MacBook Pro dropped on concrete, potential internal damage?
The good news:
1. the coffee did not get anything wet inside the laptop. Not the keyboard, speakers, screen, ports, etc...the battery was also saved, as some kind and helpful on-looker ran over and immediately pulled the battery out, telling me that removing the battery is the first thing to do if you ever spill liquids on the computer. Inside the battery case, everything was dry as well.
2. After I dried everything and put the battery back in, mbp started up just fine. No weird sounds, the screen is fine, webcam OK, everything is working GOOD.
The bad news:
1. A lot of physical damage to the MBP. All 4 corners have dents and/or scratches, the hinges on the latch to open the computer are bent, the button to pop open the laptop is compromised, so I have to press it a few times to get it to open. In addition, the piece of metal above the open button is sticking out, and I can press it in and out, so it no longer makes a flush seal. This is not good.
2. The right hand corner is slighter higher than the other 3 corners, so it doesn't sit on surfaces perfectly balanced anymore.
The dilemna:
- Could there be internal damage? Would this damage show up on a diagnostic test, OR, could it not show up, and then 6 months down the road, my laptop suddenly crashes?!? Is the exterior damage indicative of what might have happened inside the computer?
- The establishment where all this happened is taking full responsibility, but they normally will only pay for repairs in cases like this. I, however, want a new mbp. It is only a month old, and for the money I paid, I do not want a refurbished computer. I got an estimate for the physical damage, and it is around $800 bucks. This is not including any potential internal damage, or even damage to the webcam, which is in-between the 2 hinges that are pretty much broken. Even though the webcam is working now, could it have some kind of damage that would cause it to malfunction in a week? 2? 6 months?
I was hoping someone can advise me on what to do, and if anyone else have ever dropped their mbp's who either had or didn't have problems thereafter. I am new to Mac's, so I don't know how advanced they are in terms of how the internal structures are made. Should I fight for a new mbp? Or, is repairing it sufficient enough?
Many thanks in advance!
MacBook Pro 15" Intel 2 Mac OS X (10.4.8)