Yikes, glad to hear you're okay. I remember I dented a MacBook Air rental from my college library because I had my headphones plugged in and walked too far away from it... Thankfully the librarians didn't seem to care too much.
Anyway, yeah Apple will know if you open the case. The thing is, you already don't have AppleCare, and I'm assuming it's not under warranty anymore. If it's not under warranty, Apple won't care if it's been serviced by someone else. So, feel free to do that!
Now, as someone who's fixed some MacBooks before, I guarantee you this would be a really easy fix. You can buy a replacement part on eBay, and they usually come with the screwdriver needed. If not, you'll need a tiny Philips head screwdriver (also found on eBay or a friend who likes hardware). A quick search on USA eBay for "MacBook Air bottom case" show the part ranges from $5 USD to $25 USD. Certainly not a hefty price, and most likely much cheaper than what you would pay at a third party or Apple. Plus very little downtime! The benefits are endless!
The hardest (not hard, just hardest) part will be figuring out which one is the right one for your MacBook Air. Once you get that info and the part shipped to your door, you can follow this awesome guide to replace your bottom case: ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Air+13-In... One thing to note: make sure you pick the right guide for your MacBook Air. You could probably get away with picking the "incorrect" guide. The MacBook Air construction has not really changed year to year, the exception being with the latest Air.
If you are feeling really lazy like I probably would, you could probably unscrew the case and bend it back with some pliers. 🙃 BUT I definitely am a believer in fixing it yourself because it's super empowering and totally worth the experience!
Let me know if you want help figuring out the right case or screwdriver to get.
THANK YOU for the comprehensive response. I must have shitposted on five platforms today to be met with silence and lolzy likes haha. I didn't buy applecare because after two macbooks that surpassed their 2 year coverage, 1 cracked screen and 1 spillage and a logic board usb port replacement... I have found that they don't cover much due to my clumsiness and more often suggest I buy a new device. I'm definitely still within the period (the first year i think) of purchasing AppleCare so I was considering my options (running to the genius bar or going to a third party for a repair). After my first macbook I bought refurbed models ever since. Re: learning myself is def a fun part but I have always been hesitant when it comes to hardware. I did enjoy logging into my router to change the wifi login last night. I know it is probably doable since a long time ago an old roommate opened up his own imac to replace a cracked screen. Lol the lazy duct-tape coverage might cover it for the time being. Will do some research on that correct bottom piece :D I especially bought this Macbook Air because it's the last of its kind with more than 1 port (2 usb and a thunderbolt and a charging cable outlet)... oh how i wish it had an ethernet one too
Haha yes!!! I wish my MacBook Air had an ethernet port too. Too many times have I watched 1080p videos on WiFi and had to buffer ugh.
Refurbed models are definitely the way to go. MacBooks have been fairly repairable until the newest ones with those awful flat keyboards. And if you've ever used a screwdriver you can 100% do this repair. TBH I'm 100% confident that it's literally unscrewing the case with the screwdriver and replacing it. You got this, trust. You can DM me on Connect if you have questions about the right case. 👍👍👍👍
Yes! He has great repair advice. I sometimes think that if I didn't get into a bootcamp and never learned programming, I would probably be at his shop learning how to fix stuff.
I just want to second this. iFixIt and a solid screwdriver will get you into anything but the most recent Macbook lines.
iFixIt claims it's a "Medium" difficulty job, but the only hard part would be fighting with getting out that screw at the dent. Pentalobe screwdriver is worth buying to keep servicing macs yourself, too, since that era macbook had its own screw type. Good luck!
I've been a professional C, Perl, PHP and Python developer.
I'm an ex-sysadmin from the late 20th century.
These days I do more Javascript and CSS and whatnot, and promote UX and accessibility.
Yikes, glad to hear you're okay. I remember I dented a MacBook Air rental from my college library because I had my headphones plugged in and walked too far away from it... Thankfully the librarians didn't seem to care too much.
Anyway, yeah Apple will know if you open the case. The thing is, you already don't have AppleCare, and I'm assuming it's not under warranty anymore. If it's not under warranty, Apple won't care if it's been serviced by someone else. So, feel free to do that!
Now, as someone who's fixed some MacBooks before, I guarantee you this would be a really easy fix. You can buy a replacement part on eBay, and they usually come with the screwdriver needed. If not, you'll need a tiny Philips head screwdriver (also found on eBay or a friend who likes hardware). A quick search on USA eBay for "MacBook Air bottom case" show the part ranges from $5 USD to $25 USD. Certainly not a hefty price, and most likely much cheaper than what you would pay at a third party or Apple. Plus very little downtime! The benefits are endless!
The hardest (not hard, just hardest) part will be figuring out which one is the right one for your MacBook Air. Once you get that info and the part shipped to your door, you can follow this awesome guide to replace your bottom case: ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Air+13-In... One thing to note: make sure you pick the right guide for your MacBook Air. You could probably get away with picking the "incorrect" guide. The MacBook Air construction has not really changed year to year, the exception being with the latest Air.
If you are feeling really lazy like I probably would, you could probably unscrew the case and bend it back with some pliers. 🙃 BUT I definitely am a believer in fixing it yourself because it's super empowering and totally worth the experience!
Let me know if you want help figuring out the right case or screwdriver to get.
THANK YOU for the comprehensive response. I must have shitposted on five platforms today to be met with silence and lolzy likes haha. I didn't buy applecare because after two macbooks that surpassed their 2 year coverage, 1 cracked screen and 1 spillage and a logic board usb port replacement... I have found that they don't cover much due to my clumsiness and more often suggest I buy a new device. I'm definitely still within the period (the first year i think) of purchasing AppleCare so I was considering my options (running to the genius bar or going to a third party for a repair). After my first macbook I bought refurbed models ever since. Re: learning myself is def a fun part but I have always been hesitant when it comes to hardware. I did enjoy logging into my router to change the wifi login last night. I know it is probably doable since a long time ago an old roommate opened up his own imac to replace a cracked screen. Lol the lazy duct-tape coverage might cover it for the time being. Will do some research on that correct bottom piece :D I especially bought this Macbook Air because it's the last of its kind with more than 1 port (2 usb and a thunderbolt and a charging cable outlet)... oh how i wish it had an ethernet one too
Haha yes!!! I wish my MacBook Air had an ethernet port too. Too many times have I watched 1080p videos on WiFi and had to buffer ugh.
Refurbed models are definitely the way to go. MacBooks have been fairly repairable until the newest ones with those awful flat keyboards. And if you've ever used a screwdriver you can 100% do this repair. TBH I'm 100% confident that it's literally unscrewing the case with the screwdriver and replacing it. You got this, trust. You can DM me on Connect if you have questions about the right case. 👍👍👍👍
Andy, if you live in New York City you have to visit this dude's repair shop:
He seems to be awesome (and quite angry at Apple :D)
This is the shop's website: rossmanngroup.com/
Yes! He has great repair advice. I sometimes think that if I didn't get into a bootcamp and never learned programming, I would probably be at his shop learning how to fix stuff.
I just want to second this. iFixIt and a solid screwdriver will get you into anything but the most recent Macbook lines.
iFixIt claims it's a "Medium" difficulty job, but the only hard part would be fighting with getting out that screw at the dent. Pentalobe screwdriver is worth buying to keep servicing macs yourself, too, since that era macbook had its own screw type. Good luck!
Yeah, not sure why they said "Medium." 🤔
Maybe it's a lot of screws to not lose haha
That feel when you tear down your computer, put it back together, and have a dozen screws left over.
It's better. It's lighter, sleeker, faster... mainly about 3g of metal lighter.