to kill your optical drive or hard disk spindle.

chipchen · Aug 26, 2007, 04:27 AM

1. It will not be covered by AppleCare

2. Usually, if you have to ask, you already know the answer.

3. That would never have left the factory that way. I'm not even going to start with how I think it happened, but it would never have passed QC. (I'm just talking about cosmetic QC, don't start sounding off about your dead on arrival machines, etc)

4. More than likely, there's a really tiny slight indent or pressure on the right, just around the corner. You may not even be able to see it, but it's there. Main rule of thumb with damage on these aluminum machines, one action must cause a reaction somewhere else.