MacBook Air hinge defect not covered by Apple's warranty?
by Paul Miller 
posted Feb 26th 2009 at 3:03PM
Our rocky history with the MacBook Air Rev. A has been well documented, and while Apple would very much like us to forget all about it and plop down another $1,800 for the much-improved Rev. B, not everybody has that sort of birthday money to throw around. Reports of cracked hinges on the laptop are nothing new, but we always assumed Apple would eventually 'fess up to the problem and comp those repairs. Sadly, that doesn't seem to be the case, and we just got another report of a hapless MacBook Air owner who has a broken hinge that Apple says will cost $800 to repair, despite the fact the laptop is under warranty. Our own MacBook Air Rev. A had the exact same problem -- the hinge becomes loose over time, then suddenly catches and cracks from normal use, it's not from undue stress -- and Apple did the repair for free, but only after we escalated the issue to a manager, who let us know how very nice of them that was. From reading various reports, that seems the exception to Apple's repair policy, which lists this sort of damage as "accidental," and we're wondering how widespread this issue may be. If you or a loved one has been affected, hit up the poll below and pour out your heart in comments. If you're unscathed or MBA-free, feel free to show very little compassion to your fellow man. Wiggle hinge and broken hinge video is after the break.
Read - Apple Discussions forum thread
Read - MacRumors forum thread
Read - Crashzone's link roundup
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Meltz @ Feb 26th 2009 3:08PM
...Nothing is covered by Apple's warranty!
ALCie @ Feb 26th 2009 3:13PM
That's not what they say at the Apple Store.
One salesman was tooting the fact that extended warranty will help you when your hard drive dies on an iMac, which he said was a common problem. He then went on to describe the troublesome process of replacing the hard drive on your own.
Suffice to say, no one was saying "Congratulations" as I left the store.
JAmerican @ Feb 26th 2009 3:36PM
Sucks man. Where all the fanboys at now. Guess you should have gotten a Linux or Windows based netbook. At least if they break, you can afford to replace those.
Nailbunny @ Feb 26th 2009 3:45PM
Untrue, they've replaced my battery in my MBP twice because it slipped below 80% health in the first year. I was not covered by the extended warranty yet when they did this. For Free
They replaced my screen when lighter blotches appeared at the far edges. For Free.
The replaced the chipping and browning top cover of my wife's white macbook. Twice.
They replaced 3 keys on my keyboard when the scissor mechanism broke while I was cleaning the keyboard.
They replaced two power adapters whose cords were fraying slightly, even though they visibly had been chewed on by my cat.
All of this was done at the Salt Lake City Apple store, and I will sing their praises until they either disappoint me or I die.
NHAnimator @ Feb 26th 2009 3:52PM
No wonder Macs are expensive.
gunner @ Feb 26th 2009 3:54PM
@Nailbunny
You've just proofed what an idiot you are. With all those problems you are still coming back to Apple - shows how badly you are trying to fit in with all the other apple fanboys. I bet if something happened to your Vaio, you would have a grudge at Sony for the rest of your life.
neighb @ Feb 26th 2009 4:18PM
I had a loose hinge. I brought it bag to the apple store. They sent it in to be repaired. I got an email from apple offering me a brand new MBA (rev2). I now have a brand new MBA 1.86ghz.
nerdtalker @ Feb 26th 2009 4:18PM
If you're like my girlfriend and go in there in an attractive outfit and throw the flirty eyes now and then, you somehow get everything.
Dropped Macbook? No problem, new free mobo and HD.
Dropped iPod? No problem, new iPod.
Dropped macbook AGAIN? No problem, new free optical drive.
I go in there asking for just about anything, and they're rude. FML.
anonymouspimp @ Feb 26th 2009 4:28PM
@Nailbunny:
Interesting... i've never had to take my IBM Thinkpad in for repairs... ever. And that sucker not only gets used almost everyday, but it takes a beating on my trips to and from Mexico.
Apple... what a bunch of sheisters (sp?)...
Chris Are @ Feb 26th 2009 4:49PM
@anonymouspimp
Yeah, too bad your thinkpad looks like it dropped out of the late 90s. IBM computer are built well, but I think they look like shite. Some Apple products might break easily, but design is half the product.
As for me, a co-worker spilled coffee on my Macbook, I took it in and they gave me a brand new one for free. I've heard warranty horror stories, but my experiences have all been great.
chispito @ Feb 26th 2009 4:59PM
Honestly, what is covered by the warranty? There's no reasonable explanation for a hinge torquing like that other than manufacturer defect.
