Coffee on MacBook Air-Dried it out for a week and it works-BUT

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Coffee on MacBook Air-Dried it out for a week and it works-BUT

Couldn't believe it came back to life! The trackpad seems to work, sort of, but the keyboard, not so much. I can't log in as it doesn't seem to recognise touch ID, so I tried inputting my password.

The first time, it didn't seem to accept any keystrokes at all, so I restarted, and now it does, but I get two or three asterisks for every key I touch. When I hit the delete/back arrow, it seems to think I'm hitting enter. It's now locked because I've 'input' the wrong PW too many times.

My question is-It's a 6 month old MacBook Air, so I'd love to save it if I can. Is what I'm describing reasonably fixable? I was made redundant a few months ago, so hate to waste money trying to get it fixed if it isn't likely to be functional again.

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Sep 28, 2021 7:32 AM

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Answer 1

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MrHoffman

Community+ 2024

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Sep 28, 2021 8:51 AM in response to geminigirl789

Liquid damage can be minor, or can be severe. We can’t tell without looking.

Minor liquid damage can sometimes be quickly resolved, or can be progressive with problems arising in the following months or years from corrosion.

Water and electronics don’t mix well at all.

Coffee and electronics mix yet less well.

The Mac needs to be inspected and potentially cleaned, if the shop is willing.

Or may end up needing replacement, particularly if (as? when?) new problems arise as more corrosion arises.

Liquid damage is not covered by warranty, so your least-bad option might be whether Apple is willing to look at the damage for you and how serious it might be, though Apple probably won’t offer to repair.

Liquid-damaged computers are much like flood-damaged cars; replacing everything wiring, electronics, switches, and all and everything below the waterline gets expensive. If you don’t do that as a repair provider, you can end up “owning” subsequent corrosion problems that can then arise. Which is why both dunked computers and dunked cars can be complete write-offs.

As you seemingly do not wish to spend money on cleaning this Mac (and that’s entirely your call, and that can be reasonable with a coffee-dunked and seemingly now due-for-replacement computer), ensure you always have good backups of your data.

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Answer 2

Sep 28, 2021 8:12 AM in response to BobTheFisherman

Thanks, but that doesn't really answer my question. I'm trying to get advice on whether it's worth it to pay a service center to evaluate-is it realistic, given its current state, that it can be recovered? Or should I give in and buy a new one?

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Answer 3

Sep 28, 2021 8:30 AM in response to geminigirl789

geminigirl789 wrote:

Thanks, but that doesn't really answer my question. I'm trying to get advice on whether it's worth it to pay a service center to evaluate-is it realistic, given its current state, that it can be recovered? Or should I give in and buy a new one?

I'll try again. Your computer needs to be examined by an authorized service center. It is very difficult for us to examine your computer. Liquid damage is often extensive and ongoing due to corrosion.

FWIW, if I had a liquid damaged computer and after the service center examined it they told me it was irreparable I would buy a new computer.

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Answer 4

Sep 28, 2021 9:45 AM in response to MrHoffman

Thanks-that's what I was looking for. I was on a Greek Island when it happened and there wasn't anywhere to even take it, so I turned it over to let the liquid drain, let it dry out and then, 10 days later when I got home, I plugged it in...and it turned on straight away, which surprised me, though clearly with issues.

Having never done this before, I just wanted to get an idea of how realistic it might be that it could be recovered-from what you say, it's probably best to just replace it as it's likely that the damage may be progressive. I also noticed that there appears to be liquid or residue behind the screen, which can't be good. Would rather spend £1200 replacing it than £250 to have it looked at and then £1200 to replace it when they say it can't be fixed!

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Answer 5

Sep 28, 2021 7:50 AM in response to geminigirl789

Liquid damage is often extensive and ongoing due to corrosion. The computer needs to be examined by an authorized service center.

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Coffee on MacBook Air-Dried it out for a week and it works-BUT

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