Mac liquid damage — can it be saved? Pricing and data recovery
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Quick answer
Spilled something on your Mac? Shut it down immediately (10 seconds on the power button), unplug the charger, open the lid wide and rest the Mac upside-down on a towel. Call us the same day. Time is critical — corrosion sets in over hours.
Alle spørgsmål
What happens if you spill water on a Mac?
The Mac potentially shorts out. Even if it keeps working, corrosion sets in on the logic board over the next hours and days, and may end up killing components months later. Shut it down immediately and have it opened and cleaned with us within 24-48 hours.
Can a Mac survive liquid damage?
Yes, if it's treated within 24-48 hours. We use an ultrasonic bath in isopropyl alcohol to remove liquid and corrosion from the logic board. Success rates are high for water and coffee (>80%), lower for sugary drinks (60-70%) and dramatically lower for salt water (<40%).
How quickly do you have to shut the Mac down?
IMMEDIATELY. Hold the power button for 10 seconds to force a shutdown. Do NOT wait for a normal shutdown. Unplug the charger. Power + liquid + electronics = a short that kills components. Every second counts.
What does liquid damage repair cost?
Between DKK 1,500 and 6,000 depending on extent — DKK 1,500-2,500 for ultrasonic cleaning + diagnosis, +DKK 1,000-2,500 for micro-soldering individual corroded components, DKK 4,000-6,000 for complete logic board repair on extensive corrosion. Keyboard faults after a spill can often be fixed at the individual key level (from DKK 50/key) instead of a full top case (DKK 3,500-4,500). See current pricing for your situation at macmo.dk/reparation. Diagnosis is free, we give a fixed quote before we start, and 2 years' warranty on our work.
Can you recover data after liquid damage?
Yes, in most cases. On Intel Macs before T2 (2012-2017) we can typically move the SSD to another Mac or clone data out of the failing drive with specialist tools. On Intel Macs with T2 (2018+) and Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4), the SSD is encrypted by the Secure Enclave — we ultrasonically clean the logic board and repair corroded components so the T2/M-processor can again access and decrypt the SSD (DKK 4,000-8,000). A backup is still the cheapest insurance.