If the hard drive on your older MacBook Pro was starting to go south, Apple may have something for you.
Per CNET, Apple is now offering the MacBook Repair Extension Program for hard-drive issues on machines purchased roughly between May 2006 and December 2007. Customers experiencing hard-drive issues should take their machines to an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Reseller to have it diagnosed.
The primary sign of hard drive troubles on your MacBook is the flashing question mark when starting up. Should your machine fall into the eligible model range, you will be given a replacement drive, free of charge.
Apple has published a knowledge base article relating to the program and listed the following models as affected units:
– 13-inch black and white MacBook models with the following processor speeds and hard-drive capacities:
– Processor speed – 1.83GHz, 2GHz, or 2.16GHz
– Hard drive capacity – 60GB, 80GB, 100GB, 120GB, or 160GB
If you’ve already paid for an out-of-warranty repair, Apple also offered the following:
“Some customers may have paid for out-of-warranty repairs that qualify under this program. Apple will contact affected customers (where contact information is available) with details on the reimbursement process. If you believe that you paid for a repair covered by this program and you have not been contacted, you may contact Apple Technical Support.
This worldwide Apple program does not extend the standard warranty coverage of the MacBook but covers affected MacBook models for 3 years from their original date of purchase or until August 15th, 2010, whichever provides longer coverage. Apple will continue to evaluate the repair data and will provide further repair extensions if needed.”
As always, hurl in your two cents and let’s see how Apple handles this.
One reply on “Apple Offers Extended Warranty Program for MacBook Hard Drives”
For whatever reason, I kept the hard drive that had failed (after only thirteen months, but just out of reach of the warranty) from my 2007 MacBook. I took it to the Apple Store today, they looked up my serial, I handed over the dead 80GB drive, then I walked out with a new 160GB. Although I’d rather have the cash that I’d paid for the replacement drive, I’m still pleasantly surprised.