Discoloration on External Surfaces

Hi Renee,

beginning to be a discoloration. How do I get rid of this? Is it covered under warranty?

It is not likely covered under warranty unless you have a white Macbook. Since you said it is a Macbook Pro, I don't think it probably will be. You could always call Apple just to double-check, but I don't think it will be. I assume you've already tried wiping it with a (very lightly) damp cloth? If you have access to some 70% ethanol at school in a lab or something you might try wetting a cloth with a couple drops (not very much!) of that to wipe it down. Same thing as a basic rubbing alcohol or isopropyl alcohol. The key is to +not use very much at all+. Very small amount. Only a couple drops. If it dries out, add a couple more drops. Whenever you're cleaning the case you must make sure that there is no excess moisture in the cloth. It should be nowhere near the point of dripping wet; it should be barely damp. And keep any/all moisture away from the keyboard, speaker openings, vents, or where the trackpad meets the palm rests. We see way too many "liquid damage" posts on these forums, don't want you to be one!

If you do manage to get it clean, I recommend wiping it down with a damp cloth every week or two. I do this with mine just with water and it still looks brand new after more than a year of heavy use.

Also, sometimes when I am playing videos and change it to full screen, the videos get choppy, and do not play right. Why is this happening?

What videos are you playing? Are they streaming (from Youtube for example), or downloaded to your hard drive? Try switching to full screen before pressing play? Are they still choppy?

Finally, is it bad if I do not accept each update that appears on my computer?

Not at all, you can choose which updates you want to apply and which not to. You should always update the core operating system and all the applications you use regularly though, for security purposes. Though, unless your hard drive is really full, these updates will not make any impact on the performance of the computer at all.

--Travis

No problem! Did making the videos full screen before pressing play solve the stuttering?

--Travis

It shouldn't. I've read plenty of cases where people have used it with no effects. Just make sure not to use a huge amount. The computer should, at no point in time, be wet at all. Just use a few drops applied to a microfiber-like cloth (like the black one that came with the computer) and then wipe down the areas with that. Repeat as necessary. It's important not to use more than a few drops at a time, you don't want any sort of liquid getting into the case at all.

I haven't had to use 70% ethanol or rubbing alcohol on the case of my MBP because it has stayed relatively clean just by using water. But, I use it on my hands all the time at work/in the lab. It is pretty harmless. Others have used it on their MBPs with no effects.

If you don't like the rubbing alcohol idea, a very dilute soap/water combination may work as well. Again, it has to be only a few drops of a mixture like this on the cloth at one time. Or dip the corner of the cloth into the liquid, then wring it out well and then wipe the MBP.

Let us know how it turns out!

--Travis

Hmm, it must be pretty dirty if it left streaky marks! I would keep trying if it were mine, maybe you can get the streaks to come out.

I've always just used a damp cloth on my screen as well. It is glass though, so you can try a very small amount of Windex or similar glass cleaner on it if you want. Do not spray the cleaner directly onto the screen though!! Add just a very small amount to the cloth, then wipe down the screen. Repeat as necessary!

--Travis

Renee,

Once you do get the case clean you might want to consider getting a Moshi Palmguard to protect it. It's an opaque silver cover that matches the color of the MBP perfectly. It has a bit of texture to it, which I actually prefer over the feel of bare metal. It also comes with a cover for the trackpad but I didn't install this because in this instance I want the smooth feel rather than texture.

Rick

i have heard that applying palm guard increase the famous heating issue related with unibody aluminum MBP. Is is true?
thanks
manish

Renee - I use this product to clean my MBP.

http://www.klearscreen.com/detail.aspx?ID=11



It is called IKlear and it's designed to clean MacBook Pros safely. It works very well.


I use a separate cloth to clean my screen and another to clean the keyboard, track pad and alum case (the area you are having problems with) I lightly spray the cloth (NEVER DIRECTLY SPRAY the notebook screen, keyboard, track pad or alum case) and clean my MBP.

It may very well clean the "stains" you are talking about.

Good luck

M.

You are welcome. You can find it at Apple Stores. I don't have one close at the moment so ordered it online for my last supply.

Best,

M.