Spacebar in MBP Squeaaaks!!!!!

I've had my mac book pro for about a week and the space bar started to squeak! It really bothers me and there is no way i can return this laptop to a center to get it fixed Hope it goes aways after a couple more days of use.

 

I would imagine that as you wear in the key, the plastic scraping against each other will wear away and the squeak should go away.

If not, you might risk popping off the key or the entire keyboard and applying a viscous lube (not 3-in-1 or WD-40) in the keys...but it's risky and may damage other parts if not done properly.

 

Apple can fix this for you easily. At least in some cases, as Apple explained it to me, the squeak is caused by a piece becoming loose (thus, it won't just "go away" after extended use). The solution to it is for Apple to replace the spacebar. I'm not sure what you meant when you said there is no way you can return this laptop to get it fixed.

If nothing else, you should be able to call up AppleCare and they will send you a box to ship it to them and they can repair it and send it back to you).

If it bothers you, you should do this. It isn't going to go away after normal use.

Lube also won't help, as the squeak is again caused by a piece that becomes loose, and the spacebar needs to be replaced.

 

Hey guys, Thanks for the replay. The thing is I bought this laptop at Florida and I live in Puerto Rico. Apple doesn't directly sell to PR so I don't know if they offer repairs to customers in Puerto Rico. I'm certain they have service centers in the island so I'll see what I can do. Thanks for the reply guys.

 

Yeah, even if Apple themselves don't sell there, there should be Apple authorized service centers (who would either be able to do the fix themselves, or send it to Apple). I think calling AppleCare might still be worth it, as they could certainly tell you for sure what your options might be.

 

I had a similar issue that just went away.

 

Yeah, I'll just rough it out for as long as I can and hope it goes away. If not I'll just phone applecare and find some way to get it fixed. For now, I'll just listen to music while I type and it should mask the squeak from the space bar

 

How long did it take for it to go away, roughly? I got my macbook today and already have noticed a squeek on the spacebar, and am thinking I'll wait a biut before getting it looked at.

I hope it's not something that's 'come loose' as some cases apparently are - I guess this is unlikely as the macbook itself is brand new... hopefully, right?

To the OP: did the squeek go away?

 

It is not impossible for the squeaky spacebar to occur on a new machine.

It happened with my MBP, and I took it to the Apple Store and they fixed it in 10 minutes. What happens is that one of the pieces under the space key (part of the mechanism) gets loose, and it results in the squeaking sound. It's a simple fix for them to perform, and it's probably worth having done.

-Zadillo

 

Is it something that's possible to fix myself?

 

I don't believe so (I think they actually replaced a part when I took it to the Apple Store). Either way, I wouldn't recommend messing around with it and possibly causing further damage when you try to remove the keyboard and keys.

 

Ok, thanks.

I bought it via the online Apple store, think this should be OK? I've got the reciept that came with it in the post...

 

Do you mean will you be able to take it to your local Apple Store? If so, yes, it shouldn't be a problem.

Also, as long as you've registered it, you shouldn't even need the receipt; they'll be able to look it up and know it's under warranty.

-Zadillo

 

Cool, thanks. Hopefully this time tommorow it'll be fixed... hope they don't say 'we'll have to order a part in' :|

 

Cool, good luck - honestly I'm not even sure if it did require a new part or not; I just remember they took it in the back and 10 minutes later came back and had fixed it. Seemed like a simple thing for them to take care of.

 

mine squeaaks too... I like it.

 

Well I found out that the apple store requires me to book in an appointment online to see a technician, which I cant do as it says 'we are currently booked up'. I guess I'll have to live with it for a while, and it might fade with use... 'll give it a week and see how it is then.

BTW, do they use the term 'genius' to describe mac shop assistants sarcastically?

 

the squeak gives it character

 

Don't wait - talk to AppleCare now, report it as soon as possible and ask for their advice (and the case number). That way, even if you do decide to "rough it" for a while, you have it on record that you contacted Apple about the issue. This isn't nearly as important as it would be if you were nearing the end of your warranty, but I would still recommend not putting it off.

 

You can pop the spacebar off yourself and reseat it without any undue difficulty. Just be careful, it's a pretty complicated setup under there. Took me a while just to figure out how it's supposed to work. But, once I did, squeak was gone and the spacebar actually performed better.

 

Fair enough Dogfish, although honestly, if one has the means to take it to an Apple repair shop or an Apple Store, I really think it's worth just taking it there and letting them do it - they have no problems fixing this, and it would be preferable to the potential risk of trying to fix it yourself and snapping something, at which point the damage caused might not be covered under warranty.