Can I REPAIR £499 Apple AirPods Max - Condensation Death???

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In this Tea Break Fix I attempt to repair some Apple AirPods Max which are behaving very strangely, connecting, then not connecting. Pausing, then not restarting etc. I purchased them faulty from eBay for £118 and they currently retail for £499 brand new. Do they have Condensation Death? Let's find out.
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Remember that this is just for entertainment and I am not an expert in these repairs. The processes in the video may not be the best way, the correct way or the safest way to fix these things. I do love fault finding and trying to fix broken things, so I hope that comes across in this 'Trying to FIX' series. Many thanks, Vince.

[@SiAnon]

"I'm going to use a cocktail stick". Brings out a fence post.

[@Mymatevince]

Hahahaha😂

[@rajendrabiswas]

@@Mymatevincecan you advice how can I clean that hole either golden pin safely ? Do I need to put ipa down there

[@kamil4151]

You just spared me my pair! I had these headphones since 2020 and had these exact issues. It went so far that I got them replaced in early 2022 while still in warranty, and few months ago the new pair started to do the same. I spent a lot of time on the support line with apple, doing the usual things - unpairing, pairing, restarting, reseting... I gave up on them and only used them with cable when flying, wanted to sell them for parts... Until I saw this video, wiped connectors quick with the alcohol based monitor cleaner and bam, works like new!

[@rajendrabiswas]

Do you have to Clean the pins in the left and right to ?

[@FamilySorensen-nc2pu]

This was exactly what I needed. Thank you so much for posting this. I was using my APM everyday until they stopped connecting a few months ago. It turns out the connectors were dirty and a quick clean fixed them. Thank you, the video is well made and worked perfectly for my brain.

[@ellisgarbutt1925]

The video is well made unlime those headphones

[@noms1024]

You’re heaven sent I been dealing with this issue since last year and Im about to throw them, but I did clean the connectors like what you din and they are now working again ❤

[@wisher21uk]

Brilliant fix and well researched, saved you taking them all apart, Vince is a master fixer well done mate 😊

[@astral276]

Recent subscriber, so have been watching some of your back catalogue. Interesting to see how you have developed from not being able to recognise a diode on a circuit board (bathroom fan fix) to where you are now.

[@EthanBucknell]

Been binging your videos recently! Some great content 😊

[@Frustratedfool]

Watched your ‘zepplin’ repair and bought a broken one to repair. Looks like this is on my list now too. I repair all sorts of devices, just don’t have the drive to film like you do. Keep up the good work.

[@BuyitFixit]

Check the LED first! I know it sounds daft but I also repaired a dead one and it was the LED that had failed!

[@theatheobhv]

Thank you for this fixing video. I bought the AirPods Max approximately 2 years ago on a sale (still expensive) and really enjoying them. I sometimes use them at night, especially when the neighbours are a bit noisy. I was in doubts wether some sweat in warm night might be bad for the phones, till today I had no problems using them with 4 different iTems (sic!) now that I’ve seen your repair I know I can fix it in case of a condensation problem. Thank you very much indeed.

[@Omega_Mark]

You know how to take them apart now. It might be wise to do some preventative maintenance better sooner than later.

[@theatheobhv]

@@Omega_MarkThat is my plan. Today seems to be perfect for that 😊

[@e2622]

I love how excited you are to find broken things.

[@donfurioso3566]

Excellent. I repaired mine the same way. They work again🎉. Thx a lot. I used a fiberglass pen und sealed the contacts with a high quality contact spray. Again very thankful for your video 😊

[@mathewfranco3211]

Mat from California here. So you like low rider and use to skateboard. Love it! Thanks for the videos 😎

[@intelcorei7gaming]

Keep up the good content!

[@JonasNordin-yt6dp]

My Airpods were really glitchy and constantly lost connection but thanks to you they now works perfectly. Great thanks!

