I own an A1708 which needed a battery and keyboard replacement, which I got around to looking at a couple of weeks ago. Wondering if anyone has undertaken this and has any tips in fitting the new keyboard?
Keyboard Service Program for MacBook and MacBook Pro
https://www.apple.com/support/keyboard-s...
Eligible Models
To identify your computer's model and to see if it is eligible for this program, choose Apple () menu > About This Mac. Eligible models are listed below.
MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015)MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016)MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017)MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2017)"
"@reecee I have successfully removed the keyboard and installed in a new one. You need to get hold of a diagonal cutter that looks something like THIS
Use it to grip (not cut) the rivet, twist it a little, and then pull it out with a pivoting action. You need to keep the rivets to reuse them. Hopefully you kept the some that were already pulled out when you punched the keys out from their socket.
To install, clean the base with isopropyl alcohol just in case the keys get stuck to the frame after installing. Lay the new keyboard back and screw back the screws (remember their positions before unscrewing)
Then use the flat back of a screwdriver, or the tip of a big enough torx screwdriver to punch the old rivets back. It can be done be is tedious. The most of the rivets will go in, but some may be too deformed to use."
Rivets and screws are the key. You want to get an “ear” of a corner of the keyboard with some needle nose pliers (with teeth). Then you pull very hard until the rivets start popping out. Then you want to take a sharp edged paint scraper and go to each left behind rivet and pop them out 1 by 1 until it is done. This will be your screw holes. Be careful some screws are not milled long enough to fit in the rivet hole. So make sure you have more than enough screws. The area should be cleaned and deburred of any metal shavings before you install it. There are many screws to install. Do 10 and take a break or knock it out in an hour. I charge customers for this process at my shop.
The job of replacing the keyboard separately is a painful task that requires a lot of experience and sometimes physical strength. You need to remove the broken keyboard and separate the rivets. A new keypad is installed using self-tapping screws, the result is as solid as it was, but such work requires quite a bit of time (up to 4 hours). Try searching for tips on this subject on Tipsogram. Authorized centers really don't replace MacBook keyboards separately from parts of the case and many other parts (with the 2017 MacBook Pro, they replace the keyboard, trackpad, touch bar, battery, and microphones).
