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Macbook Pro Flexgate discussion [Merged]
- Thread starter SourceSunTom
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The repair cost for the Flex cable is $250. I can provide pictures of the repair if anyone interested. You may be able to find a shop in your area to do the job too. They just have to be good at what they do.
We have vintage Macs that are 10-20-30 years old still with working keyboards and screens.
Can anyone picture these MBP 5-10+ years from now still working fine? I think either the keyboard or thin flex cables will break easily, killing most of these because repairs will be so expensive it won't be worth it.
Can anyone picture these MBP 5-10+ years from now still working fine? I think either the keyboard or thin flex cables will break easily, killing most of these because repairs will be so expensive it won't be worth it.
Nope. 2016 MBP is fine. No keyboard failures or flexgate.
Poll indicates this affects 1/3 of users. That's not good.
Poll indicates this affects 1/3 of users. That's not good.
This is a very frank and open thread. Thanks for sharing. It is difficult to find one like this in Apple Community (discussions.apple.com), especially if one is facing an issue with his Apple product. There will oftenly be somebody like MichelPM who will try to discredit the claim. For example, if you search for Ipad Bend or Ipad Bent in Apple Community, you find consumers being disappointed just by sharing their experience in that forum. To some extent, they received remarks as if they were lying.
I bought a Macbook 12 nearly a month ago and up until now I have not unsealed the box. Tomorrow is the last day to return. I wonder whether Macbook 12 is affected by this problem too.
I bought a Macbook 12 nearly a month ago and up until now I have not unsealed the box. Tomorrow is the last day to return. I wonder whether Macbook 12 is affected by this problem too.
Just wanted to to add my experience to this thread: I bought two exactly the same Macbook Pro's (13", 2016 model with Touchbar) which BOTH had this issue. One got the stagelight-effect, one simply went full dark/no backlight. Both had to be repaired costing around 500 euro's each. Both also had the keyboard replaced under the replacement-program. Amazingly bad experience for such an expensive premium product.
Just lost our backlight this weekend exactly as described in flexgate and Rossman videos. Had stagelights for a few weeks before backlight stopped working. Now backlight will come on when lid is open slightly and turns off permanently when lid is fully opened. Computer works when connected to an external display and shining a flashlight into the front of the screen reveals that the LCD is still making a picture. Just no backlight.
Our Pro was purchased October 2016 when this model was first introduced. Out of warranty and no Applecare. The computer has never been dropped or mishandled and still looks brand new (when the screen is lit).
Went to a third party and was told the repair was over $600 so declined. After researching the issue I called Apple support this morning and they are saying there are currently no internal memos regarding the problem or a remedy.
Support person recommended scheduling an appointment at the Apple store as the managers have some leeway over repair charges. But no formal policy/procedures. Guess begging/pleading is our next move until Apple officially responds to this issue.
FWIW, before researching this, I considered writing the problem off to bad luck, buying a new one (with Applecare), and trading the defective computer in for whatever I could get. Turns out Apple trade in value was $0 since the computer does not boot up and display a picture.
Our Pro was purchased October 2016 when this model was first introduced. Out of warranty and no Applecare. The computer has never been dropped or mishandled and still looks brand new (when the screen is lit).
Went to a third party and was told the repair was over $600 so declined. After researching the issue I called Apple support this morning and they are saying there are currently no internal memos regarding the problem or a remedy.
Support person recommended scheduling an appointment at the Apple store as the managers have some leeway over repair charges. But no formal policy/procedures. Guess begging/pleading is our next move until Apple officially responds to this issue.
FWIW, before researching this, I considered writing the problem off to bad luck, buying a new one (with Applecare), and trading the defective computer in for whatever I could get. Turns out Apple trade in value was $0 since the computer does not boot up and display a picture.
Might be worth just holding on to it until Apple (once again) is compelled to yet again offer an extended warranty program for yet another design failure. Just a matter of time in my opinion.
It's numbers game, as long as Apple can ignore it, Apple will do so. Soon as Apple perceives it will loose in a court of law Apple will affect the cheapest solution, i.e. same poorly designed replaced with the same...
Apple has repeated the same scenario over, over and over again, so I have no inclination to think different...
Q-6
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I agree with this too. I am guessing in the next 2-3 months Apple will acknowledge the issue and release a repair program for the effected models; likely they haven't said anything yet as they probably want to look into how widespread this issue is (units sold and number of repairs being conducted) and which models are most effected.
Also, it's probably worth noting that whatever repairs are done to "fix" this, likely won't fix the root cause. The majority of replacement parts are probably already produced for 2016-17 models and likely won't have a video cable that fixes the issue that causes the backlight cable to break. Thus, if you get the fix, the issue may well return and no telling on how long until it does.
I think they've known about it for some time already. By comparing the ifixit teardown of the 2017 and 2018 13 inch tb models it looks like the 18 one has slightly longer flex cables.
The upper one on the picture is the 13 inch 2018 model.
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Actually I see what you are saying, it is possible that they fixed it for the 2018 models (good news if true).
Ok, I was going to send you the links. I just clicked on the magnifying glass in the corner to get bigger pictures.
I don't think its completely fixed, but maybe the 18 model might last a bit longer before the cable breaks, or maybe even long enough that it doesn't matter anymore.
I get the feeling that the current mbps are not made to last longer than 3-4 years, as long as AppleCare I guess.
For Anyone else wondering, its the 4 flex cables I'm talking about 2 narrow and two wide.
EDIT: I didn't mean to sound pessimistic with this post, but I bought a 13 inch mbp 2018 a couple of months ago, and quite frankly I'm a bit pissed of with this whole flex cable thing.