When I was in charge of laptops at my last job, we bought Dell and I kept a very close eye on hinges for the full duration of the warranty, because they are such a common point of failure. To Dell's credit they almost always erred on the side of replacement with any issues we had.
But not covering the hinge? That's like having a powertrain warranty on your car that doesn't cover the transmission.
BMWFanatic @ Feb 26th 2009 5:24PM
@gunner,
You just "proofed" what an idiot you are... can't even use proper English.
gunner @ Feb 26th 2009 5:23PM
@Chris Are
You aren't serious are you - "design is half the product"? So what you are basically saying is, if I could get to destination B on a very nice looking plane x - but my chances of survival are 50%, you will pick plane x over plane y - that might not look as good but will get you in one piece? Last time I checked a laptop will not pick up a girl or impress somebody. A laptop is an "instrument" to get work done. When it comes to getting work done, I don't want my "instrument" failing on me and wasting my time trying to get it fixed.
gunner @ Feb 26th 2009 5:30PM
@BMWFanatic,
Too bad my spelling didn't cost me 1800$ down the drain.
DJManoloco @ Feb 26th 2009 5:45PM
Wow fanboys will defend Apple to the death. Sure they have nicely designed electronics, but that is not suffice for the price tag, especially if they break down often (i'm looking your way nailbunny). What's the sense of having a nice looking laptop if it will end up being a great doorstop/paper weight. I guess Apple fanboys love gimped/defective products; no cut and paste, picture messaging, stereo/wireless keyboard bluetooth compatibility, broken hinges, etc. Worst thing is they wont fess up and make wrongs right. It's okay if a company messes up and fixes their mistakes, Microsoft, Nintendo, AlienWare, but this Apple shit is inexcusable.
Denny @ Feb 27th 2009 3:41PM
Where's the "we should slit apple's throat" option for the poll...I think it should be a must with every poll they are involved in.
kccboy2004 @ Feb 26th 2009 6:26PM
@Nailbunny,
Let me let you in on a secret. Once your warranty has expired you are shagged. That thing is designed to fail. Like me, you will be spouting out of the other side of your face as soon as you are asked to fork out $400 for a failed part that is not covered.
Mark my words, Beware the Ides of March, or the Ides of Warranty expiry. Thou shalt be royally shafted. Get rid of it now whilst you still can.
loujob @ Feb 26th 2009 7:33PM
I swear Apple and Dell are made for each other. They can also throw Nailbunny in the mix
RoboDan @ Feb 26th 2009 8:07PM
HAHAHAHA!!!!
MacBook Air is turning out to be exactly what I thought of it from day 1 - a piece!
HB @ Feb 26th 2009 7:57PM
If you live in the UK you should be covered under the Sale of Goods Act 1979. If it's a common fault then they will have to replace it regardless of when your warranty ran out. If they say otherwise then they're taking the piss.
Josh Ladella @ Feb 26th 2009 8:29PM
Notice how Nailbunny stopped saying "For Free" after his second failure.
who? @ Feb 26th 2009 8:41PM
@ ALCie, JAmerican, NHAnimator, gunner, anonymouspimp, chispito, DJManoloco, kccboy2004, loujob, & RoboDan:
It would be a big mistake for any of you to buy Apple's products. If you're all half as annoying in person as online, my next visit to the Apple Store would likely result in several broken jaws... and no, those aren't covered under warranty.
gunner @ Feb 26th 2009 9:41PM
@who,
There are gonna be a few more things broken than just your MacBook Air hinge. For one thing Apple just screwed you over. Second there goes your money -haha Fool. Third due to your violent nature you don't seem to have any brains, therefore I assume you got the 1800$ from a loan shark. Lastly, because the economy is down and you can't get a job cleaning anyone's house (since they too lost their jobs), the loan shark is definitely gonna brake more than your "jaw". Look on the bright side you still have a broken laptop - with an Apple logo.
who? @ Feb 26th 2009 10:15PM
@gunner
The Engadget 2009 most obviously flamebaited comment of the year prize goes to.... gunner! Congrats, and good luck maintaining a sense of dignity after taking some of the most obvious flamebait ever seen in the Engadget comments section!
Seriously, who in their right mind would take on ten Apple haters at once? LOL.
gunner @ Feb 26th 2009 10:24PM
@who,
Your tears were obviously obstructing your eyesight from reading the posts cause obviously I am not an Apple Fanboy.
who? @ Feb 26th 2009 10:52PM
@everyone except gunner
Does anyone speak gunner here? Whatever. He took the bait, it counts.
liquidmark @ Feb 26th 2009 10:54PM
@Gunner
You're the fool here.
