replacing top case -- thoughts??

My Macbook was having performance issues, just being sluggish and slow to respond, so I bought an external hard drive to back it up. Right after I installed the software, my computer started acting crazy. I tried to restart, but it would only restart in safe mode, and then it wouldn't accept my password, which I am 100% positive is correct. I took it in, and they said it had water damage. (not really sure when/how/to what extent it happened, not really sure how to confirm that they're telling the truth.) Apple said that it would cost $750 to fix it.

I asked a friend to look at it, and he was able to start it by holding down command V when starting. He then said that the shift key is stuck. He suggested that I ask Apple to only replace the top case and not do the rest of the work, saying that it should only cost $150.

My question is, should I try this? The performance issues aren't resolved -- the computer is still a bit slower than it should be -- but I really don't have $1000 to spend on a new one and don't feel like spending $750 is worth it for an almost 4 year old machine.

Thoughts on this?? Any suggestions on how to address performance issues (in the event that there isn't actually significant water damage)?

Merged threads/posts. Not necessary to double post.

Thanks

v0mitr0n said:

He suggested that I ask Apple to only replace the top case and not do the rest of the work, saying that it should only cost $150.

My question is, should I try this? The performance issues aren't resolved -- the computer is still a bit slower than it should be -- but I really don't have $1000 to spend on a new one and don't feel like spending $750 is worth it for an almost 4 year old machine.

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It's impossible to say until the topcase is replaced. If there is water damage…and if the topcase was affected in someway by the water/liquid…then replacing the topcase would be a good idea.

As far as performance issues & the "computer acting crazy". Well…if the topcase was damaged by liquid…there's a strong possibility that other areas of the computer were damaged by the water as well.

But overall…it's really impossible to say if replacing just the topcase will cure all that is wrong with this computer.

- Nick

Yeah, I know there's no sure way to know -- I guess I'm asking if you think it's worth a shot.

v0mitr0n said:

Yeah, I know there's no sure way to know -- I guess I'm asking if you think it's worth a shot.

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If this computer was involved in a liquid spill (and depending on how much liquid we are talking about)…chances are…something else other than the keyboard/topcase got exposed to the water/liquid.

So if you replaced the topcase…there's a very good chance that the logic board was liquid damaged as well (unless you have strong evidence to prove otherwise). Thus the money spent on the topcase replacement would be wasted…since something else would need to be replaced as well (the logic board).

And you don't want to be replacing the logic board…since they cost a lot more than a topcase…and definitely not worth it if this is an older MacBook that's currently worth $300-$400 bucks.

- Nick

Yeah, that was what I was afraid of. What would you consider "strong evidence"? Do you think that a third party repair shop might be able diagnose if there's more damage?

v0mitr0n said:

Yeah, that was what I was afraid of. What would you consider "strong evidence"?

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The topcase on many MacBooks involves 2 things:

- the keyboard
- the trackpad

If ONLY the trackpad and keyboard (or only one of them) is not operating properly…and EVERYTHING else is working as it should…then maybe only the topcase is affected.

In other words…if an external keyboard & mouse were hooked up to this computer…and everything worked fine…then it may only be the topcase.

- Nick

Hooray!! Thanks. I have been using the computer with an external keyboard, and it's been fine. I'm bringing it back to Apple today and crossing my fingers that they change their minds about the initial water damage claim, and if not, that they'll just replace the top case.

Thanks for all the info! Super helpful!

v0mitr0n said:

Hooray!! Thanks. I have been using the computer with an external keyboard, and it's been fine. I'm bringing it back to Apple today and crossing my fingers that they change their minds about the initial water damage claim, and if not, that they'll just replace the top case.

Thanks for all the info! Super helpful!

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Hey just remember…nothing is 100%. My "guesstimate" that if using an external keyboard & mouse…and everything was fine…would logically lead one to believe that the liquid damage may be limited to just the top case.

If this were my computer…and I was willing to spend the money on replacing the top case…then I would do it…with the info you have shared. But I wouldn't have Apple do it…unless it was for free via Applecare. But since (I think) Apple has already said that it was water damaged…then they won't replace it for free.

Apple is going to charge a good bit to replace the top case. A new top case is around $150-$175 + labor. The computer is probably only worth $300-$400. If it were me…I would purchase a used top case…and install it myself.

Good luck,

- Nick

ok, I'll definitely keep that in mind... I can't do something like this myself, but I did get a contact for a third party vendor. Maybe they won't overcharge for the labor...we shall see.

thanks!

v0mitr0n said:

... I can't do something like this myself...

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If you have the desire…you got to start somewhere! There's plenty of info online to help with this sort of DIY project.

- Nick