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Apple Mac Logic Board Repair

Logic board repair is the process to attempt to repair the logic board (motherboard) of Mac laptops by using microsoldering techniques and analysis to replace specific damaged components - this is a repair service, not a logic board replacement service. We can also repair non-Apple equipment in some cases, please contact us if this is of interest. We've offered this service for over a decade on our old site MacUpgrades, and have brought hundreds of machines back from the dead.

Many manufacturers (such as Apple) see the motherboard as one component, rather than as the thousands of individual parts which we see them as, as such it can often (although not always) be possible to repair the logic board rather than replace it. Sometimes even one tiny capacitor can be enough to disable a several thousand pound machine. Repairing versus replacing saves the environment, saves money, and can save time. Why pay £300 - £700 to replace a board when you can repair for for significantly less.

This service covers the repair of the logic board only, it may be necessary to replace other components such as keyboards, trackpads, LCD connectors, drives, etc - these would be quoted as an additional cost for your approval (with no obligation on you to go ahead with them).

Common Issues Resolved by This Service

We can repair a wide range of logic board issues, but these are some of the common ones we have seen many times.

  • No power
  • No green light on charger (having already tested another charger)
  • Liquid damage
  • Burnt LVDS connector
  • No display on internal screen
  • No backlight
  • No audio
  • Damaged or broken connectors
  • Not charging battery (having already tested another battery and charger)
  • MacBook Air M1 A2337 that exhibit no power at all - these models seem prone to blown capacitors which can cause this
  • MacBook Airs 2013 - 2017 that exhibit no power on at all - this is often due to a blown capacitor on these models.
  • 2010 15" MacBook Pro with no video - this is a bad frame buffer capacitor (not GPU).

Machines We Can Attempt to Repair With This Service

  • Mac laptops manufactured from 2010 onwards
  • Mac minis with damaged connectors
  • iMacs with damaged / pulled off connectors such as, commonly, the screen cable

Warranty

Repairs have a 3 month warranty - should the logic board fail, or exhibit instability within this period, we will refund the cost of this service (but not any shipping charges).

Costs

Logic board repair is not a guaranteed fix, please do bear that in mind.

We charge a bench fee of £40 which covers the time required to establish if a board is in fact repairable and the level of damage it has taken. Return shipping would be on top but machines can be dropped off / collected by appointment.

Costs thereafter depend on the age of the machine and the level of damage. In the majority of cases the pricing below applies (we will contact you and agree any costs in advance).

  • 2010 - 2017 MacBooks / MacBook Pros / MacBook Airs - £120 (includes £40 bench fee)
  • 2017 - 2019 MacBook Pros / MacBook Airs (13" and 15" only) - £150 (includes £40 bench fee)
  • 2019 - 2021 INTEL MacBook Pros / MacBook Airs £175 (includes £40 bench fee)
  • M series machines - £275 (includes £40 bench fee)

Please note that success on M series machines is much lower than on older machines at present.

How to Proceed

Please get in touch via email us or call 01223 782 486 to discuss your machine so we can give you a clear understanding about costs, timescales and likelihood of success in advance. After discussion you can either send or bring in your machine (please arrange an appointment if you are dropping in a machine) for us to begin work.

We want whole machines to work on, not board only. This is so that we can warranty our work and ensure that there is nothing in the casing that will cause the fault to re-occur, for example with a burnt LVDS connector which affects both the logic board and the display.

This is not a guaranteed fix, rather it is an attempt to repair boards that otherwise would have to be replaced at several times the cost of our repair.

Things We Cannot Resolve

We cannot replace BGA processors or graphics cards, this is due to the fact the it is not possible to obtain reliable new parts to replace them with. The effort involved in doing these replacements with non new parts is not worth it, as the longevity of the repair cannot be guaranteed. We do offer a reflow service for some graphics cards but that is a temporary solution.

Please note that not all no graphics issues are related to the graphics card. For example the MacBook Pro 2010 15" common graphics fault can be easily repaired, since it is caused by a bad frame buffer capacitor, not the GPU. Also missing voltage rails such as CPU Vcore can make a fault appear like a failed graphics card. If you think you have a graphics card fault, please contact usfirst and we will see if this service is likely to work for you.

We are very unlikely to be able to repair the boards in the little 12in MacBook Retina range of laptops.

Things to Note

With logic board repair it may often be necessary to replace broken traces (the copper which connects components together) with wires. This is very effective but not attractive to look at - we are aiming to restore the machine to life not to make it pretty.

We are very experienced at dealing with liquid damaged machines and a wide range of component failures, however some machines are just too badly damaged to be worthwhile to repair.

Sometimes when damage is great we may be able to bring the machine back to life, but may not be able to resurrect some external connections (Thunderbolt, USB, etc.) we will discuss this with you if necessary.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact our team before sending in the machine, and we will do out best to explain the options for your specific Mac.