Seriously, those things are all things that most PC users would just IGNORE. Believe me, I see it ALL OF THE TIME.
Mac users care about their computers, so they won't hesitate to take it in to get serviced.
If you get frayed power cords with your PC, Dell or whoever, will just laugh at you and tell you to buy a new one. If your screen starts to die, they MIGHT fix it if they can't find a way to blame you for the failing monitor. If you break the keys on your keyboard while cleaning it, they definitely won't fix that for you unless the person that you're talking to feels like being generous.
@anonymouspimp
Take your laptop to IBM and complain about it browning or something and watch them laugh their asses off at you.
Speaking of which. I've only had ONE problem with any of my Macs. My iMac had a videocard problem. A problem that I caused (long story) Apple fixed me up for free, no questions asked.
Oh, another thing, they saved my data at NO CHARGE too! Most PC repair shops either charge you for data recovery/transfer or nuke and pave your hd and say to hell with you.
On the other hand, I have a TEN YEAR old Powerbook, that still works, no problem whatsoever. I have two powermac g3's the STILL WORK. Never had a problem out of those either.
My 1995 powermac 5260? No problems there. Still works. My Apple //e from the 1980's? No problem, still works fine.
@kccboy2004
No, they aren't designed to fail after the warranty expires.
That doesn't even make sense.
Seriously, if that happens, there would be so many pissed/disillusioned people that would take their business elsewhere.
On top of that, the warranty on my iMac wore out two years ago. I run it all day, EVERY day. Still works. I haven't shut my G3's off in how many months? And they're HOW OLD? Granted, there hasn't been a tower computer made YET that is as tough and durable as a G3 from 1998.
mikeyrogers @ Feb 27th 2009 2:01AM
Nothing is covered under Apples warranty? Then how do you care to explain this free $2500 MacBook Pro sitting in front of me right now? Jackass.
Patriks7 @ Feb 27th 2009 4:42PM
You guys saying how other companies have products that don't break, seem to miss the reason many people buy Macs. No, I'm not talking about being "cool" and sitting at Starbucks, but for the OS. Ever since I switched to Mac, I have been much more efficient with any kind of work or multitasking. Now I only use Windows (Vista x64) only when I play games, as that's a thing OS X sucks donkey balls at.
I don't want to make this into an argument about which OS sucks or not, because each one has it's strengths and weaknesses, and most importantly, people make the decision which they use. Sure, the hardware is expensive, but you do mainly get what you pay for. Just because a couple people have problems, doesn't mean everyone is. Sure you can get a similarly specced laptop for half the price of a Mac, but the build quality is the thing that made me switch to Mac. My Acer I had before was just way too bulky to take to school and the build quality was worse than the plastic MacBook palm rest (which sucks a damn lot).
Anyway, I went kinda off topic here.
speed_music_freak @ Mar 1st 2009 1:28AM
It's apple care... NOT WARRANTY!
ramosfam @ Apr 3rd 2009 12:03PM
I found a law firm is investigating the situation. My MBA's hinge broke a couple of days ago from normal use. The apple store quoted me $650 for it and the mac genius pretty much said it caused it. Why would I want to purposely break a $2k piece of equipment?! I bought my MBA 8 months ago. What the heck are warranties for?! Apple, get ready for a class action lawsuit. The link is right here http://www.sfmslaw.com/pages/cases.php?id=752.
Meltz @ Mar 30th 2009 1:24PM
Okay, to explain (i have the 3-year extended warranty):
During like the third month that I had my MBP, i dropped it from about four feet (i put it in the laptop compartment in my backpack, forgot to zip it up, attempted to sling it over my shoulder and BAM: laptop on the floor!) Yes, the computer was on, but thanks to the nifty sudden-motion-sensor whatever in the HD, no hard drive failures were suffered. There is however a small dent in the bottom right corner under the screen hinge. It popped out a screw in that corner, but no biggie. About a year later, my optical drive began to refuse to write to any disc (it still read everything fine). I took it to the "genius" bar (what noobs!) and i happened to get the complete douche working that day (well, the biggest one out of the staff). He confirmed that my optical drive sucked, so he took my computer in the back for like 30 sec. then brought it back out. "sorry, there is physical damage on the exterior. we can not open up the computer" liability blah blah might break something bull crap whatever. I went home pissed that day and I looked up some pics of the inside of my computer and found that there was about a square-inch of empty space where i had dented the case, so obviously nothing was harmed on the inside, which is what they were worried about. About another year passes by and my battery (second one, due to a recall) craps out. I take it in again, and i get some fairly attractive girl about my age at the genius bar. She was new to that position as of like a couple weeks prior. She pulls out the battery-testing device (a bootable iPod nano) and sees that the battery is indeed crap. To my demise, she tells me that batteries "are like tires. they wear and tear, so they are not covered by the extended warranty" Well that's gay...so i thought i'd give my optical drive another chance. I told her about the dent, the empty space, the fact that my drive stopped working way after i dropped the machine, etc. She was much nicer, and said they would replace the drive for free. Score!
