iMac late 2012 27 inch - Thick black vertical line on screen

Hi All,

I have purchased an iMac from Ebay which was posted as faulty. The mac has good specs - i7 3.4 GHZ, 16GB ram, Fusion drive and upgraded video card GTX680MX which is usually an add on at tho point of purchase (for £150 extra!). Overall, the computer is in meticulous condition - no scratches, comes with original box - just missing the keyboard and mouse but I can live with it!

Now, when I purchased the computer I did not know it was opened. Upon close inspection, it seems like whoever opened it pushed the double sided sticky tap a bit too far and there was a big ball under one of the ribbon cables (which are by the way protected with a metal shield above the ribbon cable but nothing protects the ribbon cable from access underneath, look at photos).

I initially thought that LVDS cable replacement would fix the issue prior to finding out that ball of sticky tape under one of the ribbon connectors connecting the Display logic to the actual matrix.

I have a few options - 1 - GO to Apple repair center and have it looked at 2. Compare quote with what I can find online.

All I need is a new Glass + Display assembly.

Obviously the computer is out of warranty, but do you think Apple will deny service because the computer was opened by non-certified serviceman?

Also, does anyone know if there is any chance that I can change the ribbon cable + display logic without actually replacing the whole screen? The whole assembly goes for around £400 on ebay which is a bit steap (bringing the total purchase price to £800).

Also do you think that for the specs of the machines, I have got myself a bargain?

Thanks

Welcome to our forums.

Your iMac is the first of the "glued together iMacs" and as such, is a very difficult machine to work on for a DIY person. I don't know what you initially paid for it, but it may not turn out to be such a bargain when you start adding up what it will cost to repair it.

Also, does anyone know if there is any chance that I can change the ribbon cable + display logic without actually replacing the whole screen? The whole assembly goes for around £400 on ebay which is a bit steap (bringing the total purchase price to £800).

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I don't think so. Since the outer glass and display screen are actually glued together they have to be changed out as one unit. The ribbon cable and display logic are part of that and should be changed out with the entire unit. We suggest going to the US site = www.ifixit.com and look up the procedures for the repairs you require. And my guess is that if you take the machine to Apple, their estimate of repairs will be excessive.

Quite

chscag said:

I don't know what you initially paid for it, but it may not turn out to be such a bargain when you start adding up what it will cost to repair it.

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- I paid £400 for it. Do you think it is still a relevant machine? Worth spending £400 for a screen? (depending on what Apple quotes me and what I can find online)

That's something only you can decide. However, you might do some searching on eBay UK and other UK sites that deal with used Macs and see what a fully working 2012 iMac 27" model similar to yours is going for. The £400 price you paid sounds great up front but that machine can turn out to be much more expensive if repairs start to get out of hand. Definitely get a quote from Apple. They (Apple) should be able to give you a quote for free since that machine is still supported. Be sure to get the quote at an Apple store genius bar and not an authorized Apple dealer. Authorized Apple dealers will charge you for the quote.