Keyboard not working (water spill)

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Level 1

9 points

Keyboard not working (water spill)

Hey
I got my MBP last May. Last night while working on it I spilled some water and some went to the keys. I immediately
turned it off and cleaned the spill. I let it dry overnight.

When I turned it on the next day everything worked fine but after a few minutes the "6" key stopped working, then the period key and finally the return key. So I turned the MBP off and restarted after a few hours and the whole keyboard stopped working.

I had to plug in an external keyboard to get my work done but it is not feasible to keep on using it. Are there any suggestions for any diagnostics that I can perform or do I have to contact Apple?

I did not get any extended warranty but if I call them will I have to pay fee or is it covered under the warranty? Are customer errors covered under it?

macbook pro, Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Posted on Jan 5, 2007 11:50 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Rhyd

Level 3

800 points

Jan 6, 2007 11:07 AM in response to mackdaddy187

First action as soon as liquid hits computer or keyboard is disconnect ALL POWER, this means pull the power cord and dismount the battery immediately, don't do any shutdown stuff - you want no power when there has been liquid.

two: if it is simply water, try this and hope: put a number of layers of absorbent paper towels between the keyboard and the screen, turn the computer over to try to keep the liquid from further entering the computer. Pull out any damp paper towels and replace with dry ones until you are not pulling any moisture out manually.

DON'T add power back to computer until it has had sufficient time to dry by evaporation.

this only works with plain water. If you have spilled coffee or anything with sugar or milk, or any other substance ... get help but try to absorb moisture first.

Do I know if this works? Yes. Will it void your warranty if you tell Apple it happened... probably yes.

Message was edited by: Rhyd

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Answer 2

mackdaddy187 Author

Level 1

9 points

Jan 5, 2007 12:39 PM in response to mackdaddy187

and just to add to this, i just opened the MBP up to see if any connectors were lose. (they weren't) And nothing else went wrong. Everything works like it used to except the keyboard after putting it back together. will this void my 1 year warranty?

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Answer 3

Jan 6, 2007 10:38 AM in response to mackdaddy187

Water in your laptop....BAD! Warranty void? Do I really have to answer this? Off to the repair shop with you and from now on, keep your water glass (as well as your coffee mug, soup bowl, etc.) on a different table....

Sorry

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Answer 4

mackdaddy187 Author

Level 1

9 points

Jan 7, 2007 2:03 PM in response to mackdaddy187

o man. guess i have to find a repair shop now. Thank you guys for the useful information.

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Answer 5

red67

Level 1

8 points

Feb 8, 2007 8:50 AM in response to mackdaddy187

Most people don't realize but your home owners insurance usually has coverage on electronic data processing equipment (or a laptop in English). It covers all types of perils from theft to Kool-Aid on the keyboard. Anybody who has a lot of nice electronic equipment should have this type of coverage. Most people do and just don't know it.

I'm just saying that if all else fails and it has to be replaced or repaired you might only be out a little (depending on your deductible) rather than 2K for a new MacBook.

Just a thought.

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