Spilled tea on keyboard, it shut off. What can I do now?

akim366 wrote:

Hello,

I have been frantically doing research since last night when I spilled a cup of hot green tea (no milk/sugar) onto my macbook pro 13' (late 2010 model). As soon as I spilled it I unplugged the computer but in the meanwhile it shut off automatically. I put it upside down, wiped the keys and later took off the keys to help circulate air.

This afternoon I was able to get the back off - so now it is drying with the back off. I did not have the right screws to remove anything else like the battery, since I have the unibody. It was not really wet when I opened it up, rather looked quite normal :S... I tried to clean the corners with a q-tip and it came out dry.

Anyways, I went to the authorized apple service provider (there is no apple store in the city i am in). They said it would be $80 (in Canada...) to just open it up to see if it is salvageable / clean parts and test. Is that worth it to pay? I somehow thought they would open it up for free....

I unfortunately tried turning it on today (after 24 hrs) and it did not turn on. What are my chances here? What else can I do here other than letting it sit dry for a few more days before trying? ANY tips would be appreciated...

Also is there ANYTHING I can do to determine whether the laptop is salvageable without having to pay $80 for the guy at apple to do it?

Thank you!

You state that the computer shut down automatically... I think that's an indication that the computer either has a protection mechanism (not sure if MacBooks have that kind of system) or it has failed as the components shorted out.

One question, when you hit the power button to attempt to turn on the computer, did it make any sounds? (i.e. DVD drive sound, beeps, start up chime, anything) or it remained quiet?

I would suggest the following, leave the computer untouched for at least 3 days to allow for the humidity to go away from the components. Try turning it on after this period has passed. If it has not turned on by them I think there's a great chance that you'll need a logic board replacement. But still, get the computer to the Apple Authorized Service Provider to have further testing.

The cost to replace a logic board may be a little too steep to consider such option. Just the investment on a logic board amounts to about 50-60% of the total price of the computer so in some cases you might be better off by getting a new MacBook Pro or another PC.

Hope this helps and I am very sorry for your loss.

Edit:

The $80 fee is most likely a standard diagnostic fee charged by the AASP. I suggest paying that fee in order to know the extent of the damage in your MacBook Pro.

Message was edited by: vea1083

To echo veal083, with more strength ...

TURN IT OFF

LEAVE IT OFF

LEAVE IT UNPLUGGED

Fluids and electonics DO NOT MIX. Your device shut off because of that interaction.

Straight water *sometimes maybe * evaporates away. Water with anyting else leaves a residue.

An others who reported "it works fine after sitting in a bag of rice for a week" have it just die because of undetected damage 3 months later.

You need it analyzed by a qualifed technician, in person, to know what really is wrong.

More then likely your computer is TOAST. Time to buy another as the cost to fix it will be close to the cost of a new model.

Akin366 wrote:

Thank you for your reply..

Yes it did shut down automatically. If that was due to components shorting out, no matter how much I dry it it won't come back to life, is that right?

When I hit the power buttom it didn't make any sounds... I also briefly put my charger to it, it didn't light up as per usual but a very very faint green light (my old charger that didn't work used to do that when it was plugged in but not charging)

I will let it sit for 3 days or so with the back still open. I was worried about dust getting into it but that seems to be the least of my problems now.

So you think the $80 fee might be worth it? Would it be free at an apple store? Closest one is 2 hours away, but I might be there within the next month.

--

Akim,

If the charger is not showing a proper light it might mean that your components are shorted out. I suggest leaving the computer dry out and get it to your closes AASP or Apple Store to check for repair options. I am under the impression that the Apple Store will also charge you a diagnostic fee because the damage is accidental.

Hope this helps.

Wrong reply-to ... need caffiene ...

Your call. But as Shootist007 stated the lack of any activity makes "bricked" very possible.

2 hours to a store and a guaranteed evaluation fee mean you are paying for what may well be bad news.

At least the data on the HD can be possibly be saved by extracting it and putting it into an external enclosure.

Does your homeowner's/renter's insurance cover accidental damage to a PC? I know mine can because I bought it, but yours may not.

I cannot say more because I do not know the state of money for you, or where you live, or how desperately you need the computer (such as "I use it to run my business").

Good luck.

same thing happened to me this week, messed up the memory modules, had to buy a new one. had the hard drive transferred to my new one

The best way to get the data off the hard drive is to remove it from that system. Then you need to connect it to another Mac using a SATA to USB adapter or enclosure (I like the adapters as they can be easier and more flexible to use).

No the drive can not be read by a Windows computer, unless there is special software installed on the Windows computer to read Mac formatted drives.

So finding another Mac to connect it to would be best. But you could also connect another external drive to copy that data to. That other drive needs to be formatted FAT32 or exFAT and then it can all be transferred to a Windows computer or another Mac, as Mac can read FAT32 and exFAT formatted drives.

akim366 wrote:

Tried turning on my laptop again and plugged in, it is definitely dead. No sound whatsoever and does not charge. I gues what I feared the most is confirmed....

How can I save the data by getting an external enclosure? Is that difficult to do or can I do it myself?

If I ask apple to do it will it be expensive?

Also, can the data be accessed by a PC?

I am a student as of now and thankfully have an old PC that I kept as a backup which I am using now. I might be waiting till September when I start my job to by a new one.

Thanks for your reply.

You can recover the information by either:

• Transferring the drive to an external enclosure and using a PC with MacDrive in order to help a Windows PC to see the HSF+ partition format; or connect it to another Mac.
• Transfer your hardrive to your new Mac.
• You can use iFixit to see guides on how to remove and repair computer components.

Hope this helps!

akim366 wrote:

Hi vea1083, thanks for helping me through from beginning to end!

Just couple more questions...

Because the laptop didn't turn on (nothing happened) and it doesn't charge and the side lights (to check battery levels) don't even come on, its safe to say that it is dead and there is really no other solution than getting a new laptop?

Also I don't need the data out of my macbook immediately, so if I ever need anything I might get the external enclosure months down the road when I have time. The data will be safe until then? or should I take the harddrive out of the laptop and keep it separately?

For your first question... I think all of these are indicators that multiple components in your computer are failing specifically the motherboard (or Logic Board) due to a short out as a result of the spill. The only remedy to a logic board failure is to replace it and the cost of such repair does not justify it in most cases, hence the suggestion of buying a computer all toguether.

For your second question... In my honest opinion I would suggest taking out the hardrive anyways and place in a static-free area such an external enclosure. I think this would be the most appropiate course of action as your MacBook Pro eletronic components got fried (and compromised as a result) that although there's a slight chance that your board is no longer energized still there's the possibility of the hard drive suffering from any kind of static which would compromised the data in the HDD as a result.

Hope this helps!

akim366 wrote:

Thank you so much for all your help!!

"a static-free area" wouldn't include a ziploc bag, would it? (I am half joking...)

I will look into ordering an external enclosure online and/or take my mac to a computer store so someone can help.

Thank you again-

A quick Google Search threw many results...

This one in particular suggest a fire-proof box...

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/244002-32-what-solution-storing-hard-drives

I suggest reading the suggestions, but it seems that all depends on the owner...

Thanks for marking the post as "solved" and again good luck; and I am sorry for your loss.