User profile for user: ejbpesca
ejbpesca Author
User level: Level 1
72 points

MacBook Air repaired then keyboard quits but revived. Should I trust it?

Wine was spilled on my MacBook Air M2. It quit. I had it repaired and cleaned which made it operate as new. After six hours of use, I shut it down. The next day on start up the touchpad would function but the keys would not so I could not even enter my passcode at startup.


I found online that if I press Shift + Control + Option + Power Button for 10 seconds this would do an SMC reset. The first try only rebooted the MacBook back with the keys still not working. Perhaps I held the keys too long. On the second try, I was able to restart the MacBook Air and now the keyboard functions again on the M2.


I have 14 days to return an M4 MacBook Air I bought thinking the M2 was done. I did not want to spend hundreds of dollars more for another repair to the M2 so I bought an M4 today, got it home set it up then found online about the Shift + Control + Option + Power Button action which has the keyboard working again.


My question is: Is it normal that after a repair that included some capacitor replacements and a thorough cleaning of the motherboard and keyboard to suddenly need an SMC reset by the key presses as described above? Is needing an SMC reset by those key presses a sign that the M2 is going to have continual issues? I am trying to understand why after the repair to the M2 it worked fine for five hours, was shut down, and then on startup, the keyboard failed. I have a few days to decide whether to keep the M4 or return it to a local Best Buy store.


Any thoughts on my predicament or what you would do in this situation?

MacBook Air

Posted on Jun 7, 2025 7:52 PM

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User profile for user: HWTech
HWTech
User level: Level 9
65,456 points

Jun 7, 2025 9:12 PM in response to ejbpesca

ejbpesca wrote:

Wine was spilled on my MacBook Air M2.

I found online that if I press Shift + Control + Option + Power Button for 10 seconds this would do an SMC reset.

FYI, there is no SMC Reset for the M-series Macs. The SMC Reset was only for the older Intel Macs. See this Apple article for details regarding SMC Resets (Apple considers holding the power button on an M-series Mac an SMC Reset...I don't really consider it one though):

Reset the SMC of your Mac - Apple Support


On an M-series Mac, those keys when pressed a certain way will put the M-series Mac into DFU Mode. When a Mac is in DFU Mode you will have no indication since it appears "dead" unless you have it connected to another Mac currently running macOS 15.x Sequoia where it may indicate the status of that "broken" Mac.


I have 14 days to return an M4 MacBook Air I bought thinking the M2 was done. I did not want to spend hundreds of dollars more for another repair to the M2 so I bought an M4 today, got it home set it up then found online about the Shift + Control + Option + Power Button action which has the keyboard working again.

There is no way to know what may be damaged on that M2 laptop. Sometimes you may not know until weeks later. Some of the more recent M-series Macs do have Logic Board under wraps which may prevent some liquid spills from getting to the critical electronics on the Logic Board, but it does vary between various models. That "wrap" is not a full seal and there is no easy way to see beneath it without damaging it.


My question is: Is it normal that after a repair that included some capacitor replacements and a thorough cleaning of the motherboard and keyboard to suddenly need an SMC reset by the key presses as described above?

Only an unauthorized repair tech unaffiliated with Apple would perform a board level repair involving replacing surface mount components such as capacitors on the Logic Board. Apple and Apple Authorized Service Providers do not do this type of board repair......they only replace the entire Logic Board.


I have no idea why those keys fixed anything since there is no SMC Reset for the M-series Macs. At best they would have placed the M-series Mac into DFU Mode. Nothing happens in DFU Mode unless you are connecting it to another Mac to Revive or Restore it.


Any thoughts on my predicament or what you would do in this situation?

How critical is it for you to have a known good computer? If you cannot be without the computer, then a new computer or having the old one repaired are the two best options. Accidental damage repairs by Apple or an AASP are extremely expensive....many times a new laptop is about the same price.


If you can be without a computer when the liquid damage one acts up & has a fit, then go ahead and use the liquid damaged laptop knowing you may be without a computer until you repair it or replace it.



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User profile for user: ejbpesca
ejbpesca Author
User level: Level 1
72 points

Jun 8, 2025 8:26 AM in response to HWTech

Thank you for the reply. The mystery remains as to why pressing DFU mode keys on a dead keyboard without a connected Mac revived the keyboard. I had tried the Power Button start without success but Shift + Control + Option + Power revived the keyboard. I think I had to press them with power on for it to work. Can you imagine what may have happened to revive the keyboard?


Is there a key press I can do to check the full system functionality of this repaired M2? That fact I'm typing on it right now says something but I'm not sure to trust it. I guess I could use it as a backup to my iPad and new M4.

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User profile for user: Allan Jones
Allan Jones
User level: Level 9
75,428 points

Jun 8, 2025 9:07 AM in response to ejbpesca

I would keep the M4.


As HWTech points out, spillage damage tends to be progressive, especially with acidic liquids. Even after professional attention, there are little spaces that even a pro cannot reach. Chances are very high that it will fail sooner than later.


I consider a wine spill an end-of-life event for a computer.



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User profile for user: KiltedTim
KiltedTim
User level: Level 10
216,630 points

Jun 8, 2025 9:33 AM in response to ejbpesca

ejbpesca wrote:

My question is: Is it normal that after a repair that included some capacitor replacements and a thorough cleaning of the motherboard and keyboard to suddenly need an SMC reset by the key presses as described above? Is needing an SMC reset by those key presses a sign that the M2 is going to have continual issues? I am trying to understand why after the repair to the M2 it worked fine for five hours, was shut down, and then on startup, the keyboard failed. I have a few days to decide whether to keep the M4 or return it to a local Best Buy store.

