My macbook was working perfectly up until a few days ago when it wouldn't boot properly. It just kept restarting. I freaked out and immediately ran over to PowerMac in GB3 where I purchased the unit in Jan 2007. Turns out my logic board is dead and it would cost almost 40,000 pesos to replace it! And it was way too late for me to realize how important apple care is! It looks like I have no choice but to replace my macbook. Any other suggestions on cheaper repair options? Trade-ins? Selling my old unit just to recoup some of my expense, etc? Help!!! And with everyone endorsing APP purchase...are macs no longer as sturdy as they should be?
If replacing the logic board is out of the question, you can always sell the MacBook either "For Parts" or as a "Defective/Dead" unit on eBay. You can also try the LEMSwap/associated mail groups and see if you can get it sold there. Sorry for your loss.
@ros based on your post it seems that you're a long time mac user... Of all my advise to people in general be it a "switcher" or a PC user... always think of getting additional warranty, as it would be better to have that "additional security blanket" for the "just in case" scenarios.... I myself didn't advise getting APP during the G3 days unless there was problems arrising within the 1st year, most especially if it was a Powerbook...because back then if there was problems it would appear in the first year of use/abuse... Nowadays i preach a different tone... as to any replacement would greatly justify the purchase of APP(applecare) moreso if one is purchasing the "first release" of a given product line... Anyway i'd like you to also try and getting a 2nd opinion on your problem... bring your Apple to another service center..."just to be sure" that they have the same input on the problem...it won't hurt just to be sure right??? If there's no luck there, then don't worry because resale of parts from your Apple is much higher than if your both a PC laptop... I'm sure you'll get at least a quarter or more towards your next purchase. Just put it up for sale in the forums for parts... HTH!!!
I had the same question when I switched to MAC, everyone was suggesting to make sure to get APP. In our household, we have equal number of PC notebooks to MAC notebooks (4 each), even though the PC notebooks are all years older (8, 6, 4 and 2 years old) than the MAC (4, 2, 1 and 1 year old) not a single had any major problems and all are still operational. Sadly I can't say the same for the MACs in the house, 2 out of 4 have had their Logic board replaced (through APP), 1 had its HD replaced also through APP. We actually don't treat all our Notebooks any differently, but if ever the MACs are even more pampered. I love MACs but part of its purchase price is also the need to purchase APP, thus making the price really much more expensive.
I agree with the suggestion to get a second opinion. Ii recall overhearing two techs talking about a unit they were fixing sometime back when i was hanging out in one of the service providers. One of the techs said that the owner initially brought the unit to a different service provider which diagnosed the problem as a logic board problem, however, when the tech checked he actually found that the problem was related to defective memory modules. The second opinion certainly saved the owner a huge expense, at least at the outset. The caveat here is that i don't really know if the memory replacement was the final solution. The gist of the story, though, is that before you ditch your machine because of expensive repairs, make sure that the diagnosis is actually spot on. Who knows...
I never used to get second opinions, but when my friend's dad's iBook was diagnosed as having a dead logic board by PowerMac on P. Guevarra, my friend asked me to get a second opinion from Ynzal. Ynzal was able to fix it! Really goes to show that being an Apple Authorized dealer doesn't make you necessarily a good repair shop.
@ros, yuou might also try eBay for replacement logic boards. Just make sure you get the same exact model. If you find one, you can easily have it installed at Ynzal. carloslegarda is right though, make sure you get a second opinion first. Ynzal's a good place to get one.
I'm getting a second opinion about my MBP from Ynzal then. Brought it first to DW Machines. The verdict is that my logic board is busted. @Carlos. Is the revived iBook still ok now? Did Ynzal replace the logic board or did they just fix it? My reservation about having a dead logic board fixed is the uncertainty of its stability. I'd definitely appreciate your thoughts about this. I initially thought of just butchering my 1.5 year old dead MBP but for sentimental reasons, I couldn't bring myself to doing it. Deep in me I'm hoping that there's still hope. ;-)
Thanks everyone! Really helpful advice! @carloslegarda @PatrickGaerlan: where's Ynzal? Please post or send me the contact details. How about Senco? Someone mentioned it in another thread. @PatrickGaerlan: isn't there more risk in buying parts off ebay? I suppose a second and a third opinion is my next course of action...even before I consider what I should purchase...a MacBook white or a Unibody?!
@ros, go to www.ynzal.com. Scroll all the way down and click on 'Contact Us', there's a 'Locator Map' link in the page. Re eBay, I got my 12" PowerBook's replacement logic board form eBay. Of course, there's a risk, but you can minimize it by only buying from a seller who has sold a lot of items and has very good feedback.
Apple computers from past history are not necessarily more durable then their latest offering. If you look at Apple's old problematic computers such as the Powerbook 5300 or the white G3 iBook - you know that stuff like this is not new news. Does that mean that Apple produces faulty computers? Absolutely not! Most of all the Apple laptops I have owned from the Powerbook 180, Wallstreet G3 to my Titanium Powerbook G4 were all great performers that provided me many years of service. Its just that once in a while they tend to produce a few lemons - just like any computer company out there.
let me know if you need to know the part number of the logic board you need.. i need your serial number to look it up.. goodluck.
@sunsetmac...thanks! will PM you serial number @pajHERoy...it would auto restart. It just won't boot properly. When I turn it on, it starts to boot then it blacks out and would boot again and again. I have to force shut down so it would stop. Any idea what else could be wrong?
