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MacBook sticker discoloration

Hey Guys.

I wanna sell my MBP. So i just removed an Ableton (Music Soft-/Hardware Company) sticker from the Logo and this discoloration remained.

So i thought these stickers are designed for exactly this purpose (i know, they will disagree), how can that be?

Can somebody help me out?


cheers,


Jules


Posted on Mar 9, 2021 7:36 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Mar 9, 2021 9:03 AM

If the area the sticker covered is lighter than the surrounding metal, the sticker may have simply protected that area from dirt. If so, lightly clean the surrounding area IN ACCORDANCE with the Apple instructions Leroy linked.


However....


...if the sticker itself causes a dark or off-color stain, you can't fix that.


DO NOT attempt to use any abrasive. You are not looking at bare aluminum. A bit of background from someone who worked in an industry that made aluminum products:


To protect the metal from staining and corrosion, almost all aluminum products requiring a cosmetic-grade finish go through a final process called anodization. This produces a hard, clear aluminum oxide layer that resists environmental exposure that can attack bare aluminum and helps mitigate minor scuffs and scratching.


The coating is developed in a complex industrial electro-chemical bath sequence. That coating gives the MacBook Pro case the "slick" feel when you run your hand across it. Bare aluminum has a more "sticky" feel. The coating cannot be "patched" if removed.


Any effort on your part involving abrasives will also eliminate the oxide layer and the protection it affords. The bare aluminum you create in attempting the repair will, with time, turn dark and and ugly. You will have made the problem much, much worse. You cannot restore the original look and feel that Apple put on the case.




4 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Mar 9, 2021 9:03 AM in response to retr0jah

If the area the sticker covered is lighter than the surrounding metal, the sticker may have simply protected that area from dirt. If so, lightly clean the surrounding area IN ACCORDANCE with the Apple instructions Leroy linked.


However....


...if the sticker itself causes a dark or off-color stain, you can't fix that.


DO NOT attempt to use any abrasive. You are not looking at bare aluminum. A bit of background from someone who worked in an industry that made aluminum products:


To protect the metal from staining and corrosion, almost all aluminum products requiring a cosmetic-grade finish go through a final process called anodization. This produces a hard, clear aluminum oxide layer that resists environmental exposure that can attack bare aluminum and helps mitigate minor scuffs and scratching.


The coating is developed in a complex industrial electro-chemical bath sequence. That coating gives the MacBook Pro case the "slick" feel when you run your hand across it. Bare aluminum has a more "sticky" feel. The coating cannot be "patched" if removed.


Any effort on your part involving abrasives will also eliminate the oxide layer and the protection it affords. The bare aluminum you create in attempting the repair will, with time, turn dark and and ugly. You will have made the problem much, much worse. You cannot restore the original look and feel that Apple put on the case.




Mar 9, 2021 7:47 AM in response to retr0jah

retr0jah wrote:

Hey Guys.
I wanna sell my MBP. So i just removed an Ableton (Music Soft-/Hardware Company) sticker from the Logo and this discoloration remained.
So i thought these stickers are designed for exactly this purpose (i know, they will disagree), how can that be?
Can somebody help me out?




How to clean your Apple products - Apple Support


What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your Mac ...


Apple Trade In - Apple



MacBook sticker discoloration

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