Hello - My USB C Ports on my M1 Macbook Air seem to be failing. Just out of warranty in December - of course, I didn't get Applecare. They are intermittently supporting charging now but often are not. Tried multiple known good cables and chargers. At my desk right now where the port I THOUGHT was completely failed is working, but the top one closest to the monitor is not working at all now.

I tried some compressed air. Saw some ideas to try some isopropyl alcohol with a toothpick to try and clean. No obvious damage/water or anything of course. Spoke with a "supervisor" on Applecare and they said it was just too far out of warranty even to do an extension.

Never had any problems before two days ago. Any suggestions before I go through an out-of-warranty repair or replacement? Any idea cost-wise what I might be looking at? I am guessing they will be quite high...probably close enough to replacement cost to make it not worth it.

First things first, you need to be sure they are failing. Run Diagnostics to check the hardware.

Just ran it on your suggestion and no issues found.

Bad news. I think that will make it harder for a service technician to find a problem. So it could become expensive. It could also be something related to software. Are you fully updated?

chabig said:

Bad news. I think that will make it harder for a service technician to find a problem. So it could become expensive. It could also be something related to software. Are you fully updated?

Yeah.

Ok. Then my next step might be to boot to Recovery and reinstall the OS from scratch. Run the machine a few days to a week until you've a good chance to observe it. If the problem is gone, great. If not, the final software step would be a restore using Configurator 2. That will update the firmware, update recoveryOS to the latest version, and erase and install the latest version of macOS. You can be certain after this that it's not a software problem, so if your problem continues it has to be hardware.

Found this on ifixit. Looks within the realm of my capabilities - I remember replacing an iPhone 4s battery on my own back in the day and this looks comparable. $50 for the part and tools seems worth it to me before giving up. What do you think?

I have no idea if that will fix it or not, but that's a great step-by-step that doesn't look too difficult if you have some proper tools. Good luck, and sorry to hear this issue is even happening to your M1 Air. We all may be next.

AudiHeel said:

I have no idea if that will fix it or not, but that's a great step-by-step that doesn't look too difficult if you have some proper tools. Good luck, and sorry to hear this issue is even happening to your M1 Air. We all may be next.

Yeah - I bought exactly what iFixit linked from the directions...Came to $55 with shipping...worth a shot. Really ridiculous of course that we even have to do this.

I think you made a great choice. If it works you'll save a lot of money compared to what a certified tech service would charge.

Check that you dont have junk in the ports. I have to clean mine out on my Macbook with a needle every 6 months.

Just curious, before going to the lengths of repairing yourself, have you taken it into a store? Generally, I'd advise that calling AppleCare is the first route for sure - and it looks like you've already done that. 2 months removed from warranty doesn't seem all that far.

I've had issues with my Macs in the past where they've been out of warranty (one was 16 months outside warranty period), and Apple worked with me to make things right - on two separate occasions at no charge to me. Its definitely worth exploring all of the official routes, before you just assume they won't touch it because its out of the warranty period.

darinzook said:

Just curious, before going to the lengths of repairing yourself, have you taken it into a store? Generally, I'd advise that calling AppleCare is the first route for sure - and it looks like you've already done that. 2 months removed from warranty doesn't seem all that far.

I've had issues with my Macs in the past where they've been out of warranty (one was 16 months outside warranty period), and Apple worked with me to make things right - on two separate occasions at no charge to me. Its definitely worth exploring all of the official routes, before you just assume they won't touch it because its out of the warranty period.

Click to expand...

I’m about an hour away from the closest apple store. Could try but not convinced they will do anything. There is an authorized repair center in my town that apple recommended but they said it will be an out of warranty repair.

T'hain Esh Kelch said:

Check that you dont have junk in the ports. I have to clean mine out on my Macbook with a needle every 6 months.

I tried cleaning with some compressed air and some isopropyl alcohol (while injecting some gin and tonic for myself ) - no real change in how the ports behaved afterward. How do you clean with a needle? I’d certainly give it a try. I used a toothpick and got some definite dark gunk off the ports but nothing looked bad visually.

bag99001 said:

I tried cleaning with some compressed air and some isopropyl alcohol (while injecting some gin and tonic for myself ) - no real change in how the ports behaved afterward. How do you clean with a needle? I’d certainly give it a try. I used a toothpick and got some definite dark gunk off the ports but nothing looked bad visually.

I just take a very fine needle and go around the the connector, to see if something is stuck, or if there is a build up of dust. Do the same to my lightning ports.

bag99001 said:

How do you clean with a needle? I’d certainly give it a try. I used a toothpick and got some definite dark gunk off the ports but nothing looked bad visually.

I'd be wary using anything metallic (ie conductive) like an actual needle. Something stiff and wooden (like a toothpick) or plastic would be safer and should do just as well. You could also try some deoxit contact cleaner if you're getting dark gunk coming off the contacts.