Q: 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

Well ...

Every apple branded product that apple manufactured I owned It, Yet all of them gave me problems once or twice. To speak of statistics, apple services more of its products than any other companies. Ever time I visit an Apple Store the place is packed with product  repairs inquiries. And it's hard to get an appointment because they're booked weeks ahead.  I owned dell laptops and desktop, sony vaios and desktops, hp laptops, Fujitsu laptops, toshibas, gateway, IBM, just name a brand I've owned. None of them game me any problems. The only thing that apple attracted me with is the apple OS that runs faster than windows 7 and previous versions of windows. But that's no longer the case. Windows 8.1 and 10 are faster than OS x.

... you seem to be provisioning a computer museum of some sort!

As I said, this thread is not about Apple's service policies.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but these haven't changed since I owned my first Power Book (OS X Panther).  One year of Apple Support "included" with purchase, upgradable with Apple Care to three years from date of purchase anytime within the first year.  You are as free now as then to purchase Apple Care or not.  But, as I said, as increasingly, repairs reduce to replacing one of four major components, two of which are rather expensive, it might be worth reevaluating in light of how long you intended to keep a machine.

I am monitoring this thread because I think it accurately reflects how sincere Apple is or isn't in fixing this problem.  Some contributors have expressed skepticism, viewing it as a PR stunt.  Others interpret it as an act of contrition exacted by the threat of a class action suit.  I will measure Apple by its willingness to deal generously and expeditiously with customers whose machines resist efforts to repair them under the program.

The first entry in this thread, presently 858 pages long, dates from Feb. 1, 2013.  Until the announcement of the repair program extension, it served as a convenient "landing pad" for all MacBook Pro customers who experienced video issues or problems with their machine either rebooting for no apparent reason or not booting at all.  Customers who found their way here could console themselves that they were not alone.  On the other hand, 820 pages until the announcement of the repair program suggested:

1. The problem had to do with the way the lead-free solder used to solder the GPU to the motherboard responded to high temperatures.
2. Apple seemed either unwilling or unable to solve the problem.
3. The only lasting solution was that provided by third-parties, namely reballing.

I use the word "suggested" because I don't have any numbers:  How many customers experienced the problem?  How many experienced it again after their motherboard was replaced the first time?  How many attempts to repair the problem by reballing ended up making matters worse, not better?

After the inception of the program, people have been reporting their experience with the it.  The tenor of the reports has been:

1. Most people who applied for refunds for repairs performed prior to the program have received them, even for repairs performed by third-parties.
2. There was some initial confusion at various Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers about the role of the diagnostic tests in determining the eligibility of an affected model for the program.  Some people reported being turned down when their machine failed to fail the tests.  Others reported being allowed to provide photographic evidence of the problem.  I recall no (recent) reports of rejection of photographic evidence.
3. Reports of machines being reject due to upgrades to hard disks, RAM and optical drives trickle in on a regular if rather rare basis.  Upgrades to the wireless card is a definite no-no.  I can only recall less than a handful of cases involving something else being in the optical drive bay other than the original optical drive.  All machines except one were rejected.  The one not rejected was accepted after the original drive was reinstalled.  RAM upgrade seems relatively safe, although I recall a report about a 16GB upgrade being contended because Apple specifies 8GB as the maximum.  Hard disk upgrades seem fine.
4. Although initial reaction to the repair was quite positive, recently there have been reports of a strange general "sluggishness" of repaired machines and/or recurrence the video issues.
5. There is some debate in the community about what the 90-day warranty on repaired machines covers, and whether recurrence of the video issues after expiration of the warranty nevertheless qualifies it for the repair extension program.

Be keeping our comments focused on the repair extension program I think we provided valuable feedback to Apple, who, of course, are not monitoring this forum.

So as I have mentioned from my previous reply that since I got back my macbook pro, I noticed that its slow and there are lags when opening apps. I was informed by the technician from AASP that my HDD have a bad blocks and its dying.

This is what I am experiencing right now.

• When playing music from iTunes, there are times that the music stops and continue again.
• When downloading a file, the download pauses for quite sometime and eventually continue.
• When opening an app, it seems take forever with the bouncing icon from the dock and the beach ball.

I already purchased an SSD to replace my HDD and hoping that will fix the issue, else I have to bring back my machine to the AASP

If your drive is developing bad blocks it must be replaced, back up before you do.

Just having bad blocks is not an issue. Writings zeros over drive should help. Only getting more and more blocks means bad drive.

I can recommend Alsoft's DiskWarrior 5 for maintaining/fixing disks.

Bad Blocks are a surface error, a mechanical problem, they are most certainly an issue, any one them can (a) stop the machine booting and (b) cause data loss.

That's my idea of an 'issue'

Richard Liu wrote:

 

I can recommend Alsoft's DiskWarrior 5 for maintaining/fixing disks.

