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andrew davidoff · Dec 31, 2003, 03:07 PM

hello all,

my 17" pb is at apple right now having a few things fixed (bluetooth card stopped being recognized and a key broke off the keyboard) and while it's in i had them look at the left palm rest. the silver is chipping away and you can see the black plastic underneath.

they said they don't cover that because often times it's caused by people wearing watches or bracelets.

that's reasonable, but when i asked how much it would be if i wanted it repaired i was quoted $678 parts and labor! the person i was speaking to told me that was for 'plastics for a 17" pb' which makes me think i can't just get them to replace the one, top section of the chassis, and that they'd charge for replacing all the plastic parts?. regardless, it's crazy.

so my question to you all is two fold. (1) would there be anyone (preferably in austin, tx) who could get just that top part and possibly also do the repair for a reasonable price, or (2) is there anyone who does touch up paint work that actually looks good when it's done? at this point i'd rather leave it the way it is than have a crappy touch up job done.

thanks in advance.
andrew davidoff

moofman · Dec 31, 2003, 07:42 PM

I got the same quote for some problems with mine. There's a dent in the front left corner that I asked how much it would cost to get fixed. Anybody have any info on why it's so expensive and flat fee?

bmhome1 · Dec 31, 2003, 10:08 PM

Same price if one of the 50 cent rubber bumpers falls off.

There's a supplier selling palm rest pads to cover the marred areas (can't think of, some one will), probably cheapest and longest lasting solution, too.

For the dent, its probably best to live with it and consider it a beauty mark. Eventually 17" parts will start to show up on the after-market suppliers web sites such as Powerbookmedic.com. But the labor would still be high for what would be a lot of disassembly.

Spheric Harlot · Jan 1, 2004, 07:53 PM

Originally posted by andrew davidoff:
my 17" pb is at apple right now having a few things fixed (bluetooth card stopped being recognized and a key broke off the keyboard) and while it's in i had them look at the left palm rest. the silver is chipping away and you can see the black plastic underneath.

"plastic underneath"???

The case is solid aluminium sheeting!

This happens on 15" titanium Powerbooks, but not on the alu 'books!?

Pix, perhaps?

acadian · Jan 1, 2004, 09:05 PM

Agreed, the aluminum is anodized so there is not actually any paint at all as far as I know.

Moose · Jan 1, 2004, 11:18 PM

Yes.

But, if you have acidic sweat, the anodization wears off.

andrew davidoff · Jan 2, 2004, 02:52 PM

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
"plastic underneath"???

The case is solid aluminium sheeting!

This happens on 15" titanium Powerbooks, but not on the alu 'books!?

Pix, perhaps?

well i assumed it was plastic because (1) apple said that to fix that they'd have to replace the 'plastics', and (2) when the silver flakes off, it's instantly black that shows through.

i should have my pb back in a few days. when i do, i'll take some pictures.

andy

Spheric Harlot · Jan 2, 2004, 06:09 PM

Originally posted by Moose:
Yes.

But, if you have acidic sweat, the anodization wears off.

So what shows up is non-anodized aluminum (silver), which then oxidizes (duller silver).

Unless I'm missing some fundamentals in chemistry, there should be nothing black about the case, wear or not.

In the case of the old 15" tiBooks, once the silver paint on the frame wears off, the black substance underneath is carbon fiber.

-s*

Lorinserbenz · Jan 3, 2004, 07:43 PM

go to www.newcolorshop.com and buy one of the suede palm rest covers. You can get one and a trackpad protective cover for $35 shipped from Japan.
Here is what it looks like...
http://idisk.mac.com/ebayaudio/Public/DSC00237.JPG

andrew davidoff · Jan 4, 2004, 02:13 AM

Originally posted by Lorinserbenz:
go to www.newcolorshop.com and buy one of the suede palm rest covers. You can get one and a trackpad protective cover for $35 shipped from Japan.
Here is what it looks like...
http://idisk.mac.com/ebayaudio/Public/DSC00237.JPG

hmm...not quite sure how i feel about such a device just yet, but thanks for the link. i will look into it for sure.

andy

andrew davidoff · Jan 8, 2004, 08:08 PM

just an update on this issue...

