Cracks in white MacBook!

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I have had this computer for about a year and a half, maybe a little less. I bought it in May 2007, so it is no longer under warranty! I have always treated it well, NEVER DROPPED, EVER! This computer is my baby. :)

Just today, I was typing and when I lifted my hand up, I heard a strange noise and looked down. The edge of the palm rest was cracked!!
I'm not exactly sure what to do, because it is out of warranty with no AppleCare. I have heard in some cases though, that Apple will replace it out of warranty.

I have also attached a picture so you can see the problem.

What are your experiences with this problem? Anyone had these cracks? What did Apple say?

Thanks so much,
Adam

photo.jpg
 
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That isn't surprising. That problem has been reported hundreds of times with apple. Take it to the apple store. Although you may be out of warranty, they could do it anyways because its so common.

Good Luck
 
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Alright, thanks. I think I will go tomorrow to my Apple Store and see what they will do. I will come back here and tell you the outcome. Hopefully it will work out ok.
 
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Ok, just got back from the Apple Store, and they told me that they could fix it but I have to have an appointment for them to even LOOK at it for a minute. I made an appointment for tomorrow, so I will be back then.
 
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I am here looking to see if anyone had this problem and your photo is exactly the same as my MacBook!! The left hand side has a small crack in the same place as well. I bought mine in June of this year.

The problem is I am currently living abroad (from Scotland to Argentina). There is an Apple Store near my work so I'll see what they say.

How did you get on, Ardillo?

Grrrrr
 
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Good news!

I am here looking to see if anyone had this problem and your photo is exactly the same as my MacBook!! The left hand side has a small crack in the same place as well. I bought mine in June of this year.

The problem is I am currently living abroad (from Scotland to Argentina). There is an Apple Store near my work so I'll see what they say.

How did you get on, Ardillo?

Grrrrr

Ok, I went back to the Apple Store again today, and they looked at my MacBook, and the guy at the Genius Bar said that "because it was the holiday season, he would hate to be the bearer of bad news." He told me that they would fix it for free even though it was out of warranty, but he would have to order the part. He said that it should be in on Saturday. (I'm pretty sure that they would do this any time of the year though; the people at the Apple Store are usually REALLY nice.)

Also, I ordered a Marware protection pack plus, that I am going to put on once they fix the part. It covers the palm rest with a type of PVC leather. It also comes with a trackpad cover, a case for the computer, and a microfiber cloth. A pretty good deal for only 29.99! Hopefully since that will cover the palm rest it will prevent it from cracking. The guy at the Apple Store told me that it was those small little things at the top of the screen that crack the palm rest. (It seems strange because that is a design flaw...)

Well, anyways I would try taking it to the Apple Store closest to you, because they said that once the part is in, they could do it pretty fast. (As little as an hour)

Good luck!
 
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Happened once to me, and they fixed it right up :)
 
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The guy at the Apple Store told me that it was those small little things at the top of the screen that crack the palm rest. (It seems strange because that is a design flaw...)

Don't you just love it when company employees admit responsibility for a design flaw that the company itself dismisses...:p
 
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Don't you just love it when company employees admit responsibility for a design flaw that the company itself dismisses...:p

I know, right?! :D
 
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OMG haha i have the exact same thing in the exact same spot. Only mine is already ripped off. I have a 3 year cover on my macbook, would you think they will fix it for free?
 
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OMG haha i have the exact same thing in the exact same spot. Only mine is already ripped off. I have a 3 year cover on my macbook, would you think they will fix it for free?

Absolutely. They know that it is a design flaw. They should have used thicker and higher quality plastic. They will admit that it is a problem.

At my Apple store, they even said that they have seen this a lot.

I would try taking this to your Apple Store. Make sure you make an appointment though. I came the first day, and they wouldn't even talk to me about the problem until I came back the next day with an appointment!
 
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Absolutely. They know that it is a design flaw. They should have used thicker and higher quality plastic. They will admit that it is a problem.

At my Apple store, they even said that they have seen this a lot.

I would try taking this to your Apple Store. Make sure you make an appointment though. I came the first day, and they wouldn't even talk to me about the problem until I came back the next day with an appointment!
The thing is my apple store is 100 miles away. So i wouldnt want to drive down there to find out, i have to come all the way back. I dont know if its worth it. Do they just fill it with some sort of plastic, or do they replace the whole piece?
 
