bradymott

Q: My Retina Display has stain damage, HELP!!!

photo.JPG

I dont know how it happened, but somehow my retina display got some weird clear-ish stain damage that is very noticable on a black background. I have tried to clean it with water and a micro fiber cloth like usual, but i think this is not something on top of the screen as much as it is something has like eaten away a part of the screen... I need help! what do i do to solve this aside from replacing the screen... if water and microfiber arent working, what else can i use? I am worried that windex or alcohol will excacerbae the problem, as i suspect it might have been alcohol that caused the problem in the first place, but im not sure... any insight, please? this is driving me nuts

MacBook Pro with Retina display

Posted on Apr 7, 2014 10:44 AM

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Q: My Retina Display has stain damage, HELP!!!

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  • by Beeblebrox64,

    Beeblebrox64 Beeblebrox64 Feb 12, 2015 2:13 AM in response to mwille64
    Level 1 (25 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Feb 12, 2015 2:13 AM in response to mwille64

    One of the main issues Apple is advertising its MacBook Pros is "the all new super duper AR coating". On your screen may be 1 to 2 % of it remained.

     

    Please let me ensure all persons here concerned with this problem: normally on an AR coating from a non-failed production run, you must use an abrasive sandpaper to get it of the substrates like the lenses of your glasses or - in this case - the screen of the MBPR. An AR coating correctly applied to the substrate NEVER EVER get's of only by use of water and tissues.

     

    This is for a 1'000'000% a production failure!

     

    Best regards,

    Roland

     

    mwille64 wrote:

     

    I promised to post some result of my efforts getting rid of the coating. The first image (unfortunately it isn't very good quality) is showing the degraded coating. Every single white stain is a little worn off area.

    IMG_20150208_160119-2mp.jpg

     

    I then started to remove the coating first using a very soft duster and just some water...

     

    IMG_20150209_204925-2mp.jpg

     

    As you can see from the image, about 60-70% of the coating went off (USING A DUSTER + WATER). I can assure everyone, I just used very gently force. It was more a massaging exercise then anything else. It took about 20 minutes ONLY.


    To get of more of the coating I had to use a little more "force" or better different materials. I now changed to a cotton kitchen cloth (the ones you dry your dishes with). Still pretty soft material. An I also used a windows cleaner (one I have been using for the last 10 years on my Plasma TV without any problems). With a little more pressure force and another 30 minutes or so, I got this far...


    IMG_20150212_084116-2mp.jpg

     

    This is about 90% of the coating being removed. As to the rest of it, I have not managed to remove it. I used high percentage alcohol, other kitchen detergents, I even tried thinner (for oil paint) and a special cleaning oil of Dinitrol. No luck, the rest of the coating sticks as if it is burned right into the glass.

     

    So somehow it seems to be possible to have the coating stick no matter what.

     

    I will continue to experiment to get the rest off. In the meantime I ordered a anti glare screen protector as the screen became pretty much like a mirror (what was somewhat expected).

     

    added comment:

     

    Dear Apple,

     

    I'm sure you have the money to waste a few screens to try any kind of chemical or method that is reasonably easy to be applied by us users to remove the coating and replace it by an anti glare protector screen. Maybe you can even test a few screens and recommend a few good ones.

     

    Sure all participants here having this problem don't mind spending an hour + $30 to resolve the issue.

     

    Thanks for listining

    Matthias Wille

  • by rafal_jot,

    rafal_jot rafal_jot Feb 12, 2015 2:44 AM in response to w-f
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Feb 12, 2015 2:44 AM in response to w-f

    w-f wrote:

     

    Very interesting that most of the stains look very very similar.

     

    So I guess we all have an equal wrong cleaning method?

    Yep "Wron Cleaning Team"

    or "Wrong Cleaning Syndrome"


    ... and most or all are "Late 2013"

  • by mwille64,

    mwille64 mwille64 Feb 12, 2015 3:07 AM in response to Beeblebrox64
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 12, 2015 3:07 AM in response to Beeblebrox64

    @Beeblebrox64,

     

    we all know it is a production failure. Because NO coating (unless made of sugar) should be removable using water and a cloth.