[@najtrows]

Haha, I have watche so many vids of yours and now I find out your a skateboarder! love to hear it :D I just started again at 35 and it's so much fun. Great vid as always

[@GadgetUK164]

Wow, 10/10 to Apple for what I consider a great way to connect up the ear pieces - but when that replacement piece is $400, WTF lol. I wish all headphones were designed that way though!. Another amazing fix Vince!!! Don't forget de-oxit! IPA is good for general cleaning but won't do much for corrosion and corrosion protection. I wonder if some dielectric grease might be an idea in those connectors - hard to know if that would make connections worse or better long term.

[@animalhouse8849]

That replacement piece makes it a 1/10

[@dumbkoffcrow974]

Considering the problem is due to moisture. Maybe I should get the Deoxit that comes in a tube and is rated for "marine parts".

[@erickvond6825]

I'm right there with you mate. I think they might be worth fifty quid at most.

[@RileyFitz-fw9tx]

Great video as normal Vince looking forward to the next rolls Royce vid keep it up

[@Techlifeandmore]

I love how you are happy that there is corrosion. Most of the time, you would be depressed about the presence of corrosion.

[@clarrie-kayketchell5994]

Hi Vince. If it may come in handy with something small to clean the insides with IPA try using a pipe cleaner. Good video 👍🏽 Keep 'em coming mate.

[@RK-kn1ud]

$549 device failed for an issue that could have been mitigated with $0.000001 worth of dielectric grease. Think Different!

[@lasalm1]

Thank you so much, this actually fixed the problem on my AirPods Max

[@tinbadger8097]

Thank you dude. This fix worked for me.

[@rf159a]

You should get some pith wood or peg wood. Watchmakers use this to clean watches. You can sharpen it down to very small pieces or shapes to get into tight areas.

[@s.janssen924]

Also, a simple pencil eraser has enough abrasive to remove simple crud. I used it all the time on older PCBs in my first job.

[@kuchenblechmafiagmbh1381]

Plastic Toothpicks are also good, I use the toothpick of my swiss army knife to remove the dust and fuzz from USB-C ports.

[@BuyitFixit]

Great Job Vince👍 I think I would have just blindly went in and started wondering why the screws weren't undoing. Good job you checked it out first like you said. Those connectors are a great idea. It's a shame after going to all that trouble, they didn't fit something such as a simple o-ring to seal them to stop moisture / condensation getting into them. Great job as always !!

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks Mick, iFixit have some great close up photos of the hinge/latch mechanism in these, definitely worth checking them out, reminds me of some of the over engineering that went into the Rolls-Royce. Like the car it might be prone to failure, but it sure looks nice!!!

[@miff227]

they engineered out the O-ring to make future purchases more numerous.

[@null140]

that was the first thing i thought when i saw those well-engineered round grooves around the post of the connector prongs. with the r&d that goes into every apple product, i would be absolutely amazed that they didn't decide to eliminate the second outer o-ring groove put forward in a design submission from some bright-eyed, naive engineer. may his dreams and hairline recede slowly.

[@null140]

i mean for goodness' sake jenkins, how are we expected to shift these £400 headbands which make a £499 replacement face value more logical if we don't let them rot on people's heads?

[@markianclark9645]

@@Mymatevince...it's a ridiculous design...but then that's why you pay an absurd price to one of the largest companies on Earth...a cheap reliable headset won't satisfy the Apple supporters...fine...i'll settle for my 20 quid plasticky low end budget zero noise cancel crap...K896 or something red and white and look like like ex Toys R Us stock...they pair to my old iPhone...music is adequate...i mostly listen to Audio books anyway...i'm almost glad i'm poor sometimes

[@richardnolloth]

No ads on KZbin Premium accounts....only your PCB Way segway 😊 Good fix....Will keep watching eBay for the same problem.

[@kanielp1646]

It works perfectly. Thank you for sharing it

[@rondickson1491]

Another great video. Best wishes from the USA

[@MarcoDotIO]

I’ve had to trade in my pair of AirPod Max headphones three times due to this. Really great pair of headphones overall, but don’t do well with use over the years. Hope to see a redesigned version of these with the second generation that are less prone to condensation build up.

