MacBook Pro 16" m3 Max A2991 chronic screen failure

the.real.kellzo wrote:

The initial repair was done by a chain of shops in Portugal called iServices using the legitimate replacement part from Apple. There's no Apple stores here and they're a reputable repair and re-sale operation with many locations all over the country. This decision was in the interest of time- I needed the computer up and running for work within a short amount of time.

This is not a simple repair and I would wonder if the repair was done correctly with a second failure so quickly of the same type.

There are Apple Authorized Service Providers in Portugal. Did you use one? Find Locations - Apple (PT)

I have an appointment for another complete replacement of the display due to this issue.

I suspect the original repair was not correct.

But to return to this recent failure, I have to wonder... since the issue repeated itself, in the same manner, what exactly is failing, and why?

As I said, I suspect the original repair was not done correctly.

Well, if you used an AASP I think that is the best you could do to try to ensure success.

I do not believe it is a design flaw as the overwhelming majority of those laptops never experience this. I think you were unlucky, and I would speculate that the first repair was not completely correct, which in turn led to a rapid failure of the same type.

I would not rely on LLM/AI to try to better understand this. There is a lot of jumbled information that gets fused and melded together in AI for these sorts of questions, I have seen Macbook Airs and Macbook Pros mixed up in those AI responses, as well as some historical occurrences when there were recalls for things like this but in the fairly distant past. AI rapidly assimilates all these things that are in fact often not connected so the picture gets very blurred. Also, AI collects scores of material that are online, but for you, what really matters is ONLY what is actually going on with your specific laptop.

I would instead rely on certain participants in Apple Discussions, such as one known as HWTech who seems to have many years experience actually working hands on with these types of repairs. He probably will see this and I hope he will comment.

Hi there Steve626 and thanks for sticking with this thread!

The iServices location used to perform the initial display / screen replacement is indeed an Apple Authorized Service Provider.

Your right, this display replacement is on the more difficult end of the Macbook Pro repair spectrum. There's a lot to watch out for.... and your 100% correct in that the initial screen replacement was problematic as it resulted in that weird behavior related to the "Lid Angle Sensor" as well as the even more strange issue of "Booting the OS" when the screen was opened from a hard shutdown.

The technician was not able to fix the problem with the Lid Angle Sensor and that is why I have a new replacement waiting to go... This problem with the Lid Angle Sensor on the replacement is concerning, but what I'm most curious about is the failure of the two screens occurring in the exact same manner.

LLM / AI search results point to a few specific causes but I'm curious to know more—in-depth and from people—about this issue as LLM / AI results can be spotty at best and often times to refer to completely fictitious references.

Many thanks!

the.real.kellzo wrote:

First replacement resulted in faulty open to wake / close to sleep sensor and would oddly boot the OS from a complete shutdown if the screen was opened.

Sounds like the repair tech did not replace the Lid Angle Sensor & properly calibrate it. This is required for any Macs with a Lid Angle Sensor (most Apple Silicon Macs). If the repair tech made a mistake calibrating the new Lid Angle Sensor, then a new one would be required along with proper calibration.

the.real.kellzo wrote:

MacBook Pro 16" m3 Max a2991 chronic screen failure

2 screens in 2 months died within 5 minutes after developing some shaky green lines. No rough handling, no falls or impacts, nothing outside of normal use.

Any serious thoughts on the matter, especially from Apple service technicians, are most welcome. Please share similar stories with the EXACT model of your laptop... mine is a2991

thanks

Thanks for posting in the user to user communities..."Apple service technicians" do not participate here.

you can submit your fedback

Feedback - Apple.com Website - Apple

Hi there, thanks for the question!

The initial repair was done by a chain of shops in Portugal called iServices using the legitimate replacement part from Apple. There's no Apple stores here and they're a reputable repair and re-sale operation with many locations all over the country. This decision was in the interest of time- I needed the computer up and running for work within a short amount of time.

To be clear, I haven't replaced the display twice, not yet. What's happened is that the replacement screen just failed in an astonishingly similar way to the original, and in only one month's time... so before proceeding I'm trying to gather as much information as I can.

In relation to what information I've gotten so far: when the issue first happened one month ago I watched a fairly detailed video of an a2992 (close as I could find) screen replacement on YouTube where it's mentioned that some of the cabling and sensors require very specific attention... obviously... So, when the initial replacement was concluded, the issue with the "close to sleep, open to wake" sensor was immediately revealed and I have an appointment for another complete replacement of the display due to this issue.

But to return to this recent failure, I have to wonder... since the issue repeated itself, in the same manner, what exactly is failing, and why?

Sorry, very long reply to a short question... thanks!

Thanks there, Steve626.

It is because of the the exact reasons you've mentioned that I'm not a big fan of relying on LLM/ AI, especially for broader, initial investigations such as this. Searching though discussions on forums such as this is for sure a more valuable use of time.

Many thanks for your time and for your thoughtful queries and responses!!!

the.real.kellzo wrote:

Thanks there, Steve626.

It is because of the the exact reasons you've mentioned that I'm not a big fan of relying on LLM/ AI, especially for broader, initial investigations such as this. Searching though discussions on forums such as this is for sure a more valuable use of time.

Many thanks for your time and for your thoughtful queries and responses!!!

Understood. And I hope my comments did not come across as sounding harsh. Under the circumstances, I think you are doing the best you can, and were I in your shoes I would have also gone right to that AASP. I would have obtained AppleCare+ probably given how much Macs cost now. (We just got an M5 Macbook Air and got the AppleCare+.)

Across various family members, we have a 2010 Macbook Air, 2013 Macbook Air, two 2019 Macbook Pros, 2021 iMac, 2025 MacBook Pro M4 Max, and a 2026 M5 Macbook Air. The 2010 and 2013 ones are largely "museum pieces," but they are running well so I can't bring myself to do away with them! All the others are running well, in use, and never needed repairs. So if you get down to it, I think AppleCare is more profitable to Apple than to the users. But we get it anyway!

I think Americans like me sometimes take for granted things that aren't always available in other countries. For instance, there are half a dozen Apple Stores within 45 minutes driving time from my house, and one is so close I can walk or ride my bike to it. We also have an excellent AASP in the neighborhood where one can talk directly with the technicians right there in their lab. And there are at least several more AASPs nearby as well.

So you are doing exactly what I would be doing, you just have had some bad luck with the screen and what might have been a difficult repair that has to be redone now. Maybe it will come out sometime that there was a design flaw, but I doubt it because we had several thousand of those M3 Macbook Pros in use at my employer's main lab and did not see problems like you have encountered. (Those M3s have since been replaced with M4s and M5s, the employer mandates a "replenishment" every 3 years.) I do wish you the best and hope the next repair works better than the first.

Thank you for replying, for your time in pointing out the forum guidelines and for the direction to submit feedback to Apple regarding this issue.

Casting a wide net here...

Who did the work on your Mac, replacing the screen twice?