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How Hard Could it Be?

donaldrhamilton -

MacBook Core Duo

MacBook Core Duo AirPort Card Replacement

MacBook Core Duo AirPort Card Replacement

20 - 40 minutes

Moderate

My Problem

My aging MacBook would not long onto my WiFi. I went to the Apple store and the MacBook could pick up their super signal, but with only one bar. The genius bar quickly determined that it was a hardware problem (Airport Extreme Card) and that my machine was "vintage" so they were not going to repair it. They recommend a couple of independent repair shops.

One was part of a chain and had an endless voice mail chain. No, thanks. The other was independent, very independent. They did not work weekends and were far out in the 'burbs. It would take at least four days and cost at least $125.

ifixit seemed to have what I needed. The You Tube video showed you needed one part and some tiny screwdriver and, more importantly, that the repair was nothing I could not handle.

My Fix

It went just as it should except that removing and lining up the tiny screws were harder for me than for the woman who did the You Tube demo. I needed about an hour and fifteen minutes, including the time to clear and light a work space, etc. Were I doing it again, I could do it in about 20 minutes excluding set-up.

My Advice

Make sure you have the right size screw drivers, very good light and a parts tray to keep the itty bitty screws separate.

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