The Official "I spilled liquid in my MacBook, what do I do now?" Thread

[pigoo3]

Oh, btw, i was very surprised to find out that the apple warranty isn't void if the macbook pro needs repairs on the components that were left untouched by the corrosion. Just so you know.

It depends on exactly what is found...and sometimes it depends on who you speak with (I believe the Apple technicians have some fuzzy-area when it comes to repairs). If the liquid spill sensors changed color...and there is no visible corrosion...usually you're looking at an expensive repair. Much more is taken into consideration than corrosion.

Some liquids can be worse than others. For example...if orange soda was spilled on the computer:

- The acidic nature over time can cause issues.
- As the soda evaporates...it becomes a sticky goo.
- There's the orange color.
- There's the odor of the orange flavor...especially noticable as the computer warm's up.

And then there's coffee, beer, wine, milk, etc. Different liquids can cause more or less issues. But the common issue is the computer shorting out when the liquid comes into contact with a powered on electrical device.

- Nick

 

[Soham]

It depends on exactly what is found...and sometimes it depends on who you speak with (I believe the Apple technicians have some fuzzy-area when it comes to repairs).

Agreed!

But i thought the warranty was void on every component no matter what, even if the problem has nothing to do with the spill, so it still came as a good surprise.

And yes, it probably helped that the genius was a guy and i'm a woman, and since my MBP still works fine i was smiling about it the whole time. The genius (who was hot as ****, btw) talking to the client on the next seat even laughed with us when i was asked what liquid i spilled and i answered "coke... well, actually, cuba libre", saying i had good taste and it was his favorite drink. When the genius in charge of my computer came back after opening it, i gave him a hopeful look, and i could see he was sorry for me even before he told me about the corrosion.

But i believe what helped the most in not getting scammed in any way was the fact i was honest, and didn't ask for any favor at all. I just told them how stupid i was and that i wished to have my computer checked in order to know how bad the damage was. Bottom line is, honesty pays, people, no one likes to be taken for a fool.

Anyway, if anyone else from Paris, France reads this after spilling liquid on their Mac, just go to the Genius bar at the Louvre Apple store if you can, they're great (these days, anyhow).

Peace.

 

[pigoo3]

But i thought the warranty was void on every component no matter what, even if the problem has nothing to do with the spill, so it still came as a good surprise.

Kind of hard to say. Most of the time when someone has a liquid spill...it's the logic board that needs to be replaced. But if other parts are non-functional...then the overall price of the repair will be that much higher.

Basically what it comes down to is...all parts that are damaged by liquid get replaced...and the parts that are not damaged are not replaced. In a sense in this example...nothing is covered by the Applecare warranty...because the repair cost of all of the liquid damaged parts are paid by the customer. And all of the good parts are not replaced (not necessary). What the customer gets back is a 100% working unit. Now if something should fail (in a 2nd situation)...and is considered a manufacturing defect...then Applecare covers it.

And yes, it probably helped that the genius was a guy and i'm a woman, and since my MBP still works fine i was smiling about it the whole time. The genius (who was hot as ****, btw) talking to the client on the next seat even laughed with us when i was asked what liquid i spilled and i answered "coke... well, actually, cuba libre", saying i had good taste and it was his favorite drink. When the genius in charge of my computer came back after opening it, i gave him a hopeful look, and i could see he was sorry for me even before he told me about the corrosion.

But i believe what helped the most in not getting scammed in any way was the fact i was honest, and didn't ask for any favor at all. I just told them how stupid i was and that i wished to have my computer checked in order to know how bad the damage was. Bottom line is, honesty pays, people, no one likes to be taken for a fool.

Sounds like you used the best approach when speaking with the Apple person/person's. Some folks go in "huffing & puffing"..."screaming & yelling"...and basically being diagreeable. This of course will not get a person anywhere at an Apple Store.

Continued good luck with the computer!

- Nick

p.s. By the way. You must like guys in T-Shirts! Maybe if they look great in T-shirts...they look REALLY awesome when you dress them up!!!

 

[Soham]

all parts that are damaged by liquid get replaced...and the parts that are not damaged are not replaced.

Definitely, i believe Apple's pretty honest when it comes to replacing components you messed up yourself.

the liquid damaged parts are paid by the customer. And all of the good parts are not replaced (not necessary). What the customer gets back is a 100% working unit. Now if something should fail (in a 2nd situation)...and is considered a manufacturing defect...then Applecare covers it.

Yep, but just to be clear: when i asked the Genius about my trackpad having a teeny tiny mark (that had nothing to do with the spill: it was there since the day i bought the MBP, and Apple probably would've replaced it for free, no questions asked, before my STUPID spill)... He said if i should have it changed now, Apple would still replace the trackpad for free (as a manufacturing defect), but would also replace (and have me pay for) my logic board and any other liquid-damaged parts inside the MBP - whether i liked it or not, and even though they still worked.

