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Early 2011 Macbook Pro 15' - Logic Board Failure

Hey guys, first post on this website, so go easy on me!

About two weeks ago, my Early 2011 15' Macbook Pro's logic board failed on me. It was only nine months out of warranty, and costed me around $2400 at the time of purchase (high end 15' model).

I went into the Apple store to diagnosis it. They did a hardware test, and even though the logic board appeared to be fine on all of the tests they did, the guy there said that he's 100% sure that it was.

$630 later, I have a new logic board. I feel like I've been cheated by Apple, and a $2400 computer shouldn't need a $600 repair not even two years later. All anybody from Apple can say is 'Should have got Apple Care', which I find iggnorant.

Has ANYBODY else had this problem on their Macbook's around this year? Also, what would the best way to try and get compensated for this be? I have tried Customer Relations once, but he didn't seem to budge.. Just kept telling me that it was 'bad luck' and there is nothing he can do. Bad luck doesn't break an expensive machine like this so quickly.

Cheers

MacBook Pro (15-inch Early 2011)

Posted on Apr 1, 2013 3:24 PM

Reply
352 replies

Jan 21, 2017 3:24 PM in response to poikkeus1

My Macbook Pro 15" was fixed by Apple under the video recall programme in late December 2016. It lasted only for a week and developed the same issue again. I took it back to Apple but was refused service saying the machine was vintage now. I pointed out 90 days repair warranty but was told off saying they don't touch vintage machines and the 90 days warranty doesn't apply for these.

My numerous calls to Apple Care and store manager etc have produced no results whatsoever.

Any suggestions to get it sorted?

Thank you all.

Jan 24, 2017 11:28 PM in response to brennan135

Apple did not want to replace our MacBook under their warranty program and offered a replacement logicboard for $600. My boyfriend googled around and tried a company that offered fixed repair or no pay. Just got it back and so far so good.


UPDATE: the company is KT Electronics, the repair was $149. Shipping was free and it took a total of 6 days for the repair

Jan 25, 2017 8:45 AM in response to Lilybunny408

That's a very competitive price. The part itself retails for as much as $463, and replacement costs range from $320 - $463 - and more, especially overseas.


Since simple replacement and reinstall brings a real risk of logic board failure failure down the line, I strongly suggest looking into a BGA reball fix. It costs less - and there's much less chance of recurrence of the LB problem. Google it.


In any case, I hope you'll post with the results of your repair! A lot of Mac users are interested!

Feb 9, 2017 5:07 AM in response to brennan135

I had the similar problem.

I had my Logic board replaced two and a half years ago. I expected to use the renewed MBP as a new computer and work for longer time so that I also renewed the memory and hard drive after replacing the logic board, however a few days ago the logic board died again. Neither of logic boards lasted more than 2.5 years. Does Apple design the MacBook Pro to be a life of 2.5 years?

The genius refused to repair it because he thought all parts of my computer are vintage, however my renewed hard drive and memory still working well…

Does anyone have the similar experience? Apple is obviously ignoring recurrence of the logic board issue. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Feb 9, 2017 10:49 AM in response to studioyibing

I have a suggestion. Actually, several suggestions.


I have a MacBook Pro that's eight years old, and a relative that's a year younger: neither has had logic board problems. But quite a few users have had to deal with the expense and inconvenience of LB issues - so I did some research.


1. Apple does a very good job, all in all, of replacing and fixing faulty logic boards. But if you want to go the Apple route, you should have all original parts on your machine. Apple doesn't want to repair a MBP with a replacement drive.


2. The best solution to this problem is prophylactic; that is, don't let the temps rise above 160•F at any time. Higher temperatures can, over a period of time, soften the lead-free solder - and that's what can lead to a logic board failure.


3. Solder reflow can remedy the problem - for a time; with reflow, logic board problems usually return after a few weeks or months. I don't recommend this fix.


4. The best long-term fix for LB issues is a BGA reball. This is done with specialized gear, and involves removing the logic/graphics board, cleaning off all of the solder, and desoldering the board.

Feb 13, 2017 8:58 PM in response to tmanish

Fully agree! I have a 2011 mbp that just failed (Feb 2017). I took it in to the apple store to have them look at it and was told it was a graphic card issue. Apple new they had problems with these units and had a general repair program on "affected" models. Several months ago, I had checked my serial number on the on-line tool and was told that my mac was not affected. The apple store didn't even give me a price to fix but pointed me to several local computer repair shops. looking on-line now, there also seem to be many instances of GPU failures on the new macs, and I'm not willing to chance it given the high premium you pay for these things.


