Need new MBP MagSafe Adaptor

sarkozy

The cable on my old one got worn out or frazzled - seems a common problem. I still use the old MPB for music recording, etc.

I noticed a number of cheaper/second-hand old MagSafe Adaptors on eBay. Anyone have reservations doing this at all?

Sad Professor

I wouldn't touch anything you find on Ebay. Get the official MagSafe adapter or nothing.

Apple say they will replace adapters free of charge outside of warranty in some instances. (There's been a few lawsuits in the US over the cable in earlier versions splitting.) Unfortunately it seems AASPs here are unaware/wilfully ignorant of this, but it might be worth a try.

sarkozy

Well, this one is 5 years old. I'm slightly concerned that it may have happened due to heat/burning. Unlikely it would be replaced, no?

What would be wrong with the eBay ones?

ZENER

sarkozy wrote: »

Well, this one is 5 years old. I'm slightly concerned that it may have happened due to heat/burning. Unlikely it would be replaced, no?

What would be wrong with the eBay ones?

Quite simply : You get what you pay for !! They're cheap for a reason.

I recently had to pronounce a very expensive Dell laptop dead due to the owner buying a charger from eBay at a half the price of the genuine Dell unit. When I opened the replacement charger I found a tiny PCB with a way undersized heatsink and a lump of aluminium to add weight !! So by saving 50 euro on the PSU the owner destroyed a 700 euro laptop !

How much would it cost to replace your MBP ?!


Ken

Sad Professor

There's a replacement program for T-style MagSafe adapters at the moment, but it's US only.

MagicMarker

I bought a new adapter on eBay and saved approx 20-30 euro on the price in Currys etc.

If it's a fake then it's a damn good one.

sarkozy

Thanks, but the fray is at the block end. I'm not sure if it was caused by it actually burning. In which case, it's a serious safety issue. I've read that even after the warranty expiring, Mac has replaced power supplies as a result. I may try this route first.

Bigcheeze

ZENER wrote: »

Quite simply : You get what you pay for !! They're cheap for a reason.

Yeah but the expensive Apple ones are junk too. I'm on my third one on 6 month old MBP.

NUTZZ

Have you tried Amazon for new and used genuine adapters? There are some deals to be had there.

Liameter

The fraying occurs before the burning. Either way, it shouldn't happen so take it to an Apple store and see if they'll replace it at a discount.

ZENER

Bigcheeze wrote: »

Yeah but the expensive Apple ones are junk too. I'm on my third one on 6 month old MBP.

Maybe I'm a bit more careful than most then ! I have a 2006 Core Duo MBP with it's original charger and no sign of damage at either end of the cable !!

The quality issue isn't always with the cable though, it's more to do with the tolerances of the electronics within. It just takes one bad component or one cost saving shortcut in the design to render your notebook useless !! If the Apple unit fails you may have a chance at compensation from Apple, I doubt they will give you a sympathetic ear if you've used a cheap knock-off from eBay for 20 quid !!

My 2c

Ken

conor.hogan.2

This just happened to mine today, will have to call into compub on my way home friday, pita.

The "new" mbp chargers are crap, the old mb chargers the white straight ones never broke on me even though that one is more than twice (at least) as old.

If the mbp is within the year warranty, will the new charger be replaced for free?

sarkozy

That's scary. Why on earth does the burning happen? I mean, basically, one night, it was fine if a little twisted at the bit where the cable meets the block. The next morning, it was frayed, burnt, completely damaged. This is clearly a safety risk which requires rectification.

Bigcheeze

conor.hogan.2 wrote: »

This just happened to mine today, will have to call into compub on my way home friday, pita.

The "new" mbp chargers are crap, the old mb chargers the white straight ones never broke on me even though that one is more than twice (at least) as old.

If the mbp is within the year warranty, will the new charger be replaced for free?

Yes apple replaced mine.

Sad Professor

The newer L-shaped connectors are a lot safer. But they are less flexible and more likely to take the machine with them when pulled. Where as the old T-style connectors were flexible but were likely to fray and possibly burn your house down. So the L-shaped ones are more safe in one sense, but less so in another.

All power adapters are potential safety risks though. The main issue with the MagSafe design is that it encouraged people to pull the cord out instead of disconnecting it properly.

zinzan

I've had 1 frayed & burned connector replaced out of warranty (My Macbook is about 6 years old) and a second replaced (again out of warranty) because the springs in the contact pins went and resulted in bad contacts which actually scorched the magsafe port on the macbook.

Generally apple support is good to deal with, especially if you emphasise how worried you are about an electrical connection fraying and the potential for fire that may ensue.

conor.hogan.2

The silver one that does not stick out is really crap. It has nearly ripped the laptop off my table before and is now ripped whereas the old one is still going perfectly after 2 years or so.