MBP Logic board failure

No guarantee the replacement board is new...I just had my Nvidia problem 'solved' by a motherboard replacement, however the motherboard was made in 2007 and also has the Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT processor. As far as I can tell they simply swapped out a used motherboard from one working MacbookPro and dropped it into my case. The speakers were dusty as well...this repair was done by Simply Computing in Vancouver, Canada. Considering I got a motherboard back with the same Nvidia chip that is causing so much grief I suspect this problem may well reappear.

Not impressed with Apple's solution!

Alright gents... here is the update that you have all been waiting for. I've gone in to the store. No luck with NVIDIA. They said it was logic board. Surprise hah? Nope....

I called in to the help/support line and started a "help ticket". I told them that I upgraded to the newest software and it started acting up (logic board failure). They tried a few things remotely. No luck.

A few days later, it just started working again. 2 weeks after that. Logic board junk again.

I took it back into the store, to the genius bar, and they hooked it up to the NVIDIA detector thingy-ma-jig. I explained all of my frustrations while I waited. All of a sudden the manager was called over, and they took the computer and said that it was covered, and that they would send it in for me. $902 later (which I didn't have to pay for) I have, and am on, my MBP. Happy as a pig in sh_t.

Good luck... Might want to keep trying.

Well, I should have spoken with Simply Computing before posting...I do know better...tech support there explained that Nvidia provided new chips to Apple who then built boards with these revised parts installed.

The date (2007) is based on the motherboard serial was from the original board serial number which was transfered to the new board, so it is a new board - they recycled my speakers which explained the dust there - the board itself is quite clean.

They also provided a 90-day warranty on the replacement board - so I am happy with the final results.

Ladies and Gentlemen - Success Story!

About a month ago, I discussed my MBP problem in this forum. I subsequently wrote a letter to Apple head-office, respectfully filed grievance, and demanded corrective action. I received a call from Apple this afternoon apologizing for this ordeal, and offering full replacement of the logic board in parts and labor. I was given a case no. to pass onto the local authorized Apple Service Provider, which incidentally, is Simply Computing. (Shout-out to 604!) When I arrived, they already have my case notified in the system. The whole process was painless.

My suggestion to all of you is to exercise due diligence, and then respectfully make a case for yourself with the people that can make decisions. In my case, the local Apple Stores genius, their managers, AppleCare technicians and their senior technical advisors were obviously aware of this logic board problem. They either don't want to deal with it, or lack authorization for cost of repair.

Good luck!

I have just experienced a 8600 GT failure in the mbp after 3 years. I booted if up in the morning to a chime but no screen and a functioning keyboard. However after hard booting again I now have a 'no boot, no chime, harddrive and fans running' situation. Looking on the internet I was gobsmacked to find all these issues with my model mbp.

After taking it the the local ASP they acknowledged that the most likely cause of this is the GPU failure however since they cannot test they're hands are tied. They mentioned that in some cases talking to apple can make a difference but it was 50/50. So I gave apple a call.

After 2 days and speaking to 4 different people (customer service, customer care and 2 senior apple technicians) I have got nowhere. The customer care rep at best offered me the cost of labour for the repair ($100) or ($142 towards an apple product with a list of exeptions)

Both the apple senior technicains provided no help whatsoever and one even went on to say that the average life of a macbook pro can be anywhwere as low was 2 years and even after listening to my frustrations at what I thought I was a quality product I was greeted with silence. Seriously, anytime I would talk about build quality, standards or how in the office we have macbooks going back to 2003 that are still running fine I was met with an awkward silence.

Going forward I have no other choice than to pursue this issue via the consumer guarantees act we have here in New Zealand. Furthermore I honestly don't know if I can trust the apple brand. They're not even stepping up the plate here.

So my question to those who have been successful in getting a repair is do you have a case number to refer to??

It would be great if we could tie one of the success stories to a reference point in future.

I had the same problem with my MBP early 2008...luckily, I always buy AppleCare and I just squeaked by getting it fixed for free (saved $525). The geniuses at the Apple Bar knew what the problem was immediately (obviously had dealt with this many times). Got it back and it works just fine...hope it lasts! A couple of months ago they replaced the hard drive and optical drive, too. This seems a lot for a 3 year old computer! Anyway, I got my money's worth out of the Apple Care, along with quite a few calls to phone support.

Same exact issue here.

My Apple Care coverage had expired 30 days ago. Surprisingly, my MBP dings but doesn't load...

So much for buying a "quality" product...

Can't believe I spent so much money on an Apple macbook and it simply DIES after 3 years... Even my old LG laptop has lasted for 5 years (and still going!!!)...

I did some more research on this....it's actually the video chip that goes bad, soldered to the logic board so the the whole thing needs replacing. There was a class action suit on this so people could get reimbursed...there is also something on the Apple site that tells you that you can get reimbursed if you can find that page...it affected not only mac products, but dell and hp. Was in spring/summer of 2008 that the models sold had the faulty chip. I think that's why they extended my apple care, they knew about the problem but didn't want to advertise it to me!

Anyway, it wasn't Apple's fault, the manufacturer of the chip had to pay for all the repairs/replacements.

Hi there,

I just came across your comments & was very interested for the following reason. I bought a refurbished MBP 15" with the infamous NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor 1 year ago from Ireland's first Apple reseller. I put it to sleep on Saturday night & on Sunday when I tried to wake it, nothing happened.

