Chosen Solution
My macbook has developed an issue where areas of the screen that are solid black are not displaying properly, it’s hard to describe as it’s a bit inconsistent, but for example bold black fonts are hollow and the black screen saver is a weird flickering mess. Only happens when the screen is open past about 20 degrees. Is this a known issue with a reasonable fix or do I just have to go to the apple store and beg for mercy? EDIT: Images added. Both are of the same screen only difference is changing the lid position.
For future reference. I don’t think the problem I had was with the horizontal sync but was a ribbon cable issue similar to the one described in this article https://www.ifixit.com/News/12903/flexga…. Not that it matters much because the solution is the same replace the whole screen. I decided to try my luck and took it to the Apple store. To my surprise the lady there immediately identified the issue as a display cable issue that was replaceable under warranty (in Australia at least) and for good measure they would replace the keyboard AND BATTERY. The only condition was that the moisture detectors inside hadn’t gone off. If they had it would have been an AU$1500 fix. So now here I am with a refurbished laptop, new screen, new keyboard and battery for absolutely nothing.
OK, I get it! Your horizontal scan is shifting. So as an example
The text smears as well as any vertical line. This is a sign of a bad T-CON connection either the ribbon cable is failing or the solder joint of the cable is. Here’s a breakdown of the connections
The pink cables are the video cables to the LCD panel which are soldered to theT-CON board. Sadly you’ll need to replace the display assembly MacBook Pro 15" Touch Bar 2017 Screen Replacement. Sadly, the part is hard to get used. Here’s one source for a new unit 15” MacBook Pro Display Assembly - Space Grey, Apple P/N 661-0803015” MacBook Pro Display Assembly - Silver, Apple P/N 661-08031
