There are comments elsewhere in this step by step re. the bezel removal. That step does NOT show how to remove it. Well, take the 5:39 secs to watch the above video. It clearly shows how the aluminum framed bezel easily comes off once you've seen it done. To whoever decided to preface these instructions with that video, thank you.

Like Dave and "themacdoctor" said, this job is MUCH easier if you use a spudger or similar tool to gently push the cover away from the air gap, at the rear of the laptop. Once you do this, you've loosened clips that are on the inside of the bottom case. This is much easier than tugging on the case itself.

I have to agree with other comments. For reassembly, simply saying to follow the comments in reverse is a disservice to your readers.

A short simple guide showing the steps for cleaning/prepping and putting the strips in place before reassembly would be advised.

or...

1. Clean areas of residual sticky residue.

2. Carefully attach strips, but don't remove their protective covers.

3. Follow the guide re. re-attaching the cables in Steps 19 and 20.

4. Remove the strip covers.

5. Replace the screen.

Instead of the plastic cards, use the flat end of a spudger. Use it as scraper. Be careful as there are antennas mounted on the inside edge of the frame on the right side (facing you), and the top right (facing you). The original adhesive strips are on those as well. - ECJ

IFixit just had me submit "my story" re. fixing my MacBook Air 2013.

This repair was NOT difficult. The battery is enclosed in a plastic frame. It is NOT glued in like the newer models of Apple laptops. And unlike older laptops, the battery is not totally enclosed in a plastic housing. So once you remove the screws holding the batterie's frame, you can remove the battery.

Follow the instructions. Read the comments. Also read the comments re. installing a new battery.

Good luck. - Eric J.

Frankly, this is the hardest part of the "take-apart". Because of the age of these things, the cover gets stuck. It happens. A couple of things to check for,

1. Make sure the "Allen" key lock at the front is set to the "Unlock" position. Otherwise, this will prevent the cover from being removed.

2. If the cover is really stuck, (has happened to me more than once), use a LARGE flat bladed screwdriver and GENTLY pry the back of the cover, at the rear, and at the front, so that the cover SLIDES back. It will slide back approx. 3/8", and then you can lift it up. When you replace it, if you anticipate doing this often, you might consider applying a very, very thin layer of lithium grease to the areas that bind, so that the cover isn't so hard to remove the next time.

Since there is the ONE cable going from the top keyboard/touchpad assembly to the motherboard, you need to be careful lifting it up and removing it.

Start at the front of the laptop, using a spudger to widen the gap so you can see inside where the ribbon cable attaches.

When re-assembling, use a couple of spudgers to prop up the keyboard/touchpad assembly and hold it in place. Re-connect the cable, then starting from the rear, lower the assembly into place.

At the end of these instructions, Jimbo Combo also mentions this, but it should be repeated.

Because the trackpad/keyboard cable is part of the top face/keyboard/trackpad assembly, it’s actually a PITA when doing reassembly.

One way to make this step simple is to do the following:

1. straighten the Zif cable removing all of the bends that is probably has in it.

2. Start putting the top face/keyboard/trackpad assembly on, starting with the edge AWAY from the display.

3. Place the laptop on it’s side, and thread the cable through the opening, using tweezers if necessary so that it fully goes through the opening in the case.

4. Place the laptop back to the way it was and proceed.

Cheat on this one. Loosen the tape on the back of the display. That gives you more slack on the cable. The connector is pretty standard.

Like others that have commented, this cable is a major PITA. I used both a headlamp to illuminate the area, and the iPhone’s Magnifier app to zoom in. The connector on the motherboard is flat, low profile and characterized by a thin narrow slot. The key to removing the cable is to slide the cable out, (after flipping that bar forward). Re-attaching the cable is the same - carefully sliding the cable into that slot, while keeping that bar pulled backward, until the cable was in place.

For me, this was the most difficult part of the hard drive replacement. I spent more time on this than anything else.