Wow im pretty upset now-- macbook pro side bent and open.

I open up my macbook pro neoprene sleeve today to reveal a bulge on the superdrive corner. There was no disc in the drive for weeks. The aluminum is actually bending outwards. There is a huge gap on the side where the aluminum meets with the grey plastic bezel.The lid is not flush with the system when closed now it has a gap and is uneven with the undamaged side. I can see the side inside of the laptop slightly:complicated plastic groves and such. I cant fathom how this could happen. The laptop is in the sleeve at all times, and then placed in a plastic briefcase. Even if the laptop fell how could the result injury bulge the side outwards? I have no camera for pictures. I am still in warranty what are my options? Im very nervous because I doubt the optical drive can still be used and am nervous that other parts inside the laptop are getting damaged from bulge. I read that this could be from daily wrist pressure. Also I sometimes hold the laptop and walk around with it holding that corner, that probably contributed to this. I am going to go to an apple store in the next few days to get it fixed. Now I see the purpose of the unibody.

Lid gap looks like this:



The bezel gap looks like this but mine is only 1/2 as long and not as open:

 

I have to say, my old SR MBP was the same way, only both sides were that way. One side would show a slightly larger gap than the other. I can tell you too that I never ever dropped that baby or even bumped it anywhere. It was like that from day one and I thought it was normal because my local BB's display unit was the same and so was my wife's unit.

 

That particular point of the MBP is thin and vulnerable to pressure, as well as not attached to anything - the underlying electronics are isolated within the chassis shell so should be unaffected by this chassis bend and should be fine. My mother-in-law's old MBP also developed that problem.

Mechanical stress/pressure from a drop can transfer through a notebook's body in strange ways, but physics alone will dictate that a weak part or area will always fail from a minor stress that leaves the rest intact.

Hopefully AppleCare will repair this for you, and not say that it's due to impact stress (which probably won't be covered).

 

Any Ideas on what to say? Thanks glad to Know I am not alone.

 

Oops. The second picture wasn't viewable when I posted my reply.

I thought you were merely referring to this:

 

Yep, my old MBP had an identical problem. However, regardless of whether you have AppleCare or not, if the machine is still under any type of warranty, I'd strongly advise taking it to an Apple Store and asking them to replace the bottom casing. I actually took it to the first store, and they wouldn't do it, so I took it to another one, and sure enough, they replaced it for free. (After which I immediately sold it and bought a unibody MBP ).

 

First thing that comes to my mind when I see that is physical damage which wouldn't be covered by the warranty.

 

actually if it is a manufactures defect they will fix it. The white macbooks had palm rests that would get discolored, the white plastic would start to chip off and the palm rest sections would sometimes start to seperate and apple replaired / replaced all of those machines even if they werent under warranty.

 

Wow glare screen here I come, but thats exactly what Im doing, either that or extending my apple care (thats only if they fix it). I will just go in and tell them what I have researched online and that its there defect, not mine. Luckily manhattan has several stores for me to plead my case.

 

How can that be a defect? I'm sure it would take a fair amount of force to bend the casing like that.

 

Maybe it`s a good thing the new uMacbook Pro has the dvd drive on the right side next to the hinge , it should be harder to crush.

 

I think the defect of your macbook pro that you speak of is just from everyday wear and tear.

Since you did say you carried your macbook on that corner, it was probably slowly bending without you noticing until it was too late.

I think the new Macbooks being a unibody makes it better all around. I don't see this happening to the new macbooks as the unibody doesn't have any seams.

 

you can easily bend it back into position if you want to .... trust me .. nearly to a pristine condition without too much of effort ... just keep applying pressure for a minute every day for a few days.. and it'll progressively mould into shape ...
use something to aid you rather than your plain hands ... i suggest a heavy book or something of that sort ....
(p.s. i had a rather more subtle version of that occuring on the side of my mbp ... where the card reader slot is ... and it worked for me like a charm ...
good luck with it

 

It's actually not very hard to warp that particular area, and quite common (at least that's what the Apple Store rep said). It's due to the pressure your hand/wrist applies on that area when you're typing, and since there's no reinforcement under it (because of the SuperDrive) it tends to warp quite easily. Now, according to the Apple Store rep, apparently this isn't officially considered a defect, but I seriously doubt that the majority of people keep their wrists fully elevated off the computer the entire time they type.

Also though, to the OP: You might want to check this site out:

http://www.myservice.com/macbookpro.html

If you scroll down the page about halfway, you'll see they sell replacement casing for the MacBook Pro, and I believe installation/replacement service is included in that price. If so, for $295, it might be a bit cheaper than renewing AppleCare (although also to note- if you're planning to immediately sell it, AppleCare (especially brand new) will GREATLY increase the resale value of your Mac).

 

The damage looks more significant than daily wear and tear.

 

My thoughts too. I had the same SR MBP for over a year and I abused that thing and never had anything like that happen. But I guess you can never rule out a design flaw that would enable such deficiency in certain units. It'll be interesting to see how Apple treats this one.

 

Exactly my point. Even leaning your wrists on the edge would not bend it that far. It would take quite a bit of force to cause that kind of damage.

 

it could do that.. over time... if the laptop wasn't supported correctly.. A lot of lap usage and similar.

 

And this is the first time the OP noticed? Come on, you can't truly believe what you're saying, can you? It doesn't go from pristine to THAT on a whim!

 

Yeah well im not lying this is what happened. Im surely not the first person this happened to. Im going to the apple store tomorrow so you can all hold the negative comments and assumptions till after I tell you of the verdict. I have no reason to lie to random people on a forum.

 

Despite your skepticism, the OP is indeed correct- that exact kind of damage has been reported many times by MacBook Pro owners, in that same spot. Having had it happen to me, I can also tell you that since it develops over time, it's kind of one of those things where eventually you get used to it, and start to not notice it, until next thing you know it looks like that.

