Took a $400 gamble on a board-level repair instead of a $90 refurb replacement, and of course it was for a regular | Computer Technicians - Hub Chatter
Took a $400 gamble on a board-level repair instead of a $90 refurb replacement, and of course it was for a regular
Customer's ThinkPad had a dead charging IC and I could either swap the whole board for 90 bucks or try reflowing the chip myself for a 400 dollar labor quote if it worked. Two weeks later it's still running fine, but now every cheap laptop that comes through the door I'm wondering if I should just try the fix first.
That gut feeling after a win is the worst kind of confidence because it makes every future job look like a chance to prove it again. Next thing you know you're three hours deep on a fifty dollar machine and the clock is eating you alive. Most of those cheap boards have the same failure points though so your odds might actually be better than you'd guess. Just keep track of your actual time or the math will sneak up on you real fast.