Moral of the story, it all depends on who is working at the genius bar that day. Learn who is nice, and try to schedule an appointment for when they are working, and you will have a much easier time.
Clyzm @ Feb 26th 2009 3:08PM
Come on now apple... even Alienware fessed up to their hinge issue on the m15x, don't sink to an even lower level.
kal326 @ Feb 26th 2009 3:40PM
Some of the first Emachine/Gateway Athlon64 machines had a cosmetic only issue that they covered as well. I think the chassis was built by Quanta, but the grey plastic hinge covers would crack and/or break off leaving the bare hingle and some screen wires exposed. The screen was not in danger of falling off as the hinges were perfectly intact, but it made the machine look horrible. After a bit of consumer complaining they fessed up and offered to fix the problem.
But it seems that Apple would rather push users to buy a new machine then foot the bill to repair the problem. $800 for a hinge, please $25-50 tops parts and labor with $775-750 in Apple tax to get you to shell out for a new machine. Which usually works, atleast it did when a power supply went out in a G5 power mac where I work. Instead of dropping $600+ on a new supply they just replaced it with an iMac. Seriously $600 for a p/s, PC Power and Cooling doesn't even charge half that for a 1200W bullet proof supply.
matt @ Feb 26th 2009 4:22PM
Apples QA need a good kicking. This is the kind of thing that laptops are tested for!
It seems as though there has been issues since the G3 days with consumer laptops, look at the amount of ibooks on ebay with faulty logic boards. The Macbook isn't much better. They really need to pull their act together. Dell's new machines are all pretty solid, especially the ones in the same price and featureset ranges as the MB. Also, from the sound of it their customer service isn't up to much either.
ibsnowedin @ Feb 26th 2009 3:11PM
Quality at it's highest!
shravan @ Feb 26th 2009 3:09PM
This is not a great gesture by Apple. I see where this is going, just like gen1 ipod nanos. Come on apple, its not like u don't have the dough. You make a bad product, you make a bad name. Correct it and you correct your reputation along with that.
firephoenix @ Feb 26th 2009 3:11PM
Here, here.
coffee @ Feb 26th 2009 3:45PM
Knowing Apple, they probably patented exactly how the hinge would fail, so no one else could steal their issues.
Good_Bytes @ Feb 26th 2009 3:47PM
Fixing the problem cuts on Apple profit.
shravan @ Feb 26th 2009 3:50PM
Selling 3 different models of iPods in the same year to the same set of customers has given them enough profit. Don't you think its payback time ? At least i think it is.
Pointy McButterpants @ Feb 26th 2009 4:14PM
@firephoenix -- it's "hear, hear" as in "I think you should all hear what this man has to say"
Snitch @ Feb 26th 2009 5:58PM
I personally had never had a issue with a Apple product being service or exchange, not that am saying people haven't had issues, I have had some issues with Dell & Sony in the past but not with Apple, Also you can't expect that if you drop your laptop 10x for them replace the hinges for you for free, sounds crazy but some people think that that's the way it's suppose to be. If you give them attitude don't specs them to even try to help you, it's the same way as when you go into a restaurant, some people have the balls to give the waiter's attitude not knowing what will they do in the back with your food lol.
Kite @ Feb 26th 2009 3:10PM
hinge defect or no hinge defect, still slice my cakes pretty well
James @ Feb 26th 2009 3:14PM
EXACT same thing happened to mine. I paid $900 to get it fixed!
CJH @ Feb 26th 2009 3:17PM
My wife wants one of these. This article is just what I need to make the decision to not get one easy.
musback @ Feb 26th 2009 4:23PM
Choose that new MSI in stead, she'll never notice the difference ;) + its more bang for buck :D
big J @ Feb 26th 2009 5:24PM
wow no offense but you got jerked
firephoenix @ Feb 26th 2009 3:11PM
Gah. That sucks for everyone affected. Tight Apple bastards.
I've got a unibody MBP. I guess you could call it the Rev A. version as well. I hope I don't get affected by something like this cause I open and close mine constantly.
=/
kjb434 @ Feb 26th 2009 3:11PM
This is going to serious mess up this fancy cake cutting knife!