So what i mean to say is: after a liquid spill, the Apple warranty is fair enough so that it isn't void when it comes to "non-liquid-damaged" components: if your laptop has a manufacturing defect, that part will be replaced for free... But Apple will still MAKE you change (and pay for) any other parts that were messed up by your spill, even if they still work.

Continued good luck with the computer!

- Nick

Thanks!

Maybe if they look great in T-shirts...they look REALLY awesome when you dress them up!!!

IKR? If Apple geniuses wore suits, i probably would've HAD to ask this one for his #, LOL. Whatever...

It's been 2 weeks now since i turned my MacBook Pro back on after spilling (coke zero) cuba libre all over its screen and half its keyboard, and in spite of a little corrosion, it's still working just fine. Will let you know if anything bad happens, otherwise (hopefully) i will not be posting on this thread by next year, in order to give you the good news (yeah, i'm usually a lucky b***, so i'm hoping it'll still work by then, as my PowerBook G4 did for 5 years after a water spill).

Anyway, once again, don't get your hopes up, but don't give up hope either... Good luck to you all!

 

[techoff2]

This question although related to liquid spills may need a more technical answer.
Have a macbook pro 2012 that had a liquid spill and the customer took some time to get it to me for a look.
Had no keyboard or touchpad controls, does work with usb.
When I took it apart I noticed corrosion had eaten the contact points on the keyboard control chip (cy8c24794-24l)
I was able to buy and replace this chip.
However I still don't have any controls.
I thought that this chip would be written too when the system was first turned on after the replacement.
Does it have to be pre programmed before replacement?

 

[chscag]

Does it have to be pre programmed before replacement?

It would be unlikely. However, as you know liquid spills can cause unseen damage other than visible corrosion. Apple techs do not bother with trying to change out individual components when a liquid spill occurs. They simply change out the entire logic board. Usually not worth it with a 2012 MacBook Pro.

 

[Rod]

I have one simple rule, I never have liquids on the same surface as my laptop. I know, I know, you will say, "but it's my morning coffee" or "I was having a party and I just wanted to change the music" or something similar but there is no other way. Apart from the few individuals who thought a spray on cleaner or wet cloth would be OK to use for cleaning the keyboard this is how most liquid issues occur.
My wife once asked if she could put a vase of flowers on my desk and I said, no. Why? Because we have cats.
If it can happen, it will happen.

 

[pigoo3]

That's a VERY good rule Rod! And 10x a good rule if someone has cats!!!

- Nick

 

[Rod]

Well Nick, it's worked for me so far. Thanks for the comment.

 

[Armz300]

MacBook Air Water Spill

Hello, please I need help, I spilled water on my MacBook Air's keyboard 5 days ago. It was by accident and the Mac shutdown itself immediately after the water got into the keyboard. I have read others threads, used a horse fan to dry the water for 5 days now but it's still won't turn on. The most disappointing thing is I am currently in Nigeria where there is no Apple Store and I'm not going back to UK till September and I really can't go 3 month without my laptop. Please help

 

[Armz300]

Spilled water on my MacBook

*Used a a fan to dry the water out*

 

[Raz0rEdge]

If the machine turned itself off with the water spilling and you can't turn it back on, likely a bunch of components must have fried. The only way to know for sure is to take the MBA apart and look inside. However, if the machine won't turn on at all after this many days of drying, it's likely really dead and you should start looking for a replacement..

 

[pigoo3]

Hello, please I need help, I spilled water on my MacBook Air's keyboard 5 days ago. It was by accident and the Mac shutdown itself immediately after the water got into the keyboard. I have read others threads, used a horse fan to dry the water for 5 days now but it's still won't turn on. The most disappointing thing is I am currently in Nigeria where there is no Apple Store and I'm not going back to UK till September and I really can't go 3 month without my laptop. Please help

Sorry to hear about the liquid spill.

Anything that can be said & suggested has already been covered 10x over in this thread:

http://www.mac-forums.com/apple-notebooks/271875-official-spilled-liquid-macbook-thread.html

- Nick

 

[lclev]

This is an old thread. Unfortunately the advice for water spill is still the same - the out come is never good. The fact water hit the keyboard and the MB Air shutdown very likely means something shorted out. The fact it won't turn on means it is probably dead. At this point I am afraid you will be looking for a new laptop. Even if you had an apple store they would only tell you the cost of replacing - and here I am making my best guess - the logic board and possibly more.

The cost of repair might out weigh the cost of buying another laptop.

