11" MBA 2015 - Grey/white horizontal lines no picture

[tsacrey]

Hi all,

First time post here. My wife's 1.5 year old 11" MacBook Air (no AppleCare) decided to give us some problems a few weeks ago - we called Apple and they said it could be screen or video card. At that time we were walked through some troubleshooting steps and we tried attaching an external monitor, but we would get a gray screen, but the cursor was visible. The Apple rep we spoke to on the phone seemed to think it was a video card issue.

Unfortunately, we live in a very remote area so shipping directly to Apple was not an option. We had to ship it through a local Staples store to their certified Apple technicians in Ontario, Canada. Upon receipt and completing diagnostics, the technician said it was the screen and it would cost us like almost a $1000 to replace. Well we figured that it would be just as well to get a new computer, so we did. The technician also asked if the machine was dropped or damaged in some other way and it had not been under any such condition.

In the meantime, we have received the defunct machine back from Staples. We were going to try to sell it for parts but wanted to try to erase it. I decided I'd try the external monitor again just to see, and lo and behold, it works...sort of. At first we had picture on both the laptop screen and on the monitor, but then the laptop screen went back to the lines and only the external monitor worked. Jostling the computer seems to affect it a little.

Anyway, we managed to wipe the computer and re-install macOS and wanted to ask the forums here their opinions on what the problem likely is, what the cost of repairing it would be, if it's not the screen, and what would be a reasonable price to charge for it "as is."

I'm currently writing this on my phone so I'm going to go to a computer now and see if I can attach a pic so you can get a better idea of what we are dealing with.

Thanks very much in advance for any and all input!!

 

[badshoehabit]

I'm not the most technical but logic says that if you get a perfect picture on an external monitor, it's the screen not the logic board.

Guide price for screens here: https://www.laptopscreen.com/English/model/Apple/MACBOOK~AIR~11~Model~A1465~(2015)/

If it's the graphics card, a new logic board would be needed. As a guide, last year the cost in the UK for Apple to do this with my MBP was £390 (incl labour - £24 - and VAT, our purchase tax) which is 626 CAD. Mine was under warranty but they still send an invoice.

 

[pigoo3]

At that time we were walked through some troubleshooting steps and we tried attaching an external monitor, but we would get a gray screen, but the cursor was visible.

I decided I'd try the external monitor again just to see, and lo and behold, it works...sort of. At first we had picture on both the laptop screen and on the monitor, but then the laptop screen went back to the lines and only the external monitor worked. Jostling the computer seems to affect it a little.

I would tend to agree with Sue (badshoehabit) and somewhat with the technicians that looked at it (since the technicians actually looked at it in person)...that the problem seems to be something other than the logic board.

Just for clarity...what happened the first time the external monitor was attached (before it was shipped)? Did the external monitor "mirror" what was on the MacBook Air's built-in display?

AND...when you attached the external monitor after getting the computer back from Staples...you mentioned that both display's worked fine (for a bit)...but then only the external monitor worked. Is this correct?

The fact that you did get both display's to work temporarily...AND...the external monitor worked for a bit & the internal display did not...this would seem to indicate to me an intermittent issue...possibily a bad or lose cable (cable that goes from the logic board to the builtin display.

This doesn't mean it couldn't be something else. But if this was my computer...I would check to be sure all cables were securely in place...and if that didn't work...I would purchase a new video cable & install it BEFORE declaring the computer a "door-stop" and selling it for parts.

HTH,

- Nick

 

[tsacrey]

Just for clarity...what happened the first time the external monitor was attached (before it was shipped)? Did the external monitor "mirror" what was on the MacBook Air's built-in display?

No it didn't mirror it exactly, the laptop screen was like what you see in the pictures in my original post, but the external monitor was kind of like a solid gray, but when I used the track pad, I could move the cursor out onto the external monitor. I guess it was like the internal display with all the lines extended the desktop onto the external display, but all we got was gray extension. To be clear, it wasn't like gray desktop background, it was like gray "noise". It's hard to describe.

AND...when you attached the external monitor after getting the computer back from Staples...you mentioned that both display's worked fine (for a bit)...but then only the external monitor worked. Is this correct?

I forgot to add one thing. Right at the start, it gave me the same result, but after I restarted the computer with the external display already connected (both times before, I connected the external display AFTER the MBA had already booted), both the internal and external displays worked briefly. However, after I started the process to format the computer, and it had to be re-started again, the internal display did not work, only the external display did.

The fact that you did get both display's to work temporarily...AND...the external monitor worked for a bit & the internal display did not...this would seem to indicate to me an intermittent issue...possibily a bad or lose cable (cable that goes from the logic board to the builtin display.

That's interesting, but when I spoke to the technician at the Staples location in Ontario, he told me that he had removed the display assembly and connected an external display, and it worked (which I didn't believe at the time, but now, of course, I do...). If he put it all back together, wouldn't he have made sure all of the cables and what not were in place and firmly connected?

This doesn't mean it couldn't be something else. But if this was my computer...I would check to be sure all cables were securely in place...and if that didn't work...I would purchase a new video cable & install it BEFORE declaring the computer a "door-stop" and selling it for parts.

Every video I have watched on working on the display has involved a heat gun and a lot of tedious work. Is this cable replacement any different?

Thanks for the input. If you have anything more to offer after my clarifications, feel free. I may know someone locally who could work on it for me, so perhaps I will go that route, depending on the costs.

Thanks again!

Terry

 

[pm-r]

Man, this photo sure looks like the same problem, and with a possible fix, but didn't check any pricing:

Graphics problems but External Display Works
https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/230875/Graphics+problems+but+External+Display+Works

And a few other hits if you want to check them out:
https://www.google.ca/search?client...F-8&gfe_rd=cr&dcr=0&ei=zZKsWe_2D8zM8gfS27WgCg



EDIT:

If the problem is the display Assembly they seem to be available here in the $300.00 - $400.00 cdn I believe range:
https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Mac/MacBook-Air?display=list&filters[Displays]=on





- Patrick
======

 

[pigoo3]

That's interesting, but when I spoke to the technician at the Staples location in Ontario, he told me that he had removed the display assembly and connected an external display, and it worked (which I didn't believe at the time, but now, of course, I do...). If he put it all back together, wouldn't he have made sure all of the cables and what not were in place and firmly connected?

The Staples technician may have done a great job making sure the video cable was in place & firmly connected...but that doesn't eliminate the possibility of the cable being bad.

The internal video cable being bad could possibily explain the MacBook Air's builtin display issue...but wouldn't necessarily explain the external display issue...if the external display is not consistently working.

- Nick