Faulty Logic Board

"I was told by the Apple Store it was the power supply and they were kind enough to replace it for free. They also said they replaced the logic board as well. Anyway, this didn't fix it."
Take the comp right back to the Apple Store (90 day warranty on repairs).



When it’s time to pick up your computer from the repair shop:

* Before you leave the repair shop, make sure you have the repair tech(s) power the comp up and demonstrate that it is indeed working & repaired properly to your satisfaction.*







Apple does not do "trade-ins."

Try calling Apple Customer Relations at 800-767-2775 and tell them what happened. Please be very polite, but be as firm as you can as well.

Let us know what happens,

Had a similar problem with my G5 power supply problems and now bulging capacitors on the logic board ... bottom line after talking to customer service:
"Sorry, you're out of luck."

This is very frustrating. Just received the call from my local Apple certified repair center that I had the logic board failure. They quoted $620 for the repair.

I purchased the computer 8/27/2005, but I would expect a computer to last more than 3+ years. It doesn't take much research at all to come to the conclusion that there is a legitimate problem with the logic boards in these machines. Yet, I never received any correspondence from Apple suggesting I have a recall repair done. And when the problem does manifest itself, the response from Apple seems to be inconsistent ranging from you are out of luck, to Apple agreed to replace my logic board at no cost.

This is completely unacceptable. There is a very real problem, as evidenced by Apple's willingness to replace SOME of the logic boards at no cost. And yet there also seem to be many people who end up having to pay for the repair. If Apple is willing to pay for some logic board replacements, they should pay for ALL logic board replacements. It isn't as if there is something the operator is doing that causes this to happen. It is going to go bad, it is just a matter of when. And whether or not Apple agrees to cover the repair should not be based on how "polite but firm" the customer is during their communications with them.

When a person calls Apple, and their immediate response after explaining the situation is "We are sorry, but it is not covered" the customer should not have to take this as the invitation to then entrench and keep re-explaining the problem to ever higher levels of personnel, until finally someone agrees to replace the failed part.

As a result of my using the iMAC, my 24 year old son replaced his DELL with a 20" G5, and we just bought my daughter a MacBook as she heads off to college.

Given my experience now, I don't know that I could in good conscience recommend Apple products, if they aren't going to uniformly stand behind their product and repair a known problem.

Do I like MACs? Sure! Would I buy another one? There is MAC cool aide out there to drink, but not if it means buying a new $1,500+ computer every 3+ years, not because you want to upgrade to something newer/cooler, but because your machine died.

Sorry to rant. This just isn’t right. I have a daughter starting college, so funds are tight (you might have heard about the current economic situation, and I live in Michigan), and I’m left with the choice of spending $620 to repair this computer, or $1,500 to buy a new one.

Welcome to Apple Discussions.

I appreciate your frustration, but the issue is not quite what you appear to believe. While it is obviously a critical one if you affected by it, the incidence of the issue involving defective capacitors actually appears quite small, when the overall number of machines which potentially are affected by it is considered. Apple did offer a no-cost repair extension authorization which covered users for a period of 3 years from the original date of purchase of the machine, regardless of the warranty status of the particular unit. In your case, eligibility ceased on or immediately after August 26, 2008, based solely upon the purchase date you indicated.

There are alternatives available to logic board replacement, which are substantially less expensive than the $ 620.00 cost you were quoted. The board itself can be refurbished by this company for $ 189.00, plus the cost of shipping your machine or the affected module for service. While this this may still be considered to expensive to you, it is appreciably less than the cost you were quoted for logic board replacement.

Although it is possible that you have both a defective logic board and defective power supply, that combination is the least likely of the set of outcomes: it is far more likely that you have a defective power supply alone, or a defective logic board alone. It would appear from what you are quoted that the service center personnel examining it believe that you have a defective logic board alone. Final determination of that situation can only be made by performing an actual inspection and test of your specific machine.

*I may receive compensation as a result of parts or services being ordered by users specified at the link shown above.

Thanks for the welcome.

I spent about 30 minutes speaking with the Apple people during my lunch hour. In my most polite and firm (Miriam's constant advice/recommendation) I described my situation. I spoke with 3 levels of Apple folks, the last of whom said I might consider myself fortunate that my machine lasted this long before the failure. I pointed out that if it had failed at 2 years and 11 months, I would have a machine that still worked. As it is, I don't. Nothing to be happy about there. I also find very little to be pleased about a piece of equipment with a ≤ 4 year service life.

If this affects a small number of machines, as you state, all the more reason to man-up and fix them all. It was brought to my attention that my serial number was just slightly outside of the serial numbers they determined to have the bad/failing logic boards. I pointed out that if this was the case, why did mine fail? Was it just an unlucky coincidence on my part. I doubt it. More likely their range wasn't accurate. Especially when mine failed in exactly the same way as the "suspect" boards.

The Apple Certified repair center said nothing about a bad power supply, so I would believe it to be just the board. They have a $130 bench fee I have paid, regardless of what I choose to do next. I know everyone needs to make money, but 4 turns on 3 screws, pop off the back, and see "bursting" electronic parts. . . .

Still doesn't seem right.

