Most laptop faults fall into a small number of categories. Knowing which one yours is helps you decide whether it's worth repairing, replacing, or just leaving alone. Here's what we see most often on UK mobile repair call-outs, what causes them, and a rough idea of what a fair repair should cost in 2026.
1. Laptop Won't Turn On
Nine times out of ten this is the charger, the charging port, or the battery — not the motherboard. A good engineer will test the charger output with a meter, check the DC jack for cracks, and try a known-good battery before anyone mentions a new mainboard. Typical fix: £40–£120 for a charger or battery, £80–£180 for a DC jack resolder.
2. Cracked or Black Screen
If you can see a faint image with a torch, the backlight or inverter has failed and the panel is fine. A spider-web crack means a full panel replacement — most 14"–16" UK laptops are £90–£220 for the part plus 30–60 minutes labour. OLED and 4K touchscreens (Dell XPS, Surface, MacBook Retina) cost considerably more — sometimes more than the laptop is worth.
3. Swollen Battery
A laptop that won't sit flat, has a lifting trackpad, or feels warm at rest almost always has a swollen lithium battery. This is a safety issue, not just a performance one — stop using and charging it. Replacement is usually £70–£160 fitted. Never try to pierce or bend a swollen cell; they can catch fire.
4. Very Slow / Freezing
On a Windows laptop that still has a spinning hard drive, by far the best upgrade is a 500GB–1TB SSD and a clean Windows 11 install. Typical job: £100–£180 including the drive, with data migration. If the laptop already has an SSD, slowness is usually malware, a failing drive, or too little RAM (anything under 8GB struggles in 2026).
5. Overheating & Fan Noise
Laptops over 3 years old usually need a thermal repaste and fan clean. Dust packs the heatsink, the original paste dries out, and the CPU thermal-throttles to ~40% speed. A repaste and clean is £60–£100 and often makes an older laptop feel like new.
6. Liquid Damage
Turn it off immediately, unplug it, remove the battery if you can, and stop charging. Bring it in within 24–48 hours — corrosion is what kills the board, not the liquid itself. Ultrasonic cleaning and component-level board repair can save most coffee/water spills if caught early; sugary drinks and saltwater are much harder. Quotes are diagnostic-based — usually £60 to assess and £120–£350 to repair.
7. Keyboard or Trackpad Not Working
Whole-keyboard replacements on most Windows laptops are £60–£140 fitted. MacBook keyboards (Apple butterfly and current Magic Keyboard models) require a top-case replacement which is more involved. A single dead key on a mechanical/scissor keyboard is often a stuck membrane and can sometimes be cleaned rather than replaced.
8. Won't Connect to WiFi
Usually a driver issue (free fix), occasionally a failing wireless card (£25–£60 part). If only one network has the issue, it's almost always the router, not the laptop — we'll usually check both on a call-out.
When to Repair vs Replace
- • If the repair is under 40% of the cost of an equivalent new laptop, repair almost always wins.
- • If the laptop is 6+ years old and needs a board-level repair, replacement is usually smarter.
- • Data recovery is almost always worth doing, even on a write-off laptop — usually £80–£250.
- • Business laptops under warranty: always check the manufacturer warranty first before paying for a third-party repair.
What a Good Repair Should Include
- • A written diagnostic before any work starts
- • A fixed-price quote, not 'time and materials'
- • Genuine or A-grade replacement parts (not no-name AliExpress panels and batteries)
- • A short warranty on the work itself — at least 3 months
- • Your data left intact, or a clear conversation about backup first
CLD Computers runs a fully mobile laptop repair service across South West London, Surrey and Middlesex — on-site call-outs, pickup & return, or remote support. Trading since 2008, 5.0 on Google. Contact us for a free diagnostic.
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