[@demomandan8087]

BE AWARE.. wearing this for more then an hour they will accumulate moisture. It happened to mine . I sent them in for warranty. They told me I had to pay $300 to get them fix . Checking google there is a lawsuit against Apple about this problem .. I mentioned this and got them fixed under warranty.. the internally board gets corroded . Most of Apple’s devices have a coating on the board they say that does not allow moisture to short it out , but not on these headphones…be aware….

[@dazatherton5737]

Omfg Thank you so much !! I just managed to fix my AirPods Max after watching this, You sir are an absolute legend 😀😀

[@marcellipovsky8222]

Hi Vince, you have a good day now sir, you really deserve it!. Your fix went much better than my attempts today.

[@Mymatevince]

Nice one Marcel, I was extremely lucky with these. I'll be honest, I was on a bit of a high after fixing these especially after all that work on the failed PS5. Hopefully next week will work out better for you. The failures make the successes all the better!

[@marcellipovsky8222]

@@Mymatevincewell not sure if I'll win this fight in no time. ASUS TUF B550 board with a SAMSUNG 980 Pro that shows up in BIOS, but it is impossible to select it as a boot device. Other NVMe drives work fine. I am about the 4-5th IT looking at the system.

[@Mymatevince]

@@marcellipovsky8222 Sounds like a challenge!!

[@marcellipovsky8222]

@@Mymatevince I haven't seen this kind of a problem in my 25+ years in IT, so it is a challenge. I have to wait for the replacement parts.

[@christophervanzetta]

@@marcellipovsky8222MBR corruption

[@allen5976]

Tooth flossing interdental brushes would be ideal to clean those contacts Vince, keep up the good work 🤞

[@RK-kn1ud]

I use these and toothpicks to clean USB connections. Definitely works well if you know what you are doing.

[@danparden8103]

I use Deoxit spray on electronic connections, it works amazing

[@TH3mrBROWN]

Thank you!!! I think this may have solved the same issues I was having. The contacts on mine were visibly very clean except for one small smudge. I really hope this fixed the issue for me, I guess we'll see in a day or two! Apple wanted $300 to send them in for repair...

[@ThePTurtle115]

Did it work?

[@mrsseasea]

I have had this pair for almost 2 years, returned 4x’x to Apple, with every return; water damage. But I do not wear them in the water or even close to it. This last return was rapid they also asked if I would “work with them”. Okay, I have extensively watched with a magnifying glass. So the left side will develop condensation faster than the right. If it’s warmer in the house I will take them off about every 20 min and use a hair dryer to dry them. I have a love/hate relationship with them. Good luck 🍀

[@samsagaz77]

For those hard reach conectors, you can use a interdental thootbrush. Is efectiver than a stick, I think.

[@kforkrish]

1st time seeing these repair

[@gilly51449]

I'm glad you've said that about adverts they drive me insane lately really getting out of hand , still enjoy your film's though 👍

[@steliosemmanouilidis5050]

I used to watch your videos many years ago, when you were still a newbie, now you have become extremely good at this, I really recommend opening a shop or something with tech repair

[@quantumleap359]

Good job Vince! Also a shout out to Apple A simple o-ring seal at the connector would have prevented muck from finding its way in there in the first place!!!!

[@Omega_Mark]

He could use a thin coat of silicone grease or similar applied on the male connector near the top where the headband meets the earcups.

[@perkulant4629]

@@Omega_Markyeah silicone grease is awesome stuff.

[@SaffronDallimore]

Awesome fix!

[@shaundarklord]

Thank you! This fixed mine too!

[@leedchristensen]

I have a battery powered air pump for an inflatable mattress that has gone bad, not sure if it's the BMS or the cells that are bad. Is that something you would want to troubleshoot?

[@avent468212]

Repair done thanks.