     

    My problem is that even if it is, it is too late for me to claim any warranty or guaranty. Reason being that I bought the Macbook more than 2 years ago. That means even the 2 year guaranty period I enjoy with the Apple dealer (by EU law) will not help me. And even if I would be within the 2 year period, I likely would have to take Apple to court.

     

    We all know how successful I would be with that attempt in general, let alone that I live in Malta. My Macbook would have been fallen to dust by the time I get any compensation if at all.

     

    So I'm trying to be more practical, I want to see Apple making an effort to show us a way to remove the coating at a reasonable cost so we can replace the coating by a anti glare screen protector.

  • by Miguel Caballero,

    Miguel Caballero Miguel Caballero Feb 12, 2015 3:56 AM in response to mwille64
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Feb 12, 2015 3:56 AM in response to mwille64

    Im moving to a Dell XPS 13 2015 or Surface Pro 4

    Ill try to enjoy my mac , for 1 year more , moving to an alternative , and never come back

    Im installing windows as rebel act on my mac right now , i can live withouth mac os

    Macbook pro retina , the best laptop in world , that you cannot touch or work with .... never again.

  • by Beeblebrox64,

    Beeblebrox64 Beeblebrox64 Feb 12, 2015 4:03 AM in response to mwille64
    Level 1 (25 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Feb 12, 2015 4:03 AM in response to mwille64

    I have also an iMac 27" (Mid 2011) and it had a problem with the video RAM last year.

     

    I had no warranty extension with Apple Care and A.D. 2011 only 1 year warranty in Switzerland (the EU 2 year warranty Apple could ignore in Switzerland until 2014 - and they did ).

     

    However: I got the video RAM replaced free, including shipping, handling etc. being long time out of warranty. This was a very welcome surprise and one of this moments I loved Apple: even if no one communicated problems with the video RAM on some iMacs and there is an exchange program.

     

    This is my hope: Apple exchanging the faulty displays even if out of warranty. For Apple this would not really end up in an economic disaster - for each user having the problem it is one: MacBook Pro Retina are 3 to 4 time more expensive than competitive Windows Notebooks.

     

    So: why they should not?

     

    Doing so, would dramatically increase Apple's reputation at basic customer level.

     

    Even if it is not necessary to Apple, because they generate the most money with iTunes Store and not by selling computer devices (probably except iPhone) - having a good reputation at customer level will become more and more important (for all companies) in future.

     

    For that, I am really wondering, why they are dealing with their reputation concerning this case...

     

     

    mwille64 wrote:

     

    @Beeblebrox64,

     

    we all know it is a production failure. Because NO coating (unless made of sugar) should be removable using water and a cloth.

     

    My problem is that even if it is, it is too late for me to claim any warranty or guaranty. Reason being that I bought the Macbook more than 2 years ago. That means even the 2 year guaranty period I enjoy with the Apple dealer (by EU law) will not help me. And even if I would be within the 2 year period, I likely would have to take Apple to court.

     

    We all know how successful I would be with that attempt in general, let alone that I live in Malta. My Macbook would have been fallen to dust by the time I get any compensation if at all.

     

    So I'm trying to be more practical, I want to see Apple making an effort to show us a way to remove the coating at a reasonable cost so we can replace the coating by a anti glare screen protector.

  • by strat266,

    strat266 strat266 Feb 12, 2015 4:20 AM in response to Beeblebrox64
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 12, 2015 4:20 AM in response to Beeblebrox64

    Good one, mate!

     

    Even if there may only be a rather small number (yet!) compared to the total amount of units sold, a manufacturer of high-end goods should take care of these issues in a more professional manner.

