Q: MacBook Pro Logic Board Failure

Mine also stopped working...

I've an early 2011 15 MBP, bought it on August 2011, at BH Photo during a business trip, I'm from Brazil...

In october of 2011, I've upgraded the RAM to 8GB from a selected sticks from Corsair, the MPB worked perfectly...

Them 3 months ago I started to experience unexplainable crashes during low use activities (browsing, email .. etc) and I do not use my MBP for gamming, video production or other heavy process tasks

I decided to make a fresh install of Mavericks (OSX 10.9), maybe was a OS problem.. nothing changed.

Two weeks ago it just crashed from nothing, screen of death: little blue squares mixed with green...

Forced to shutdown, powered it on again, Apple chime and logo, them it starts a spinning wheel for about 2 minutes, than goes to a gray screen and stays there and no HDD activity anymore. 

Safe boot has the same behavior.

Booting via option key works, OSX can't boot, neither recovery, or bootcamp (black screen) or booting from Mavericks in a USB Stick, neither recovery from internet, they all starts do load with the speening wheel them it freezes in a gray screen...

Tryed NVRAM clearing many times..

But single user mode works, have checked the disk many many times and it always says is healthy, I was able to pull out all my data through external USD disk..

Running AHT pointed to bad memory sticks, put them in a PC with ubuntu and ran memtest+, they're with retantion problem, replaced with two brand new Corsair MacMemory DDR3 1333MHz, got the same non booting behavior.. but now it pass all AHT (short and long tests)...

I can't think anything them logic board failure, I've talked to apple guys today, mentioned many logic boards failures and they asked me to send to a authorized repair center, since there ir no Apple Store in São Paulo...

I feel very sad after paying 1700 USD on a computer that worked only 2 years and 3 months...

Renan

just to give you all an update on my situation....

long story short - Apple in the UK took responsibility of a failed Logic Board (this was the second time it happend to me on a late 2009 Macbook Pro - the first time it was covered uner Apple Care).

It was filed under a Consumer Law Claim (you have six years to file a complaint against a manufaturer for hardware defects in the UK).

I got the computer back, but after about 2 days it started acting funny again. I took it back in. They then said it was a software issue, corrupt preference files etc etc, and that i should reinstall certain programs or delete them altogether, or at worst do a complete erase and install (even though i stated that it was still beachballing in safe user mode, and on safe user startup etc etc - ie, that i was sure it WAS NOT a software issue)

I continued like this for a week, until i had enough, and took it back in to them.

They then diagnosed that the cable connection between the harddrive and the logic board had become damaged (maybe due to excess heat??) Basically an easy fix.

They are now replacing the Logic board again (as the cable cannot be replaced on its own) and they are also replacing the hardrive. So people with faulty logic boards, it may be worth looking at the connections between the logic board and the hardrive as a potential source of issues. I was getting a lot of teh symptoms - grey screen - beachballing - stalling - random shutdowns etc etc.

I will keep this thread updated with how things go...but i have my fingers crossed.

I have had the same problem as many of the people on this thread. The computer had intermittent problems with the camera going on and off by itself and the screen would remain black when trying to reactivate the computer after it went to sleep or sometimes when I restarted. The problems to occur more just after my Applecare ran out (I had it for three years). When I took it to the Apple store, the problem seemed not to be there (the screen activated fine) and I was told to return when the problem happened again. When I did so, I was told it was going to to cost over £400 to repair. Being a student/recent graduate, I just couldn't afford this so tried to live without my computer. This proved to be more and more difficult due to my work load and moving around the country.

I am now looking into getting a new computer. I still can't afford it so was looking for other solutions, for example buying/obtaining an old macbook with a working motherboard and then replacing mine. However, after looking at this thread I realise that this is in fact a common fault and therefore I am unlikely to find a motherboard that won't have the same problem.

I have an early 2008 Macbook Pro and so would still be within the 6 years to file a complaint. The only problem is that I can't seem to find anywhere to file a complaint on the apple website. Has anyone got any ideas?

Thanks,

Han

How many people have taken Apple up on the $310 fix deal, and if so how long did it last after it was done?  It seems they are probably putting refurbished parts using the same type of logic baord and Nvidia GPU.

cmilne-

There are at least two different failure clusters.

