Forums | MacLife

The $45 service fee seem reasonable enough, but $289 for a 320GB laptop drive is about 2X what it should cost.

...at least, that's what they charge on this side of the border. With USD and CAD about equal, my only question is the funny taxes.

don't have apple do it and don't buy the HDD from them. OWC ships to canada and taking apart of a macbook pro is not that difficult.

Just make sure you set aside 2 hours to do the operation. as long as you can keep track of the screws that you take out you will be fine. and the guides from ifixit make the process nearly foolproof.

I suppose $45 to have someone else do the switch isn't too bad, but that $289 for a HDD is outrageous.


pluto - if you buy the toshiba hdd from owc for $144 + $20 shipping + 13% tax/duty + $5 import handling fee you end up at $188 convert to cdn and you're at $189.23  that's $100 left in your pocket. if you get the WD or the samsung you will save even more because they are cheaper to start with.

OK 1 more Q. I've heard that changing out your own HD in a MBP would void the warranty.
Is this true?

Thanks

pluto wrote:

Yes-- DIY on a MBP and you would void your warranty. Having an Apple-authorized tech would not.

Breaking anything when taking it apart will void the warranty.  if you don't break anything then you're still in warranty.  that's how i've always done it.


Do it yourself though.  Just do it yourself. it's really easy.  not scary.

It doesn't appear hard at all, my Mini on the other hand was a pain. I would just do it myself.

UofT, as in University of Toronto?

That's right DB-- it's the University of Toronto.

One more question: I plan to wipe-out the hdd on the MPP before taking it in to be upgraded. What would be the best way to reinstall everything once I get it back? Migration? From my iMac G5? Or would I have to reinstall every app one at a time? I called Applecare 3 times and got 3 different answers...

Hey everybody,

Just wanted to thank everyone who took the time to help me out, and to let y'all know I installed the HDD myself: Like everyone has mentioned-- it wasn't hard at all. If someone like myself can do it-- then anyone can do it. It just requires patience and gentle but firm fingers (If you've got Hulk fingers when you get to disconnecting the HHD from the logic board, then invest in a spudger).

I followed the ifixit walkthrough: http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/MacBook … ore-Duo/87, kept track of all the little screws (I placed them in one of those pill containers with the divided sections), and it's an absolutely straightforward process. It took me less than an hour to finish the installation-- and I took it slow.

Thanks again to all who contributed to this thread-- y'all better than Apple Tech/Genius any day!

Last edited by pluto (2008-07-03 11:46 am)