Late 2016 Macbook Pro 15" rattle sound when shaken or tilted right/left

Question

Level 1

19 points

Late 2016 Macbook Pro 15" rattle sound when shaken or tilted right/left

I got my 15" MacBook Pro almost 6 hours ago. I love it except when I tilt or shake my laptop I hear some rattling/clonking noise behind the retina display and it's concerning me. I have spent S$4400 on this beauty and I want it to be flawless. Being an Engineer myself, I believe one of the component in the lid that houses the LCD is either loose or not engineered efficiently or perhaps a design flaw. Before arriving here and asking for your suggestions, I already researched www and I was surprised to see that I'm not the only one facing the issue. This is exactly what my maxed out - (512 SSD) 15" Macbook Pro with Touch Bar sounds like right now 😕 - https://youtu.be/HmL7KXCMfxU

Any thoughts?

MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2016), macOS Sierra (10.12.1), null

Posted on Nov 24, 2016 11:25 AM

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Answer 1

Sep 16, 2017 9:05 AM in response to Ren1818

I have the same issue that Apple Store to check but the staff told me that it is known issue for mbp. I decided to have full refund as I can't accept the defective product with that premium price.

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Answer 2

stevefix

Level 1

4 points

Mar 2, 2017 2:26 PM in response to aqeelb

I had the same problem. I tried to clean the normal way but it didn't work.

The solution is disassemble the fan and clean some more, like in this video: https://youtu.be/KMv0NqWo2MM

I hope it will also work for you

Best regards

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Answer 3

tjk

Level 9

51,192 points

Nov 24, 2016 3:08 PM in response to aqeelb

Hi,

There have been a number of posts on this subject. Someone else here said they were told by Apple that it was the fan "parking" and "unparking."

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Answer 4

aqeelb Author

Level 1

19 points

Nov 24, 2016 8:07 PM in response to tjk

It's definitely NOT the fan "parking" and "un-parking" that makes the weird rattle. The sound emerges from top case, not the bottom case. I just had a talk with Apple Support team and it seems like they're going to replace the defective Macbook Pro with the new Macbook Pro. The weird part is that I have to wait another month for the replacement to arrive. I hope the replacement I receive doesn't have the same issues or else it will be a shame if I return the product and get a refund. Fingers Crossed! 😐

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Answer 5

k.chau

Level 1

19 points

Nov 30, 2016 8:34 PM in response to aqeelb

I'm having the same issue as you! I've done a fair bit of research on Reddit and Google and found that a lot of people believe it to be the light diffuser panel behind the display that wasn't adhered properly.

It's definitely not the fan since that's not where this sound seems to be coming from. I've contacted Apple about it and I've made a Genius Bar appointment (for this upcoming Sunday) to have it looked at. I hope it's something they can fix in-store because I would hate to have to wait a few weeks to get a replacement since I depend on this computer for my work.

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Answer 6

aqeelb Author

Level 1

19 points

Nov 30, 2016 9:36 PM in response to k.chau

I sent mine back for a replacement and it's is due to arrive in 10 days from now. Unfortunately, all early 2015 MBPs and 12" MacBook suffers from the same design flaw. I'm quite sure the replacement device I receive, will have the same rattle. You need to go for late 2014 model to avoid it.

"After much much research and reading, there appears to be a sheet of clear plastic which sits at the back of the display, and this looks thick enough to be making the noise we hear. It doesn't look glued down and is placed behind other thinner sheets of material behind the retina display."

Look at step 13 - second picture: https://goo.gl/sT0gsW

One of the fellow engineers at my office didn't even notice it since last year until I demonstrated him the defect, he was like "man this really feels and sounds bad sliding stuff inside". It doesn't really impact any performance or stuff but my OCDish side can't handle something sliding stuff inside a premium laptop. *****!

I'm really disappointed since DOA of my MBP. 😟 Being an iOS applications engineer, I have no choice to live with this flaw. It's definitely not a MAGICAL experience, Tim!

Check out the other threads below:

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Answer 7

Cooltown

Level 1

4 points

Dec 23, 2016 12:41 AM in response to aqeelb

Well, I guess mine is not defective and no need to return now because looks like everyone has the same issue. It is just a "bug" of the late 2016 Macbook Pro 15". Not sure if this can be fixed by firmware but I hope it could be. I didn't even watch any video or playing games when the fan starts to turn on. I am very disappointed the new Macbook Pro is not fanless design.

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Answer 8

Jan 22, 2017 6:07 PM in response to aqeelb

Hello, I got the same issue here. Did you got your laptop fixed?

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Answer 9

Jan 24, 2017 2:26 PM in response to aqeelb

it's a shame

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Answer 10

Ren1818

Level 1

4 points

Aug 10, 2017 1:51 PM in response to aqeelb

Did they fix the issue? What did you say in order for them to repair it?

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