Does not address mech problems such as a surface failure, and the bad blocks it causes.

An HDD with bad blocks is a disaster in progress, nip it in the bud with a backup and a new drive. Drives are cheap, data may not even be replaceable.

So I've just had my first Kernel Panic since the logic board replacement program started...

Anyone else?

A few years ago I had to bring my ibook g4 7 or 8 times (I don't even remember) for different repairs. I then asked for a new one, because they were never able to repair it correctly. On the phone, someone at apple told me it was not possible in my case because it was always failures of minor componenents (I dont remember the exact word) and that they were giving new laptop only after three repairs concerning major components. I was told that components such as keyboard, wires, etc... were minor components and that the motherboard was a major one. Therefore, after tree motherboard replacement you should be eligible for a new machine (at least at that time). In the particular case of macbook pro 2011, maybe they will only change the motherboard because it is under the replacement program. Just ask if unfortunately it breaks a third time...

Anyway, I had my macbook pro 2011 repaired free of charge in two days about two month ago and everything is fine since. Thanks to all of you who contributed to this program!

Regards.

Hi,

Did anybody had any trouble after got their mbp to Apple for the Repair extension program?

Did it solved the problem?

Did you have to pay for something afterward?

It just started to happen a week ago with my MBP mid-2012 after Yosemite upgrade 10.10.3.

When I check my serial number, it doesn't tell me if I am part of the repair program. Should it or should it only tell me my computer model?

Thank you.

See my reply at the top of page 859, last paragraph, items 1 - 5 for answers to most of your questions.  If your machine qualifies for the repair extension program, then the repair is free.

To qualify it must:

1. Be one of the models mentioned in the document https://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro-videoissues/.
2. Be having one of the problems described in the same document.

The serial number check just tells you the model, so it only helps you to determine whether you fulfill the first requirement.  The check of the second requirement is performed where you take your machine for repair.  They hook it up to a diagnostic program.  Your machine fulfills the second requirement if it fails those tests.  Sometimes, a machine seems rather reluctant to fail the tests, so be prepared to have yours pass the test at the very worst moment:  take pictures of the video problems occurring and take them with you to the Apple Store or the Authorized Service Provider.  In many, if not most cases, those photos have been accepted as proof of the problem.

Good luck!

Grummore wrote:

 

Hi,

 

Did anybody had any trouble after got their mbp to Apple for the Repair extension program?

 

Did it solved the problem?

 

Did you have to pay for something afterward?

 

It just started to happen a week ago with my MBP mid-2012 after Yosemite upgrade 10.10.3.

 

When I check my serial number, it doesn't tell me if I am part of the repair program. Should it or should it only tell me my computer model?

 

Thank you.

1) No.

2) Yes

3) No

I'll keep running it, but so far, so good.

just checking for any updates on that class action, methinks they should still be dragged through courts for their upgrade/downgrade scam. I was also wondering whether this whole fiasco had an affect on my mbp's battery life - I'm now on 766 cycles (I assume that's used, not left? 15" Late 2011 limit is 1000), surely with all the heating up and fanning the battery would be put under extra - undue - pressure? when this one runs out, will I get it replaced? the one they're selling on their website - for £109 at that - has 99% of * reviews, in fact it's not even available. oh, and since a few days ago, my mbp won't go to sleep when closed, I opened it this morning having left it closed overnight (unplugged) and fully charged, and had a red battery alert, plus when I open it, the screen stays black so I have to press any key to activate it. is any of this related at all?

I'll pick mine today with the LB replaced, I'll update as I'm using.

oh, and since a few days ago, my mbp won't go to sleep when closed, I opened it this morning having left it closed overnight (unplugged) and fully charged, and had a red battery alert, plus when I open it, the screen stays black so I have to press any key to activate it. is any of this related at all?

I can't remember when you had your MBP repaired.  I know that Apple has released more than a few updates for my MBP since it was repaired (Feb. 25, 21015), and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the "glitches" that I have experienced since then were caused by them:  MBP hanging while shutting down, inability to relaunch Finder from Force Quit, things like that.  For some reason I found it necessary to reset NVRAM.  None of these things happened more often than before the video issues began, so I am assuming they have nothing to do with the repair.  I did have a problem that I was not able to switch to the admin user account and back.  It turned out to be caused by my installing Alsoft's DiskWarrior 5, which hangs while polling the attached external hard disks connected to the eSATA card in the ExpressCard/34 slot of my late 2011 MBP 17".  Logging in to the admin account launched a login item because an option in DW5 to monitor the hardware was set by default.  Of course, the first thing that that process did was to poll the disks.

So:  I can only suggest that you reset NVRAM and check the software-related things that might have changed since your machine was repaired.