MacBook Pro 13" Unibody (Early 2011-Late 2011) Display Assembly

My Problem

The owner of the "not tech related company" I work for asked me, if I'd be interested in taking a look at his Macbook Pro that is broken. He said he was working on it, while it was on top of his car. "Something happened" and it slid off the roof and landed with a CRUNCH! After taking a look at it, I noticed that one of the corners of the display had shattered. Having never done repairs on Apple products but knowing my way around PCs I figured I could come here and get a good guide, tools and replacement parts. Plus I was offered compensation for my time.

My Fix

I rode down to my local Fry's Electronics and picked up a full set of iFixIt tools and some compressed air (it has been a good 5 years since I've had to fix any tech and three moves in between). I sat down and dedicated an entire morning to the task. Coffee on one side and my tools on another, I opened my personal Macbook and navigated my way to iFixIt.com. Found the guide and turned on one of my new favorite podcasts (Accidental Tech Podcast). Going step by step through the guide I labeled and taped down any screws and parts I removed, trying to keep them all in order. When I finished the breakdown I was relieved at how straight forward it was. I got the okay to order the replacement screen from iFixIt.com from the boss and waited two days for it to arrive. Once the display was in hand, I sat down and spent half the time putting it all back together. Total time spent on the repair came to 90 minutes with 30 extra for running around and doing other things.

My Advice

If you ever thought it was impossible, know that it's not. When all was said and down I went through the guide one last time. I noticed a typo and was happy to see that I didn't have to submit a request for an edit, I was actually able to change the guide on the spot. It was a mistake down at the bottom for T6 Torx instead of what it should have been a T8 Torx. The guide said the repair was rated as difficult. I didn't feel that one bit. The guild, tools, replacement parts all made it simple and understandable. The owner of the "not tech related company" I work for now considers me a Wizard. All without 8 years at Wizarding school and taking OWLS or NEWTS.

My Problem

My laptop developed a hairline screen crack. The glass needed to be replaced to ensure that the monitor wouldn't get damaged.

My Fix

It went really well. No difficulties. Took less than 30 minutes.

My Advice

Be patient and organized! If you have a forced air duster... I'd recommend taking the opportunity to clean the inside of your computer...especially the fan!

My Problem

While replacing the top case the antenna-cables between case and display have been cut. Replacing the display did the trick.

My Fix

Ordering the display at ifixit and shipping from California to Switzerland: 4 days.

With the help of the excellent tutorial: Replacement without problem, one hour of work.

My Advice

The edge with the display connector is a bit tricky.

My Problem

DVD Drive was not used for ages, so time came to replace it with SSD. Prior to dual HDD, System 250 GB HDD was already upgraded to 640GB, but still MacBook was slow. So I added 250 GB SSD and installed OS X to that disk. Now MacBook is much faster.

I have changed Display assembly on my friends MacBook Pro too. Original one was broken. Now he have got brand new looking MacBook Pro )

My Fix

Installation went smoothly, I used tools which came with Dual HDD Kit. DVD rom connection cable is also working great! I will use it very rarely maybe to burn some DVDs only.

Changing the Display was even easier than installing Dual HDD. I just followed the instructions.

My Advice

Thanks IFixIt for easy instructions and Fast delivery of the ordered Items. It took me only 6 days to get all perts here in Saudi Arabia.

My Problem

Dropped something on my macbook pro. As result the impact damaged the LCD.

My Fix

Opted for the display assembly repair vs a LCD replacement. Repair when smoother than anticipated. Downloaded the Ifixit app on my ipod touch and the easy step by step process made this repair a lot easier.

My Advice

You do not have to be a skilled computer repair to do this your self. Repair guides are a bonus and impressed with how quickly my replacement part arrived.

My Problem

A grad student dumped about 5 gallons of coffee on his MacBook Pro. I saved his files and all he wanted was the hard drive and the files. He asked me to scrap the early 2011 MacBook for him. It just seemed to good to toss. The main issue seemed to be the display. I slaved it to a small LCD monitor and was able to function normally.

My Fix

After drying the MacBook over my hot air vents for 2 weeks I ordered a new display assembly from IFixIt. I got it in a few days and followed the guide VERY carefully. It took me 3 hours and boy was I happy when I powered it up and it looked great. I had put in an old 320GB drive and after powering up I re-imaged it with ML 10.8. Next up is to figure out why the Super Drive doesn't work.

My Advice

See my comment, by Bob G, at: MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Early 2011 Display Replacement