My IMac 27 has died after 3 years. What is the procedure to qualify for the video card replacement program for this specific Mac?

My IMac 27 has died after only 3 years. What is the procedure to qualify for the video card replacement program for this specific Mac?

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.5), Screen pixillates, goes black.

Posted on Apr 9, 2015 9:14 PM

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6 replies

Apr 10, 2015 5:32 PM in response to babowa

First of all, thanks for your helpful reply, and here's what I found out.


I have a mid 2011 IMac 27" - it is one of the models described in their card replacement program. Here's the link, and then I'll tell you the catch.


iMac (27-inch): AMD Radeon 6970M Video Card Replacement Program - Apple Support


After an hour and a half on the phone I got a senior supervisor after getting a case number. The supervisor told me no such program existed - I had to provide him a link to Apple's own page. After he read it, he said, "That's not supposed to be up there." At that point he said I had to have a Apple approved store run an Apple designed test to see if I qualified for video card replacement. The tech reported two problems, a bad heat sensor on the motherboard (involving complete replacement) and a problem with the video card, although the card tested as a "success" because it apparently didn't meet Apple's criteria for failure. The Apple supervisor is saying unless he gets a fail reading the card replacement can't be covered, but can't explain why a defective card (per the tech) passed the Apple test as a success. What a runaround!


Bottom line is Apple will cover nothing - supervisor is saying probably the motherboard problem cause a problem with the video card. My IMac is barely three years old. Quite a disturbing experience for a lifelong Mac fan and user. I'll sure hesitate before recommending a new Mac to anyone else.

Apr 10, 2015 6:55 PM in response to rickbass275

Interesting (and sorry to hear that); how did you find that link since it is not part of the regular recall page?


I read through it and am not sure how Apple can say that it isn't supposed to be there when it was updated in March; as well, their criteria "level" appears to be ambiguous. I'd probably take it a step further - I found this customer service number: 800-676-2775 (this is not the regular tech support/Apple care number which is 800-275-2273). I'd call this number or the corporate number (on the contact us page) and ask for Customer Relations.


Good luck!

Apr 10, 2015 6:26 PM in response to rickbass275

The supervisor's full of crapola. I had mine repaired a couple of months ago. The salient caveats are:

iMac computers with affected video cards were sold between May 2011 and October 2012.

If your iMac has an AMD Radeon HD 6970M video card and is exhibiting any of the issues described above, choose one of the following options to arrange to have your iMac evaluated:

  • Apple Retail Store: Set up a Genius Bar appointment.
  • Apple Authorized Service Provider: Find one here.
  • Apple Technical Support: Contact us for local service options.

If the iMac (27-inch) meets these requirements, Apple will replace the video card free of charge for four years after the first retail sale of the computer.

________

Note that mine was a refurb bought from Apple in May, 2013. Since I had AppleCare, I qualified for onsite replacement. You might want to try again at another Apple repair station or via technical support.


27" i7 iMac (Mid 2011) refurb, OS X Yo (10.10.3), Mavs, ML & SL, G4 450 MP w/10.5 & 9.2.2

Apr 10, 2015 7:00 PM in response to baltwo

Thanks so much for the additional info, I'm not done jousting with these yo yo's yet, but I have clients waiting I've had to cancel so I can't spend too much more time before I make a move on getting this one fixed (not worth it, unless Apple covers the card, and apparently I'm already on the hook for the motherboard as that is not covered).



If I get the new Imac with Mountain Lion it will involve upgrading Digital Performer, possibly the Motu interface and buying a disc drive, so neither alternative is looking very palatable.

Apr 10, 2015 7:20 PM in response to rickbass275

If I get the new Imac with Mountain Lion it


To get Mountain Lion, you'd have to get a refurb from Apple that originally came with ML - see the models with their builds here:


https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204319


I just got a late 2012 refurb and expected it to have Mavericks on it, but - surprise - it came with ML. You need to be careful as Macs cannot boot from a version older than what they came with

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My IMac 27 has died after 3 years. What is the procedure to qualify for the video card replacement program for this specific Mac?

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