Graphics Issues on Late-2011 17″ MacBook Pro

After getting my logic board replaced under my AppleCare warranty back in December of 2014 I have now begun experiencing the video chip issue again, on the replacement logic board they gave me.  Here are some pictures:

I contacted Apple via their online chat and learned that my MAcBook will again be warrantied according the the article I have linked in the 2/20/15 update below.  This is a big relief since I really don’t want to pay $600+ for this repair and since it is such a widespread and reported issue.  A big thumbs up to Apple for acknowledging and covering these issues (who knows how much the class action lawsuit played into this).

I also learned that Apple has a three strikes program and if my fixed MacBook goes bad again before 12/31/16 they will give me a brand new MacBook. I can only hope I have that great of timing on the next failure!

2/20/15 Update:
Apple now has extended the warranty on 2011 MacBooks with graphics issues!!! Here is a link for information on Apple’s website:  MacBook Pro Repair Extension Program for Video Issues

Here’s the email I received from the attorney’s who have been pushing for a class-action lawsuit, which I believe is the catalyst for Apple finally agreeing to cover these problems:

Email announcing Apple’s extended warranty coverage of these problems

Here’s an example of some of the things my 17-inch MacBook Pro was doing:

When the first signs showed up, I quickly got on a chat session with an AppleCare representative.  My biggest concern was seeing if I could be grandfathered under my expired AppleCare since this is a widely reported issue.  The tech on the chat said they would be able to cover it, to my great relief.  Then they said I’d need to talk to a phone representative and scheduled a call.  I kept the chat open and waited for the call, but then my computer shut off.  The Apple tech call came in and when I brought up that they were going to cover it under my expired warranty the guy said that they would not be able to.  I told the guy to check the chat session but he said it was not available and that only a senior adviser could even make that kind of promise, so I asked to talk to one.  Finally I got a senior adviser and he took my word for it and made an exception and covered the issue under my expired AppleCare.  They did have me go through the following troubleshooting steps:

I wasn’t even able to boot into the recovery partition and the graphics issues persisted even during the internet recovery boot so the senior adviser booked me an Genius Bar appointment for that night.

At a nearby Apple store, the screen was displaying pink stripes as seen below when they ran their tests:

Graphics Chip Issues on a Late-2011 17″ MacBook Pro

From what I understand, the issue at hand here is with the lead-free solder used to attach the graphics chip to the motherboard.  With the heating and cooling cycles, cracks develop and eventually the connections lose electrical connectivity and you experience what you seen in the pictures above.  There are some people out there with highly specialized equipment for “reballing” the GPU chip onto the motherboard but I won’t be messing with that.  If I had not been able to get my computer accepted under my expired AppleCare I probably would have been doing a post on how to replace the motherboard on a 17″ Late-2011 MacBook Pro.  Thankfully I’m only reporting the experience of having someone else fix my computer, free of charge.  The repair as shown to me by the Apple Genius that checked me in was 606.05!

Compared to the price of the 2009 17″ MacBook motherboards on sale at the ifixit.com website, the price above is actually a good deal (ifixit is asking like $750 for a used motherboard).

My MacBook has now been fixed:

MacBook GPU Issue Repaired!

Another example of what it was doing:

Pink & white display Graphics Issues on late-2011 17-Inch MacBook Pro

Other Relevant Information:

• Change.org petition for Apple to replace these free of charge for everyone
• Firm filing the class action lawsuit (site no longer exists, link removed)
• MacRumors Article on Lawsuit
• Facebook Group on the Issue