liquid damage- WHY

so 2 days before I take the MCAT, a white wine butter pasta sauce dripped out of a to go bag onto my 2012 MBP retina on the bottom corner of my keyboard and on the trackpad. I immediately flipped it upside down wiped it, pressed the keys down firmly to release more liquid, and turned it off because shortly after the mouse started to go crazy and apps were opening/mousepad was not working. I frantically went to apple and was told the dreaded news i expected: your only option here is pay $1240 for the whole unibody internal fix. I know that sending it to a private company is an option as well but those are usually ~$600 and don't provided warranty; also, I rely on my comp heavily for school I need a quick fix ASAP. So it seems the most practical options are send it off with apple and suffer the $1300 for work on a two year old computer or just buy a new one. Its breaking my heart spending that much money bc currently, the laptop is working and I think what if it continues to do so- but an hour ago it was going haywire and I had to hold down 'command' just to use the external mouse i bought. Does anyone have any suggestions? Also, what about selling a technically "liquid damaged" MPB? Its still in great condition externally and honestly, (i don't know much about the internal works) but I think the important parts like the hard drive, memory, and logic board are fine- but I know if the liquid stays in there it may lead to corrosion with time so I need to make a decisions ASAP! PLEASE HELP if you have any knowledge regarding this!

stressed2themax said:

so 2 days before I take the MCAT, a white wine butter pasta sauce dripped out of a to go bag onto my 2012 MBP retina.....

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Well, first welcome to the forum!

Second, what is more important to you, i.e. getting a good score on your MCAT or trying to revive your computer?

BTW, I'm a retired physician and went through the same test in the 1960s - how important was the data on your computer to you taking the test? You might need to give us some more reasons for your considerations - I'd suggest emphasizing on the test. Good luck - Dave

RadDave said:

Well, first welcome to the forum!

Second, what is more important to you, i.e. getting a good score on your MCAT or trying to revive your computer?

BTW, I'm a retired physician and went through the same test in the 1960s - how important was the data on your computer to you taking the test? You might need to give us some more reasons for your considerations - I'd suggest emphasizing on the test. Good luck - Dave

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Hi Dr. Dave!

I'm new to this so I'm not sure if this is the proper route for replying. But getting a good score on the MCAT is much more important to me. The information on my computer is not vital for the last days of studying since I have books and handwritten notes for studying; it's just that this occurring right before the test and at the beginning of the semester is stressful but I know I should be focusing on studying. I am currently backing up all data on my computer with a portable disc. Luckily, the the power still works so I am very fortunate to be able to save important documents, pictures, etc. I guess I will wait to solve this until after the test I am just nervous that waiting may further the internal damage.

Thanks!

stressed2themax said:

Hi Dr. Dave!

I'm new to this so I'm not sure if this is the proper route for replying. But getting a good score on the MCAT is much more important to me.........!

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Well, your priorities are in the right place - hope that you get a great score on the test and the medical school of your choice!

As for your computer, hard to say about it's recovery & eventual use - I'll have to claim unpredictability as is true w/ these liquid spills (we have a whole thread on this topic) - but hope for the best (i.e. crossing my fingers) - again, good luck especially on the test. Dave

Hi stressed2themax, and welcome to the forums. I think Dave's advice is sound but I can understand with so much on your plate the last thing you need is a crashed computer.
So as far as putting it aside for now goes I can suggest one method that has worked for others with fluid damage to Apple devices. If you can get hold of about 6 or more silica christal sachets the type they pack with electrical items you can place your laptop in a ziplock bag with the sachets and safetly leave it aside till you have time to deal with it. You may need to replace the sachets and the more you can get the better. This will take care of the water element but not oil.
If it seems OK after a few days of the above you might like to consider a bootable backup like Carbon Copy Cloner or Super Duper that way you can run your backup on any other borrowed Mac just like your own albeit a little slower.
As far as resale of a fluid damaged MBP, have a look for same on eBay that will give you an idea of price and popularity. Good luck with your MCAT.