    What I’d expect how to deal with complaints would be at least the following:
    - Contact affected users
    - Collect as much data about affected items as possible
    - Try to figure out whether there’s a particular pattern
    - Check if this pattern then synchronizes with certain suppliers or certain production runs

    This would maybe open a chance to find out if there was a particular, faulty batch from a certain manufacturer, plant or timeframe. If so, Apple would even have the chance to get appropriate compensation (weather needed or not by a company with billions (!!!) of spare cash...).

     

    Nothing like this happened so far as much as I know. I therefore did what – from my point of view - is Apple’s responsibility:
    I searched the net and created a list of affected users, including (if info was supplied)
    - User name
    - Location
    - Model (13 or 15)
    - Year
    - Country
    - Replaced or rejected
    - Covered by AppleCare

    So far I found 149 , the vast number being MBPRos (13 and 15), built 2012 and 2013.

     

    It is quite hard to believe all these people are too stupid to properly clean a display. The number of entries in the forum is growing slow but constantly which suggests that there may be a significant number of users who did not yet report their cases and/or the time frame this coating lasts has now come to an end.



  • by w-f,

    w-f w-f Feb 12, 2015 4:15 AM in response to bradymott
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 12, 2015 4:15 AM in response to bradymott

    Good posts from both of you!

     

    Did anybody recognize that there is a Facebook group and a online petition where affected useres are trying to organize themselves? Just search for it on Facebook "MacBook Retina STAIN ON DISPLAY / damaged AR coating".

     

    Probably Apple will delete my post - at least within this point Apple is reading our thread.

  • by mwille64,

    mwille64 mwille64 Feb 12, 2015 4:20 AM in response to Beeblebrox64
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 12, 2015 4:20 AM in response to Beeblebrox64

    Good question!

     

    I will answer with a proverb...

    mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small

    Prov. It may take a long time, but evil wrong doing will always be punished.

  • by Miguel Caballero,

    Miguel Caballero Miguel Caballero Feb 12, 2015 4:24 AM in response to w-f
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Feb 12, 2015 4:24 AM in response to w-f

    Tomorrow ill go to applestore on my city to do a complaint sheet , with this URL , from this post , and go to the end of this situation

    Im in all spanish forum , group and blog talking about our problem.

    Hope to find a solution , if not , bye bye Apple hardware

  • by Dmitrij L.,

    Dmitrij L. Dmitrij L. Feb 12, 2015 5:09 AM in response to Dmitrij L.
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 12, 2015 5:09 AM in response to Dmitrij L.

    Dmitrij L. wrote:

     

    Unfortunately I'm now in the same boat with my 13" MBP late 2013. Bought end of February 2014, coating failure on the left edge of the display. Still on warranty, so I go to Apple Hamburg (Germany) tomorrow and see, how they react.

     

    Update: Due to the lack of free slots at the genius bars of both Apple Stores in Hamburg I went to Gravis (authorised Apple partner). After brief observation of the notebook and hearing my short story the repair guy confessed, I wouldn't be the first with this issue, and asked me to leave the device at the store. Then in two working days I've got a call from Gravis: the device would be ready for pick up. And here is the big surprise: my faulty display has been replaced, without any further questions and costs. Now I'm just pretty curious how long the new one withstands this time.

    My conclusion: Apple service partners seem to care more about their image than Apple itself. So I would advise those guys who are still on warranty to try  Apple partners first before visiting the Apple Store. Good Luck!

  • by Beeblebrox64,

    Beeblebrox64 Beeblebrox64 Feb 12, 2015 5:17 AM in response to Miguel Caballero
    Level 1 (25 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Feb 12, 2015 5:17 AM in response to Miguel Caballero

    Hi Miguel

     

    Please let us know what happened, thanks!

     

    Cheers,

    Roland

    Miguel Caballero wrote:

     

    Tomorrow ill go to applestore on my city to do a complaint sheet , with this URL , from this post , and go to the end of this situation

    Im in all spanish forum , group and blog talking about our problem.

