Replacing the trackpad on 13" macbook pro

Actually the 13" trackpads are the easiest to do because you don't have to remove the logic board, but you DO have to remove the integrated battery, which voids any warranty you may have. If you have it serviced by an AASP at least your warranty will continue on from there.

Trackpads are absolutely separately replaceable but I have no idea where you would get one out in the consumer world. I also don't recommend voiding your warranty. They're tedious to do if you've never done one or worked on computers.

Yeah, that's why I said I don't know what's available on the consumer side of things. I know for certain that the trackpad can be removed/replaced independently of the top case, as long as it's a unibody.

For the 13" MBPs the only components that need to come out are the bottom case and battery. You need a special screwdriver for the battery, probably a #0 tri-lobe, depending on the model. You also need a #00 phillips and a Torx T6 for the trackpad itself.

The trackpads are usually under $100 for the part. Labor depends on where you go. It's not too bad through an Apple Store or AASP. The mail-in repair would be a lot because they charge a flat rate for accidental damage that's kind of nuts if the trackpad's the only problem.

Could someone please point me in the right direction? And is this also something I could do myself or is it too complicated?

Sorry to hear about this and unfortunately it will be an expensive lesson. I'm afraid your best bet is to make an appointment at your local AASP and get ready to pay. How much I have no idea you will need to get an estimate.

There simply is no easy fix for this.

Roger

The unibody does come with the keyboard, trackpad and upper case all as one single integrated component. www.ifixit.com has them for $299.95 and also has instructions about how to replace it (they categorize this repair as "very difficult" since you basically need to completely dissemble the machine starting from the underside).

Sorry - but I'd say it is something to take to an Apple certified repair shop and have pro's fix it.

Really? I know for the 13" Macbook, you can buy trackpads by themselves, but I've never heard of that for the MBP or seen it offered anywhere. All the unibody models seem to only have fully integrated top cases, keyboard and trackpad as one unit available. Maybe that's just through the retail side though - do you think a parts wholesaler could get individual components somewhere?

And ifixit's repair guide for the 13" MBP shows that everything has to be removed - fans, battery, drive, logic board - the whole shebang since they only seel the single integrated case part. It looks very tedious to do, with lots of steps where it would be oh so easy to break some small connector or part.

Well, if online places are selling the part(s) for $300, I'd think an Apple authorized repair shop should charge less then that in labor, so the whole thing might be $400-$500 (I'm really guessing at that since you would need to ask a shop how much to actually do the installation).

Certainly well less then buying a brand new machine though.

If you do decide to do it yourself, look it up on www.ifixit.com and you can go through the procedure (with pictures) to decide if it is something you want to tackle yourself.

The repairs like this are not so much difficult, as tedious and take a lot of patience (little connectors and such that have to be gentle eased off, lots of screws to take carefully off and keep organized so you'll remember where to put hem all back to). You just need to be prepared to do them slowly and not rush it.

Which is why I stay away from them 😉 I'm fine with a socket wrench or a hammer on things the size of cars or buildings, but I do not have the patience to try this kind of repair.

Hi naja15
Please can I ask you some more details about your spill? I just spilt some tea on my MBP but only the trackpad - is that what you did? And you said it stopped it working properly? Hmmm.....I'm a bit worried now! I mopped it up straight away, can it leak down from the trackpad into the insides? I'm not too clued up on the assembly and electronics side of things 😟
But I should probably turn it off for now shouldn't I? And hopefully it won't have leaked in? Aaaaagggghhh! Can't believe I let that happen 😟 And I'm writing a my PhD thesis right now - great timing!
I only bought it this year so it's still under warranty for the next 2.5 years, which I don't want to invalidate - do you think I need to get it fixed?
Thanks!

Thanks a lot for the info naja15! After I sent that message, I powered down and left it upside down with a towel next to the trackpad. The next day I sealed it inside a plastic bag with some silica gel to absorb any moisture. I left it like that for about 24hrs.
I'm using it now and so far it seems OK - tap to click and all. Some other users have said that problems started after a couple of weeks after the moisture had had time to do serious damage.
I'm hoping that the silica gel did the trick otherwise I don't have enough faith in my clumsy fingers to replace the trackpad myself so I'll pay for it to get repaired (yikes!). Oh and just for a little extra info, a friend of mine said that they can probably tell about water damage by using humidity sensors - strips that permanently change colour in the presence of moisture.
Thanks for your advice, I'm hoping that it stays functional and although I'm going to be super careful with any coffee/ tea/ food near my MBP from now on, I've also ordered the Moshi keyboard skin and palmrest and trackpad cover (although apparently if you use the trackpad cover, you can't tap to click anymore) - just in case! 😉

Apple can tell in several ways: first, drinks like coffee, tea, soda, etc., especially ones with color or sugar leave residue as they dry inside the computer and they're usually easily visible. If they aren't dried quickly, or if they have sugar, you'll find all kinds of corrosion, I've even found mold inside a computer. Also, newer units have liquid contact indicators like cell phones do, they change in color when exposed to liquid. Don't worry, humidity won't set them off (at least not in typical conditions, I'm not saying it's impossible but definitely improbable), but if they're tripped it voids the warranty (there are further conditions to this but not worth explaining unless someone wants to know).

The trouble with spills in newer unibodies is that the battery is integrated, meaning you can't fully remove power. Liquids like coffee, tea, soda, that are largely H2O based, are very conductive. If they connect two traces together that shouldn't be connected, you will/can short various components/boards. Even if the computer is off, there's still what's called 'trickle power' flowing through the system so it can turn on when you hit the power button.

People report problems weeks or months down the road because it often takes time for corrosion to build up (depending on the climate and substance that was spilled) leading to failures after-the-fact. Also, shorts that may occur while there's still standing liquid may not necessarily cause immediate failures. They're the kind that can cause weird, annoying, intermittent problems.

Hi k.panic, thanks for the info, very interesting! Can I ask some advice then please in light of that info, should I carry on using my MBP as normal now whilst it seems to be? I don't think I can send it back to Apple pre-emptively just for a 'check-up' can I? Because obviously I don't want to do further and irreparable damage to it by carrying on using it. But if it is still working fine, I don't know what I can say to AppleCare!
Thanks!

No, you can't mail it out unless there's actually something not working. You could take it into an Apple Retail Store, but they're likely going to say 'just keep using it if it's working'. The primary concern is making sure you don't use it if there is standing liquid or anything.

A retail store could tell you what components may have gotten wet and what it might cost to replace them. Maybe it didn't make it far past the keyboard, they are shielded to an extent, but I don't know how much we're talking.

Hard to say, really, but usually if it doesn't fail immediately, the issues that tend to crop up later are usually smaller, not catastrophic (but can still be pricey to fix).