Genius bar visit with a Macbook Pro with some water damage - question

The genius bar in the retail floor is not a good workspace to work on a MBP, so I am not surprised that the technician took in the back where the MBPs are taken apart.

Please understand that liquids are all too often fatal to a MBP. Turning on the MBP after the water incursion was a mistake. The malfunctions that you report are probably a consequence of that. The prices you were quoted are in line what others have reported.

Sorry to be the messenger of bad news, but now you know what you options are.

Ciao.

I'll second everything that Ogelthorpe said. Particularly, I've never known an Apple tech to open a machine on the "floor," where screws could get lost and damage done to the exposed innards of the machine in the crowded storefront, which that tech would then be responsible for. To protect themselves, they work on the machines in more controlled environments.

As to the photo of "mold," I suspect the tech was wrong about that. Most likely, what she thought was mold was just wet dust. Dust will naturally accumulate inside any computer, due to the cooling fans. If a machine is used in very dusty environments, it will accumulate faster. Wet dust could potentially look like mold.

I have no basis for any kind of diagnosis. I've seen people here spill large volumes and somehow get off scot free, and other times someone spills a few drops and the machine won't boot anymore.

Water and electronics is a BAD combination. Drying off machine will not help if the machine was already damaged when electricity was flowing. If it was not damaged, it absolutely MUST be dried out before being turned on again. You should leave it in a warm (not hot), dry place for several days at a minimum. Do not put it in the sun, use a hairdryer or put it in a bag of rice! Once you're sure it's dry, try turning it on and see what hapens.

"She showed me one picture where there was already mold. Could that happen that fast?"

Hold long do you think it takes for mold to grow? Regardless, mold can grow quickly and, despite you taking excellent care of your computer earlier, there's always a chance that moisture had entered your computer and the mold has been there for a while. Regardless, you can always take your computer to another Apple store, and ask for it to be opened in your presence.

Mold does not grow overnight.

Open the system yourself but honestly it is way to late for that. Macs seem to fail at the slightest amount of water anywhere near them. If you had opened it up yourself and took your own pictures before going to the G Bar you might have a case. But now since you already went to the G Bar they have your name and serial number of your system with a record of "Water Damage, Warranty Void". So no matter what may be wrong with it they will always go back to the record of your visit and any and all repairs will be at your expense because of the Voided Warranty.