Old MacBook Pro just died on me

Is the $129 just to replace the battery or also to trouble-shoot the issue?

Will that $129 go toward a new device if they can’t fix it?

I wouldn’t pay $129 on that old of a laptop, unless there was an easily fixable problem or it was known for sure that the battery is the issue. However, kudos to you for potentially saving it from the landfill.

I checked my email and they sent me a copy of the work authorization. A few things are off (like the problems powering it up which I described) but I don't think that's as a critical as replacing the battery. I never said the battery life was short (I rarely use it anyways) but that doesn't matter if it's replaced. I specifically mentioned that it was swollen (and it was acknowledged as a reason why the trackpad might be wonky), but that's not in the report. The date of purchase is really weird too as I bought it March 2015. Whenever I enter it in Apple's "Check Your Coverage" website it says the purchase date isn't verified, which usually happens if the seller didn't transfer over the purchase date with serial number. But not an issue for me as long as they can do the out of warranty work. All the screws are present, but I did buy a screw replacement kit after a couple of them fell out. They're pretty much identical to OEM. Not sure what's up with the listing of a drive size of "512". Factory installed was 500 GB, but it's currently got a 1 TB SSD. And I mentioned it, but there's still the boilerplate warning about third-party parts, although I put the factory memory back in but left the drive. There's really no need to worry about any of that over a battery repair.

I also just got a voice message where they said there was a "storage" problem. When I called in I was told that the diagnostics showed that the "hard drive is failing". News to me since it's a 1TB WD Blue 3D NAND SSD that I installed about 3 years ago and is showing a 100% wear level. I'm probably never going to wear it out in my lifetime. They wanted an additional $120 to replace it. I said I didn't want it replaced (I can do it myself but I'm skeptical that it's actually failing) and they agreed to go ahead with the battery replacement.


Apple 4th Street
Jun 7, 2022(510) 898-3341

Genius Bar Work Authorization​

Repair No: R5********

Estimated Pickup Time: Jun 11, 2022


Customer Information​

Product Information​

y_p_wWarranty Status: Out of Warranty (OW)

United States
Model: VIN,MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid 2012)
Date of Purchase: Nov 19, 2014
Serial No: C1********

Problem Description/Diagnosis​

Issue: Customer states that their battery life is incredibly short and had issues with starting up.
Steps to Reproduce: Visually verified the service needed in OS.
Ran MRI (Mac resource inspector). BATTERY failed.
Customer is aware that full diagnostics will be ran prior to repair.
Cosmetic Condition: Display is free from chips and cracks.
Top case has all keys present with multiple keys showing wear.
Bottom plate has all bottom screws and feet present.
No damages to edges of enclosure.

Proposed Resolution: Ordering a battery however starting a part transfer from Bay Street for the available part.

Customer is aware of requote if liquid damage or third party parts are found on device. Customer is aware of potential data loss.

Customer was informed to bring ID to pick up the device after repair.
Mac OS Version: 10.15.x
Hard Drive Size: 512
Memory Size: 4
Contact Apple Support Case: *********

Employee ********


Repair Estimate​

Item NumberDescriptionPriceAmount DueCustomer KBB
661-04559SVC,BATTERY,LITH ION$ 129.00$ 129.00
Total (Tax not included)$ 129.00$ 129.00
The above estimate does not include applicable taxes. Taxes will be calculated at the time of payment.



By signing below, I agree that:

• the Repair Terms and Conditions on the reverse side of this page will apply to the service of the product identified above;

• as unintentional loss of data may occur as a result of the service it is my responsibility to make a backup copy of my data before bringing my product to Apple for service;

• Apple is not responsible for any loss or corruption of the data on my product during service; and

• Apple may use parts or products that are new or equivalent to new in reliability and performance.
 
I checked my email and they sent me a copy of the work authorization. A few things are off (like the problems powering it up which I described) but I don't think that's as a critical as replacing the battery. I never said the battery life was short (I rarely use it anyways) but that doesn't matter if it's replaced. I specifically mentioned that it was swollen (and it was acknowledged as a reason why the trackpad might be wonky), but that's not in the report. The date of purchase is really weird too as I bought it March 2015. Whenever I enter it in Apple's "Check Your Coverage" website it says the purchase date isn't verified, which usually happens if the seller didn't transfer over the purchase date with serial number. But not an issue for me as long as they can do the out of warranty work. All the screws are present, but I did buy a screw replacement kit after a couple of them fell out. They're pretty much identical to OEM. Not sure what's up with the listing of a drive size of "512". Factory installed was 500 GB, but it's currently got a 1 TB SSD. And I mentioned it, but there's still the boilerplate warning about third-party parts, although I put the factory memory back in but left the drive. There's really no need to worry about any of that over a battery repair.

I also just got a voice message where they said there was a "storage" problem. When I called in I was told that the diagnostics showed that the "hard drive is failing". News to me since it's a 1TB WD Blue 3D NAND SSD that I installed about 3 years ago and is showing a 100% wear level. I'm probably never going to wear it out in my lifetime. They wanted an additional $120 to replace it. I said I didn't want it replaced (I can do it myself but I'm skeptical that it's actually failing) and they agreed to go ahead with the battery replacement.


