Cleaning the keyboard on MacBook Pro

Question

Level 1

10 points

Cleaning the keyboard on MacBook Pro

Hello,

I have spilled some tea onto the keyboard of my MacBook Pro. Apparently everything work well except that some keys are sticky now. I have talked to the certified service provider and they have said cleaning the keyboard will cost me 120 EUR, which is insane. Can I open the laptop myself, disassemble it and clean the keyboard without voiding my warranty assuming that I won't break anything?

MacBook Pro 6.2, Mac OS X (10.6.4)

Posted on Nov 2, 2010 8:21 AM

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Answer 1

rryk Author

Level 1

10 points

Nov 2, 2010 11:55 AM in response to rryk

Just had a look at ifixit.com. Awesome website. But looking at the instructions needed to fix my keyboard I start to understand that I will void my warranty for sure. There are way too many stickers and banners with "don't remove" are teared off. Guess I will have to pay the stupid technician 120 EUR and live with it. I guess that was the most expensive tea I've ever drank 🙂

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Answer 2

Nov 2, 2010 8:31 AM in response to rryk

Go for it. But as you alluded to...you break something, the warranty is done.

You can find instructions at ifixit.com

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Answer 3

rryk Author

Level 1

10 points

Nov 2, 2010 11:29 AM in response to Templeton Peck

Thank you for the reply. Does your "go for it" means that I won't void my warranty or is it just an advice to go?

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Answer 4

Nov 2, 2010 11:54 AM in response to rryk

"Does your "go for it" means that I won't void my warranty"

It means if you mess up, your warranty will be voided. The standard one year warranty & AppleCare does not cover accidental damages anyhow. However, if you have a Homeowners/Rental policy, put in a claim w/them.

iFixit

TakeItApart

Search YouTube for Macbook Pro “How To” tutorials.

!http://i50.tinypic.com/izvwo1.gif!

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Answer 5

Nov 2, 2010 12:13 PM in response to rryk

"Guess I will have to pay the stupid technician 120 EUR"

It wasn't the "stupid" tech who spilled tea on your keyboard. 😉

"I guess that was the most expensive tea I've ever drank"

If you always make it a habit of eating & drinking while using your MPB, strongly suggest that you invest in a MBP keyboard cover.

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Answer 6

rryk Author

Level 1

10 points

Nov 2, 2010 12:13 PM in response to Baby-Boomer-USofA

I have extended 3-year warranty, but that doesn't cover liquid damages afaik.

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Answer 7

linbash

Level 1

0 points

Jan 8, 2011 5:26 AM in response to rryk

I spilt water on my keyboard a couple of years ago and they had to replace the entire top casing. Lesson learnt, never put liquids next to expensive computer equipment. As far as I know you'll void your warranty if you open it yourself, which I think is pretty standard.

It's annoying that these sort of things aren't covered under warranty considering others like Dell cover damage caused by spillage and dropping.

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Answer 8

tjk

Level 9

51,116 points

Jan 8, 2011 8:26 AM in response to linbash

linbash wrote:
It's annoying that these sort of things aren't covered under warranty considering others like Dell cover damage caused by spillage and dropping.

No kidding? Sounds more like an insurance policy. So if you get tired of your Dell and take a sledge hammer to it, they'll replace it???

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Answer 9

Jan 8, 2011 9:11 AM in response to rryk

If your spilled tea happened to trigger any of the spill sensors inside your MBP, your warranty may already be voided. But I wish you luck, none-the-less.

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