BUY FIX-IT KITS FOR YOUR DEVICES
You no longer have to trudge down to a repair shop to sort out tech problems –there are plenty of DIY kits online with the tools and parts you need. Daniel Booth explains where to find them
For many years, DIY meant fixing things like leaky taps, wonky shelves and creaky floors. Now it’s expanded to include the electronic devices we use every day. Under pressure from ‘right-to-repair’ campaigners, Apple, Samsung and other major manufacturers now offer kits to fix faulty phones, laptops, tablets and other gadgets. These started in the US and have now come to the UK.
What’s significant is these kits contain official repair equipment, so you don’t risk using any parts that might not be up to the job. And when manufacturers don’t offer repair kits, third-party sites like iFixit fill the gap. Just be aware that attempting a repair can affect your warranty (see box opposite).
What kind of parts can you buy?
For phones and tablets, iFixit and similar stores offer common replacement parts such as screens (£35-£200), batteries (£15-£40) and charging ports (£10-£30), with prices varying based on model and part quality. Smaller internal components, such as camera modules, headphone jacks and others, range from £5 to £70.
For laptops and desktops, you can buy keyboards (£30–£100), trackpads (£20–£60), mouse feet (£14-£19) and speakers (£15–£40), plus more advanced components such as hard drives (£30–£150), RAM (£20–£100) and cooling fans (£10–£30).