MBP wont switch on - best repair places

[pietercrous]

Hi,

I have a Macbook Pro 15" (not a unibody) 2.0 ghz Core2Duo.
But it seems to be dead - not that it was ever alive.
But a few weeks ago it wouldnt switch on. Then i left the battery out for a night and it switched back on. but then it did it again - and now the laptop wont switch on at all. I have tried all the tricks that Apple recommends and have plugged it into an external display, pressed all the different key combinations. yet, nothing!
it seems like it is the Logic Board. Well, thats the advice I got.

Now, this would seem like a very normal question. However, I am living in South Africa.
Thus, certified Apple repair places (Core, Digicape) want to charge a $40 fee just to assess my computer. However, if it is the logic board, then they want to charge me $1900 to replace it. The trick being that they cant tell me whether it is the logic board before I say they can order the part, and thus am forced to pay the incredible fee of $1900!

I am not willing to pay that much - as I can just buy a new one - and if i had the money i would therefore not be posting this. And so, I have thought about it long and hard and have decided that the best thing would be to send it to the USA with a friend going through in June. She will be in St Paul, MN.

I have done some looking around online and found some places that sell either refurbished LBs or new ones in the States. The prices I found were between $400 - $900.

I just wanted to know if anyone has had to get their LB fixed and what the best way to do it would be - whether mailing it, or taking it to a local shop in St Paul. I would like to get it does as reasonably as possible - I am currently a student.

So, I would like:

* Name of Company
* Reliability
* Time to Fix
* Price
* Pros/Cons of refurbished/ new Logic Boards


Thanks for any help.
It's really been quite a sad time for me. I love Apple and my dear MBP, however, the repair costs seem utterly ridiculous and disheartening.

 

[chscag]

Some places to look at:

1. MyService – Apple Repair, Mac Repair, Apple Laptop Repair - Nationwide Mail-In 24 hour Repairs and Upgrades for Mac Laptop Computers.

2. iPhone and iPod Repairs, MacBook and MacBook (Pro) Repairs | PSP Repairs

3. Do it yourself: iFixit: iPod, iBook, & PowerBook Parts and Accessories

Regards.

 

[omax]

I have the same problem and in the same situation.
Was it really LB? Did replacement worked for you? How much did it cost?
Thanks.

 

[pietercrous]

I am going to be sending it through to the states, to be viewed at the genius bar, and then hopefully getting it fixed there, otherwise sending it to iResq.
I hope your MBP will work too.
I can only get mine fixed in a month, but i will let you know how it all works out in the end.

 

[pietercrous]

I have been able to switch my laptop on again. Yay.
Although, it seems like there is a severe problem. The way in which I was able to switch the computer on was by taking out the battery and leaving both the laptop and the battery unplugged for 2 days (at least). And then I plugged the battery back in and placed the power supply on. However, if I don't plug in the power, it doesn't work.

Also, if I plug out the power, and run the machine on battery power, then it doesn't turn on again, and the process starts again. So, I don't dare sleep the machine. I turn it off every time.

Anyone think its not the logic board?

And should I send it to the genius bar still? or rather try some other place?

 

[Collin Bl]

Try this and if that helps then do this