Any thoughts on my predicament or what you would do in this situation?

Apple will not do component level repairs, such as capacitor replacements, so I assume you had it "repaired" by a 3rd party repair shop that is not Apple authorized.


At this point, I'd say it's not worth pursuing. Recycle it. You could take it to Apple and see what they say. Best case scenario there is they will tell you the logic board, keyboard and trackpad, and probably the battery need to be replaced, which is going to cost you more than a new MBA would.


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User profile for user: ejbpesca
ejbpesca Author
User level: Level 1
72 points

Jun 8, 2025 9:54 AM in response to Allan Jones

Thank you for your reply. I have the M4 packed up and ready for return after buying it yesterday. I am a long-time customer of Best Buy but not sure if the 15 day return policy includes a refund for a working MacBook. M2 is working so well that it does not make sense to me to have two MacBooks. I have an old Dell for emergency use so I can get by if the M2 fails again until I can get another. Maybe it will work until the M5 comes out.


I owned the 1st Mac ever with a built-in floppy drive (I'm old) then went to PC laptops due to prices. 3 years back when Apple prices went down I got this little M2 Mac Air 13" and it has been the very best computer out of a hundred I've used of many kinds over the decades. It is great to be back in Mac after a 35 year absence using MicroSoft OS laptops which were horrendously bad products.


I understand Geek Squad would have replaced circuit boards and keyboards in my M2 if they had repaired it and that would probably have been over $500 which after estimate, I would have gotten an M4 not a repair. Maybe this fixed one will last until the M5 arrives now the keyboard is functioning again. If it were a $300 laptop I would have not even considered a repair, but it is such a great machine I hated to think it ended up in a landfill and the local fix it guy got it going for $300. How he knew to replace capacitors I don't know. I guess he just tested them with a multi-meter and did some soldering. The old shop he has is an antique. M2 now bears the scars of him prying the case open but that's okay. It's working.


I will go for the refund and if the repaired M2 goes out again...that's it, go buy a new one. I do understand that bits of acidic wine could still be in the works even though the machine was well-cleaned with isopropyl alcohol. I even think it was maybe 5 hours of use that got it heated up enough to cause a short to the keyboard then somehow, some way, pushing all those keys got the keyboard revived. I guess that will remain a mystery since I did no DFU, just pushed the keys. Yes, I thought the end of life too after the spill but here it is working as it did on day one.



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User profile for user: HWTech
HWTech
User level: Level 9
65,456 points

Jun 8, 2025 10:23 AM in response to ejbpesca

ejbpesca wrote:

Is there a key press I can do to check the full system functionality of this repaired M2? That fact I'm typing on it right now says something but I'm not sure to trust it. I guess I could use it as a backup to my iPad and new M4.

The best you have is running the Apple Diagnostics, but the diagnostics rarely detect hardware issues.


You will learn more from just using the laptop.


Good luck.

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User profile for user: ejbpesca
ejbpesca Author
User level: Level 1
72 points

Jun 8, 2025 9:57 AM in response to KiltedTim

Yes it was an unauthorized single proprietor little old shoppe that repaired it. I was amazed he could do it. $300. It continues to work, Command D diagnostics says it is okay so I'll return the M4 if I can get a refund from Best Buy and see how it goes. Maybe it will last until the M5 arrives.

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User profile for user: ejbpesca
ejbpesca Author
User level: Level 1
72 points

Jun 9, 2025 3:22 PM in response to ejbpesca

Update on the MacBook doused in wine.


A $300 unauthorized Apple repair got my M2 working again after having a full glass of wine poured into the keyboard.

Two capacitors were replaced and thorough washing of circuity with isopropyl alcohol was the repair.

The next day the keyboard failed.

I bought an M4 to replace the damaged M2. While setting up the M4 I searched AI with "keyboard suddenly quits on MacBook M2." AI suggested doing a multiple-key press to restore the keyboard.

For whatever reason, pressing Shift/Control/Option/Power Button restored the M2's keyboard.

I returned the M4 for a gracious refund from Best Buy.

The keyboard failed again the next day.

The same key press combination restored the keyboard once again.


I will keep using the repaired M2 unless the keyboard keeps needing the Shift/Control/Option/Power Button trick over and over or some other problems arise. If problems do I will buy an M4 with no return this time. It would be silly to repair the M2 any further at a cost near a new machine.


I would like to know why the multiple key presses restore the keyboard but perhaps that is an unsolvable mystery. They are for DFU mode which I did not use.


Notes:

I liked the M4's touchpad that gives a click feel when pressed otherwise my brief experience with it seemed very close to an M2.


My Time Machine MacBook backup flash drive did a full setup to the new M4. That was nice to see in action.


I discovered I could erase the nearly full Time Machine USB flash drive, free up a great deal of space on it, and then do a full backup to it of my M2 with plenty of data space available for future backups


The regional Apple Rep was at Best Buy when I returned the M4. He was interested in the story of the wine-doused M2 and the unauthorized repair. The repair experience was like going back in time to an old-school fix-it shop for TVs and radios. Maybe I will luck out and the repaired M2 will function for years...maybe not. Either way, it's okay. I sure would like to know why those key presses get the keyboard going again. I know they are for entering DFU mode but that was not done nor was the intention. I was using the old Intel SMC reset instructions not knowing M2 no longer has SMC. I've done it twice so I don't think it is a coincidence.


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MacBook Air repaired then keyboard quits but revived. Should I trust it?

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