MacBook Pro 15" Unibody (Early 2011-Mid 2012) Upper Case

My Problem

Root beer happened to my keyboard. Though I immediately shut the laptop down and inverted it on paper towels — thus probably saving the rest of its innards — the N, H, Y, 6, F5, /, -, and + keys all went kaput in the end. Removing the keycaps and cleaning with rubbing alcohol was to no avail — something was fried, so my only option was to replace the keyboard.

My Fix

The repair went very smoothly, and everything is back in working order now. It was quite stressful, though. I made sure to take breaks frequently so that I could relax and to prevent myself from rushing. If you're careful and methodical, this repair is definitely quite do-able. And in the end, the machine booted without a hitch! Huzzah!

My Advice

There were a few things which I wish I had known before starting:

- The Phillips head screwdriver shipped by iFixit as recommended for this repair is too large for some of the Phillips screws which need to be removed. I was lucky that I had a friend with another set of screwdrivers. All the other screwdrivers worked just fine.

- There is a part which is not mentioned by the instructions which needs to be removed from the original upper case and transferred to the new upper case. It's a vertical spar which supports the logic board and optical drive, and can be seen clearly in the photo for Step 35. You should take this out at this point and move it to the new case.

- ZIF connectors are very tricky. Make sure you read the directions and look carefully to see which way you should pry on the retaining lock; they can chip very easily if pulled from the wrong direction.

- The magnetic project mat is a life-saver. If you don't have one, get one. Make sure to put screws on it head-down, as this makes them stick more firmly to the surface. Take advantage of the whiteboard surface to make good notes about step numbers and locations of screws.

My Problem

The keyboard had keys that weren't working.

My Fix

Thanks to the repair guide, the repair went very smoothly.

My Advice

1. Print out the guide and number little plastic baggies with the step number screws and small parts.

2. The trackpad connect/disconnect seemed to be missing, look it up on YouTube.

3. Take your time and take pictures/video of any step that seems to be more difficult for you.

My Problem

Coffee everywhere.

My Fix

Flawless. Took about 1.5 hours. I had already had this thing apart a few times so I felt like an expert... probably would have taken longer otherwise.

My Advice

- An empty icecube tray with post-it notes is a great way to keep track of screws and small parts along the way.

- Photos are a good idea, just in case you need them

- Magnetized screwdriver bits help a lot

My Problem

My son spilled a glass of water on my wife's 2011 early macbook pro. The keyboard and trackpad no longer behaved properly

My Fix

The repair took a long time. It was difficult. But in the end it was successful.

My Advice

Take your time. It is a good idea to have an egg carton or ice tray (or two) to keep screws sorted in the order of the repair step. The hardest part I think was step 17 replacing the keyboard ribbon cable when I was re-assembling everything. What I wound up doing was using tape to grab the ribbon cable to pull it so it would seat properly. Make sure all cables attached to the logic board are available after re-seating the logic board. I had twisted the track pad cable, buried the subwoofer connector, as well as the optical drive. Got them all sorted out eventually.

My Problem

A client called with an issue.. "I spilled a DR Pepper on my my Macbook Pro *last week* and the keyboard stopped working. I used it with an external but now I get nothing." So, it's iFixit to the rescue. I searched for a replacement but all the pieces separate were just outrageous, but iFixit had it.

My Fix

It was a bit tough because of leaving it on the workbench for a long time but now its running smooth. Thanks iFixit for being there.

My Advice

If you're in a jam and need to get the right parts at the right price.... iFixit...

My Problem

Well the wife forgot the Mac was nearby while watering a plant and that was all it took. She didn't turn it off and tried to shake the water out. I let it sit for a few day after getting the water out of it, but the keyboard was toast.

My Fix

All went pretty much according to the guide. The display cable was tough to get off. Another issue was the purchased torx screwdriver started spinning in the handle about when I got to the display brackets. Had to improvise to get those screws out.

My Advice

Take your time. Have a lot of light. It's doable.

My Problem

I spilled wine on my laptop keyboard. It worked fine initially, but by the next morning, keys would not function and it became impossible to use. Not wanting to buy a new machine or send off the computer to Apple for an expensive repair, I bought the parts and tools straight from iFixit. I found out I had to do an upper case replacement, likely the most involved repair you can do.

My Fix

After retrieving my package from the post office, (can iFixit figure out a way to allow the customer to waive the signature requirement?), I sat down with some paper to hold the screws and parts and another computer dialed into the iFixit manual.

Anytime a screw or piece came out, I drew a circle on the piece of paper, labeled it with the step in the iFixit manual and proceeded to take out nearly every single part of my machine to replace the keyboard. The steps were easy to follow and I read all the information in each step twice before I proceeded with anything. This was important as, for example, removing the display cable from the logic board incorrectly would have ruined my machine.

Everything went well and I found only one small oversight in the directions. In the final step, when swapping out the old and now empty upper case for the new one, a support bar that runs across the middle of the case had also to be removed and installed in the new case, but this was not mentioned in the repair.

In any case, the repair went just fine and I stepped backward through all the steps and reassembled my machine, which started up immediately and functioned perfectly!

My Advice

Don't blow dust of parts if you have a bunch of screws sitting on a piece of paper next to your machine. I did so once, basically cleaning out some accumulated dust in the cooling fans, but accidentally moved my piece of paper where I was storing screws...luckily only one or two moved a bit, but I could have really lost them or at least gotten them jumbled together.

My Problem

I spilled coffee over keyboard. So the keyboard didn't work anymore.

My Fix

With the instruction on ifixit website, it was quite easy and nothing complicated. Just needed proper tools and took time for me. Because it was the first time that I repair my computer by myself.

My Advice

The most difficult part for me was to get in and out keyboard cable. Be gentle with it.

My Problem

I spilled a soda all over my laptop. After drying it out, the only problem was the keyboard no longer worked correctly. Very sticky keys.

My Fix

It was great. Followed the directions to a tee. Worked perfectly.

My Advice

GET THE TOOLS... Tried to take apart some of this with my own tools and stripped two screws... The "right" tool makes this so much easier...