The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Replacing underside of Unibody MBP

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by eeperman, Nov 30, 2009.

  1. eeperman

    eeperman Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    127
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Grrr, just dropped my 15" MBP. My foot took the impact so no actual impact damage, but the underside scraped down a few drawer handles on the way down so there are two large scratches and some small dents on the underside.

    Its mostly cosmetic I think - the computer seems to work fine, but the dents just irritate me. Is it possible to get hold of a replacement underside panel for these computers? Or do I need to send it off to Apple?
     
    eeperman, Nov 30, 2009
    #1
  2. Vogelbung

    Vogelbung I R Judgemental

    Reputations:
    3,677
    Messages:
    4,067
    Likes Received:
    699
    Trophy Points:
    181
    Vogelbung, Nov 30, 2009
    #2
  3. eeperman

    eeperman Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    127
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Thanks Vogelburg - I should have mentioned that this is a mid-2009 model with the integrated battery. I'll have a look if that part is available on the site.
     
    eeperman, Nov 30, 2009
    #3
  4. eeperman

    eeperman Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    127
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Eeeek, I found it. 200 bucks? I think I may just live with the dents? :)
     
    eeperman, Nov 30, 2009
    #4
  5. Vogelbung

    Vogelbung I R Judgemental

    Reputations:
    3,677
    Messages:
    4,067
    Likes Received:
    699
    Trophy Points:
    181
    That's the, well, $200 question, isn't it.

    I dispose of Apple systems if they're notably cosmetically damaged, something that used to happen very often when I was carrying around the laptops far more often far afield, despite being carried around like my other Windows notebooks (I guess that was the problem - left my velvet cushions at home) - for me, it's like wearing a torn suit.

    Sometimes, iFixit and the like have been useful for situations exactly like yours. For me, it's cheaper than selling the laptop at a hugely discounted price due to the damage.

    Depending on exactly how badly it's banged up I guess you could also look at a clip-on case to disguise the damage - the clear ones will show it, but the satin-finish may not, and the carbon / leather style cases definitely won't.
     
    Vogelbung, Nov 30, 2009
    #5
  6. eeperman

    eeperman Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    127
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Indeed. Fortunately the damage is to the underside so I only notice it when taking it in and out of its slip-case. I tend to hang on to products for a long time such that I doubt that the scratches on the underside would impact the sale price by more than $200 when selling. However, its nice to know that the option exists to replace the part if it irritates me too much.

    A Polycarbonate case might have protected the underside, but they impact the look/feel of the computer too much. I think I'll just slap myself on the wrist and march on. C'est la vie.

    Thanks for your help.
     
    eeperman, Nov 30, 2009
    #6
  7. tasty_chicken

    tasty_chicken Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    43
    Messages:
    108
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    tasty_chicken, Dec 1, 2009
    #7
  8. surfasb

    surfasb Titles Shmm-itles

    Reputations:
    2,637
    Messages:
    6,370
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    surfasb, Dec 1, 2009
    #8
  9. steve p

    steve p Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    156
    Messages:
    643
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    31
    I would just get a Speck or Incase hard case and cover it up. Fortunately the damage is on the underside, the case is cheap and can help protect your laptop from future damage...
     
    steve p, Dec 1, 2009
    #9
  10. eeperman

    eeperman Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    127
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Not as tasty as yours!

    I have treated myself to a Speck case - I quite like the look of my new black "stealth" Macbook!
     
    eeperman, Dec 4, 2009
    #10