    Hope to find a solution , if not , bye bye Apple hardware

  • by Beeblebrox64,

    Beeblebrox64 Beeblebrox64 Feb 12, 2015 5:18 AM in response to Dmitrij L.
    Level 1 (25 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Feb 12, 2015 5:18 AM in response to Dmitrij L.

    Bravo Gravis!

    Dmitrij L. wrote:

     

    Dmitrij L. wrote:

     

    Unfortunately I'm now in the same boat with my 13" MBP late 2013. Bought end of February 2014, coating failure on the left edge of the display. Still on warranty, so I go to Apple Hamburg (Germany) tomorrow and see, how they react.

     

    Update: Due to the lack of free slots at the genius bars of both Apple Stores in Hamburg I went to Gravis (authorised Apple partner). After brief observation of the notebook and hearing my short story the repair guy confessed, I wouldn't be the first with this issue, and asked me to leave the device at the store. Then in two working days I've got a call from Gravis: the device would be ready for pick up. And here is the big surprise: my faulty display has been replaced, without any further questions and costs. Now I'm just pretty curious how long the new one withstands this time.

    My conclusion: Apple service partners seem to care more about their image than Apple itself. So I would advise those guys who are still on warranty to try  Apple partners first before visiting the Apple Store. Good Luck!

  • by retinafailure,

    retinafailure retinafailure Feb 12, 2015 5:33 AM in response to Beeblebrox64
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 12, 2015 5:33 AM in response to Beeblebrox64

    I still have 2008 macbook pro. I am using as a server. I have no such issue after years. I took a light wet microfiber cleaned it today and it is so clear without any stain. Through these years I fingerprinted it I carried it and so on. Why there is no stain on my 2008 macbook pro but on my retina 10 months later.


    Apple store has also rejected my issue even I had apple care. Now my apple care is not valid anymore. Seems like it is a production issue from apple side. They have to recall all the devices with the problem. Even automobile companies recalling cars from the market. What is wrong with apple. This is just a display.


    If they arrogantly claim that it is a user failure, which seems not. Why don't they make a research on these devices and make an announcement with proper prove what can cause this. But I assume they can't because they know the issue.


    Being arrogant and ignoring people will not work as people will not stop pointing the obvious and this will cost more than replacing displays.

  • by JL-DK,

    JL-DK JL-DK Feb 12, 2015 5:50 AM in response to w-f
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 12, 2015 5:50 AM in response to w-f

    Macbook Retina STAIN ON DISPLAY / damaged AR coating

    You are all encouraged to join as well as keep posting your comments here.

    With kind regards

    Joakim Larsen, Denmark / Ethiopia

  • by w-f,

    w-f w-f Feb 12, 2015 5:54 AM in response to Dmitrij L.
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 12, 2015 5:54 AM in response to Dmitrij L.

    Dmitrij L. wrote:

    Update: Due to the lack of free slots at the genius bars of both Apple Stores in Hamburg I went to Gravis (authorised Apple partner). After brief observation of the notebook and hearing my short story the repair guy confessed, I wouldn't be the first with this issue, and asked me to leave the device at the store. Then in two working days I've got a call from Gravis: the device would be ready for pick up. And here is the big surprise: my faulty display has been replaced, without any further questions and costs. Now I'm just pretty curious how long the new one withstands this time.

    My conclusion: Apple service partners seem to care more about their image than Apple itself. So I would advise those guys who are still on warranty to try  Apple partners first before visiting the Apple Store. Good Luck!

    Congratulations!

     

    Beeing honest this makes the whole issue even more ridiculous to me, sometimes Apple is replacing, a lot of times they dont!

    As far as I know also Gravis has to contact the "Apple repair office" - Gravis gets a GO from them for the repair, because otherwise Gravis would have to pay it out of their own pocket.

    I also went to an Apple service partner - as I told they have been told by the "Apple repair office" that they reject the repair of my Macbook Pro.

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