Since 2007, we at MacKing have refurbished, repaired, bought and sold thousands of MacBook Pros as well as supplying tens of thousands of genuine Apple parts. Great machines as these are, certain models can be dogged by particular problems. What follows doesn't claim to be an exhaustive list of faults, so please get in touch with us if you can't see your issue here. Whether your particular problem is listed below or not - we're here to help.

Before diving into model specific issues, it's worth mentioning some common issues that affect multiple models:-

• Graphics card failure - A graphics card failure can affect almost any MBP, and is the most prevalent universal fault. It manifests as graphical distortion and/or incomplete/cyclical booting. This is caused by one of the graphics chips, so like-for-like replacement of the logic board is possible but not a guaranteed fix. Bypassing the dedicated GPU is recommended.

• 'Staingate' - This is delamination of the LCD screen panel, where the anti-reflective coating separates from the LCD screen. Depending on the model, Apple may offer a free replacement service. Check on the Apple site for details.

• SSD failure - SSDs are more reliable (and obviously quicker) than HDs, but they can and do fail. Thankfully, these are replaceable on older models - on newer models, they're soldered directly to the logic board. Repairable, but it can be more cost effective to use external SSDs via a Thunderbolt port. You can check if yours is an easy fix by entering your serial number on the Apple site.

MacBook Pro (MBP) machines below are listed oldest to newest.

MBP 2008 15" & 17"

The 2008 15" and 17" MBPs were the last of the silver keyboards models, and had two common issues. Both faults are not cost effective fixes for machines of this age.

Screen frailty: The metal surrounds on the LCDs of these machines often breaks near the hinges, caused by an weaknesses in the LCD assembly design.

Graphics card failures: These models shipped with the Nvidia 8800 graphics cards which had a manufacturing defect, resulting in graphical distortion and incomplete booting. Apple initiated an extended repair program, but this did't completely address the issue.

MBP 2009 15" & 17"

The 2009 15" and 17" MBPs were the first revision of the Unibody models, and had two common issues -

Screen frailty - Display starts to separate from from the hinge area due to adhesive failure. Repairable, but cost prohibitive.

Failure to power on - The culprit is usually a faulty capacitor on the memory power rail resulting in no power at all when pressing the power button. This is repairable.

MBP 2010 15"

The 2010 15" MBPs can exhibit two rare faults -

Kernel Panic issues - This is often mistakenly attributed to a failed GPU chip, but in most cases is a failure of a capacitor on the logic board. The solution is either replacing the component with a more reliable one, or logic board replacement.

Graphics card failures - If you're seeing graphical screen distortion, it's likely that the GPU has failed. Logic board replacement.

MBP 2011 15" & 17"

Memory slot failure - A relatively rare problem, this manifests itself with the MBP beeping three times on boot. This is easy to diagnose - take out the RAM cards and try one card of RAM in each socket in turn to find the culprit. If it's a faulty slot, the repair is logic board replacement. Or living with less RAM!

MBP 2012 15" Unibody

These faults do not apply to the 2012 Retina Model -

Graphics card failure - causes incomplete booting or graphical distortion. Thankfully it's an unusual problem, as it entails a costly logic board replacement. Contact us for details.

Memory slot failure - A relatively rare problem, this manifests itself with the MBP beeping three times on boot. This is easy to diagnose - take out the RAM cards and try one card of RAM in each socket in turn to find the culprit. If it's a faulty slot, the repair is logic board replacement. Or living with less RAM!

MBP 13" 2009 - 2012

These faults apply to all 13" Unibody models from these years -

Drive cable failures - The drive cable connects the HD to the logic board. In these models the routing of the cable runs through several 90° bends, so the copper in the cable can become brittle and crack. This will often look like an HD problem, and can often also cause the drive to fail. Due to the internal design of this machine, cable replacement isn't recommended. Replacing the optical drive with an SSD/HD caddy is the pragmatic solution.

MBP 15" 2009 - 2012

These faults apply to all 15" Unibody models from these years -

Screen damage - These models have a separate glass outer layer, and are particularly prone to screen damage. The glass layer can be replaced separately, or the whole LCD screen can also be replaced if it has failed.

MacBook Pro Late 2012/ Early 2013 15" Retina

These faults don't apply to the 2012 Unibody Model -

GPU chip failure - This common fault is often mistakenly identified as a GPU issue. Symptoms manifest as either a black screen at boot, or when performing a GPU intensive task. The machine may restart and display a Kernel panic message referring to the (G)MUX chip. This is caused by a manufacturing issue - the IC which provides power to the U8900 GMUX graphics chip develops bad connections to the logic board due to being placed underneath a stress point. Repairable.

