What It Takes for Apple to Refuse a Warranty Repair

If you've ever taken your MacBook or iMac in for repair, you've probably wondered exactly what the heck those Apple technicians are doing behind closed doors. Over on Tested, they talked with an Apple repair tech to figure out what happens, and what it really takes for Apple to refuse a warranty repair.

The process of diagnosing a repair includes a few toolkits, diagnostics, and even a dent inspection tool. What's interesting is what Apple technicians have to prove in order to say they won't do a repair:

Physical and water damage are just two things to keep in mind when bringing your MacBook in for service. The general rule of thumb, according to ACMTs (Apple Certified Macintosh Technician) that reached out to us, is that in order to refuse a warranty, Apple has to prove that the damage was due to accidental misuse or user error. In the case of Will's MacBook, there was no physical evidence that the USB port is what caused the motherboard to die, so the repair was covered. Playing dumb doesn't hurt, and you should consider taking your MacBook to an Authorized Service Center instead of an Apple store first to get multiple opinions.