Despite several attempts, I could not get the laptop to reboot. I brought it back to seller & they just said sorry but it needs a new logic board at +/- 1000 dollars! They offered no explanation regarding the issue with the graphics processor, instead, I discovered this problem through an internet search.

I emailed & rang the company today & the guy said he tried to test my machine but as it didn't even get to the chime, he was unable to diagnose the problem. The thing is, he claimed that becaues it didn't even get to the chime, it could not be a problem with the graphics processor.

Now, I read your comment & case 3 above suggests to me that it could indeed be what caused my computer to stop working. I am so angry & disappointed by this Apple resellers lack of customer care or service. I explained that 12 months usage for a machine is UNACCEPTABLE but he was dismissive & uninterested in exploring properly the possibility that this admitted issue could be the problem with my MBP.

To conclude, I was wondering whether you had any further news regarding the 3rd scenario you mentioned, i.e. where the chime doesnt even come on? I see you suggested that it might well be the graphics processor behind the problem?

I am even reluctant to give this guy my machine to test it further because I don't now trust him to give a truly objective account of what the problem is? Its almost like he would have to personally pay to fix the problem. So i'm left unable to deliver my course & having bought numerous Apple products over the past decade as well as advocating them to my numerous students here, I find myself warning students off Apple products as opposed to highly recommending them as in the past.

Thanks for any relevant info you might have & greetings from a sunny Dublin, Ireland.

Derek

Does your motherboard fall within the serial numbers of the NVIDIA problem? It may be that the board was one of the NVIDA replacement boards and thus would still have the original serial number but that should be trackable with Apple. Have you tried contacting Apple Ireland tech support about this problem?

It could be a dealer who is the problem, or it could be that your board is not in the recall serial range. There are other things to try as well, including some of the various hardware resets that you can find by searching for "Reset MacBook Pro".

I had one instance where that happened and it was cured by simply removing the battery (machine unpluged too!) and then pressing and holding the power switch for a few seconds and then powering up on the power plug only - battery still out. Once the screen came up plugged the battery in and all was well.

And, of course, it could be the motherboard is toast - you can find replacements online for less than your dealer is asking but you need to be able to install it and that takes a tiny Torx and some Phillips screwdrivers. There are many How-To instructions on this process. It is easy as long as you are careful and are OK with hand tools.

John :-#)#

Here's a link where apple explains what to do if you had this problem:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377

___________

partial quote from the article

If the NVIDIA graphics processor in your MacBook Pro has failed, or fails within four years of the original date of purchase, a repair will be done free of charge, even if your MacBook Pro is out of warranty.

Specific products affected:

• MacBook Pro 15-inch and 17-inch models with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processors
  
  • MacBook Pro (17-Inch, 2.4GHz)
  • MacBook Pro (15-Inch, 2.4/2.2GHz)
  • MacBook Pro (Early 2008)
• These computers were manufactured between approximately May 2007 and September 2008

Apple is issuing refunds to customers who may have paid for repairs related to this issue. Please contact Apple for details on the refund process.

I, too had to have the logic board replaced on my MacBook Pro - one week less than two years after I purchased it. I have had MS Windows machines for the last 25 years, a Packard Bell and then Dell's, and have never encountered a component failure that I had to pay for. It cost me $488 to get my MacBook back to working!

I didn't get Apple Care on my laptop as it cost $280 at the time (I think it is over $300 now on a new laptop). At that cost one almost has to gamble. On the other hand, I should have realized from the high cost of Apple Care that there might be long term reliability problems with Apple laptops. As much as I love my Mac I am not sure I can afford their upkeep. Rather than paying for the next repair, I will purchase a cheap Dell or HP (at about one thrid the cost of a comperably equiped Mac) and replace it when it dies.

you obviously didn't read my posts above...btw, dell and hp computers also had the nvidia chip installed and made up the majority of the class action suit.

http://en.community.dell.com/dell-blogs/direct2dell/b/direct2dell/archive/2010/0 9/30/nvidia-gpu-update-nvidia-class-action-lawsuit-and-limited-warranty-enhancem ent.aspx

http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/30/nvidia-reaches-settlement-in-class-action-sui t-affecting-apple/

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/10/nvidia-settles-faulty-processor-su it-dell-hp-compaq-mac.html

Here's a link where apple explains what to do if you had this problem:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377

read my post abov for the link to get reimbursed for your repairs...the faulty chip was not apple's or dell's/hp's fault, but the chip manufacturer...so don't be thinking of switching back to a pc. contact apple for reimbursement, since you missed out on getting in on the class action suit.

September 2011, same problema on a MacBook Pro early 2008. Went to a Service Center in Barcelona, the test came out negative, 600€ to fix it. Bugged out I started reading all I could find, and thanx to all of you I've been able to build up a bit of a case. I have the exact model with the exact features and symptoms. Despite the negative result at the Service Center I called Apple and got a case number. On paper it all points to a free fix. On Tuesday I am to duel some Genius at the Bar. See what happens. I'm nervous. Not just for losing my precious Mac but for losing the blind faith I've always had in Apple. A myth is at stake.

Don't be nervous, just take them to the link right on the Apple site that says they will fix it free, as I listed in a previous message, and they will reimburse you:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377

It wasn't apple's fault, it was nvidia, and they fixed mine even though my applecare was over. Apple is worth having faith in, it's not a myth, it's true.