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You are here: MacNN Forums > Community > MacNN Lounge > The 'Holy Crap My Repair Cost A Lot' Thread

The 'Holy Crap My Repair Cost A Lot' Thread
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tikki
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Jun 12, 2005, 12:44 PM
 
I sent my Dual 2 G5 in for a blown processor (failed thermal sensor), and got slapped with a $750 repair bill. $670 of that was for a SINGLE PROCESSOR. Though not pleased, I still took it without any lube from Apple to get it repaired since its my development machine.

So, what's the most you have had to pay for a repair on a Mac? What machine was it and what broke on it? Someone has to be able to beat my bill.

It doesn't count if you had Applecare and got it repaired under that. I am talking people that had to pay out of their back pocket.

And as a final note: GET APPLECARE.
     
osxisfun
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Jun 12, 2005, 01:04 PM
 
Yes. Applecare. FYI, you can purchase it up to one year after buying your mac.
     
Cadaver
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Jun 12, 2005, 01:54 PM
 
How about this one... Not a computer repair story, but I promise I wont hijack your thread any further.

I used to have a 1986 Porsche 944 Turbo, show condition, only 38,000 miles. Really was a beautiful car. Black with spotless tan leather interior. Polished phone-dial chrome wheels. 5-speed manual, power driver's seat, A/C, power windows and power-tilt removable sunroof. Very powerful car. Handled like a dream.

Well, one sunny and pleasant day about 3.5 years ago, cylinder rod #3 decided to make a quick exit out of the side of the engine block. Needless to say, that was a mortal wound.

Well, for what ever reason, I decided to have the car fixed instead of just cutting my losses (that was the big mistake).

9 weeks and $12,000 later, I had a new engine block installed - freshly cast in Germany and shipped over.

Can ran great for another season until it needed half of the rack and pinion replaced because of a leaking boot. At that point, looking ahead at what else needed to be done (clutch, A/C compressor, various other items), I decided to sell the car. While having the car was great, I decided that the upkeep was something I no longer wanted to deal with.

Stupid? Yeah! Oh, well... live and learn.
     
Superchicken
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Jun 12, 2005, 02:24 PM
 
I had to pay 120 bucks for a new HD years ago when my iMac's file system corrupted and I didn't know what I was doing (now I'd know what to do if it happens to my PowerBook though). It works out nice though now I have a 60 gig back up HD and it makes my old iMac a bit zippier for the times I've needed it.

Aside from that... I really havent' had to spend money repairing stuff, and fortunately I have Apple care for my PB. I think I would also make sure to get apple care with a G5.
     
Person Man
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Jun 12, 2005, 02:36 PM
 
Originally Posted by Superchicken
I had to pay 120 bucks for a new HD years ago when my iMac's file system corrupted and I didn't know what I was doing (now I'd know what to do if it happens to my PowerBook though). It works out nice though now I have a 60 gig back up HD and it makes my old iMac a bit zippier for the times I've needed it.

Aside from that... I really havent' had to spend money repairing stuff, and fortunately I have Apple care for my PB. I think I would also make sure to get apple care with a G5.
The repair shop told you they had to replace the hard drive instead of just reformatting it?
     
waxcrash
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Jun 12, 2005, 02:42 PM
 
About a year and a half ago, the Combo Drive on my TiBook 800 MHz went out. You could only insert a CD half way. I bought a new SuperDrive and did the replacement myself. The SuperDrive at the time cost me around $350.
     
Superchicken
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Jun 12, 2005, 02:51 PM
 
Originally Posted by Person Man
The repair shop told you they had to replace the hard drive instead of just reformatting it?
They weren't exactly the best Mac Reseller in town... I can't remember all the details, but I think I thought at the time it'd do it again... besides they said for 120 I could get an HD ten times as big as my current one... I figured, meh good as time to upgrade as ever.
     
Eriamjh
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Jun 13, 2005, 07:54 AM
 
Originally Posted by tikki
I sent my Dual 2 G5 in for a blown processor (failed thermal sensor), and got slapped with a $750 repair bill. $670 of that was for a SINGLE PROCESSOR. Though not pleased, I still took it without any lube from Apple to get it repaired since its my development machine.
How far out of warranty was it?

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Gankdawg
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Jun 13, 2005, 08:37 AM
 
One of my 1.8's went out. $444 for the part, $45 to install.
     
tikki  (op)
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Jun 13, 2005, 08:42 AM
 
Originally Posted by Eriamjh
How far out of warranty was it?
over a year. i got one of the first ones.
     