checked with a solid apple shop here in austin (compuzone on shoal creek) and it's $225 for the part, and $75 labor to have the part replaced, so there's no way i'm doing that. this is allegedly the 2nd oldest mac shop in austin too (18 years, 10 in the same location) and i get a good feeling from them, so i'd bet this is pretty much the price it'd be everywhere, especially with the way apple prices parts.

i am going to get the pad linked to above (from newcolorshop) and see how it turns out.

thanks to all for your input.

andrew davidoff

andrew davidoff · Jan 15, 2004, 11:48 PM

got my mac back, here's the pic i promised of the chipping.

i did order that cover after all, it came today registered mail but i was gone. i'm picking it up tomorrow and i'll post pics of it.

andy

KraziKid · Jan 15, 2004, 11:52 PM

Originally posted by andrew davidoff:
got my mac back, here's the pic i promised of the chipping.

i did order that cover after all, it came today registered mail but i was gone. i'm picking it up tomorrow and i'll post pics of it.

andy

I don't think thats plastic. I think it might be the aluminum where the anodization wore off being oxidized. As stated before, the case is solid aluminum sheeting. If it were plastic underneath, the many people who have opened the case up would have noted that.

andrew davidoff · Jan 16, 2004, 01:20 AM

Originally posted by KraziKid:
I don't think thats plastic. I think it might be the aluminum where the anodization wore off being oxidized. As stated before, the case is solid aluminum sheeting. If it were plastic underneath, the many people who have opened the case up would have noted that.

maybe i'm just making things up, but shouldn't there be a way to reverse oxidization? assuming you could then protect the area to keep it unexposed...

thanks for taking a look.

andy

KraziKid · Jan 16, 2004, 01:29 AM

Originally posted by andrew davidoff:
maybe i'm just making things up, but shouldn't there be a way to reverse oxidization? assuming you could then protect the area to keep it unexposed...

thanks for taking a look.

andy

You can't reverse oxidation. Oxidation is rusting. Think of a rusted nail. The only way to get back to the shiny metal is to grind the rust off. If you remove the oxidation, you can seal the aluminum to try and prevent it from oxidizing again.

PHYMAC · Jan 16, 2004, 11:40 AM

I have that oxidization occuring right above my superdrive, but it is not nearly that bad. What it is though is 4 dots perfectly lined horizontally above the superdrive and I notice a fifth one forming. It is not from a watch or anything, and they are prefectly symmetrical...

Any ideas as to what those are from?

andrew davidoff · Jan 16, 2004, 12:51 PM

Originally posted by KraziKid:
You can't reverse oxidation. Oxidation is rusting. Think of a rusted nail. The only way to get back to the shiny metal is to grind the rust off. If you remove the oxidation, you can seal the aluminum to try and prevent it from oxidizing again.

first off, i can't believe i said 'oxidization'. (wait, i guess it is a word...) secondly, thanks. for some reason i though i remembered there being a way to take care of it, oddly enough my memory involves a rusty nail.

anyway, thanks.

andrew davidoff

andrew davidoff · Jan 16, 2004, 07:49 PM

here are pictures of the palm rest cover from newcolorshop (see link a few replies up).

i really really like it. it looks good and feels good. the lid still closes just fine, although it does feel a little bit more snug that it used to (obviously). i always thought there was too much slack in the closed lid anyway.

i'm not sure exactly how it works, but it sticks to the pb like glue even though there's no adhesive - the back isn't even tacky. it comes off easily enough if you pull a corner, but it's not going anywhere if you don't want it to.

the cover can take a slightly bronzish tone depending on your angle, but generally speaking it always looks like the pictures.

close up of the left side of the palm rest

full laptop from the front.

thanks again to all who have commented on this thread.

andrew davidoff

Macpilot · Jan 19, 2004, 10:35 AM

Originally posted by bmhome1:
Same price if one of the 50 cent rubber bumpers falls off.
.

Not so. Any Apple Store will repair the rubber feet on a Powerbook free of charge. Just ask nicely. I did not even buy my Powerbook from the Apple Store, and they fixed mine right on the spot.