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The thing is my apple store is 100 miles away. So i wouldnt want to drive down there to find out, i have to come all the way back. I dont know if its worth it. Do they just fill it with some sort of plastic, or do they replace the whole piece?

They are going to replace the entire part. I believe that the part also includes the entire keyboard and trackpad.
 
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Just to add to this, I brought an 06 macbook from ebay earlier in the year. the case was cracked exactly the same as yours. Because this was a 2nd hand computer it was well out of warranty and had no aplpe care. It wasnt even registered in my name.

Anyway, i phone up apple care, explained the problem and they arranged for it to be fixed for free. No questions asked. The apple reseller had it for about a week but did replace the whole top case and keyboard.

I then put it back on ebay a few weeks later and sold it for £100 more than what i paid for it in the first place.

Nice one apple :)
 
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Ok, got back from the Apple Store a bit ago. The part got in and they fixed it in about 2.5 hours! Pretty good!
They did it completely free too. This part also includes the entire keyboard and the trackpad as well as the palm rest itself.

I am happy. :D
 
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Well…I got my keyboard replaced no problem in Nov 2008 and decided to take the Applecare extended warranty just in case it happened again.

Lo and and behold there she goes….. just had a piece break off my second keyboard after 14 months.

Back to the Apple Store!!!

The faulty outercasing is not covered however. The first cracks in mine appeared around the side screw holes. And when I went to the Apple Store the Genius Bar MacBook had exactly the same cracks. The guy told me it is a known flaw but that the outer casing is not covered by the warranty.
 
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Back to my old 2.2GHz C2D MB after selling my MBP and wondering what my next Mac will be :)
Well…I got my keyboard replaced no problem in Nov 2008 and decided to take the Applecare extended warranty just in case it happened again.

Lo and and behold there she goes….. just had a piece break off my second keyboard after 14 months.

Back to the Apple Store!!!

The faulty outercasing is not covered however. The first cracks in mine appeared around the side screw holes. And when I went to the Apple Store the Genius Bar MacBook had exactly the same cracks. The guy told me it is a known flaw but that the outer casing is not covered by the warranty.

You need to ring apple, as the guy at the genius bar was making it up as he was going along!
In actual fact, any manufacturer's defect is covered by warranty, infact, it is covered out of warranty.
In most cases, Apple store will not hesitate in repairing/replacing faulty items, and if talking to the manager in a non hostile manner doesn't solve it, making the way up the chain when calling Apple directly, even if not resolved immediately, with a little patience and perseverance, will always see a positive outcome around the corner.
 
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Polycarb Mac's crack eventually and turn yellow. That's just how they work and it goes along with the price (unfortunately). I don't see them dumping much money to re-engineer or fix it as they are going aluminum with everything anyhow. Fortunately, the cracks don't hurt performance.
 
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I work in New York and was at Tekserve and the guy at the entrance told me to bring my MacBook to check if it was still within the 3-year warranty period. I returned to Tekserve and was told that I purchased my Mac in 2006 (I was pretty sure I bought it in April 2007 in time for my parents' 55th wedding anniversary; I wanted to make their wedding video myself), and I would have to pony up $300 to have the upper case replaced. Of course I didn't say yes. Tekserve didn't charge me for the checkup though.

I went straight to the Apple Store on 5th and 59th, was lucky enough to still have an appointment slot free in an hour. The Apple Genius who attended to me told me that (a) my Mac was definitely purchased in 2007 because this model didn't come out till then and (b) Apple would replace the keyboard, track pad and case for free, overnight. When I returned for my Mac the following day, I asked the Genius where I could buy the plug adaptor of my charger and he said: "this is very hard to find. Lemme see if I have a spare one for you." And he gave me one for free.

I wrote to Tekserve about the rip-off that I was almost subjected to and to their credit, the manager investigated my case, wrote off my experience as an honest mistake on their part, and apologized for the misunderstanding.

I'm an Apple fan for life now.
 
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hi hope this helps, my apple store exchanged my mac book after repairing mine three times for the problem you have. they offered me the white unibody as a replacement i asked if i could upgrade to the pro, they said yes and i paid £102. my mac book was a 06/07
 

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