Macbook Pro Retina Screen Replacement

My Problem

My Early 2013 Macbook pro fell off my bed after I feel asleep, and hit right on the screen, cracking the display and rendering half of it totally distorted. After going to apple store for a repair, I was told it would cost apx. $800-$1000+ to replace the 15" Retina Display and I would have to be without my Macbook for several days. I didn't need to think twice to walk out of there and go on ebay to find a genuine apple retina display, brand new for under $200! Next it came down to repairing it myself, which is where ifixit saved the day by providing genuinely caring and attentive customer service, clear and well thought out repair instructions, as well as the tools I'd need to repair it myself (it's a shame Apple resorts to using special screws to discourage people from doing their own repairs on products we own!, but at $1000 for a screen repair, it's no wonder they don't want us to do it ourselves, particularly if the product is out of warranty.)

My Fix

The repair took around 40 minutes, and went without any problems. Strong Focus on the task at hand, patience, and attention to details are the key to get this done. If you're going to be distracted by children, TV, or other things going on in the house, I'd recommend to find a quiet time and space to do this right. The total repair cost, including the tools ran me apx. $230, my total savings by avoiding Apple's repair were over $600, and considering it took me only 40 minutes and the fact I did the surgery myself caused me to value the macbook even more than before.

My Advice

Don't doubt yourself, there is a great sense of personal reward from accomplishing a repair yourself, not to mention the significant amount of $ and time saved.

Again, I cannot mention enough how great of a company iFixit is, an all round beautiful group of people. Organized, Caring, Quality-Oriented and most importantly are serving a great role to help free people from the tricks of big corps trying to fool us into overpriced and overrated repairs. Many Thanks to everyone at ifixit.com for an amazing service!