Did I Cause Liquid Damage?

Hi,
I'm on the computer now (sorry I know thats not what you are supposed to do according to the official thing here) connected to a monitor. But the screen is not working. I came over about and hour ago and noticed small black dots on the bottom of my screen kinda like dead pixels. I researched and some guy had the same problem and got it fixed. I assumed my macbook was just breaking and pluged in my monitor. But then I noticed that a diet coke was leaking on the table, and a tiny stream had run down near the power cable, and getting a little of the corner near there wet. Now my macbook is pretty beat up already (I got a service battery thing from a while back) so I just assumed the screen was on the fritz from that. The screen kinda turned orange and now the screen is just off. So if I take this in are they gonna say it is water damage and I am just screwed?

Here's the deal. It's easy to tell if there's damage from a liquid spill for the technician. Now, if the coke did not enter the case of the laptop, it's unlikely that the coke caused the issue. Personally, I'd take it in. The absolute worst case scenario is that they find liquid damage and tell you it's not covered under apple care. At that point they'll give you the option to fix it, and tell you what it costs.

Thanks for the info. It is a full tank of gas to the nearest apple store so out of curiosity is there a usual price if it is water damage?

War said:

Thanks for the info. It is a full tank of gas to the nearest apple store so out of curiosity is there a usual price if it is water damage?

Click to expand...

The logic board is usually what gets damaged from a liquid spill (usually a liquid spill from directly above the computer/keyboard)...not spillage on a desktop/tabletop...where the spill "runs" and gets under a laptop sitting on the desk.

If the logic board is damaged...usually the computer is not usable at all. So if it is the logic board...it almost always needs to be replaced...and a replacement logic board can cost $500-$800 dollars...and in many cases can exceed the value of the computer...or so close that it doesn't make financial sense to repair it.

Any liquid damage (that is not the logic board)...can only be assessed on a case by case basis. Just like if you take a car (that's not running) to a mechanic. Needs diagnosis/troubleshooting...and is a case by case sort of thing. But many times with a Mac laptop...it's the logic board that gets damaged in a liquid related issue.

- Nick

I would say you could always sell it to me for 200 bucks if its a 2010 model or higher and just use home or renters insurance to buy a new one Or, just look at my woohoo post. Do you have warranty on the machine at all?