Goldfinger
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Jun 13, 2005, 09:07 AM
 
A few months ago in the middle of the winter my car's front left window wouldn't go up anymore (which is quite annoying when it's freezing outside). The repair cost me €250 because they had to change the entire window motor assembly. 250 for such a dumb and simple part. Car repairs are the biggest rip off ever.

I never had a mac fail me so I can't comment on Mac repairs

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badidea
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Jun 13, 2005, 09:15 AM
 
Some years ago I had a problem with the motherboard of my Quadra840av (a resistor fell of - my fault) and at the Mac shop they told me that they can't fix it - I would have to buy a new motherboard for 1000.- DM (€ 500.-) but at that time the whole computer wasn't worth more than 1000.- DM!
I went to an electronics shop and bought 3 different packs (10 pieces each) of transistors since they couldn't tell me exactly which one would work - for a total of 1.- DM and fixed the problem myself!!!!!!
***
     
Oisín
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Jun 13, 2005, 09:33 AM
 
Since I only just got my first Mac a couple of months ago, I haven't had to have anything repaired, yet. Had my old PC laptop repaired once, but that was covered by the warranty—took over a month, though, slow bastards!



[further derailment]
Originally Posted by Cadaver
9 weeks and $12,000 later, I had a new engine block installed - freshly cast in Germany and shipped over.
At my job now, I deal with cars that break down or are in accidents abroad all the time. The worst I've come across so far (only been there a little over a month) was a Swedish Mercedes Benz S500, I think it was, that had been in a minor accident on the E45 up by Elsinore. No personal damage, but quite a lot of damage to the car, and the estimated cost of repair was over 100,000 DKK (≈ $16,300). The most impressive part was that the owner said that to speed up things, insurance-wise, he was willing to pay for the entire reparation on the spot in cash, and then settle the bill with the insurance company afterwards. Who the hell runs around with $16,000 in their pockets?!?

[/further derailment]
     
hotani
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Jun 13, 2005, 10:50 AM
 
I had to pay ~$75 to fix the sound on my machine when it went out on the mommyboard. $75 was the cost of a new audio card. On a PC that cost would have been in the neighborhood of $25. Of course, I have a really kick-ass audio card now.... but something basic would have worked fine.
// hōtani
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hotani
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Jun 13, 2005, 10:55 AM
 
Originally Posted by tikki
I sent my Dual 2 G5 in for a blown processor (failed thermal sensor), and got slapped with a $750 repair bill. $670 of that was for a SINGLE PROCESSOR.
Yeah if one of my 867MHz processors goes I know I can fix the whole thing myself for a mere $650. And have a nice bump in performance to 1.4GHz (via upgrade card)!
// hōtani
MDD G4 dual 867
     
wdlove
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Jun 13, 2005, 10:55 AM
 
That is just the reason why I have always purchased AppleCare.

"Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense." Winston Churchill
     
mdc
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Jun 13, 2005, 11:43 AM
 
powerbook hard drive died and apple genius said it would be about $300 for a new drive and installation. he advised me to go buy the drive and do it myself.

overnighted the hard drive and $130 later my powerbook was working.
     
Eriamjh
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Jun 13, 2005, 11:46 AM
 
AppleCare is probably statistically a waste of money, but that doesn't mean that it NEVER comes in handy.

Out of two powermacs, no appplecare, no problems after 5 years and 3 years. I have an iMac G4 that will likely get AppleCare before the one-year warranty is up (Feb 06). Currently, no problems with it. I'm just saving the money for now.

Out of one powerbook (Pismo) with AppleCare, one failed DVD drive at 13 months. Sold it shortly after (shoulda kept it!!).

I'm a bird. I am the 1% (of pets).
     
Person Man
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Jun 13, 2005, 12:28 PM
 
Originally Posted by Oisín
Who the hell runs around with $16,000 in their pockets?!?
Someone with enough money (approximately US$100,000) to buy a Mercedes-Benz S500, of course.
     
Cody Dawg
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Jun 13, 2005, 12:32 PM
 
I have never paid for a Mac repair. Ever.

I have AppleCare.

And I have called and things were outside of even the AppleCare warranty but when they saw that I have had (and continue to have) AppleCare on other things they then went ahead and repaired it anyway for free.

I love Apple.

(But, I also send holiday gift boxes to Apple Customer Relations during the holidays. )
     
Oisín
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Jun 13, 2005, 01:58 PM
 
Originally Posted by Person Man
Someone with enough money (approximately US$100,000) to buy a Mercedes-Benz S500, of course.
Naturally

I suppose since he was Swedish, he might conceivably have been able to get a Mercedes-Benz S500 for $100,000 as new (he was the first owner, I remember that). Had he been Danish, he would have paid about $300,000, though.
     
jcadam
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Jun 13, 2005, 02:13 PM
 
meh, I'm a frickin genius, and I can fix any problem with a computer, unless it is a bonafide defective piece of hardware.