I fundamentally agree with you: it does not seem fair. It is particularly an issue that your machine serial number did not fall within the range of affected machines defined by Apple, and would not have been covered under the repair extension authorization they issued. In their defense, they have historically offered the most generous such policies in the industry: many users affected by a similar problem with various branded PCs received no compensation whatsoever, and had to scrap their machines.

I also cringe when I hear that someone charged such a bench, or 'diagnostic' or 'inspection' fee. We choose not do do so, whether the repair is effected or not, because we don't think that such fees can be justified. We charge only for the cost of shipping when a unit is not repairable when a user has elected to ship it in. Dealers and service providers are, however, free to set whatever service fees they wish, and charge whatever they wish for replacement parts. I know that I would not be able to justify a fee for diagnosing your computer, particular one in that range.

Our view is that no-charge diagnostics and technical support are all a part of the deal when you choose to engage in this business. With margins plummeting and costs rising, however, it's difficult to justify our traditional approach in the last few years, particularly now with the economic slowdown. Even at the $ 189.00 level, we often hear users complain that the refurbishment process coupled with a one-year warranty, versus Apple's 90-day warranty, is not affordable. We just cannot offer it below that level and continue to stay in business…

So, Do I repair this machine, or spend $1,000 and get a MacBook, which on just about every level is a better, faster machine than my 2005 G5?

I must confess though, that I am not real excited about going out and spending even more money on another Apple product at this point.

Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

Bill

Get a new one and make sure that you get Apple Care with it. At least you will have three years of reassurance that if anything goes wrong, it will be taken care of.

And truly, there are many G5 iMacs that are soldiering along without problems, yours happened to fall in the small percentage of those with problems.

It's hard for me to say, because I just don't know what the perceived value of a repair at $ 189.00, or—in the unlikely case that the power supply is also defective, an additional $ 139.00—plus the cost of shipment in both direction, pencils out at.

If you do elect to ship it in and the logic board is the only problem, then you are out $ 189.00 plus shipping, versus the $ 620.00 you were quoted. If it's both components, then the cost would be $ 328.00 plus the cost of shipping. At that point, you've passed the 50th percentile of the other quote. While I don't think it's likely to be both, I cannot say until your machine is examined. If it is not economically repairable, you are out the cost of shipping alone. There are no bench, diagnostic or other service fees imposed.

And, there is the fact that you've already 'invested' the $ 130.00 bench fee with the other dealer, which applies regardless of what you decide to do.

I honestly lean toward repair if it is the logic board alone, but not to electing to complete the process if your power supply is also bad, because of the overall cost of repairing or replacing both components. I certainly would not opt for the $ 620.00 repair. At least you have an idea of the maximum costs involved, and can make an informed decision.

How can I find out more about this problem and the recall or whatever it was? I have a G5 purchased in Nov. of '05 that just bit the dust. The "genius" told me it was a bad graphics card, but this thing has had a checkerboard style disruption of the display for well over a year now, and as of last week will not boot up. I have since booted from the install disc and checked the hard drive ("no repair needed")and as soon as I can get a firewire cable, will copy my photo and music files onto my sons Macbook (to transfer to my new Dell laptop: $440). The fan on this thing will sometimes sound like a commercial airliner powering up, so it may be some related problem or something.
That's my two-cents.

Apple Care is a scam. It is like getting the undercoating on a new car. If something inside the computer breaks through no fault of the user, apple should replace it. Period. I recently had my logic board replaced because I missed the 3 year freebie period. I think it is bad business. If it was a small percentage of effected machines it should make it a no brainer for apple to fix the bad logic boards. Doesn't seem logical to me?

The program you refer to expired December 31, 2008, was valid only for three years from the date of first sale of a covered machine, and covered only selected iMac G5 17 and 20 inch models within specific serial number ranges. No-charge logic board and power supply replacements under the terms of this repair extension are no longer available.

There are alternatives available to logic board replacement, which are substantially less expensive than the costs typically quoted for board exchange. The board can be refurbished by this company for $ 189.00, plus the cost of shipping your machine or the affected module for service.

Write to the electronic mail address in my Public Profile and I will respond with a more detailed explanation the issue you likely face, and instructions to help you determine if you are affected by the defective capacitor issue.

*I may receive compensation as a result of parts or services being ordered by users specified at the link shown above.

Update:

Although I suffer from bulging capacitors and the Genius Bar diagnosed my iMac as logic board deficient, (based on the visual check of said capacitors), I thought I'd try replacing the hard drive to see if that would solve my problems. Lo and behold, my iMac has been running like a champ for 2 months now, fat capacitors and all!

It ain't over 'til it's over.

I am with you, this isn't right. My iMac G5 just failed yesterday. Bad capacitors.

Both Apple Care and the Apple Store told me "sorry".

This was my 4th Mac.
3 of the 4 have had hardware problems.

I like OS X but it is not worth it, if you have to run it on inferior equipment that is poorly backed by the manufacturer. I hope I can undo all the damage I have done, telling friends how great Mac's are.
Most of them can not afford for their computers to fail after a couple years, I can't either.

Windows *****, but at least it runs on good equipment. And a new PC is cheaper than a new board.

Apple........you broke my heart today.