[@Keksdose2k]

Thank you so much for this video. I love fixing stuff, just like you do - but I did not know about this. So, of course I got myself a pair of these asap, with exactly the same issue. But the contacts on mine were not corroded the slightest bit. Bummer. Unplugged and plugged in the headband 3 times, switched left and right - and they’re perfect now 😅 And from one tinkerer to another: have a look at BeoPlay A1 (1st Gen) 🤫

[@maurin1899]

8:08 is why im here for, nicely coroded stuff

[@Growler57]

Nice vid vince

[@rfr653]

Good job mate 👍

[@bertlzansinger]

I await a My mate Vince Christmas raffle of PCB starter kits... 🤓

[@in_sympathy]

Thanks for a great video! There is a sim eject tool in a Pro Tech Toolkit you seem to be using - might be much more comfortable than using a tool from iPhone box ;)

[@TheDefpom]

I think those are designed to have an O-ring on the headband ends and they are not installed, which means grime works its way in.... probably why Apple didn't install the O ring... shorter life = more sales.

[@justjack3075]

apple offers no repair so yea

[@Christopher_T_Paul]

What a bad design flaw, that area would be really open to water ingress and clearly they haven't done enough to protect it. Then again Apple really doesn't like to hamper their design vision and perhaps some sort of wiper seal would ruin their vision.

[@grahammartin8568]

How overcomplex, why not a 4 way 3.5mm plug, cheap, wiping contacts, well proven.......

[@nightstah]

Planned failure/obsolescence. They want you to buy another pair @ $500 or pounds.

[@RK-kn1ud]

Think Different! Think $$$$$$$$

[@ralphj4012]

Indeed, and something else looked odd. The drivers seemed to rotate slightly around the headband implying the contacts in the headband or drivers rotate. Add moisture / water for the desired effect.

[@Christopher_T_Paul]

@@nightstah Apple in my opinion is style over substance. They have a lot of customers who want a good looking item first before looking at capability. Apple are also very stubborn to admit they are in the wrong, we only have to look at the USB-C issue. All these years they wanted their lightning port to be king, but now EU has forced their hand into putting in the better port things are looking a little better fro Apple customers.

[@ChoppieRides]

Thanks bloke. I wish someone else had made that two-button 15 second reset technique obvious before I lashed-out on a new set or AirPod Max.

[@olliedudd9847]

Thanks so much, you just saved my a trip to the Apple Store!

[@cyanide_breathmint]

Interesting how manufacturers these days don't seem to learn from their competitors anymore. This kind of condensation issue has been a known problem for years for headsets that are designed to twist around (not connected by wires but by contacts). My Sennheiser headset had this issue a few years ago. Got a free upgrade to version 2 without this problem.

[@vinitsingh8962]

Nest time just roll a little bit of cotton on the top of the stick and soak it in ipa to clean inside hole area, it works amazing for me especially to clean 3.5 mm headphones jacks, it will work amazing in this situation, just put it in there and roll and it's clean inside.

[@billmoir1]

Hopefully that's fixed it but the seller did say a reset got them working again for a short while. May have been better testing them without resetting first. Just have to keep using them hopefully they keep working.

[@JakeBlack999]

great video well done

[@nzcc1503]

Thank you🙏

[@drahcirarchive]

Thank u sooo much ❤

[@SNEEKYPEEK]

Probably fit little O ring in the groove to stop dust and moisture getting in, just a suggestion 😊

[@logothaironsides2942]

Those tiny little brushes you can get for cleaning drinking straws would be useful for cleaning out the bit inside the hole.

[@JerameatC]

Love the video. There's a kit designed to clean out apple and android products. Its maybe 7 bucks US. Might be worth adding to the tool kit.

