DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Macbook Question

My son's girlfriend has a Macbook and the upper left part of the screen is cracked (spider web like cracks). The laptop was dropped and all else seems to be functioning properly.

I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions for an affordable repair shop? I assume that an Apple Store comes with a premium and that there are reliable alternatives? She asked my how much it might cost and I ventured a guess of probably at least $500. That's only speculation ... I really have no idea. A proper repair that abides by any warranty requirements is foremost (I'm also assuming that her warranty doesn't / shouldn't cover the damage).

Thanks in advance.

Well, until you said "abides by the warranty", my recommendation was just going to be to buy a replacement screen for about $100-$150 and replace it yourself. In most worlds, that probably wouldn't void a warranty, but in Mac Land, I'm certain that it would.

Additionally, I don't think the Mac stores do the repairs themselves, I think they ship the units out for repair, so you will be without it for a little while.

Last time I took my Macbook in, they told me any repair is 300.00 max. Don't know if it applies to your situation, but they've always taken great care of me & my comp.

Thanks purp.

I thought about doing it myself. I recently disassembled my first laptop, so I think I could pull it off. The key word there is "think". Both the warranty's likely requirements (that I obviously haven't read) and the cost of the Mac itself point to an actual trained professional.

Speaking of laptop disassemble .... The HP that I have taken apart is dead although the power supply LED does light. I haven't tested the power supply, but on the assumption that it is working I am starting my troubleshooting with the on / off switch. This switch was fastened to the top panel (chrome piece with speakers, etc) and when I popped the panel off the 3 wires that are supposed to be soldered to the switch were completely detached (I could have inadvertently broken them free trying to get the panel off, but I don't think so). There is no way that I can solder this back together .... I have limited experience, a cheap iron and the board / wires are very small. The good thing about this problem is that the switch is a separate part that consists of the board and wires harnessed to a small plug. The switch does have a part number on it (can they make the font any smaller ... geez) and I am wondering if I should go thru HP for replacement? My usual haunts (newegg, tigerdirect) do not sell this .... are there independent retailers that sell *new* parts?

This HP was also dropped and based on what I've heard about the history of this laptop the problem may not be the switch, but if I can find one it's worth a try.

Yes, you can buy replacements for just about any/every part in any laptop.

What is the laptop model number and the part number?


Heck, just Googling the part number may give ya the answer.

Yeah, I'll try Google in a bit.

I was just wondering if you or anyone else had recommendations towards a good place that stocks smaller parts like the switch. Let's just say I was hoping for the "monoprice" of that type of seller.

A shattered display from an accidental drop isn't covered by the computer's warranty (as it shouldn't be). In a situation like that, if you take it to your nearest Apple store for repair, what they'll do is ship it out to one of their contracted repair depots. They do this because the depots do their repairs at a fixed flat rate. They can also repair the computer in-house, but it will be for the cost of the part plus labor, which is likely more, without knowing what size MacBook it is (I'm assuming its an aluminum MacBook). A flat rate depot repair for a cracked display on a 13" is probably going to fall under their Tier 3 Accidental Damage, which totals a bit over $700 for parts, labor and tax. The clamshell price itself is more than that, and they won't ever replace just the glass; they'll always do the entire clamshell assembly. There's also a fixed labor cost for a repair done in-house, which you may be able to get them to waive. Another thing to keep in mind if the computer is sent to a repair depot is that their repair people are instructed to do any and all repairs to put the computer into a warrantable spec, meaning that if they find anything else that's wrong with the computer, they will fix that as well, for no additional cost. This also means, though, that they have carte blanche to wipe, re-image and/or replace the hard drive if it doesn't pass whatever diagnostics they put it through, so if you go that route make absolutely sure that you have your data backed up (which everybody should be doing anyway). A repair sent to their depot will generally have a pretty fast turnaround time...I've seen them turn around in as quickly as three days (as in, it shipped out on a Monday and was back on a Wednesday), though you'll likely be quoted about five to seven days. Turnaround for an in-store repair all depends on the repair backlog and the staffing levels to get through that repair backlog. In either case, your computer will be back under warranty once the computer has been repaired (assuming your warranty hasn't expired in that timeframe).

Aside from that, you can go here, enter your zip code and find a local AASP (Apple Authorized Service Provider) who is authorized by Apple to do warrantable repairs.

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Last time I took my Macbook in, they told me any repair is 300.00 max. Don't know if it applies to your situation, but they've always taken great care of me & my comp.

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Any repair to a Macbook out of warranty without signs of accidental damage is $310 max, as that's the flat parts and labor repair rate.

Yeah, Apple Store. Had an issue with the case grounding, first they thought it was the HD. (I really didn't want to replace it because I'd lose certain software that was a single instal.) They recommended an authorized repair shop that would replace it for around $200, luckily it was closed when I went there. I noticed intermittent behavior, and didn't think it was the HD, so I took it back to the Apple store for a second opinion. They diagnosed it as a defective membrane behind the battery that was causing a short. They replaced the entire chassis, and not only fixed it in two days, but gave me a new battery, all at no cost. They told me initially if it was the HD, power supply or whatever it would only cost $300 max, any repair, but recommended an authorized repair shop because they could replace the HD for less.

Thanks Adam. That price doesn't surprise me. At least the fee includes the check and repair routine.

I do business with X-Rite at work and their bench fee is the same regardless of the problem (about $1,200 for the newer spectrophotometer and $1,800 for the older). I once had an end user wanting me to send it in for a button that fell off .... I applied some adhesive cellulose engineering - i..e, transparent tape - handed it back to him and asked that he keep it out of the production environment. I didn't think it was prudent to pay over $1,000 for a broken button.

In the case of this Macbook it appears she has little choice. That was an expensive drop.

No problem. I was the Genius Room Admin at an Apple store for the better part of year, so I got very good at explaining that stuff to people.

One more thing I neglected to mention...should you decide to take the flat-rate repair you can elect to have the repair depot ship the computer to your doorstep as opposed to shipping it back to the store. The advantage is that you might get it a little quicker, and you don't have to make the trip to the store. The drawback is that when the computers come back they're verified to make sure the issue has been resolved, so if for some reason it hasn't been resolved, or a new issue crops up, you still have to make the trip. You can even call AppleCare by phone and ask them to ship you a prepaid box to ship your computer to the repair depot yourself; I think you'd just have to arrange a way for FedEx to pick it up. All repairs, shipped either from your home or from a store, ship Next Day Air.

Sorry.. I can't recommend any particular vendor, haven't dealt with it much. I just know that the parts are out there to be had.