Firstly...what model computer is this (exact model)?

Second...this better be a pretty special model Apple notebook to have a $1240 repair. We just had someone have a MacBook Air logic board replaced for $280. And normally (depending on the model) logic board replacements are usually around $400-$500. These are all official Apple repairs.

Thirdly...if this computer is not worth much more than $1240...there certainly is no reason to have it repaired...just purchase something new.

Forth...your data isn't lost. You just need to extract the computers storage device...install it into an external case...and plug it into a 2nd computer to access the info.

Fifth...good luck on the MCAT!!!

- Nick

Hi Pigoo3 and Rod Sprague, thank you for the well wishes on the test! I'm not sure how I did on it :/

As for my computer, I'm currently typing on it! It's very odd how well it is working. The keys and trackpad are acting perfectly normal, charging works, etc. The only thing that is apparently wrong to me is that they keyboard lights do not work. Because the liquid that spilled was a small amount, I think it has dried and that's why the trackpad is no longer acting erratic? The computer is a mid-2012 15" MacBook Pro retina; the genius bar worker at the store said he did not feel comfortable taking off any layer further than the basic external case and my only option via Apple was to send it off for the entire unibody internal fix (it was an all or nothing kind of repair- you pay $1240 and if everything is damaged then they replace everything but if its only the keyboard that needs replaced it's still $1240!!) I have always been a fan of Apple products but I feel like that repair option is a complete rip off. Tomorrow I'm going to talk to an Apple certified worker that works at my University's bookstore to see if he can assess the internal damage and possibly clean and replace the keyboard.

Thank you! Let me know what you think about my surprising alive computer

stressed2themax said:

I have always been a fan of Apple products but I feel like that repair option is a complete rip off.

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It's a big positive that the computer is working. Many times when liquid is spilled (even small amounts)…it can leave the computer 100% non-functional.

As far as the Apple repair…being a fan of Apple products…and the ripoff part. The repair cost of $1240…I have never heard of a repair cost so high. Not sure what parts this Apple person is thinking needs to be replaced that would make the cost so high.

Of course we must remember one thing. If white wine butter pasta sauce was never spilt/dripped on the computer (I know that it was totally an accident)…we wouldn't be in this situation.

- Nick

Just a note. The Retina MBP's have a STICK SSD. You can not just take that and put it in an external case. Unless since last I looked there are cases for the proprietary Apple SSD's in the retinas.

pigoo3 said:

Of course we must remember one thing. If white wine butter pasta sauce was never spilt/dripped on the computer (I know that it was totally an accident)…we wouldn't be in this situation.

- Nick

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If you did not get cancer you would not need chemotherapy. Very helpful.

V6Pony said:

If you did not get cancer you would not need chemotherapy. Very helpful.

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Wow…what a terribly bad analogy. Spilling liquid (or a food sauce) on a computer is something that can be avoided…and/or can be foreseen as a potential risk. Getting diagnosed with cancer & needing chemotherapy is a completely different situation.

Comparing food sauce spilled on a computer…to having cancer…is really a terrible analogy.

- Nick

dtravis7 said:

Just a note. The Retina MBP's have a STICK SSD. You can not just take that and put it in an external case. Unless since last I looked there are cases for the proprietary Apple SSD's in the retinas.

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Here's a product I've seen at OWC. It's supposed to be designed for the memory stick from a MacBook Air. Not sure if it will work with the memory sticks from a retina MBP:

OWC OWCMAU3ENVOY Envoy USB 2.0/3.0 Enclosure for... in stock at OWC
OWC OWCSSDAP2A6K480 480GB Aura Pro 6G SSD + Envoy... in stock at OWC

Here's something OWC sells for retina MacBook Pro's:

Search Results for 15 2013 retina at MacSales.com

- Nick

It didn't take OWC very long to get on board with replacement Flash Drive Cards for the retina machines. I'm wondering though if replacing one in your rMBP invalidates the warranty or Apple Care?