MBP 17" Mid-2009 Model - Unibody Battery Indicator Falls Inside

The issue: when pressing the battery light indicator the button falls into the case. For those still confused I am talking about this:



Alright my issue is with the Battery Light Indicator on my Macbook Pro 17" Mid-2009 model. As I am unable to find any reference of this issue anywhere I figured I'd post it here for future reference.

Upon opening up (disassembling) my MBP for the first time and removing my hard drive (which is on the side of that indicator) I found that the only thing holding that button in place is a GLUED metal strip which has the green LEDs on it... but for some reason the glue has stopped doing it's job.

Temporary Solution: (for now) I stuck a match between the hard-drive and the metal strip with the LED's... not great for shock resistance but at least it keeps me from losing the button entirely (or it damaging things inside).

This design flaw sucks - paid 3K euro for my MBP.

Glue? Mine are held on by 3 screws!

I doubt it's a design flaw, but more of a user's disassembly flaw!

I never even knew the battery check button or LED's existed until this post LOL.

@idrinorbarsaku
Thank you for your reply. However your thesis seems invalid.

The 3 screws you see are not there to hold the metal plate in place or screw it to something solid like your MBP unibody shell. They merely hold the electronics (LED, buttons sensor) on that metal plate.

Further more the metal plate in question was already loose/disattached from the unibody before disassembly - a feet very difficult to do if it where screwed on.

There appeared to be what I'd call glue resedue (in whatever form) above and below the LEDs.

The dis-assembly was done after studying Apple's hard drive replacement guide as well as watching several Youtube of guys doing the same thing - and studying some picks online.

I will see if I can upload some pics early next week.

If you say it is exactly as you say, then why don't you just return it back to apple and be done with it?!

Two reasons.

Foremost I am the ultimate lurker - but when a problem I am experiencing results in 0 relevant hits in Google - I feel it's my responsibility to post it somewhere for the next person to find.

Further more as a business user losing my laptop for x period of time equals x in revenue loss. It's not a critical issue just an annoying one.

And yes I will visit the nearest Apple Care center and see if they can fix it for me. However having my laptop sent up and down the repair center is not an option.

Well, adhesive failure by itself isn't a design flaw.. it's a component flaw. ie... the adhesive itself. We use adhesives in all sorts of products, without it most (and this includes laptops) would be significantly larger and heavier. Personally, I'd have reglued it.. but that's what a repair facility would have done.



btw, I think people would be surprised as to the items that are mostly assembled with adhesives, rather than mechanical fasteners or even welds these days.. this includes the vehicles you're in daily

sweet I am not alone in this universe. but yeah getting some glue and putting together is my plan as soon as the stores open... it's christian sunday... no one-second glue available atm.