I like OSX, but once you get past the nice industrial design of their computers, the quality just isn't there. I'm stuck using Microsoft applications so I'll probably look at using linux with MS windows operating in a VM when needed.

Apr 20, 2017 4:28 AM in response to brennan135

Hi


Same problem here, I bought a MacBook Pro 15" early 2011 in 2011. Two weeks after the warranty was over it went off, log-in screen ok and then blank white screen. I took it to the Apple store and they told me it was the logic board, but it was already out of warranty. So I had to pay like 500€ for a computer that had already cost me like 2200€.


And it has happened again, checking on line I've learnt that they have accepted those computers had a factory problem and that they were fixing the problem for free... until December last year?! So, I had to pay for something that after a couple of years they recognised it was their failure. No one contacted me to refund me the money I had to pay to fix their failure. And now it's happened again, and if I take it to an Apple Store they are going to tell me that I have to pay again like 500€ to fix it... 3200€ in total for a laptop with a fabrication defect???? And knowing it can happen again in the future. No way.


Cheers

Jul 28, 2017 7:50 PM in response to brennan135

Hi, I know this is an old thread however I need to tell my story... Ive been a loyal Apple customer since the 90's and had good luck with Apple MacBook Pros and Towers. I purchased a 2009 fully loaded MBP 17, a fully loaded 2011 MBP 17"both without any incidents or repairs. Then in late 2013 I bought the 15" MBP maxed out and within a couple weeks I noticed little issues going on that I ignored thinking it was software related... Not so, my logic board died and had to be replaced within a couple of months. I had Apple Care and they replaced it. Fast forward to late 2016 because my business relies on Apple Computers I purchased the new late MBP 2016 again fully loaded and immediately had issues with popping sounds coming from it. I called Apple tech they didn't know what it was and suggested to bring it in for service. I waited because I needed to use it for my work however I had my late 2013 MBP and as soon as I fired it up it stropped working! The replaced logic board on the 2015 MBP died again and because it was 6 months past my warranty I have to pay almost $800 to replace it! I have two MBP almost 8k of hard earned money into my only two work horses and Im SOL. I haven't contacted Apple about my late 2013 MBP (I will on Monday) however they did replace the late 2016 MBP (after 4 months) with another late 2016 MBP and this one has same popping noise issues my first one had! Wow... Now I ask, what are the chances of my last 3 MBP all having issues? I would think considering I never had any issues with my 2009 and 2011 MBP the chances are low. Apple, we are paying premium prices on these computers and expect premium quality. Im super bummed and losing faith in a company I trusted with my business since the 90's! I will call Apple on Monday July 31, 2017 and hopefully they will make all this right.

Sep 18, 2017 6:17 AM in response to mfmendonca

There was a class action on this issue that Apple lost and they were bound to pay back repair costs for this defect in this particular model. Apparently this version of MacBook pro (early 2011) had some issues with the motherboard manufacturer. Initially I paid for my repair cost (since the class action was not finalized at the time) but I was reimbursed by Apple later on after the class action resolved (in our favor). After that I had my computer die again TWO times (every other year) for the same exact problem and had it re-serviced for free by Apple based on the same class action. Just take your MacBook to Apple and they will diagnose it and if the problem is due to the Video card on the motherboard they will replace your motherboard for free. It ***** that this model has this problem, but it doesn’t suck that bad now that they can actually fix it for you without any extra cost. You’ll only have to wait a few weeks for repairs.

Apr 1, 2013 4:50 PM in response to brennan135

My Late 2007 MacBook Pro had a logic board failure at about 2-2.25 years old. I had purchased AppleCare so I did not have to pay the $1200 for the replacement logic board in my 17" MacBook Pro (purchased new for about $3300). Aditionally, I had the logic board replaced once more under Apple Care before it expired, but that time was due to a technician replacing the LCD with the wrong panel which caused the logic board power output to not be able to properly drive the correct LCD when it was finally put on the system. That one did not come form Apple Care (The LCD was covered under Apple Care just 1 month before it expired), but the logic board was free due to "technician error." That system is still running fine today, at about 5.5 years old.

Apr 1, 2013 5:48 PM in response to GeekBoy.from.Illinois

I had the same problem this past month, late 2010 Macbook. Got my logic board repaired free of charge (was still under warranty). I'm almost positive I read something saying that this was a known problem with Mid 2010 to Early 2011 Macbook Pros. I'll try to find a link to clarify.


Update to a link:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4088?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

Early 2011 Macbook Pro 15' - Logic Board Failure

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