Repairing my own Mac: Apple Self Service Repair — My Experience
My trusty laptop must have been listening… A few weeks ago, one short day after learning Apple was launching self service repairs in Europe, the lower of the two USB C ports on my M1 MacBook Air died.
Just the previous day, Apple was getting a lot of coverage in the press for the launch of self-service repairs in Europe. They launched the scheme in April 2022 for the US only after announcing it the previous year. However, it only came to Europe a few weeks ago.
Apple’s scheme allows individuals to purchase the parts and tools they need to repair a selection of newer Macs and iPhones. In theory, you head to the website, punch in your serial number, select the parts and tools you need and pay up, all for it to be delivered to your home. But how well does it work?
First things first, I asked Apple to diagnose the issue. This started with a live chat with Apple Support who, after learning of the issue I was facing, swiftly asked me to come into an Apple Store to get my laptop physically assessed. There’s a diagnostics test you can run on your own Mac to see any issues, but in my case, it didn’t show any errors.
After arriving at the Apple Store, the technician initially looked over the hardware of my Mac, plugging in a few different cables and plugs. They then connected my Mac to their iPad to run more detailed diagnostics than available to the public. Lo and behold, the diagnostics determined that one of my USB ports had died, requiring an “Input/Output Board” replacement.
The Apple Genius then moved on to show me the options for my repair — from the Apple Store, there was only one. It was going to cost £13 for the part, and roughly £80 for the labour. It was at this point I mentioned self service repair.
I pulled up the Self Service Repair Store and showed the Apple Genius it would cost around £18 for the part, including shipping and sales tax. The technician admitted they didn’t know this option was available for Macs yet and only thought iPhones were eligible. They also told me they wouldn’t suggest this repair method anyway as it’s not covered under warranty by Apple and likely out of the scope of the average customer.
However, the technician was supportive of my decision to repair my laptop myself. Thankfully, Apple made this part modular meaning it’s extremely simple to swap one part out for another.
I ordered the part while still sitting in the Apple Store. This is a little bit of a process as they ask you to insert a unique code from the repair manual, to ensure you’ve read it and understand what the repair entails. After ordering, I went home to await the part’s arrival.
Just 2 days after my Apple Store appointment, the part arrived. I whipped out my iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit and got to work!
The repair took no longer than 30 mins following Apple’s detailed instructions. Apple will happily sell you the tools required to do the job. They also suggest you buy tools which I deemed to be unnecessary for my repair. This includes a battery cover to protect the battery from accidental puncture. However, iFixit’s Pro Tech Toolkit had all of the parts I needed for this repair. Apple themselves have been spotted using these tools — if it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me, and they should be good enough for your repair!
Some part replacements require a live chat with Apple Support to configure them for your device, but this is all covered in the repair manuals. If you don’t complete this, you’ll get a warning in the Settings of your device, or worse yet, it might not work altogether. This is the key difference between using Apple’s repair store and third-party repairs. Perhaps problematically, Apple will callout and in some cases limit your device’s functionality if you don’t use one of their sanctioned repair methods.
Overall, I’m pretty impressed with the service. If you’re confident doing your own repairs, this is potentially a great way to save some money if your device breaks.
I’m under no illusion that Apple would prefer you to just take your device into one of their stores to get it fixed. Legislation has forced them to make this an option. The service is nowhere near as clean as a typical Apple experience. However, it’s great for us as consumers which we should all be glad for.