 

Well I wasn't just making stuff up or making wild guesses...
my older Macbook Pro (original) is very similar, the corners are bent down slightly like this (on both sides). Just because something isn't noticed, doesn't mean it isn't happening. I use mine in ways where its resting with support on the back sides, and front middle, so when I type my arms put weight down on the corners there (kinda relaxed back slouching positions without any kind of lap tray), and I'm pretty sure thats whats caused it on mine over the years.... its nothing I noticed right away or daily, just a few years later I happened to look at it when closed at the right angle and went... whoa, its bent!.... but I figured out most likely why, since it wasn't like that when I bought it.

 

That first picture looks exactly how both my old 15" MBPs looked. The latch GRABS in the middle, and the ends are not held down as well. I don't see anything wrong with that picture at all...

 

The first picture shows a common problem with the old MBP. Slight warping is normal on those machines.

The second picture, OTOH, is user incurred damage.

 

Would this happen to the new unibody macs?

 

No, because the unibodies have lids that are flush with the case when closed; the lid is much stronger (thanks in part to the hardened glass), and the LED light produces less heat, so there is lower probability of warping.

 

Just minor but the late SR MBP also had LED backlit screens.

 

I know they did (I had one), but it also had the warping because the lid was just not structurally sturdy enough.

 

Well Went to the 5th avenue apple store they said i could not even talk to someone for a week (disgustingly crowed) then i went to 14th street. i waited 45 minutes and then they said the guy said no. so im done with apple. selling the macbook pro on ebay i guess. getting a asus which has 1yr accidental warranty even if i deliberately spill orange juice on the laptop. its a shame i need final cut for school, so im kind of at a crossroads. i mean i might try again to get it repiared again (well im done, not interested in beggin, i might get someone ,more skilled at debate to try, but probally not) or even buy a unibody before September 8th but im really angry with apple at this point (hence the bad grammar here) i thought apple was better than the MS companies. Then there laptop rips open by itself ( again i did not cause it, just like the peoples batteries who caught fire did not set thiers on fire) on me and they wont fix or even try to bend it back into shape.

PS: I hope all the people who said I would not get it fixed, are enjoying themselves.

PPS: They offered to replace the casing for 610.00

 

The people who told you that you wouldn't get it fixed for free weren't being mean (like you seem to think they were) but were just using common sense. That second picture is clearly physical damage not covered by warranty.

There isn't a company on the planet that would consider that damage a manufacturing defect. You mentioned "accidental damage coverage," which is appropriate because you damaged the notebook yourself, and this sort of warranty is the only type that will offer free repairs.

It is actually quite easy to fix what you have done. Simply unscrew the side, back, and bottom screws, remove the trackpad/keyboard top, and gently bend the bottom panel back into shape --viola!

 

So you're pissed off because Apple won't fix your MacBook under warranty because the damage (which clearly isn't a defect) was caused by either direct or indirect (accidental) physical abuse?? Do I have this right?? Drop the hissy fit and perhaps you might get a few more sympathy votes.

Laptops don't "rip open by themselves" contrary to what you're trying to convince others into believe. Even if it was completely an accident that happened when you weren't around, you really have to be foolish to think damage like that happens on it's own!

Apple *IS* better than Microsoft in many, many regards.

Enjoy your Asus. LOL! I can't even say that without giggling!

QFT!

 

Khris, may I quote you for future references?

 

Which parts are you looking to quote and why?

 

Well I don't know the original poster or anyone else. I do know abuse when I see it. This nonsense that is just happened isn't going to fly with Apple if it won't even fly with us here on the forum. If you think Asus would replace that with the same type warranty that you have with Apple now you'd be wrong. No you'd need a accident plan, because clearly that is what happened.

 

?
What am i missing here,
If unwilling to self-repair, a hard case only cost $30, even if only using the bottom of the hard case.
Still under 1-year of age, you can get apple care via eBay for $150 "not to cover the damage" and rest easy for the next two years from failures, or since these have the Nvidia 8600 chip that is questionable, Apple has a program in place to cover it for three years in/out of warranty.

Point being, I have the exact same model, purchase late summer 08 and i don't have any bending to mine, yet i make a habit not to press down on the palm rest when standing up from a sitting position.

btw:
If you showed apple that laptop in the condition that your picture reflects
That alone worked against you, it looks utterly dirty, look at that screen, look at what seems to be splatters of sorts on it.
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/495/dscf4116bb.jpg

 

You aren't alone about had DVD drive bent issue, I used to own SR MacBook Pro and got DVD drive bent so I went to Apple store and they said it's not covered under warranty so I paid around $600 to replace the bottom case, it happened in 2008.

My SR MacBook Pro is currently trade in and wait for credit to purchase unibody MacBook Pro in few weeks because of unsatisfied design (especially DVD drive bent) so I decide to get unibody MacBook Pro.

I'm sorry about what happened to you and hopefully, you will find way to get work out.

There's some Apple store in NJ, I don't know if you live in NYC so you can go to Apple store in NJ.

 

Lethal Lottery. I feel your frustration. The best way to handle forum posts is to assume that you are in youtube territory (i.e., the average age of posters are proportional to their zits). Good luck with the repairs and please continue to enjoy your Macbook.

 

As this thread is turning into somewhat of a dispute between members rather than a discussion on ways to solve the problem raised, it is closed.

I can understand how frustrating this must be for Lethal Lottery, but to be honest, I'd be surprised if not all consumer notebook manufacturers would refuse to repair a notebook case bent in that way under normal manufacturer's warranty. Of course, one could attempt to bend it back or replace it yourself as mentioned, although selling it on eBay is probably also a good choice.