2011 Macbook Pro Logic Board Failure

I have the same problem here with my MBP late 2011 15' model. About a month ago I started having display issues and would not booth up. I took it to a certified Apple store and they ran the diagnostic and it failed the VST test. They recommended me to call Apple and see what they would do for me since they were not able to order the part because Apple was not carrying the logic board on hand anymore. They quoted the price to be around $500-$600 for a new logic board from Apple plus labor. I called apple and they mentioned they will not be able to fix this MBP because the extended warranty has expired already and they stop producing the logic board last year. They suggested to maybe go through their recycling program, which was useless anyway since the value is basically diminished. If I even find someone who carries the part needed, the cost is not worth it in my opinion. So, there's nothing left to do.

Now, I have heard of others who had similar problems but used a 2012 logic board and placed it in the 2011 MBP and have had success. Is there anyone out there who has done this and has had success for a longer period of time? Is it worth it?

Maybe California might be my next stop.

I keep up with my MacBook Pro also. Like buying an SSD card and taking it to an authorized dealer to install it. No mention of the logic board/video card malfunction or "vintage" status. My Mac was working great until recently and I was NEVER contacted by Apple about the issues like this implies here ps://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro-videoissues/. I feel a class action suit is imminent for those of us who were blindsided by non-negotiable, non-refundable, nonexistent new parts especially in an economy that is barely supportive of fair wage.

I was NEVER contacted by Apple about the issues

Car companies are compelled to make an effort to contact you when the problems with cars could endanger your life. These computer issues, although troubling, do not come close.

I am in the same boat. I had the logic board replaced because of the GPU about 2 years ago. The GPU started to act up again on 19 Aug 2017. I went to the Apple Store on 20 Aug and they ran the diagnostic test. The VST failed again however, they can't fix the problem because the Apple depot no longer carries repair parts for 2011 or older systems. I have read arguments about getting a good six years and should not expect more. Actually I do because that is how Apple advertises their computers. They "just work" and they are suppose to last. I still have a 2001 and 2009 Macbook and they have no issue other than they have old OS. The early 2011 Macbook Pro can still run the most current MacOS and I would be surprise if they don't support the next iteration. Apple should keep repair parts until Apple no longer supports the equipment with OS upgrades. If a new class action lawsuit is started, I am in.

Same Happened to me 😟 MBP pro 17" Early 2011 Logic board replaced twice and now it happened again !! , when I bought it, I was searching for power performance, since I work in post production, and Apple failed me as a company and as a device, I'm searching to buy an Asus ROG laptop and Dump Apple for good. Apple problem is they insist on using AMD's bad GPU instead Nvidia's advanced GPU. and believe it or not, I met people with latest Apple MBP 2016 versions , who faced the exact same problem!!

Mine has now been replaced twice. Just waiting for it to go again. Really angry with Apple about this. As insurance I have gone and bought a mid 2014 Macbook Pro which is still under warranty and in pristine condition. The retina display is rubbish compared to the hi res anti- glare screen on my 2011 laptop. Got the screen replaced on the mid 2014 and it has the same poxy yellow cast as the one it replaced. I'm on the hunt for alternatives. i simply can't trust Apple anymore after using their computers for 20 years. Problem after problem after problem. Here we are, the customer, losing time and money which we can't afford, while the CEO gets an $84 million share payout. Please.

yes, they've really become a phone company and stopped caring about computers.

the infuriating thing is that every time there is a problem they always defend the product and claimed its an isolated problem until it cannot be contained anymore and that makes them completely untrustworthy which is a shame compared to how it used to be.

"they have gotten so old"…what??? So after 6 years they're for the rubbish bin. Come off it. I still have 12 year old Mac's that work perfectly well. The latest operating systems still work on the 2011 models. It's a massive con.

Hi mine has just failed and called apple to be told the same thing. Devastated and angry.

I will also add that I had a Samsung American fridge 8 years old and the fridge went faulty. I called Samsung to get a number for a recommended engineer knowing I will pay for the bill. Samsung took some details and told me they would repair it for FREE. Next day repaired. That's customer service.

This laptop cost me £3,000 6 years ago I now know that I could have purchased a decent windows laptop each year.

Apple is not what it use to be.

When a car manufacturer knows of a fault they do a recall and replace. I was never notified of this issue if I had I would of demanded a replacement.

Thinking of moving away from Apple £££££££££

TerryT2011 wrote:

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Thinking of moving away from Apple £££££££££

Good luck with your new Windows PC. Let us know how long your Windows PC manufacturer will replace a failed motherboard for free. I don't know of any cases where they have replaced a motherboard for free after 6 years of use.