[@user-vv4jd8nz7s]

Hello Vince, I came across your videos about a week ago and have to say I like them because it reminds me of when I left school in 1970 and started working in an electrical shop repairing many different items, of course I am long retired from all that. My last comment failed to appear on the switch video, so trying again. However to the point. You mentioned in a video and I do not know how old it was, so maybe date them on screen. But you stated you had become known as the 'Nintendo Switch Killer' for melting components and such. So you may want to try this. Get some heat resistant PVC insulation tape(fire-retardant-pvc-tapes) from your known good supplier and also plumbers non-setting fireproof putty(fsi-non-setting-fire-putty) from a good known supplier or shop. The putty should be able to protect from your heat gun up to 1,400 C and I think you mentioned you use 400 C. The heat resistant PVC insulation tape cannot take that but it is not for in heat direct use. In theory, you can place the insulation tape over the cable snap blocks and other terminal positions, exposed pins and such, so that the putty does not cause pin/component fouling. Then use a large blob (really as big as you can and be able to work) of the fire putty over the whole thing. For circuit board components the tape may not be needed but a good helping of putty to cover things should stop items moving around when board heated. Their solder would likely melt but your heat gun should not blow them away. A dam around a chip may focus your heat so not needing a too high setting to remove and replace while also stopping a sideways blow on smaller items. As for plastic casings which are near, some tape and putty in a 'U' shape over inside and out may stop melting. As I said, just a suggestion with no guarantee of success. Martin Ratcliffe.

[@sammydavis3796]

What soldering iron do you use sir just curious?

[@slaphead2965]

I agree, KZbin adverts are annoying, but the strange thing is you have to pay for KZbin premium to get rid of them??? In short, you have to pay for something you 'don't' want. ...What a strange world we live in. Anyway another great fix Vince. Cheers 🙂👍🇬🇧

[@James_Howarth]

The band's pins are set up that way to allow them to be connected either way round :)

[@GarthBeagle]

Great fix! Always best to do some searching to see if there's obvious/known issues 🤘

[@evilutionltd]

The ear cup connections have to be rotationally symmetrical in case the cups are swapped over from side to side.

[@Omega_Mark]

Vince, why no DeoxIt on these corroded contacts? You could use the 5% spray to clean first, followed up by the 100% solution to coat (shield) the contacts from some of that future moisture. DeoxIt would also add a bit of lubrication to where the earcups twist. Also, using these tweezers to scrape some of that corrosion off will create scratches that will be home to some more corrosion later. At least when you thin coat it with 100% version of the DeoxIt, you will have DeoxIt in these grooves, instead of more corrosion :). Using a toothpick or any pointy piece of wood or a Q-tip is definitely better and safer than metal tweezers that could be scraping off metal coating on these contacts.

[@SomethingMobile]

Hey Vince, can uou please tell me what you use to get your audio so nice. I can tell its not a voice over, but it has the quality equal to that of a voice over

[@mbaonyebuchi1169]

I did this it started working for a day and went back to the issue

[@whodatdere1]

A tapered cotton swab like an MG 8112A would have done some wonders for you on this job. I am sure there are many cost effective alternatives to these out there.

[@Leveleup543]

Thank you for the tutorial. I cleaned my connectors after my pair stopped connecting. Didn't see any corrosion but after cleaning and reassembling, my pair started working again.

[@reyanreyanreyan]

Still working fine?

[@Leveleup543]

@@reyanreyanreyan unfortunately, no

[@reyanreyanreyan]

@@Leveleup543 damn, if you’re still in warranty you should take them to Apple. I’ve been replaced a couple times because of connectivity issues and them randomly disconnecting etc

[@Leveleup543]

@@reyanreyanreyan I dont have AppleCare. I will either replace the bluetooth module myself or just get a different pair of headphones. I think the repair will cost me around $180 -200. Might as well just get a different pair of HP and sell these for parts

[@reyanreyanreyan]

@@Leveleup543 neither, but I was within the year warranty, if you are then going could be a shout

[@gustavfenk4021]

Deoxit on the contacts? An o-ring or some grease to stop water getting back inside?

[@firmbutton6485]

Vince, me old mucka, have you heard about the increasing numbers of these failing due to the ribbon cable that accommodates the swivel of the cups? Apparently it’s not recommended to swivel them nor put in the official case, in order to reduce the likelihood of breaking of this ribbon cable. I’d love to see you investigate another pair with this fault:-) the ribbon is not available to buy, so ideally a bodge is needed to fix it long term I’d imagine? Maybe replace with silicon wires or something?

