Q: MacBook Pro screen blinks

Hi guys, what to do if expired warranty and no apple care? Will they charge me for those fixes? I'm in country where no Apple Store, just resellers.

It doesn't make sense for me that we have to pay the mistake from our computer's manufacturer.

it's just sad.

I'm in the same position. This is definitly a production error (nvidia 8600m anyone?). It should not matter if we have Applecare or not.

Message was edited by: gelki, pardon my language

yep, and this was clear from day one, when I experienced crazy overheating with the 9600 card (way before the 9400 card screen blinks) - it was proven back then by a magazine that the very same faulty thermal paste as that of the nvidia 8600 was used on these new ships.

Felix,  from my understanding the bad bumps were only in the 9600 version, not the 9400 which is where we all are having the issue. Still disappointing apple can't help us out though.

I phoned my local Apple Service provider (not a real Apple Store) and they said IF I decide to fix it, they'll charge me because I'm out of warranty (not surprising). Those fixes are: new logic board, etc.

After reading this thread partially, I found someone pointing about the thermal paste bug and soldering thing by Nvidia. I got the idea to re-apply the high quality thermal paste on those 2 nvidia chips (especialy the 9400 one). Instructions by ifixit.

The question is, have someone tried this before? Still fail or not?

I still have to hear back from my service provider. Keeping fingers crossed. I pointed out this thread and the fact that replacing the locigboard and/or screen does not fix the problem. I would be very dissapointed in Apple if they let this one slide.

I do not think that readding thermal paste will fix the problem. The soldering will still be bad.

My MBP is back with a new motherboard. No more screen blinks on the 9400 so far, I don't know if that will solve the issue but most importantly, the 9600 and CPU are not overheating anymore (used to go both to 90-100°C on 3D games, now around 20-30° less than that), so I'm pretty happy. I might be able to keep that computer and upgrade it with 8 Go and a SSd after all

UPDATE:

1. Logic board replaced

still blinks...

2. Trackpad replaced

still blinks...

3. Screen replaced

still blinks...

3. Now they are going to replace the logic board and the screen again, but this time both parts together...

still waiting and my AppleCare expired yesterday....

Don't worry about your AppleCare expiring, you got your repair in before so it will be treated as an ongoing issue. And every repair is covered for 90 days anyway.

Just keep doing what you've been doing and take it back if the repair doesn't fix it, eventually they may just replace the machine.

finger crossed

thanks!

I've got a MBP purchsed in 2010 which started flickering over the past two weeks.  I noticed it most when I use Safari and just recently, mail.

The flickering, so I've read, may be caused by an overheating problem (widely spoken about since 2008)  I've just installed this piece of software (free) to control my fan so as to stop overheating (which is liable to cause flickering)  You can get it here:

http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/23049/smcfancontrol

Once uploaded to my MBP I set the control at 3500rpm and my temp is at 100F, currently.  No flickering at the moment (fingers crossed)

Well, I just sold my flickering MBP. Best Buy trade in program gave me $700 for it in Store credit, which is probably close to what I would get on ebay for it with the flickering.

Good luck to you all! Always buy Applecare!

I get the flickering on my 2009 MacBook Pro, 5,1 and my fans are never running much over 2000 rpm.

Try the software it may help!  At the moment I have no flickering at all.

I had the same flickering on my MBP (mid 2009) 17" antiglare Processor 2.8Ghz -

NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT and

NVIDIA GeForce 9400M

I always notice a bad performance using an external monitor, cause i work with projections, though it  never blinked on the second screen, the blinking was random, but the computer wasnt able to reconize a second screen as the g4 used to do. The fact is that i just got the bilnking few months ago, after my apple care expired as few days after it starts... one day i put it to sleep, next day i got the awful mesage:

" YOU MUST TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER"

Then i turned it off wait 20min and turned it on it sound a bip tree times and that was it, never turned on again...

I went to the apple assistence, as it is out of waranty, they just said it was a logical board without even to open it and test. Now the cust to fix it is more than a half of a new one...

I look every day for an apple issue for a recall, searching on web you can find hundreds of the same complains... Definitly a bed combination of nvidia cards!

Nobody buys a 4000,00 topline laptop to last only 2 years!!!