Apple 4th Street
Jun 7, 2022(510) 898-3341

Genius Bar Work Authorization​

Repair No: R5********

Estimated Pickup Time: Jun 11, 2022


Customer Information​

Product Information​

y_p_wWarranty Status: Out of Warranty (OW)

United States
Model: VIN,MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid 2012)
Date of Purchase: Nov 19, 2014
Serial No: C1********

Problem Description/Diagnosis​

Issue: Customer states that their battery life is incredibly short and had issues with starting up.
Steps to Reproduce: Visually verified the service needed in OS.
Ran MRI (Mac resource inspector). BATTERY failed.
Customer is aware that full diagnostics will be ran prior to repair.
Cosmetic Condition: Display is free from chips and cracks.
Top case has all keys present with multiple keys showing wear.
Bottom plate has all bottom screws and feet present.
No damages to edges of enclosure.

Proposed Resolution: Ordering a battery however starting a part transfer from Bay Street for the available part.

Customer is aware of requote if liquid damage or third party parts are found on device. Customer is aware of potential data loss.

Customer was informed to bring ID to pick up the device after repair.
Mac OS Version: 10.15.x
Hard Drive Size: 512
Memory Size: 4
Contact Apple Support Case: *********

Employee ********


Repair Estimate​

Item NumberDescriptionPriceAmount DueCustomer KBB
661-04559SVC,BATTERY,LITH ION$ 129.00$ 129.00
Total (Tax not included)$ 129.00$ 129.00
The above estimate does not include applicable taxes. Taxes will be calculated at the time of payment.



By signing below, I agree that:

• the Repair Terms and Conditions on the reverse side of this page will apply to the service of the product identified above;

• as unintentional loss of data may occur as a result of the service it is my responsibility to make a backup copy of my data before bringing my product to Apple for service;

• Apple is not responsible for any loss or corruption of the data on my product during service; and

• Apple may use parts or products that are new or equivalent to new in reliability and performance.

I wonder if they mixed up two different repair orders. Hopefully you don’t receive an even older macbook back…
 
I wonder if they mixed up two different repair orders. Hopefully you don’t receive an even older macbook back…

Serial number is correct. I'm still kind of puzzled at any diagnostic saying that the "hard drive" is failing. The purchase date may just be a random placeholder. I've heard of several who have found their Apple devices with an official purchase date in 1979.

I was cautious by installing the original RAM, because I've heard of them swapping out people's RAM where they've upgraded it - back to factory original specs and taking it. I wasn't sure what to do about the drive though. I could have taken it out and then just swapped something else in, but remember I couldn't power it up before I left.
 
IIRC, any non-Apple drive will fail Apple's internal diagnostics.

RAM will as well. My 2011 made more than a few trips to the Genius bar, and generally I tried to remember to change the RAM. Once or twice I didn't, though, and diagnostics would flag a RAM issue. When that happened the Genius asked me if I'd upgraded myself and when I said yes, they either ignored it or said "Yeah, that almost always does it."

Given the chance, though, I'd be inclined to let them swap out the HDD cable(not the HDD/SSD itself) even if I had to pay for it. It's SUPER fragile on these computers. In fact on the one Genius bar HDD swap I had(2011 once again) I was told that it was Apple policy that hard drives could not be replaced without also replacing the cable. Back when I thought I'd be using my 2012 for a while, I bought a couple cables just as insurance.
 
IIRC, any non-Apple drive will fail Apple's internal diagnostics.

RAM will as well. My 2011 made more than a few trips to the Genius bar, and generally I tried to remember to change the RAM. Once or twice I didn't, though, and diagnostics would flag a RAM issue. When that happened the Genius asked me if I'd upgraded myself and when I said yes, they either ignored it or said "Yeah, that almost always does it."

Given the chance, though, I'd be inclined to let them swap out the HDD cable(not the HDD/SSD itself) even if I had to pay for it. It's SUPER fragile on these computers. In fact on the one Genius bar HDD swap I had(2011 once again) I was told that it was Apple policy that hard drives could not be replaced without also replacing the cable. Back when I thought I'd be using my 2012 for a while, I bought a couple cables just as insurance.

RAM seems a bit weird since there isn’t anything terribly different about the RAM that Apple uses. It’s usually just one from a big manufacturer like Samsung or Hynix. But I suppose they have a list of officially supported modules that would check against the SPD for a diagnostic.

I heard about the connector, but I checked and it’s a newer revision. One problem with buying third party parts is that they might not have actually changed the design of the part (like Apple did) but just changed the part number.

 
It's working again now that a new battery was installed. The trackpad is normal again, so obviously the slightly swollen battery was pressing against it and prevented the normal "click" mechanism on the entire pad. It's also weird seeing it report 0 cycles on the battery. Even a new Mac had 2 cycles when I pulled it out of the box.

