Does change of logic board change the model of MacBook air

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Does change of logic board change the model of MacBook air

Hi guys

Need some advice as think my daughters been conned. She left in her MacBook Air 2017 to a local pc repair shop and was told there was damage to the logic board and it had to be replaced. They said it would cost €350 and take 4 weeks as it has to be delivered from apple. They have in their window they are an authorised apple reseller so felt safe enough.

I took her in to collect it this evening and I had took a photo of the serial number before she left it in. The guy demonstrated it, she said it was a lot faster and she asked to check serial number. At this point he said that will have changed as this occurs when you install a new logic board. I said grand but that won’t change the number on the casing. He said he changed it as it would be confusing to not have it matching. At this point my daughter said it’s a lot faster and the guy gave 30 off the price as he said she was paying in cash so she skipped out of the shop with it.

When we got gone it was tormenting me so I asked to check it and searched apples website for the serial number that was on the outside casing. It came back as belonging to a mid 2012 model!!! (Hers was 2017)

I then went into the system window and about and it said it was a mid 2013 model with ANOTHER serial number, different from the casing.

I messaged the computer guy being nice and calm with pictures saying he had said that the back casing was replaced to match the logic board serial number (which stank to high heavens the more I think about it) and it was matching 2012 model and about section said it was a 2013 model. I said I think he made a mistake and has mixed up the MacBook.

His reply was that it’s not possible as 2012 casing doesn’t fit 2017 model and that Mid13 to mid17 is exactly the same and if I want 2017 logic board it would be 648 + vat.

At this point I’m fuming, at no point we’re we told it was a 2013 logic board going into it but as well as that if it was brand new why the **** is it showing as belonging to an expired warranty on a 2013 model.

My question is this, if he swapped out an old logic board from 2013 MacBook and put it into my daughters 2017 MacBook would it say in the about section that it was a 2013 model or has he just given her an older model belonging to someone else. He definitely has a different casing on the bottom of it and his lies about it matching the logic board is crap.

I’m fuming as she is a poor student struggling as it is and I couldn’t afford to pay for it as I’m paying for college and accommodation as it is for her on my own. It’s terrible as I feel we have been taken for a ride and don’t want to let him away with it.

Posted on Apr 16, 2021 5:18 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

HWTech

Community+ 2026

Level 9

70,532 points

Apr 18, 2021 5:59 PM in response to luise33

An official Apple Authorized Service Provider will only replace the Logic Board with the exact same type that shipped from the factory. Apple won't allow an AASP to do anything else. An AASP has access to a special piece of software that allows them to program the system serial number to the replacement Logic Board. If the shop you had repair the laptop is saying they are an official AASP (or even hinting at it), then you need to contact Apple to report what happened to you.

I can see an independent shop could perform the repair like you have described, but this should be clearly told to the customer before any work is performed. If the shop is not trying to insinuate they are an official AASP, then you should go back to them and demand they restore your laptop to its original condition and get a full refund. Tell them they did not inform you of the repair would involve a hacked together system. If they are unable to restore your system, then ask them to install the correct Logic Board for your 2017 Air (including CPU speed and memory). Unfortunately your serial number will still be incorrect since this shop does not have access to the necessary software to program the serial number on the replacement Logic Board.

You may need to take legal action against them if the shop mislead you in any way or omitted crucial information about performing this type of hacked together repair. Definitely speak to the shop manager and/or owner. Try to be polite.

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Answer 2

babowa

Level 9

78,580 points

Apr 16, 2021 9:44 PM in response to luise33

The new logic board will have a different serial number.

What an authorized technician must do after replacing a logic board is to contact Apple and register the new logic board incl. serial number.

And, unless they are an authorized Apple repair place, they would most likely not have access to Apple OEM parts. Even Apple may use refurbished parts in repairs (it is mentioned in the warranty terms).

So, if they used a refurbished logic board from an older device, I don't know if they could actually register that.

You may want to give Apple support a call and tell them what has happened. Also tell them that the place supposedly is Apple authorized. This is the contact information for the corporate office in Ireland:

https://www.apple.com/ie/contact/

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Does change of logic board change the model of MacBook air

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