[@douglasdeans2839]

When you're out next for a coffee be sure to pick up a few more wooden coffee stirrers, flat and have rounded ends.

[@botialoach1]

Great video thank you I could never afford them anyway but my suggestion why did’t you use Q-tips with isopropyl alcohol on them for the holes much safer than the cocktail sticks keeps up the excellent videos you are producing

[@watchmedraw4340]

Cocktail stick. That's funny 😁. Watchmakers call it pegwood and newbies scramble to find it and pay crazy prices.I buy from dollar store and it's cheap at a dollar for hundreds. What to look for is the word bamboo. Bamboo doesn't leave splinters or anything when done.

[@SonGoku-lb4dy]

Ty my air pods max work great 😊

[@richhickman]

Giving you a like for mentioning the Blind Video - "Video Days" 👍😄

[@computergeek1599]

What a steal of a deal for AirPod Max. I have had mine for 2.5 years and absolutely love them, and use them daily.

[@nottodaypal2143]

Smashing good👍🏻

[@christopherdecorte1599]

Would dielectric grease work on those contacts to prevent further corrosion.

[@flyboy5736]

I realise you're not a fan of a fibreglass pen but that would have been an ideal cleaning tool for the headband. Thanks for the videos, I always think I could do better but I am kidding myself :)

[@Omega_Mark]

There is probably a thin coating on these leads, so a fiberglass pen would be the last thing you would want to use here. I was cringing a bit when Vince was even using his metal tweezers to scrape off that crust. It's better to let the IPA do its work by soaking in it first.

[@user-zl6cq5mm5c]

nice video yes war low rider back in the 70s

[@DJKC]

Literally received a remix of it today by a chap called Kyle Watson. strange how things work out. Released Dec 8th apparently. Its one of those tunes destroyed by a TV ad, hard not to sing "My Mate Marmite"

[@ianhaylock7409]

13:20 The connections in the headband are top to bottom because the earpieces face each other.

[@PhD63]

Vince, the only guy who gets excited on seeing corrosion 😂.

[@MrEp5]

I work in IT and today I saw one of these come in from a shops RMA. Would you belive it? Fingers crossed here's hoping these have the same problem! :D

[@rajendrabiswas]

Can you help Me? Inspite of cleaning connectors on head band . After sometime there is a disconnection

[@Malabus73]

Could you use lemon juice for the corrosion issue. I would never use expensive headphones in wet weather, keep them for house use.

[@ktaragorn]

I was taken aback when you abruptly took off the ear cushions.. they were super easy to take off.. given .. u know.. apple...

[@ktaragorn]

I just got to the bit where you talk about the screws.. thats more like it..!! :|

[@Lukas-xi9dl]

Thank you so much for this. Mine just came back from Apple after I turned down their 277€ quote for fixing them. After cleaning the connectors they now work better than ever. For the price Apple charges for the APM, you should be able to expect that you will enjoy them for a long time and that they will repair a widespread issue at cost. But Apple being Apple, they admin no issues and show no goodwill at all. Particularly offensive: If you send in the APM for a battery change, you pay 79€ and they simply replace the right ear cup. They do the same for every other problem, but charge three times as much. It's all about the user experience - except they don't really give a shit.

[@DEmma1972]

good fix. Design flaw to fail so easily, wonder if thats on purpose

[@nightie416able]

To prevent this from happening again could use a little electric grease to prevent corrosion and moisture build up.

[@matmat5898]

Why you dont use the contact cleaner?

[@firmbutton6485]

Mine died. Hopefully your video will help….

[@AMCards23]

Easiest way to contact you about possibly doing a trying to fix on a xbox elite series 2 controller , No stress about breaking it as already not used but would be amazing to have fixed ?

[@yunhuixie3177]

Informative video, saved my out-of-warranty APM, I practically own you £400.

[@peterpajzs5641]

Should be good thin interdental brushes for cleaning the female connectors?