AppleCare doesn't make any sense to me (it don't make no sense).
Look, a new mac is covered by a 90 day warranty. If a piece of hardware is defective, you'll generally know within that time frame (esp. since I run my computers hard).

Now, that said, stuff happens. A heatsink can fall off, resulting in a fried processor. After shipping a machine (to include receiving a brand new one), I always check her out before applying power. This involves checking to make sure the heatsinks haven't come loose, that there isn't any condensation on the machine (happened to my MDD after having it shipped overseas, I opened her up on my dining room table and let her sit for a day until it had all evaporated, no problems then). Oh, and I always wear an anti-static wrist-strap when working inside the box.

The only time I destroyed a piece of hardware was when, in a drunken stupor, I dumped whisky onto a running iBook. oops. I don't think AppleCare would have covered that.

And I have monitors fritz out on me all the time. But I've never owned an Apple monitor

My FrankenMac (A B&W G3 in a PC full-tower case, with wires cut and soldered all over the place) still works fine, too
Caffeinated Rhino Software -- Education and Training management software
     
Person Man
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Jun 13, 2005, 02:41 PM
 
Originally Posted by Oisín
Naturally

I suppose since he was Swedish, he might conceivably have been able to get a Mercedes-Benz S500 for $100,000 as new (he was the first owner, I remember that). Had he been Danish, he would have paid about $300,000, though.
The price I quoted was what he would have paid in the United States... The base model, without any extras is about $82,000.
     
sknapp351
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Jun 13, 2005, 03:07 PM
 
I have two Macs, a Rev A 17" Powerbook and a Rev A Dual 2ghz G5. My Powerbook is on it's 3rd logic board, 2nd superdrive and 2nd display. The G5 is on its 3rd power supply, 2nd logic board, can't remember exactly how many processors..something like 5, and 2nd superdrive. I will never go without apple care. EVER. I have never modified or worked on either one, and both are used for everyday home use and graphics/web design student use. I am not bashing Apple at all, love 'em. But I have lost some confidence in their hardware over the past two or so years.
Sam
     
Wiskedjak
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Jun 13, 2005, 03:32 PM
 
Originally Posted by tikki
GET APPLECARE.
I love this. Apple build quality and warranty are substandard ... give them more money

My suggestion: build a clone pc and get a 3yr standard warranty. And, in a year, install OSX Intel on it.
     
Wiskedjak
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Jun 13, 2005, 03:34 PM
 
double post
     
Wiskedjak
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Jun 13, 2005, 03:36 PM
 
Originally Posted by Cody Dawg
I have never paid for a Mac repair. Ever.

I have AppleCare.
If you have AppleCare, you have paid for Mac repairs, even if you've never had to take your machine in for repair.
     
Oisín
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Jun 13, 2005, 03:39 PM
 
Originally Posted by Person Man
The price I quoted was what he would have paid in the United States... The base model, without any extras is about $82,000.
All right, that settles it, I'm moving to the States. *starts packing bags*

The price I quote was for the base model without any extras! If you want the fancy models with lots of extras, be read to pay upwards of $350,000.

*realises you need a license to have any actual benefits from cheap cars and cheap gas; cancels moving*
     
DoctorGonzo
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Jun 13, 2005, 03:47 PM
 
I sent my 700Mhz G3 Dual USB iBook in last week because the left speaker died a few days earlier and the Ethernet port had been giving me an intermittent connection since only a few months after I bought it 3 years ago.

When the LCD reed switch problem hit shortly after my purchase, I sent it out for repair and noted the Ethernet issue as well. They fixed the switch and neglected the Ethernet port.

Last week, they claimed that even though I have AppleCare, the loose Ethernet port was somehow my fault and refused to fix it, and they didn't bother to fix the speaker either.

What a waste.
     
laieboy
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Jun 13, 2005, 04:24 PM
 
The power cable to one of the internal hard drives was not working on my Dual 2GHz G5 so I took it in to Apple to get it fixed. Found out that they could not just replace the power cable but had to replace the whole G5 case! The bill was almost $600.00 just because of a dead power cable!!! The one time I decide not to buy Applecare...
Mac Pro 3.2 GHz Dual-Quad Core • iMac 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo • MacBook Pro 15" 2.0 GHz i7 Quad Core
     
Superchicken
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Jun 13, 2005, 04:33 PM
 
Apple care on an eMac or Mac mini I wouldn't care about. Apple care on an iBook or PowerBook is ESSENTIAL, there's a reason it's so much cheaper for desktops than it is for lappys. That's because you essentially have a bunch of complex electrical devices packed into a sleek sexy case that gets josselled around in a book bag all day.