Sorry two points you have missed. Let me summarise them for you.

1. Apple sold a premium product with a known fault. If they had made it clear I would never have bought one.

2. My windows pc will cost no where near what I paid for a laptop and I wouldn't care if it died after 6 years. Btw I have a windows pc and it has been running fine for 14 years and cost me £1200.

TerryT2011 wrote:

Sorry two points you have missed. Let me summarise them for you.

1. Apple sold a premium product with a known fault. If they had made it clear I would never have bought one.

2. My windows pc will cost no where near what I paid for a laptop and I wouldn't care if it died after 6 years. Btw I have a windows pc and it has been running fine for 14 years and cost me £1200.

Sorry three points you have missed.

1. I was wishing you good luck with your new PC

2. I was asking you which PC manufacturer you contacted that offers free motherboard replacement after 6 years use.

3. I was commenting on my not knowing of any PC manufacturer who has replaced a motherboard free after 6 years use and was asking for your feedback regarding your knowledge of such a manufacturer.

I also picked up on the fact that you bought a "premium" computer. I assume you will not be buying a "premium" PC when you say you could replace the PC each year for the same price as your Apple computer. Check the prices of "premium" PCs. I'm sure there are many Apple computers still running after years of service just there are many PCs running after years of service. By the same token, I'm sure many PCs die after 6 or fewer years service. Longevity depends on many variables such as operating environment, handling, abuse, hours, etc.

Once again, I wish you luck with your new PC and I hope it works as long as you think it should.

Bob.... you never learn do you. Continually defending Apple. Here you are challenging someone to name a PC manufacturer who replaces the motherboard for free after 6 years of use. How many times do you need to be told that we haven't had 6 years of use out of the motherboard. This is the core of this thread/discussion. They are rendered useless after approximately 2-3 years of solid use and that is completely unsatisfactory. What is also unsatisfactory is that Apple replaced the motherboards with the same fault as the now useless ones. It's as if you aren't even reading the comments and just blindly defending Apple. No different to replacing a faulty engine in a brand new car with another faulty engine. Think about it will you.

The problem itself is not really that these boards had a flaw. Yes, the 2011 series is flawed.

One time I explained the flaw in detail even even though I have been involved with electronics manufacturing and I have put some of these 2011 boards under a microscope, the post got censored as 'speculative', presumably (and that *is* speculative) by people that don't have a clue about manufacturing.

Anyhow, the 2011 has a flaw in the manufacturing process and it has happened to other companies at the same time.

The real problem is that Apple denied there was anything wrong until there were several lawsuits.

And that's a really crappy things to do to your customers.

Then they made a 'quality program' to 'repair' the 2011 series for free and it got extended until the end of 2016.

I can't generalize, but all the 'repaired' boards I have examined were standard 2011 boards with a poorly re-flowed GPU; they could have fixed the problem by doing a full re-ball (which is more expensive), but the ones I had were re-flowed and the color discoloration could show it was done very unevenly.

I won't speculate they did that on all the boards, but certainly on every board I inspected.

This is an insult to the customer since a re-flow will only grant a second life to the board and not repair the problem.

I've spoken to Apple on the phone several times about a specific computer regarding this problem, I wrote T.Cook's office as well and essentially the recommendation was to get the 2011 fixed, sell it to some unsuspecting soul and move on.

And this is even more infuriating.

So, when people complain about the 2011 series, it's not so much about the fault itself; every company had bad batches, etc; the problem is about Apple's horrible behavior toward their customers since they've become a phone company. That's really the heart of the problem.

andrewj44 wrote:

Bob.... you never learn do you. Continually defending Apple. Here you are challenging someone to name a PC manufacturer who replaces the motherboard for free after 6 years of use. How many times do you need to be told that we haven't had 6 years of use out of the motherboard. This is the core of this thread/discussion. They are rendered useless after approximately 2-3 years of solid use and that is completely unsatisfactory. What is also unsatisfactory is that Apple replaced the motherboards with the same fault as the now useless ones. It's as if you aren't even reading the comments and just blindly defending Apple. No different to replacing a faulty engine in a brand new car with another faulty engine. Think about it will you.

Perhaps you should be paying a little closer attention before calling someone out. I was replying to a specific post where the poster stated "This laptop cost me £3,000 6 years ago I now know that I could have purchased a decent windows laptop each year." This makes it a 6 year old computer used for 6 years. I agree that a computer's logic board should not fail in 2 or 3 years, but it happens.