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Question

Mac shutdown by water spill!!

Dec 20, 2011 6:46PM PST

Okay here it goes,

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Re: water damaged
Dec 20, 2011 6:52PM PST

If I were you, I'd go and search for an Apple authorised repair company.

Kees

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Answer
Sorry to say
Dec 20, 2011 9:22PM PST

Sorry to say, but it sounds like you're screwed. Repair costs are likely going to exceed that of buying a unit.

If water got over onto the LVDS cable, then you're looking at not just a new MLB (which would be about $800US on its own, just for the part) but also a new display assembly, which is probably another $400US for just the part. Next up is the top case for about another $150US. You'll also have to replace some of the minor components like the magsafe board, but those are generally $10-$15US, so not a big deal. Then there's the labor of putting it in which will be $100-$200US. As you can see, you're effectively building an entirely new laptop as it is, so you may as well get a new one with more RAM, better CPU, etc.

Apple uses both sides of the MLB, so unless you pulled the board and inspected both sides, you can't say for certain about anything. I would bet by this point there would be big blotches of sea green corrosion on the under side of the MLB. Even if there wasn't, the fact that you have liquid contact on the LVDS cable means there's a good chance the key F9800 fuse was damaged. This is a particularly nasty little ******. Just this tiny little resistor, usually on the underside of the MLB, and it's responsible for a lot of the power regulation between the MLB and the display assy. If this fuse goes, it pretty much always takes the display assy with it, and you have to replace both parts, otherwise the damaged display will just blow the fuse on the replacement MLB and you're in this endless vicious cycle.

There's also the fact that the magsafe board, which brings in the AC power, is connected more or less directly under the LVDS connector, on the other side of the MLB. So, all the high voltage parts of the laptop are in that top left corner, which you say liquid got to.

I can tell you that if this unit came across my workbench at work, I'd probably take one look inside and just send it back as uneconomical to repair, exceeds price of new unit at retail. I wouldn't even bother estimating it.

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:(
Dec 20, 2011 10:54PM PST

is it possible that the power supply might of been damaged and for that reason it doesn't boot up? I just bought it last year Sad

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Since you're getting
Dec 21, 2011 9:44AM PST

Since you're getting the amber light indicating it's charging the battery, odds are the AC adapter is good, so at least you'll have a spare when you get a new unit. It's a very small consolation, but it's something.

Apple is EXTREMELY uncompromising about liquid damage. I have personally had people at Apple to deny all coverage on a unit because of a little bit of corrosion. Best case scenario is they'll go component level like with a unit I just sent out today. Obvious liquid damage on the MLB, but it works... For now. So, the issue was with the HDD, and since that escaped any contact with liquid, they allowed that to be replaced. In your case though, you're completely and totally screwed every which way you try and approach this.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but figure in a case like this it's better to just rip the band-aid off rather than let you continue on under any kind of false hope. There is none in your case. You can either pay for a new unit or pay for repairs which will likely be considerably more than a new unit. Those are pretty much your only choices here, aside from just not having a laptop. The best case scenario for you, is that the display assy miraculously survived unscathed so instead of like $1700US to repair it's more like $1200US. Which is about how much it'd cost to get a new 13" MBP with better CPU, more RAM, bigger HDD, etc. Even if you had some kind of sentimental attachment to your current laptop, by the time repairs were done, it really wouldn't be the same laptop. Virtually every major component would have been replaced. So, when you've gone through all the stages of grief, go out and get yourself a new laptop.

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Answer
Ouch.
Dec 22, 2011 12:38AM PST

In many cases (better than half) the cost to repair exceeds replacement costs. You can get a little for the LCD and "parts" but that's little consolation for most.
Bob