The one for the MacBook Pro 6,2 2010 is a replacement for a latent defect (not strictly speaking, a "failure") in the graphics chip, that was only uncovered when later versions of Mac OS X were installed.

Those chips with that defect will have been removed from any repair parts, and that exact problem will never recur.

I've not used the service, but I've definitely recommended it for folks that are able to get the 'deal'.

I don't know about the 'parts' that are used, but I do know that you have a 90-day warranty after having the machine 'refurbished' so you would probably be able to tell right away if there are issues.

From what I've been able to gather, the procedure usually takes 10-14 days.

I think that it's a fair gamble!

Clinton

I have a mid year 2008 macbook pro that has a bad logic board most likely caused by the NVidia GPU problem with the 8600, but from what i've read they have to still use a replacement that has that same chip in it, is that correct?  I've read some horror stories of constant failure right after the logic board replacement...but not sure if its just a small percentage.

The repair is covered by a 90-day warranty, so if it fails right away, they will fix it right away.

The failures in those chips are costing Apple and NVIDIA a lot of money to make right. They have done the research into why they failed. The replacement chips are likely to be an improved build that is not nearly as likely to fail in the same way.

Taking a very cynical approach, suppose it fails again for the same reason. That should buy you another four years, which is starting to exeed the expected useful life of that MacBook.

I think you are likely to be fine, but of course statistics are only valid over a very large sample, and you have a sample of ONE. Anything could happen and that would still be "normal".

There is no conspiracy to defraud you. Electronic, electrical, and mechanical systems DO break down from time-to-time.

I would be thrilled to pay $310 and get that much time out of it.i'm more worried i'll get 91 days   If they are using refurbished parts who knows if they have any "mileage" on them, it's not like getting a new laptop and starting over.  I would be happy if they were willing to warranty just the part that was bad for 1 year, seems fair enough to me.  I've also gone through 2 batteries and they said that was normal in that amount of time.  I actually only used the laptop for 2.5 years, the rest of the time it was sitting in a closet overseas as it was forgotten at a relatives house...oops.

using refurbished parts who knows if they have any "milage" on them, it's not like getting a new laptop and starting over

The main source for refurbished boards would be failure returns. Those would not pass factory tests with a bad graphics chip on board, so the graphics chips would be replaced. In addition, any graphics chips from batches know to be failure-prone would also be removed from the pool.

The replacements would be chips that used an improved design. (Parts known to be prone to early failure would be identified by date codes and mask versions silkscreened on the top of the chips. Those would immediately be returned to NVIDIA, not used as repair parts.)

If it is going to fail from issues surrounding "high mileage", it will likely fail within 90 days. Since most of the parts are solid state, it IS rather like getting a new motherboard and starting over.

Thanks for the info. 

Do you think it was a coincidence that I installed Mavericks on it 2 weeks before death and it died while reinstalling Windows 7 via bootcamp?  In other words, would you just keep Snow Leopard on it?  This is the first time I ever put boot camp on it via the USB stick for windows drivers (snow leopard had them on the disc).  I kept getting errors regarding the download of the those drivers, and the last thing i saw before the computer died was windows rebooting from the original install (i.e. installation was complete, it was rebooting, i walked away and it never booted again).  I have also read that Mavericks can make your computer run hotter??  The 2008 macbook was already hot enough to fry eggs i think, i once melted the top of a laminated plastic desk without knowing it, and it was certainly not comfortable as a lap computer.

Ive been having a failing board again but with little luck.  My first died when the charger died in a blaze of glory and took up smoking ie: it shorted out randomly and started smoking as much as a chain smoker and eventually that short somehow killed the MLB as it died 2 weeks later taking out a external HDD at the same time thru one of the heads crashing down on a platter.  Now Im getting the dreaded TS4088 symptoms and log files to match but it passes the VST somehow so apple wont do much for me.  I have tried everything I can come up with solution in sight except somehow getting another 2K to replace the computer with a new model.  The funny thing is this is my second laptop that will be killed by a faulty nvidia card as my first hp had the same bad batch and melted itself.

There is no reported trend of installing those things and having laptops fail. 

If you run stand-alone Windows, it does not take as much care to keep the temperatures down as Mac OS X does.

Just want to confirm..

Does logicboard replacement changes the serial number?