However, when I got it back home I wanted to put the 8GBx2 aftermarket memory back in. There was something different, as they had installed some sort of thermal pad over the memory. And it left a bit of a mess. When I took it apart, there was some plastic sheet with several of the layers, and it had gotten some stuff on the label with the serial number. I wasn't sure what it was at the time and tried removing it but then figured that it was stuck tight and I couldn't. But they were like sheets held together, only the top fell out. There was some vinyl or other plastic sheet against the memory module. However, I'm not sure what it's supposed to do since it's a double stack memory slot. And my aftermarket memory is populated on both sides.

The best I could tell, this is some sort of thermal pad that's supposed to transfer heat. I'm not sure exactly who makes it, but it seems similar to this product:

ic-graphite-40X40-mm-480X480.png


I suppose they throught that most customers would just leave it there and never have another look, but this was really weird and fell apart when I opened the case. I'd prefer to remove it all but can't. A few of the layers kind of crumbled. So I put it back in the best I could with a few missing layers.
 
I used to be infatuated with Apple hardware a few decades ago. It was truly different in design and execution.
It is still the most polished UNIX desktop.
Typing this off 2006 Thinkpad T60, running Solaris. Kids nowadays...
 
I used to be infatuated with Apple hardware a few decades ago. It was truly different in design and execution.
It is still the most polished UNIX desktop.
Typing this off 2006 Thinkpad T60, running Solaris. Kids nowadays...

I remember working a contract job years ago where I was issued a new laptop. I had to walk over several buildings to the IT department where I had to pick it up. It was a 7 year old (at the time) **IBM** ThinkPad, although it did come with two power adapters and a docking station. Later on I was offered an LCD monitor, but only a 4:3 one when all the permanent employees had widescreen monitors - and possibly 2 or 3 to operate multiple, simultaneous windows.

I certainly didn't have the coolest equipment, and I'm not sure if they were just sending a message to contractors that "you ain't that important". However, I didn't really need all that power to log into a Linux server using RealVNC.

A real eye opener was working at another job and taking a visit to a large Silicon Valley company who will remain unnamed. I can't say anything proprietary that I learned under NDA (and I frankly don't remember anything) but I won't get in trouble for saying that everyone had the most expensive MacBook Pro models even though they were only being used to access servers. A large Chromebook would have been enough for the job, and I could see why this company would have issued those.
 
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I actually find Monterey significantly faster than Big Sur, and this is on a 2010-vintage Mac Pro.

I find the same on my M1, although both are too RAM hungry...(and why Apple ever thought it was okay to ship these with 8gb a year and a half ago, much less still sell them with the same in 2022, is shameful).
 
my MBPro, "early '11" is begining to have problems on sites. I took it as far as I can with 10.13.6 OS. All ways buy used. Prices have fallen over the yrs on those. I get the lowest of the new OS. Now I think I'll geta '17 for the new OS...3, 400$ from what I see (Roscoe seems like my retailer this round). This one had 1 battery change (self dx by looking @ "# battery charged times') and no other repair visits. Bought in '16 as a 5 yr old. I think they 'remain supported' (in all the ways that can mean) around 5 yrs. I treat it like a used car (buy, well... ownership too) or any other appliance. Dont get new for early adopter status. That's not wise $ use. Buy a durable model, no extras accept the ones truly needed. Stick w/a co that been good for U not just once or twice but over the decades...
 
my MBPro, "early '11" is begining to have problems on sites. I took it as far as I can with 10.13.6 OS. All ways buy used. Prices have fallen over the yrs on those. I get the lowest of the new OS. Now I think I'll geta '17 for the new OS...3, 400$ from what I see (Roscoe seems like my retailer this round). This one had 1 battery change (self dx by looking @ "# battery charged times') and no other repair visits. Bought in '16 as a 5 yr old. I think they 'remain supported' (in all the ways that can mean) around 5 yrs. I treat it like a used car (buy, well... ownership too) or any other appliance. Dont get new for early adopter status. That's not wise $ use. Buy a durable model, no extras accept the ones truly needed. Stick w/a co that been good for U not just once or twice but over the decades...
I can't speak from direct experience about the models(I can with most other generation of MBPs, and I've used Unibodies and Retinas both extensively) but I'd be leary of putting a lot of money into 2016-2019 model, and especially at the earlier end of that range. The keyboards on them were known to be trouble, and Apple went through I think 4 revisions before finally returning to the traditional scissors(which IMO also feel a lot better) with the 16" 2020.

The only one touchbar era Intel I'd consider buying now is the 16", but they are also holding their value. OS 12(Monteray) is going to be current for a few more years, and if I needed to buy something used and couldn't swing a 16", I'd go for a 2015.
 
yeah, no retina or touch bar, magic bar, whatever its called. The Air U can still get inside of (battery, upgrades, etc) easily. Usedta B hi hundreds (w/my method), went down to 500, now a '17 is 3, 400$. My local (not sanctioned but might as well B, it's all they sell/maintain/repair) has no thing. Back to on-line looks/sales. Wrk w/them on accessories, repair/upgrade. Good Luck, hope U found what wrks for U...
 
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