logic boards for sale on ebay, anybody tried them?

Question

Level 1

4 points

logic boards for sale on ebay, anybody tried them?

So Apple does not want to fix our faulty macbook pros (which don't qualify for the nvidia timed bomb), and I'm not going to pay thousands just to get that peace of junk work again and sell it for half that price!

I, however, did some search on ebay and found so many logic boards that could replace my faulty one, the sellers claim it's all new and are authentic, but how come they got it in the first place!?! anyone had a successful experience with one of those sellers?

Otherwise should I send my Pro to the states to get the logic board replaced for free since the local apple retailer says it's not included... bla bla... so does it work that way? please help 😟

Macbook pro 3,1, Mac OS X (10.5.5)

Posted on Dec 4, 2010 7:21 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Dec 5, 2010 9:27 AM in response to What alias?!

"anyone had a successful experience with one of those sellers?"

I sure would be helpful if you provided the names of these sellers and supply the links/URL to each ones eBay site.

"should I send my Pro to the states to get the logic board replaced for free"

You already stated that your MBP did not qualify for the NVIDIA free repair program. So what makes you think your logic board would be replaced for free?

!http://i53.tinypic.com/2wqybd0.gif!

Reply

Answer 2

What alias?! Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 5, 2010 9:43 AM in response to Baby-Boomer-USofA

Boomer, thanks for your reply. The reason why I am asking is that I read somebody's story on this forum that lives in chile or colombia or something, and his local apple retailer told him they can't replace the board in which nvidia's issue is not involved... then he called apple of the US and complained, then they told him they'd fix it for free if he lived in the states or at least send them the laptop... which he couldn't do. So I thought that would work for me, hopefully? 😟

About ebay's sellers, here are some of my findings:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Macbook-PRO-A1229-17-2-4GHz-T7700-Logic-Board-661-4364-/3004 96904049?pt=LHDefaultDomain_0&hash=item45f702df71#ht_500wt922

http://cgi.ebay.com/661-4959-Apple-Macbook-Pro-17-A1229-2-6Ghz-Logic-Board-/1404 75035384?pt=AppleLaptops&hash=item20b4f6eef8#ht_669wt1139

http://cgi.ebay.com/Macbook-Pro-17-2-4GHz-Logic-Board-Santa-Rosa-A1229-/25071814 6653?pt=UKComputing_Apple_MacAccessories&hash=item3a5ff7505d

there are many others... what do you think?

Reply

Answer 3

Allan Jones

Level 9

78,296 points

Dec 5, 2010 12:50 PM in response to What alias?!

Your equipment line says MacBook Pro 3,1. That's one with the questionable nVidea chipset. It should be covered. All 3,1 machines are potentially affected-no exceptions. I wonder why the local shop cannot understand that.

Is there an older MBP (2,1 or lower) that is the problem or is it the 3,1 in your profile?

Reply

Answer 4

What alias?! Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 5, 2010 2:21 PM in response to Allan Jones

Allan, I'm on a Pro 5,1 now, but the one in question is indeed a 3,1. The local service center told me in an email that "not every logic board failure is due to the nvidia chip" and when I said the problem happened right after an SMC update WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO BE VERIFIED, MONITORED AND PROCESSED BY APPLE! he said that it's just an electronic component and it might fail at any time, it's not apple's fault!

But seriously, the whole logic board has problems let it be the doomed nvidia or else, heck I even paid for a new battery myself instead of the bloated one that was going to explode and kill me! LOL what kind of an investment that laptop was?

Steve Jobs gets on the stage every couple of months announcing how awesome his company is doing financially, and that's all due to our loyalty (am I wrong?) so what bad would it do them to fix our laptops without charging us all that, or at least charging us half the cost 😟

Does anyone know of an email address I could send apple an email through and get a reply on my problem?

Reply

Answer 5

Allan Jones

Level 9

78,296 points

Dec 5, 2010 3:01 PM in response to What alias?!

Understand. Thanks for responding.

By the way, what is your country? I might be able to wrangle up some additional Level 4 help for other avenues of appeal if we knew where you are.

An Apple Store or AASP is supposed to have a tester to plug into the computer that will identify whether the 8600M GT has failed. Did you see them do such a test? Some have said their computer "passed" the test (that is, a "no failure" reading) when they first arrived at the store or service provider but, once they let it warm up in the store, the gadget detected the failure. Makes some sense, as the failures are primarily heat-related.

So, if the tester gadget didn't sound the alarm, it could mean something else is afoot, or the 8600M GT wasn't hot enough to choke.

I don't have an e-mail for the people to which you should address a protest; all that I have is a toll-free number for N. America. However, the department is called Customer Relations. They are the upper tier of support and, often, a calmly presented, well-documented review of issues/problems you have with the computer can lead to a satisfactory resolution. Calm is the key here. They probably get dozens of rant letters to every calm, considered one so, in this case, a peaceful yet knowing demeanor is a good thing. You'd have to write them, as far as I know, unless we find another option when we learn your location. Use the main Apple address:

Apple
ATTN: Customer Relations
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014

Again, with an idea of where you are, I might be able to find some extra help for you within these forums.

Reply

Answer 6

What alias?! Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 10, 2010 4:04 PM in response to Allan Jones

I'm from the west bank - palestine, Sir. I've sent my laptop to an apple retailer situated in Jordan, and no I couldn't see them doing any tests cause I had to send it with my friend... I hope we can still do something about it 😟

And Allan, any news on those ebay boards?

Reply