So far I've had my iBook's logic board go four times (I only had to take it in two times, the next three boards failed on the second take in) as well I've had my PowerBook's HD die. Both covered under the 1 year warranty. With my PowerBook I've already noticed one side of the screen having a slight dark mark on it, as well as the fact that I actually USE this as a laptop. So there's not a chance I wouldn't buy Apple care. As well if I got a PowerMac I might risk it if I just bought the PM. But buying it with a Cinema display you'd be crazy not to. 300 CND to make sure that an 900 dollar monitor and 2500 dollar computer don't give you problems for three years? Yah I'd take that.
     
tikki  (op)
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Jun 14, 2005, 04:49 AM
 
Originally Posted by Superchicken
So far I've had my iBook's logic board go four times (I only had to take it in two times, the next three boards failed on the second take in) as well I've had my PowerBook's HD die.

To me that is totally unacceptable. I don't care what type of machine it is. If I am paying 4 figures for something, it shouldn't fail four times...
     
Randman
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Jun 14, 2005, 05:11 AM
 
I once had to spend about US$25 on taxi fare to pick up my PB after I had the monitor replaced.

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Ω
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Jun 14, 2005, 06:55 AM
 
On my PB I have had 4 LCD replacements, a drive change, and a lower body replacement.

This is roughly equivalent to two new machines in replacement cost terms.
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d.fine
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Jun 14, 2005, 07:06 AM
 
Originally Posted by Randman
I once had to spend about US$25 on taxi fare to pick up my PB after I had the monitor replaced.
that's not covered by AppleCare? Pff, no need to get it now then...

stuffing feathers up your b*tt doesn't make you a chicken.
     
villalobos
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Jun 14, 2005, 08:01 AM
 
Let me derail that a little further since this is not related to a computer and I did not have to pay anything, but my VW dealership kept my car for 7 weeks..... rebuilding a piston, and doing all kind of crazy stuff, spending in the total close to a 100 hours or work on the car (running cost about $8,000) and overall spent close to $12,000. All that, on my out-of-warranty 5 year old Golf which was then worth maybe $6,000. Crazyness.

Otherwise I spent the flat fee on a iBook motherboard replacement ($350 or so) : but that was reimbursed later. Finally I almost spent that same fee to have them change the video cable but decided to do it myself for a mere $50.
     
Cipher13
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Jun 14, 2005, 08:06 AM
 
I spent 4g after getting out of MC the other day. Crazy.
     
Frida's Boss
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Jun 14, 2005, 11:04 AM
 
i have had a few repairs done by apple, but they were within the warranty coverage period.

all this car talk reminded me of this.
http://abum.com/?show_media=7447
     
JoshuaZ
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Jun 15, 2005, 01:30 AM
 
I once had my logic board die on my 867 G4 Tower. It would have cost around $600 to replace it, I decided to ditch the thing and sell it for parts. Thats the second logic board thats cracked on me. The first once was covered under warranty... it had like 2 days left on it.

I made sure I got Applecare on my Powerbook. Sweet sweet powerbook.
     
Randman
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Jun 15, 2005, 01:51 AM
 
Ever notice that most of the people who say they won't get Applecare are the ones who end up needing it the most?

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Spliff
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Jun 15, 2005, 04:38 AM
 
Originally Posted by Cipher13
I spent 4g after getting out of MC the other day. Crazy.
MC?
     
OwlBoy
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Jun 15, 2005, 05:22 AM
 
Wow, I only had to spend about 2g...

You must use Plate.

This is exactly what I was thinking when I saw the topic!

-Owl
     
Oisín
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Jun 15, 2005, 04:24 PM
 
Originally Posted by Spliff
MC?
Motor cycle?

Maybe he got in an accident where it cost him $4,000 to get the doctors/mechanics to get him untangled from the bike?

No?
     
OwlBoy
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Jun 15, 2005, 04:26 PM
 
MC

-Owl
     
Oisín
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Jun 15, 2005, 04:46 PM
 
Originally Posted by OwlBoy
MC
     
turtle777
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Jun 15, 2005, 04:55 PM
 
I just had my ibook's logic board replaced. But not by Apple. They charge WAYYYYYY too much. From what I read, a logic board repair (inlc. labor) goes for $ 500-700 at Apple.

I got it fixed for $ 225 (parts AND labor).

Check out this place, I had a very good customer service experience with them.
http://www.dttservice.com/

-t
     
   
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