Lisa

 

[IWT]

@Armz300

Welcome. And sorry to learn of your misfortune.

The crucial question is: do you have a Backup (BU); Time Machine or a cloning software BU; anything?

Because in all probability nothing is likely to recoverable from your Mac's Hard Disk Drive - unless you are willing to fork out "big money" and, even then, you would need to find a professional Disk Recovery Specialist. That might be difficult given your location?

Really sorry.

Ian

 

[a-riot]

Water damage on a Macbook Pro Retina 13"

Hello Mac Forum!

I spilled a full glass of water on the back/right side of my 2015 Retina 13" Macbook Pro while it was on, I had a few USB peripherals and an external display plugged-in and as I was unplugging everything and getting ready to shut down, the built-in display started flashing. I guess some water got through the hinge and side vents as it was flowing through my desk.

I let it dry with the display open on the side/back switching angles a couples of time for a full day, I also used a blow drier for a few minutes. Then I removed the bottom casing and let it dry out for a few more hours.

After a long and excruciating wait, I turned it back on... and it works fine! The first "OSX is loading" progress bar was a little slow and got stuck, the display flashed a few times (it felt like HOURS), but then it resumed loading and everything worked. After using it a few days I noticed the following:

• - If I restart/shutdown the built-in display works perfectly, however after it goes to sleep it wont turn back on. It's all black, but has "light"(the apple logo on the back side lights up, the brightness adjustment keys work, and the display is not completely dead.. it's like it's projecting a totally black image).
• - Everything works fine with an external display, so I turned on mirroring and that's how I'm using it as I type this right now.

So on to my questions:

1) Is there something I can try that can fix this? (I'm pretty tech savvy and alright if you ask me to remove the bottom lid and do a few things there... if I have to disassemble every part, I wouldn't be confortable, as I know I wouldn't be able to get everything back together without cursing, knocking and hammering, and sealing it back with duct tape )

2) Should I take it to a professional? Do you think this is a case for the Apple Store or is it better to go to a small repair shop? (specially in terms of cost ) Did someone have similar experiences with Apple vs. other places?

3) Can this get worse? Is it safe/ok to continue to use my Macbook with an external display?


Thanks!!!

 

[pigoo3]

So on to my questions:

1) Is there something I can try that can fix this? (I'm pretty tech savvy and alright if you ask me to remove the bottom lid and do a few things there... if I have to disassemble every part, I wouldn't be confortable, as I know I wouldn't be able to get everything back together without cursing, knocking and hammering, and sealing it back with duct tape )

2) Should I take it to a professional? Do you think this is a case for the Apple Store or is it better to go to a small repair shop? (specially in terms of cost ) Did someone have similar experiences with Apple vs. other places?

3) Can this get worse? Is it safe/ok to continue to use my Macbook with an external display?

Have you read any of the previous 26 pages of this thread?? If not...please look over the whole thread. All of the answers needed are there.

- Nick

 

[karatatat]

After spill: Mac switches off when reaching a certain point in boot process?

Hello,

I'd like to better understand why my Mac stops the boot process, I wonder whether there is any specific component causes it and whether this may be the source of the problem. Maybe someone has experience with a similar situation?

Back story:
My MBP Retina (late 2012 model) recently received an unwanted coffee shower (yes, of course with milk and sugar). I cleaned it with medical alcohol as best as I could which included also removing the keys, heat bridge, ventilators etc.
After reassembly, it seemed to boot ok at first. But then the keyboard and touchpad failed. I left it to dry out for 2 weeks and tried again today. The good news is that touchpad and keyboard seem to be working again, the bad news is that the boot process never continues beyond a certain point.

Situation now:
Power + D triggers the diagnostics program. If I leave it there, the machine runs without a problem. If I continue and then launch a hardware test, it will switch itself off after a few seconds. The same happens when I try to run Ubuntu from a USB stick: it keeps running as long as the GRUB screen is there, a few seconds after I select e.g. Try Ubuntu option, it will switch off again.

Do you have any thoughts on this?


Thank you,

k.

 

[chscag]

Welcome to our forums.

If you have read through this long thread you can see that spills are very unpredictable. There is no way to tell what was initially damaged when the spill occurred. Any damage to the logic board could cause a number of problems that may get worse over time. Since your machine is now 5 years old, you need to decide whether to repair it or move on and get another. There are repair facilities advertised on the web that can give you an estimate of what it would cost to repair your MBP and from that you can decide what to do.

 

[karatatat]

Thank you for your message, chscag. I don't think it will be worth it to pay for a repair. For now I will wait for a few months, try again and if nothing improves, probably sell it. It's a shame, even after 5 years it ran superbly well.