Should I Fix That Myself?

Is It a Good Idea to Save Money by Fixing That Apple Yourself?

Let’s be honest- as a repair store you might expect it to be in our own interest to say “no, you shouldn’t fix it yourself”! We can’t deny that, but we hope once we explain why you’ll understand why self-repair isn’t as good an idea as it might first appear when it comes to modern Apple devices such as the MacBook family, iPhone and iPad.

Of course, we can’t judge your technical skills and say you definitely shouldn’t- though if you’re as experienced as us, chances are you’re already working in the digital repair business!

Why Not?

Many Such Jobs Require Specialist Tools- and the Experience to Go Along With Them

Yes- a small number of repairs are as straightforward as they appear. You might be shocked by how many that aren’t, though. Often it’s not just the repair itself that’s difficult- it’s the associated work (e.g. disassembling an iPhone without damaging it to get to that part in the first place). This is particularly the case with laptops, smartphones and tablets- Apple’s MacBooks, iPhones and iPads being leading edge technology, perhaps even more so.

Many repairs also need specialised equipment if they’re to be done reliably and consistently. Some guides available online will suggest tricks to get round this for those who don’t have access to such equipment (e.g. home repairers and some low-cost repair centres). Generally, that’s a poor substitute and increases the risk of damage- we wouldn’t have invested in such equipment if it didn’t give us a proven advantage when it came to repairs.

 

The Components Are Often Tiny and Incredibly Hard to Work With

 

Most of the components in an iPhone are designed for mechanised surface mount installation… and are much, much smaller than the regular-sized traditional capacitors, resistors, etc. you might imagine.

In fact, the capacitors in the image to the left are less than two-thirds of the height of the letters on a twenty pence piece. They’re almost dwarfed by the ballpoint pen tip used for scale.

There’s a reason that the “microsoldering” needed to install them is considered a skill in its own right- you’re not going to fit these without a microscope, and you’re not going to do it using a regular-sized soldering iron!

 

Never Compare Components Solely on Price

 

We don’t automatically go for the cheapest supplier available. While no-one likes to pay more than they need to, eBay is chock-full of dodgy suppliers happy to take the business of those who buy purely on price. Unfortunately, they’ll do so by cutting corners, supplying parts that are substandard or out-of-spec, or blatantly fake and lie.

On the other hand, if you don’t know what you’re doing, you might end up buying such tat at a higher price anyway. It pays to know your suppliers and the warning signs when sourcing parts.

Know the Whole Story

Let’s say your Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge has broken glass. The underlying LCD’s okay, but you’re going to be charged hundreds of pounds to replace it anyway? Not a chance- you can see a kit on eBay for £18 that lets you replace the glass. What’s the catch?

The catch is that the kit is pretty useless- even an experienced technician will find it very difficult to consistently separate the old glass without breaking the LCD anyway. A replacement LCD assembly works out at around (at the time of writing) between £250 and £300. That’s before we’ve allowed for labour costs, overheads, and risk mitigation on top of that.

You’re Paying for More Than Just the Part

It’s not always the part itself you’re really paying for. When you hire a plumber to replace a washer in your bathroom tap, the cost of the washer is irrelevant. You’re paying for the labour- same here.

Once you allow for overheads (including paying for our specialist equipment, risks, etc.), you’ll realise why the job costs what it does.

Make a Mistake and You Might End Up Paying a Lot More!

This happens more often than you’d expect. If a repair is botched by someone else, we often need to repair the damage caused by their incompetent work before we get started on the original problem- and we have to charge for that on top.

Our images show the example of someone who attempted a repair on an iPad Mini and inadvertantly damaged the FPC connector. We successfully replaced that- but, of course, the total repair cost was far higher than it would have been had we just done the job in the first place.

Make a Mistake and Your Device Could Be Toast

It might not seem like it, but that person was lucky that their iPad Mini wasn’t a complete write-off. We can often fix others’ damage, but that’s never guaranteed, and there’s nothing worse than an incompetent repair that makes the whole thing a write-off when the original problem could have been fixed.

Sometimes the risk is worth it when the tablet, phone or laptop isn’t worth much anyway. On the other hand, if it’s an expensive MacBook, iPhone or iPad that’s otherwise still worth a lot of money… well, you be the judge.