MacBook Air 13” 2014 - Logic Board Corrosion?

[BillyB93]

Hi guys,

I have had my MacBook Air 13” since December 2014 when I bought it new direct from Apple.

I’ve never had any issues, until around a week ago I noticed the battery stopped charging. The charger was fully plugged in and the amber charge light showing, However the battery percentage wouldn’t go up (or down). Eventually it started going down gradually. I tried a spare charger, but again the amber light showed but the battery carried on dropping until it eventually lost power.

I tried to recharge it but to no avail, even after leaving it a few hours (the amber light remained). I tried the battery SMC reset using the keyboard shortcut i saw on another forum, a green light appeared on the charger for a second or so then returned to amber but nothing else.

I decided to take it in to the Apple store today (Regents Street, London), and the guy initially suspected an issue with the battery. I explained what had happened and he took it in the back to open it up and check.

He came back 10 mins later and told me it was bad news and that it infact appeared to be corrosion of the logic board. I explained I’d never spilt any liquid on or near it and have always had it in a case and well kept. He said he could see that I have never directly spilt on it (due to moisture sensors?) but it appeared that the fan had sucked moisture in and subsequently caused corrosion. He said from looking at it it started to happen a long time ago, and wasn’t a recent problem. How does this explain the battery suddenly stopping to charge? I’m no expert but how does damage to the logic board cause this?

Anyway, he quoted me £520+VAT to repair it, to which I said that was more than what I bought the laptop for! He said if he was me he’d just save up and buy a new laptop second hand for the same price / cheaper.

Has anybody seen/heard of this issue before, and if so is it really as bad as it seems? Could I (a tech novice) possible repair it myself? I’ve seen other people with similar issues suggest cleaning the corrosion on the logic board with propynol alcohol. Furthermore, surely it’s a fault with the product if it sucks moisture inside it (for the record, I’ve never had my laptop in the bathroom/kitchen/somewhere humid). I know it’s probably wishful thinking and it’s useless trying to complain to Apple...!

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated guys. I’m going to try get a screwdriver to open it up and have a look myself and can post photos then.

Cheers,

Billy (one very skint man refusing to buy a new laptop!)

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello and welcome.

Sorry for the delayed response.

I would agree with the Genius, in that it could definitely have happened over time, even without your knowledge of an actual spill. There isn't any benefit for them to diagnose liquid/physical damage, so they simply call it as they see it.

The fan could have pulled in moisture, there could have been a liquid spill by someone else that you weren't aware of, etc. When liquid is introduced into electronics, it's not always immediate damage that occurs. Over time, any metal surface can corrode, until the point where the actual physical connection is severed, which could result in the symptom you are now experiencing.

Internal parts aren't user-serviceable, and more damage can easily be done if you attempt the repair yourself without the proper training and tools. In that particular model, the issue could be some of the circuitry on the logic board that has to do with the battery/AC power/etc. It could also be the I/O board. It is impossible to tell with out being able to see it and run testing on it.

Unfortunately, you are stuck with either the repair, or the purchase of a replacement. We don't advise that you attempt the repair yourself, as the other internals/connections are easily damaged.

Sorry for the bad news,

C