beer and a macbook

WillNicholls

WillNicholls

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Probably thinking uh oh just looking at the title...

I managed to spill some beer onto the keyboard last night of a new macbook pro 15 inch retina (ouch).

In my happy frame of mind I kept the thing on and playing music with the power cable in. I thought I shut it down an hour later but this morning it was closed and the fans were going very loud.

Opened it and instantly the screen shut off. Then it won't turn on. It turned on once and then flashed off.

No apple stores in the rainforest in cambodia unfortunately. At least there's plenty of rice here for it to sit in.

Am I screwed ? Or is there light at the end of the tunnel ? :(
 
Sorry but i think its fair to say its :thumbsdown:,maybe if you had acted straight away.
I think it will have to go to a repair shop,for a full strip down to see if it can be saved.
 
simonblue said:
Sorry but i think its fair to say its :thumbsdown:,maybe if you had acted straight away.
I think it will have to go to a repair shop,for a full strip down to see if it can be saved.
Click to expand...

Thought that would be the case.

Unfortunately not in UK until 19th december. Online suggesting repair is as much as the computer when these things happen.

Let's hope my insurer covers liquid spills....
 
Oh dear Will :( I spilled water on my laptop last year and shut it off right away it still to my tech support (cousin) about 6 hours to get it running again :( needed some new RAM too as it fried it

I guess the biggest question is how much of an adverse effect is this going to have on getting work done?
 
You could have saved it by the sound of it, but you just let the viscous (and somewhat conducting) fluid slowly seep through the keyboard gaps... I am pretty sure with retina it is all gone.

You can get some ugly keyboard covers (even some cling film) if you must use it as a placemat :)
 
MWHCVT said:
Oh dear Will :( I spilled water on my laptop last year and shut it off right away it still to my tech support (cousin) about 6 hours to get it running again :( needed some new RAM too as it fried it

I guess the biggest question is how much of an adverse effect is this going to have on getting work done?
Click to expand...

It will be problematic but at least I have enough memory cards... I think.

daugirdas said:
You could have saved it by the sound of it, but you just let the viscous (and somewhat conducting) fluid slowly seep through the keyboard gaps... I am pretty sure with retina it is all gone.

You can get some ugly keyboard covers (even some cling film) if you must use it as a placemat :)
Click to expand...

The irony is I had one but it wasn't on it at the time as it was dirty.
 
Probably of little use to you will but here is the two authorised resellers not sure if they'd be able to provide any support

http://www.apple.com/asia/reseller/apr/cb-list.php

Maybe through apple care assuming you have it, especially if you detail the situation that your out there on conservation work
 
MWHCVT said:
Probably of little use to you will but here is the two authorised resellers not sure if they'd be able to provide any support

http://www.apple.com/asia/reseller/apr/cb-list.php

Maybe through apple care assuming you have it, especially if you detail the situation that your out there on conservation work
Click to expand...

Not got applecare for this. Have it for the imac at home but I couldn't afford it. However it seems my insurance covers it... looking at the policy it doesn't say they don't cover this type of water damage. Phew!

Thanks for link. I will have a look.
 
Yeah that'll most likely have toasted much of the internals. Beer tends to leave a nice sticky layer on everything.

I'd say worst case new logic board, CPU, ram and keyboard.

I seem to remember recommending a tough book for your travels but not for this reason lol
 
Jesus Will!

Accidents happen though, I've taken in several MBP's in the past with beer damage. New logic board and keyboard is usually the case and although they sound expensive, you can usually pick a logic board up for around £600 - will take you around 2 hours to fit but hopefully your insurance will cover for this.
When ever I was away from home I would take my IBM thinkpad - they install a drain in the keyboard as standard to prevent spillages on the motherboard, that's what you call positive thinking ;)
But failing that, a toughbook would also be recommended, a few friends in the RAF use them and they do take a beating (Sometimes deliberate to prove a point!).
 
Toughbooks aint that tough.. i managed to break one.

Oh and i broke a gobook too...
 
WillNicholls said:
Not got applecare for this. Have it for the imac at home but I couldn't afford it. However it seems my insurance covers it... looking at the policy it doesn't say they don't cover this type of water damage. Phew!

Thanks for link. I will have a look.
Click to expand...

Most computer insurance excludes spilled liquids but travel policies are a lot more generous. If it doesn't say it's excluded then you're laughing.

There's a rumour that Macbooks have a magic membrane under the keyboard that changes colour depending on the type of liquid that hits it (one for water, one for alcohol). It's almost certainly a myth but the story was that Apple wouldn't under any circumstances cover alcohol spills since they assumed the owner had been negligent ;)

"Next time" you'll want to hose it down to stop the beer drying overnight.
 
i know apple do/used to have water sensitive paper inside the iphones to detect liquid damage (and hence exclude it from free repair). ive never come across any in a MBP though (unless its really hidden).
 
That's probably how the rumour started. Add in a healthy dose of "Apple knows everything" and you have an internet legend right there ;)
 
neil_g said:
i know apple do/used to have water sensitive paper inside the iphones to detect liquid damage (and hence exclude it from free repair). ive never come across any in a MBP though (unless its really hidden).
Click to expand...

Is there another sort of paper :)
 
The water indicators have been present for years, seen several when repairing ones that I bought as damaged on eBay! Just look for the little white dots in the base plate, they go red if liquid has touched them, I think there was around 4 in the 2009 onwards MBP and a few in the keyboard bezel, they're literally around 3mm wide and look like pieces of fabric. Only insurance will cover this one :(
 
I've just remembered that I have a pack of them spare somewhere (I use them when producing avionics kit) I'll send a few if required :D
 
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