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User profile for user: german_nerd
german_nerd Author
User level: Level 1
14 points

Flexgate report - MBP 15" Late 2016 with touchbar

Hey guys,

here is my experience regarding my MacBook Pro 15 inch 2016 with touchbar.

Two weeks ago on a Saturday I opened my MBP and there it was - flexgate.


From day one I applied a protector to my MBP and carried it from my desk at work to my desk at home

travelling by car. As you all can imagine not really a stressful environment for a MBP concerning external impacts.


So what was Apples response?

Since I have no warranty anymore I called Apples Hotline and they told me repair costs are on me. Next step would be to go to an Apple Store and ask for the exact costs but there is a twist - you need an appointment. Therefore I opened the Store-Site for Munich and - what a surprise - no dates available. Well I use my MBP on a daily basis therefore I am not very pleased that there is no possibility to book a date besides the website.


In the end what are my options now? Since I'm not the clumsiest person I ordered a replacement lcd via ebay which cost me around 350 EUR (refurbished).

There are some videos on youtube where people showed how to replace lcd screen (meaning display with case and cables). The shipment will arrive in the next 2 weeks so fingers crossed that everything ist fine and I can change the display myself.


The statement from the Apple help desk person that Apple can / will refuse to take my MBP in the future if I will repair it on my own made me laugh. So be it.


Thanks for nothing Apple!

---

Personell opinion:

Apple claims to be a premium supplier but the recent products I bought showed me that the reality is quite different. About a have year ago my iPhone 7 Plus had the IC-Chip problem. Which I also had to pay myself.


Since day one my MBP had problems - there where some popping sounds when the MBP reached a specific temperature. (it came not from the speakers!)

Apple replaced the whole upper body of the lower case (meaning the part with the keyboard) which helped nothing. I told the Apple hotline that the problem still is there. The response was - go repair it again. As I wrote earlier I need my MBP on a daily basis so I can't always have it in repair since I actually need it for work. I know that's shocking - somebody could really need Apple products for work - but that's really it.


I accept that there can be problems with products but pushing the repair costs towards the customer for obvious design / production failures is not what the term 'premium supplier' stands for.


Shame on you Apple!


Besides all the negativity I really like Apple products. iOS / WatchOS / MacOS / iPadOS work all fine together. Sure there a some bugs from time to time but until now no deal breaker. Also iMac, iPhone, iPad, Watch, Macbook Pro are great and useful products. (Maybe this sentence can be seen as a Stockholm syndrome effect - just kidding)


I think the problem are the different expectations inside Apples coming from the quality management and financial department. Start listening to your engineers and developers and rethink (blind) obedience to financial department.

Posted on Dec 9, 2019 2:03 AM

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User profile for user: german_nerd
german_nerd Author
User level: Level 1
14 points

Posted on Dec 16, 2019 2:21 AM

Conclusion:

My replacement screen just arrived last Saturday (19/12/14).

(ebay seller: https://www.ebay.de/usr/ftdlcds?_trksid=p2047675.l2559)

With the help of this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEDhEWLrkUs) and these tools (https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B07DCHXYG8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) I was able to replace the screen myself.

There are some screws where you have to be very carefully not to damage the head but with the right tool everyone can replace the screen by him/her self.

It seems that the display I received is from a 2018 macbook pro version because the flexcable seem to be a bit longer. But thats just a wild guess. I also left to parts (yt-video index about 3:30) away when I reassembled the macbook pro because I'm not sure if those parts could negatively affect the lifetime of the flexcables.

Total cost about 400 EUR.


My final thoughts are not so clear. On the one hand I'm really disappointed about the build quality of a 3000 EUR device and the poor Apple service management. What me really annoys is the fact that there are no replacement cables and that the damaged cables are soldered to the actual screen.

On the other hand I'm happy that I could fix the problem myself and can use my mbp as usual again.


Am I going to buy Apple products in the future? I think so and the reason is I really like the Apple macOS/iPadOS/iOS/WatchOS environment. Furthermore I don'f feel comfortable using Windows/Android anymore. Not that I think Windows or Android are bad but for my use case Apple seems to be the most fitting.


May be I change my opinion in the future if I encounter the next hardware failure but until then I stay in Applevania.




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Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: german_nerd
german_nerd Author
User level: Level 1
14 points

Dec 16, 2019 2:21 AM in response to german_nerd

Conclusion:

My replacement screen just arrived last Saturday (19/12/14).

(ebay seller: https://www.ebay.de/usr/ftdlcds?_trksid=p2047675.l2559)

With the help of this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEDhEWLrkUs) and these tools (https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B07DCHXYG8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) I was able to replace the screen myself.

There are some screws where you have to be very carefully not to damage the head but with the right tool everyone can replace the screen by him/her self.

It seems that the display I received is from a 2018 macbook pro version because the flexcable seem to be a bit longer. But thats just a wild guess. I also left to parts (yt-video index about 3:30) away when I reassembled the macbook pro because I'm not sure if those parts could negatively affect the lifetime of the flexcables.

Total cost about 400 EUR.


My final thoughts are not so clear. On the one hand I'm really disappointed about the build quality of a 3000 EUR device and the poor Apple service management. What me really annoys is the fact that there are no replacement cables and that the damaged cables are soldered to the actual screen.

On the other hand I'm happy that I could fix the problem myself and can use my mbp as usual again.


Am I going to buy Apple products in the future? I think so and the reason is I really like the Apple macOS/iPadOS/iOS/WatchOS environment. Furthermore I don'f feel comfortable using Windows/Android anymore. Not that I think Windows or Android are bad but for my use case Apple seems to be the most fitting.


May be I change my opinion in the future if I encounter the next hardware failure but until then I stay in Applevania.




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Flexgate report - MBP 15" Late 2016 with touchbar

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