Grey shadow in the bottom of the screen

Hi all,

I just went out of warranty with my 2017 mbp 13 inch, but recently I noticed this grey bar at the bottom of my screen. It only happens after about 3 to 4 hours of usage and when I turn the mac off for about 30 minutes the artifacting disappears again for about another 3 to 4 hours, after which the issue occurs again.

I did some looking around and I hear it is similar to the flexgate issue, but there are two factors that may mean its a different(?) issue:

1. The screen is perfectly fine for the first 3-4 hours of usage. The grey bars start to appear at random and is not affected by the macbook’s thermals ( maximum of 65 degree CPU temps in a test, average about 55 degrees Celsius )
2. The screen can be turned on beyond 40 degrees. I have never experienced any screen blackout as of yet ( though this could mean that the damage to the cable is still minor and this will occur with time)

I have not visited an apple repair store yet due to the coronavirus, but from the calls and the emails that were exchanged, the repair guys seem unwilling to replace it for free because it is not the 2016 version.

is a 600 dollar replacement the only way out?

This is my first apple product that I have saved for 2 years to purchase ( with my student savings) because I have heard about their legendary reliability and longevity from my friend who still uses the 2012 mbp to this day. Seems like this brand trust is unfounded with how easily the new macs break down .