dead Imac

bought my first apple product 3 weeks ago an Imac 2011. it died two days ago I brought it to the repair shop they told me the mother board was no good. is this a common thing or did I just get a lemon. I only have the one year warranty on it. I was told to that the hard drives dont last can I switch it to a solid state do they last longer in the Imac's

You have 12 months of Applecare...contact Apple about it!

- Nick

I take it the iMac is used? Where did you purchase it?

You say it died. What are the symptoms?

Even for a used Mac if it would still be within the warranty period contact Apple. We purchased a used Mac on eBay several years ago and had logic board issues several months before the warranty expired. We were able to get the repair done under warranty because the original seller could provide us with the appropriate information.

I don't remember if the problem happened within the first year or under Applecare.

the problem was it wouldn't turn on. The fan would spin up for a second and then shut down again it is being covered under warranty. my concern is the reliability of the Imac's or is mine a special case this is my first computer that has ever died on me and also my first apple computer.

Normally the iMacs are quite reliable in my experience. I ran a iMac G5 for almost 7 years trouble free 24 a day. This 2007 Intel has been going for years non stop also.

My brother in law bought a brand new Mercedes SUV (mucho dinero) several years ago. That thing was in and out of the dealership for repairs so many times, it was like one of their demo vehicles. What a lemon. So yeah, even the best named brand computer (Apple) or whatever can have problems. I wouldn't say you got a lemon, but it definitely is a bit of bad luck.

Imacnewbie said:

bought my first apple product 3 weeks ago an Imac 2011. it died two days ago I brought it to the repair shop they told me the mother board was no good. is this a common thing or did I just get a lemon.

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It's *extremely* uncommon. You got a lemon.

I only have the one year warranty on it. I was told to that the hard drives dont last can I switch it to a solid state do they last longer in the Imac's

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Hard drives ≠ logic boards. Which is it that actually died?

Hard drives work fine and generally last for years. Like lightbulbs, however, it is POSSIBLE for them to fail at any moment.

SSDs haven't been around long enough to say for sure re: their reliability, but they should in theory be LESS prone to "sudden" failure and instead "decay" slowly over time like batteries (not for the same reason however). SSDs are definitely faster, at least at first, and so far I've not heard of anyone who bought an SSD-equipped Mac who had a problem. Of course, they are also WAY more expensive.

Imacnewbie said:

my concern is the reliability of the Imac's or is mine a special case this is my first computer that has ever died on me and also my first apple computer.

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It's a special case. The same thing could have happened on any PC (ask any PC-owning friends and I'm sure you'll come up with a similar story). I'm sorry it happened, but glad it happened under warranty. Have fun with the new one!

Just heard back from the repair shop the replacement mother board was defective. Hopefully board number 3 works

my brand new Imac is getting its fourth motherboard replacement in less than 2 months. Apple will not give me a replacement computer they are happy with just replacing the mother boards until my warranty runs out. this was my first and last apple product. was thinking about buying the mac pro retina but not after this.

Please do not start a new thread. I merged your latest post on this subject into the original thread.

As for the repairs made. According to your previous posts, it seems the repairs were done by other than an Apple store. At least that's what I gather from what you stated.

In any event you need to take this up with Apple not the repair shop. Make sure you have all your documentation on hand and then elevate it to a supervisor at Apple. It does no good to come here and complain, you need to take an active part in getting a replacement machine. Clearly the one you have is either a lemon or the victim of bad repair techs.

Let us know.

I did speak to an Apple supervisor and it is an Apple repair store and they wont replace it

Then elevate it even higher than the supervisor you spoke with. As I said above, make sure you have all your paper work. Take it all the way up to Apple HQ if necessary. Just be polite in all your dealings with them and at the same time persistent.

Imacnewbie said:

bought my first apple product 3 weeks ago an Imac 2011.

I only have the one year warranty on it.

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If this computer was purchased 3 weeks ago (maybe a little more by now)...and you're still within the 12 month warranty period...you should have no problems getting Apple to repair it & making things right.

This is a PERFECT situation to see how well Apple takes care of it's customers! If you're dealing with someone other than Apple...this could be the trouble.

Usually you have two primary options to get your computer fixed:

1. Visit a "real" Apple Store (there are at least 4 Apple Stores in Toronto).
2. Ship the computer to the appropriate Apple repair center (need to call Apple about this).

I would pursue one of these two options BEFORE I went for option #3...which would be a local authorized Apple repair shop (that's just me)!...which is NOT the same as an actual Apple Store.

- Nick

well when I called Apple they sent me to an Apple approved repair facility near to where I live .the closes Apple store is an hour away. I did get to speak to the head supervisor as high as I could go and he told me that it did not fail enough times to justify a replacement .he would not tell me how many times it would have to fail before they would replace it. and I didn't buy it directly from the Apple store either so that doesn't help matters but their is no Apple store near by and I don't like to order online

Imacnewbie said:

...the closes Apple store is an hour away.

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I'm thinking with the trouble you've had so far...visiting a "real" Apple Store 1 hour away would have worked out MUCH better!

I drive 45 minutes to work everyday (each way)...and I previously had a job that I commuted 75-90 minutes EACH WAY...which I did for years.

So a 1 hour drive to an Apple Store (to me) doesn't really seem that far.

- Nick

well if it breaks again after this repair I will either be getting a replacement (if they decide do to the right thing ) or cut my losses and buy a new windows PC..I am hoping for the first option because I do like it and I like the software that comes with it. I don't mind driving to the store but Apple sent me to a local repair facility. they are getting brand new parts directly from Apple ...the parts are faulty or something else inside is making them fail...but what ..I think he changed the power supply too at some point

I forgot to mention that each motherboard had different kind of failure one failed to boot one had no video the third one lost communication with the heat sink sensor or the sensor failed itself

Regardless of how they failed, that is unacceptable. As I stated above, elevate it up the chain of command at Apple until they agree to replace the machine with a new one. Again, keep all paperwork and be polite but persistent.

If you didn't order online or buy from the reseller is the iMac in fact brand new or is it second hand? If new ring Apple and ask for a replacement as you are very dissatisfied with the reseller's service.

http://www.apple.com/support/imac/intel/

Use the link to get express lane connected if this is a new machine.