Chosen Solution

I have a mid 2012 unibody macbook pro, 13". Model A 1278, model identifier MacBookPro9,2 2.5Ghz Intel core i5. And it says Mid 2012 when I display system info. So I am as sure of the model as I can be, but of course, if someone has a doubt or something I should check to be sure, fire away and ask. I need to replace the bluetooth board because of low signal. I checked the repair guides and the parts I needed to order were listed on this page: MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2012 AirPort/Bluetooth Board Replacement The guide clearly shows a two part bluetooth board. A bracket and the electronics on a separate, smaller board. I ordered both and received them a couple of days ago. Today I decided it was time to do the repair and I proceeded according to instructions. All went well until near the end when I was surprised to see that my macbook has a single piece bluetooth board. I.e. the bracket and the electronics are in one assembly. no screws to take it apart. just one assembly. I would have tried replacing the single piece board with the bracket and electronics pieces that I received, but I would have needed 3 screws which I don’t have. And they are tiny things that are hard to find at your local hardware store. One more piece of relevant info. My computer was refurbished by Apple. So it’s possible they “upgraded” the bluetooth board when the refurbished, which may explain the discrepancy between the guide and what is actually in my macbook. Anyway, some questions:

  1. can I use the bracket and electronics I received from ifixit and if so, where can I order the 3 screws I would need?
  2. If I can’t use them, can anyone tell me which parts I should be using? (and which guide i.e. what model macbook pro would lead me to the right instructions)
  3. The instructions have you pull off the tape over the bluetooth connector, but no replacement tape comes with the parts. I managed to get the tape back on when I reassembled the macbook (using the original parts), but I don’t think it will survive another removal. What type of tape do I need to get to replace the tape I’m taking off? I think that’s about it, if you need more info, ask away, I’ll try to answer to the best of my ability. many thanks.

Hi there! Thanks for reaching out to iFixit customer service as well. We’ve contacted you via email to try to sort this out. Regarding the tape, you can see on this step of the guide that it is EMI tape. We don’t have that for sale on our website, but I can absolutely check our stock of brackets to see if they are supposed to come with it, in case for some reason the one you ordered was missing the tape but should have had it. Again, we’ll speak more via email and exchange some pictures and get this squared away. Thanks for your patience!

You can order this from Ifixit .com MacBook Pro Unibody (Early 2011 through Mid 2012) Airport/Bluetooth Board Product code: IF161-083-1 Identify your Mac APN: 661-5867 Broadcom: BCM94331PCIEBT4AX $39.95 Bluetooth 2.1 Bluetooth 2.1 Bluetooth 4.0 1 1 2 Add to Cart Only 2 left Product Details FEATURES Got a faulty bluetooth board? Fix it with a new one! COMPATIBILITY All Early 2011 13" Unibody MacBook Pros All Early 2011 15" Unibody MacBook Pros All Early 2011 17" Unibody MacBook Pros All Late 2011 13" Unibody MacBook Pros All Late 2011 15" Unibody MacBook Pros All Mid 2012 13" Unibody MacBook Pros All Mid 2012 15" Unibody MacBook Pros SPECIFICATIONS Airport: 802.11n Apple Part #: 661-5867, 661-6510 WARRANTY Lifetime Warranty - This iFixit product is guaranteed to function as long as you have it. Compatibility MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Early 2011 2.3 GHz (Early 2011) 2.7 GHz (Early 2011)