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No expert here but have a question. I see the difference in the cables but could this be due to one having the screen more open than the other making it look as if it is longer?
It could be, but if you look at the narrower ones compared to the wider ones the length ratio seems to be different.
At this point these machines have their risks, but ultimately its we don't have numbers on how common the issues truly are. I have had my refurb 2017 MBP for a year now with no mechanical issues (had one software related bug later fixed by an update), but it doesn't mean I am not at risk.
I would suggest to get AppleCare to anyone buying a new gen MacBook Pro, but other than that, if I wouldn't stress about the issues until if/when you have one. Odds are you probably will be perfectly happy and have little to no issues to your machine (though forums will indicate otherwise), and any model computer can have potential issues. In the end if it bothers you enough, you can always sell/trade your MacBook Pro, and test out a different brand.
I think that's optical illusion due to different location of the light. Look at the metal parts next to it, they have the bottom edge illuminated on the new one while the 2017 is in shadow, not bright, which matches the highlight/shadow distribution on the ribbons. Not that it would matter that much.
I have had the exact same thing happen to my 2016 MacBook Pro which I bought straight after it’s realise.
My issue started with the stage lights along the bottom of the screen and about a month later the whole backlight went.
When I first purchased the Mac it arrived with the ‘2’ key duplicating characters when pressed. I had this replaced under warranty with a new top cover but low and behold the ‘x’ key is now experiencing the same issues and the Mac is now out of warranty. I’ve just been living with the issue because I hardly ever use the ‘x’ key.
I have yet to have any repair carried out and I don’t think I will if it’s going to cost £500+ just for the display issue let alone the keyboard problem.
Hopefully apple will issue some kind of out of warranty service plan for this but until then I’m in two minds as to whether replace the Macbook with something different or carry on trying to use my iPhone in its place.
Considering this is an issue that’s starting to affect more and more people hopefully apple will take not but this isn’t the sort of product experience I was expecting when I first got the MacBook.
My issue started with the stage lights along the bottom of the screen and about a month later the whole backlight went.
When I first purchased the Mac it arrived with the ‘2’ key duplicating characters when pressed. I had this replaced under warranty with a new top cover but low and behold the ‘x’ key is now experiencing the same issues and the Mac is now out of warranty. I’ve just been living with the issue because I hardly ever use the ‘x’ key.
I have yet to have any repair carried out and I don’t think I will if it’s going to cost £500+ just for the display issue let alone the keyboard problem.
Hopefully apple will issue some kind of out of warranty service plan for this but until then I’m in two minds as to whether replace the Macbook with something different or carry on trying to use my iPhone in its place.
Considering this is an issue that’s starting to affect more and more people hopefully apple will take not but this isn’t the sort of product experience I was expecting when I first got the MacBook.
I hope they fix this problem in their next generation MacBook Pros, considering the price of their products, they should be working flawlessly for at least years to come.
"If" the numbers of failures continue to rise, Apple perceives a negative impact to it's image and or faces court action that is indefensible, Apple will act and release yet another extended repair program for the MBP. Until then your on your own, although as your using the £££ sign I believe that your covered by UK consumer rights/protection, although Apple may push back initially they are legally bound to affect repair as long as everything is in place and the notebook is clearly not fit for purpose.
No doubt other members will chime in with greater detail, or a chat with local Citizens Advice might be time well invested. One member took Apple to the small claims court in the UK and won, equally he was seeking refund after multiple failures, a repair should not come to that.
Q-6
The video on post #46 indicates that the flexcable isn't going to break randomly, it's going to fail based on how much you open the screen and how many times.
Ultimately it's up to me what I do with that information.
I appreciate the advice and agree with you that all computers might have issues.
I decided to share what I found by comparing the two pictures, Its up to those looking at it to decide what they think of it. I personally don't think its an optical illusion.
So I would comment to say that we don’t know all the details of this. The video in itself doesn’t provide all the factors that may accelerate the breakdown of the cables.
Surely the daily wear causes from opening and closing the cables constantly will greatly increase the chance the cable breaks, but it also possible that the issue happens faster/more frequently in machines that are pushed hard, where constantly higher temps cause the cable to become brittle over time. Also there could have been a batch of cables that was bad, while later batches had better QC.
I have to imagine Apple (like any other manufacturer) had an automated stress test to replicate the constant opening and closing of the lid 1000s of times, and I doubt they would have released the MacBook Pro knowing the screen wasn’t going to pass that test. I think high heat is going to play a factor (something not likely down when they conducted the QC stress tests).
All I am suggesting is I don’t think it’s solely related to opening and closing the lid. There are probably multiple factors in this, and not every machine will experience the issue, depending on use.
We don't know how many revolutions is enough to pass the test by Apple's standard. It might be 5000.
I wonder about the effects of dry environments. Plastics, wood, rubber, leather tend to dry and become brittle around here and there are drier places than Colorado
True, but let’s say for kicks, you open and close your laptop twice a day (you start you work day, close it at lunch, reopen it after lunch and close it at the end of the day). That’s 730 open/close cycles a year.
Even if Apple’s test standard is only 5,000 open/close repetitions, you should be able to open/close your laptop 2 times EVERY day, for over 6.84 years (must be a workaholic if you’re not even taking a single weekend off for almost 7 years, lol).
The laptops that are having this issue are barely at 2.5 years old (they released at the end of 2016). That tells me there is some other factor other than wear and tear alone causing the issue.
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We have the same issue down here in central Texas. Lol.I wonder about the effects of dry environments. Plastics, wood, rubber, leather tend to dry and become brittle around here and there are drier places than Colorado