Laptops rarely need servicing or part replacement unless there are accidents involved. Whatever the reason, if you need a repair service cost estimation, you’ve come to the right place. Keep reading to know how much your laptop repair can cost.
How much does laptop repair cost?
Your laptop repair costs depend on how complex the repair is, what kind of service you’re choosing, and how the services set their prices. It also depends on your device; Apple products usually cost more than other brands. Since there are multiple facts involved, let’s first clear this up.
Laptop repair cost factors
There are many factors, but the major ones are service rate, problem complexity, and type of service.
- Problem complexity
Minor repairs will cost you less than major ones where you’ll need parts of your laptop replaced. If the problem is something that can be solved within a day (like liquid spillage on your laptop), then chances are you won’t have to pay more than the regular repair rate.
If the problem is more complex, like a completely broken screen or a disk drive/external hard drive replacement, then the cost will go up significantly because you’ll have to pay for the service, the parts and if you’re taking remote service, then travel cost.
- Type of service and location
Repair services offer in-house repair, send-ins, and remote repair options. In-house repair means you’ll take your device to the repair service, and they’ll fix it for you. Send-ins are for you if you can’t get an appointment at a physical repair store (like an Apple Store or Apple-authorized service). You’ll have to send the device to the repair service, and they’ll send it back after repairing it.
Remote repair means a technician will come to your preferred location and fix your laptop. You won’t have to go to the shop or send your device to them.
As you can guess, remote repair costs more than the other options because the technician will be traveling to your preferred location. The cost also depends on the city you live in. If the living cost is high in your city, the overall service charge will be high.
- Service rates
This depends on your service. Some services charge by the hour, and other services have a flat charging rate. If it is an hourly charge, it can also fluctuate depending on problem complexity. Flat rates are usually fixed considering all the costs, so the most you’ll have to do is pay for the replacement parts.
Laptop repair costs guide
Considering other factors, the average laptop repair cost is $100-$250. But if you want a more detailed pricing idea, here’s our guide to help you out.
- Water damage repair
This is the most common issue. If you spilled water or any other liquid on your laptop, a technician would have to open your laptop up and dry the inner components. This usually costs $100-$250, but only there was no internal damage. If there is internal/physical damage, you’ll have to pay for the replacement part.
- Keyboard and fan repair
Keyboard replacement costs are different for every laptop. Windows laptop keyboard replacement usually costs $100-$120, but the price is higher for Mac laptops. Since the technician will have to take the whole laptop apart to replace the keyboard, Mac keyboard replacement costs more than other ones.
Fan repair doesn’t cost much; usually, it is between $10-$20. What pushes it up is the service charge, especially if the repair service has an hourly charging system. Accessing the fan takes time because it is an inside component, and you need to open the whole thing up to get to it.
- External hard drive/disk drive repair
Hard disk repairing is fairly easy, so the service charge for it is low. The cost mainly goes to the replacement hard disk, a 1TB SATA hard drive costs $110 to replace, while a 500GB SSD will cost you around $179. This price includes the service charge and excludes the drive recovery cost. Service providers recover your data and transfer it to your new hard drive to prevent data loss. This will cost you an extra $100, so your total cost for disk drive repair will be somewhere between $210-$279.
- Battery replacement
Battery replacement costs usually depend on what kind of battery you need. Laptop batteries can cost you anything between $30-$200. If you want to use refurbished batteries, then the cost will be $20-$70. Most laptops use standard batteries, and those cost less than the specialized batteries for specific devices.
Conclusion
And this was our guide to laptop repairing costs. The cost can vary depending on your repair service, so make sure to look around and always pick a store with a service warranty if you’re going for third-party stores.
