Fan Replacement 17 Inch MBP A1260

Mijn probleem

After four years of heavy use, the right-side fan in my wife's Macbook Pro began making a horrendous noise. We were given an estimate of about £100.00 ($160.00 US) for the fix by the local repair business here in Leeds. After looking at the instructions on iFixit, we decided to purchase the part and attempt a DIY solution.

Mijn oplossing

The repair went smoothly and without incident. The hi-res photos and tips supplied by iFixit were an enormous help. The new fan is working perfectly. Total cost (parts & shipping): $60.00 US. That's better.

Mijn advies

'Do the repair with time to spare'. In other words, don't rush things. This was an enjoyable experience because I set aside an afternoon to do it (the whole job took maybe an hour). I sipped my coffee and took my time. One small thing: some of the components (that one must disconnect for the repair, and then reconnect) are fixed with a special tape. Reusing the tape seems to work fine, but it would be nice to have just a bit of new tape on hand to feel confident that things won't come loose in a year or two. Lastly, the simplicity of the fan part itself suggests its wholesale cost is probably far, far less than the iFixit price ($50.00 US). If they were $35.00 or even $40.00 each, I would have replaced both fans and felt really good about it. While I'm not 'complaining' and will definitely patronize iFixit in the future, the feeling I have at the end of the iFixit experience is 'less gouged' rather than 'enlightened'; I think that needs to be said.