I need the rubber foot at the bottom of my Macbook. It's impossible to find.

Question

I lost the rubber foot at the bottom of my Macbook. This has been an adventure in trying to get this. I wanted to purchase it online. Not available!! So I chat with Apple, the guy tries really hard to get it for me. Hi finds it in his system but CANNOT mail to me. Not allowed! I go to Apple store, they say I have to make an appointment with the Genius bar. I try to do that online, it won't let me, because it wants to solve through apple support or chat.
Are they kidding? A rubber foot? I am really frustrated!! Can some one help?

Answer 1

Neil,
I was at the Genius Bar for another problem and mentioned the feet falling off the bottom of my MBP. The Genius's answer was that the important thing was to keep dirt from getting inside the case, so I should just take off the bottom cover and put electrical tape over the holes.
There are a few considerations for this DIY approach. First, I like the bit of stickiness that the feet give the case so it doesn't slide around, so I want something on the outside. Second, some people may not be comfortable taking apart the case and may not even have a properly sized Phillips screwdriver. Third, if you haven't seen the instructions for removing the cover, you may not realize that the screws on the front and sides of the cover go in at an angle. Even though I wanted my new feet to be installed on the outside, I wanted to look around on the inside to see if there were any loose foot parts lying around in there.
It happens that I have a screwdriver that came with a memory expansion kit, so I used that. If you need to purchase one, it's a size 00.  I laid down a large towel on my work service to keep from scratching the top cover when working on the upside down MBP, and to collect any run-away screws so they wouldn't end up on the floor. I removed the screws and set them on the towel next to the holes they came out of so I would get them beck into the same place they came from when reinstalling. Note that there is one short screw in the back and the rest are longer, at least on my model. That's why it's important to keep track of them.
With the back off I could see that there was a lot of dust inside the case already, probably mostly from the vent fan pulling it in. I cleaned up using a vacuum cleaner and a soft paintbrush.
Before starting the job I went to Home Depot and checked out the selection of feet in the area where they have stick-on pads to prevent furniture from scratching floors, etc. I chose 2" wide, thin, adhesive-backed pads that came in a package of 8 for about $2.50. I liked the shape because it thought it would be less likely to peel off than a taller pad, and there was no question that it would completely cover the holes in the case.
This is a good time to punch out any feet that didn't separate on their own. Next I cleaned the bottom panel with alcohol so the adhesive would be effective and put the pads in place, nearly centered over the original foot holes, but offset enough so as to not cover the screw holes. I firmly pressed the pads into place, being careful not to allow any wrinkles.
Finally I replaced the panel and secured it with the screws, remembering to angle the screws, except in the rear.
I week later, I love the result. The pads have just the right stickiness and I think they work better than the originals at keeping the computer from sliding away when I'm actually using it on my lap. I haven't noticed any loss of case cooling either, but I think that may be difficult to tell. The fans haven't been running any more than usual. The pads show no tendency to peel off, at least not yet. Every pick your computer with one hand, between your thumb and forefinger? Well, it's very easy with the larger "feet".
Hope this helps.
Jerry