macbook air repair

Moving house and my MacBook air is severely damaged. It's 99.9% on the bottom base cover which have already removed and will be easily replaced.

But my screen is unusable, no visible cosmetic damage but its All lines and white marks when you turn on, so im pretty sure a new display will sort things but hope it's nothing on the motherboard. I don't want to spend £100 on a new display for it to be the same.

Now I'm going to order a mini dp to hdmi so I can connect to external display and see if it operates but any time I've done that before I've had to go into system preferences and switch to external display.

Is there anyway around this as not only do I want to check if my air still functions but I want to get exact model number so I get the right parts

Any help would be greatly appreciated

mrblue said:

I don't want to spend £100 on a new display for it to be the same.

Click to expand...

I'm fairly sure it's going to cost more than this to replace the display. So if you don't want to spend more than £100...then I guess the display will remain inoperable.

mrblue said:

Now I'm going to order a mini dp to hdmi so I can connect to external display and see if it operates but any time I've done that before I've had to go into system preferences and switch to external display.

Is there anyway around this as not only do I want to check if my air still functions but I want to get exact model number so I get the right parts

Click to expand...

You can try "Clamshell Mode":

Mac notebooks: How to use your computer in closed clamshell (display closed) mode with an external display

But as I mentioned above...if you're not willing to spend more than £100 to fix the display...there may not be any need to find your MacBook Air's model info.

Also...the display issues could very well be the logic board/motherboard related...which will be VERY expensive to repair. But you've got to do the external display test to be sure.

HTH,

- Nick

I've seen displays second hand on eBay for round that mark 100-150. But my concern is when my dp to hdmi adaptor arrives how am I supposed to get it on the external display as any time I've done this I've needed the use of my mac to switch to external display in system settings

mrblue said:

I've seen displays second hand on eBay for round that mark 100-150.

Click to expand...

Mac parts are not cheap (or commonly available). The prices you mentioned are pretty much "in the ballpark" for used displays.

mrblue said:

But my concern is when my dp to hdmi adaptor arrives how am I supposed to get it on the external display as any time I've done this I've needed the use of my mac to switch to external display in system settings

Click to expand...

Follow the "Clamshell" instructions I linked above. What you do is:

- Boot the computer normally. Since your MacBook Air's internal display is not working...just let the computer boot up for a couple minutes (it normally should take less).
- Connect the video adapter and external monitor to the MacBook Air.
- Close the MacBook Air's display.

When you close the MacBook Air's display...this is called operating in "Clamshell mode". When the MacBook Air's lid is closed...it forces what normally would have been displayed on the built-in display...to now appear on the external display.

If this does not work...and you get the same "lines and white marks"...then the problem may be the motherboard...and not the MacBook Air's display.

Here are two things you can do in the meantime. Try doing a PRAM and an SMC reset:

- About NVRAM and PRAM
- Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)

If these two resets don't help...then you'll have to wait and see with the external display test comes up with.

- Nick

Shouldn't need to go into Displays preferences if the external is recognized.

Would suggest using clamshell mode.

My mac air was bought in august 2011, it is a mc965 so pretty sure my model is a1369. What do you guys think of these displays.

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?sbk=1&nav=SEARCH&itemId=

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?sbk=1&nav=SEARCH&itemId=111138492812

mrblue said:

My mac air was bought in august 2011, it is a mc965 so pretty sure my model is a1369. What do you guys think of these displays.

Click to expand...

Don't you think that you should do the test with an external display first...before going replacement display shopping?

Not a whole lot of point purchasing a replacement display...if it is found that the problem is actually the motherboard.

- Nick

Command F1 will mirror displays.

mrblue said:

I've seen displays second hand on eBay for round that mark 100-150. But my concern is when my dp to hdmi adaptor arrives how am I supposed to get it on the external display as any time I've done this I've needed the use of my mac to switch to external display in system settings

Click to expand...

As said above I had ordered a dp to hdmi converter to test display but I am trying to get my model number and search for the right display just so I can price up and trawl through ebay for a bargain hopefully.

Anyway, the converter arrived today and my macbook is working perfect through my external display, have tested everything I can think of, network, audio, video, all my files are still in tact.

So 100% has to be display. I know my macbook was bought in august 2011 and was a mc965, so I think I have a a1369. I suppose I could try ebay.com, apple parts seem to be cheaper from American even with delivery charges to UK....

mrblue said:

I suppose I could try ebay.com, apple parts seem to be cheaper from American even with delivery charges to UK....

Click to expand...

Don't forget to account for VAT and Royal Mail's £8.00 collection fee. Typical eBay USA price for a LTH133BT01-A01 £122.00, add VAT and RM's £8.00 brings it to £154.40. You can buy for £180 in the UK. If you find anything wrong with the USA supplied LCD you'll have to pay the return shipping, not cheap from the UK, all to save £25.60.

Whichever path you go down it will be cheaper than having the display clamshell P/N 661-6056 replaced at the genius bar for about £340.00, although you will have to strip yours apart to replace the LCD.

mrblue said:

So 100% has to be display. I know my macbook was bought in august 2011 and was a mc965, so I think I have a a1369. I suppose I could try ebay.com, apple parts seem to be cheaper from American even with delivery charges to UK....

Click to expand...

Don't forget "mrblue"...you mentioned in post #1 of this thread that you didn't want to spend more than £100.00 to fix your MBA's display.

Using "techisteve's" awesome/very detailed calculation's...it would seem that sticking to an "under £100.00" budget...is going to make things difficult (which is what I mentioned in post #2).

Don't forget to add the cost of the dp to hdmi converter that was purchased...since that wouldn't have been necessary...if the MBA display was working.

The bottom line is. When trying to repair Macintosh laptops/notebooks...you need to be very very careful how much you spend. I don't think that you ever mentioned what Model MBA you have. But if it's an older model MBA...then it certainly has depreciated in value. If a repair (like replacing the display) costs a significant portion of its current value)...then investing in the repair may not be a good idea.

- Nick