'Staingate' - This is delamination of the LCD screen panel, where the anti-reflective coating separates from the LCD screen. Depending on the model, Apple may offer a free replacement service. Check on the Apple site for details.

SSD failure - SSDs are more reliable (and obviously quicker) than HDs, but they can and do fail. Thankfully, these are replaceable on older models - on newer models, they're soldered directly to the logic board. Repairable, but it can be more cost effective to use external SSDs via a Thunderbolt port. You can check if yours is an easy fix by entering your serial number on the Apple site.

MBP Late 2013/2014 13" Retina

'Staingate' - This is delamination of the LCD screen panel, where the anti-reflective coating separates from the LCD screen. Depending on the model, Apple may offer a free replacement service. Check on the Apple site for details.

SSD failure - SSDs are more reliable (and obviously quicker) than HDs, but they can and do fail. Thankfully, these are replaceable on older models - on newer models, they're soldered directly to the logic board. Repairable, but it can be more cost effective to use external SSDs via a Thunderbolt port. You can check if yours is an easy fix by entering your serial number on the Apple site.

MBP Late 2013 - 2015 15" Retina

Intermittent powering off - A 'silent crash' - intermittent black screen, then power down. This is a CPU issue, but a software fix is worth trying before resorting to a new logic board.

Battery swelling: The batteries in these MBPs were prone to swelling alarmingly! Many machines were covered by an extended warranty from Apple - check their website for eligibility. If not, it's a battery replacement.

'Staingate' - This is delamination of the LCD screen panel, where the anti-reflective coating separates from the LCD screen. Depending on the model, Apple may offer a free replacement service. Check on the Apple site for details.

SSD failure - SSDs are more reliable (and obviously quicker) than HDs, but they can and do fail. Thankfully, these are replaceable on older models - on newer models, they're soldered directly to the logic board. Repairable, but it can be more cost effective to use external SSDs via a Thunderbolt port. You can check if yours is an easy fix by entering your serial number on the Apple site.

MBP Early 2015 13" Retina

Trackpad/ Keyboard not working together - This issue is caused by the failure of the cable between the trackpad and the logic board. It manifests as the trackpad and the keyboard failing, sometimes intermittently. Repairable.

'Staingate' - This is delamination of the LCD screen panel, where the anti-reflective coating separates from the LCD screen. Depending on the model, Apple may offer a free replacement service. Check on the Apple site for details.

SSD failure - SSDs are more reliable (and obviously quicker) than HDs, but they can and do fail. Thankfully, these are replaceable on older models - on newer models, they're soldered directly to the logic board. Repairable, but it can be more cost effective to use external SSDs via a Thunderbolt port. You can check if yours is an easy fix by entering your serial number on the Apple site.

MBP 13" 2016

These faults apply to the non-touchbar model. All three of these faults are covered by Apple extended repair schemes - check your serial number on the Apple website.

SSD failures - The SSD drives in these MBPs commonly fail.

Keyboard issues - The original keyboards on these MBPs were problematic, often displaying as random key failures.

Battery failure - The batteries in these machines commonly fail.

MBP 13" & 15" 2016 - 2019

Display issues - Commonly known as 'Flexgate' (or the 'stage lights effect'), bright spots appear along the bottom of the LCD panel. Sometimes the LCD backlight fails completely. Repairable.

Keyboard issues: The original keyboards on these MBPs were problematic, often displaying as random key failures. Some models can be repaired.

MBP Retina

These faults apply to all MBP Retina models.

Backlight Failure - There isn't one dedicated remedy for this, as repairs are model specific. Unsurprisingly, this fault manifests as nothing displayed on the screen, even if it showed signs of booting up. Older models with the white Apple logo on the lid are easy to diagnose - shine a light through from the back, and you'll see a faint image of what the screen should look like. Often repairable, but model dependent.

____________________________________________________________

If you're experiencing a problem with your MacBook Pro, contact us here at MacKing. We're cost effective, fast, efficient, and (of course) friendly. We only use genuine Apple parts.
____________________________________________________________

Thinking of buying a MacBook Pro from new? Think different.

Apple are working hard to reduce their carbon footprint, but computer manufacture is notoriously carbon and rare earth heavy - not to mention the sumptuous packaging. Be kind to your planet and your wallet and choose the tech Fair Trade option - buy refurbished.