Laptop Repair - Assessment?

[MrSparkle]

I brought my laptop into a repair shop and they charged me $50 up front for the "assessment". Does this assessment fee contribute towards the subtotal? Seems like a ripoff paying that $50 if I'm gonna have to pay for the parts replacements and work put in aswell.

The problem is I spilled tea on it months ago and sometimes it goes through phases where it won't turn on. I hit the power button and it starts up for about 3 seconds then shuts down. If I leave it a few days it usually starts working again like there was nothing wrong at all so this indicates its just a problem with one of the circuits and none of the components are damaged. The guy in the shop said it may need a new motherboard but I told him I doubt the motherboards damaged but theyre the experts not me. If they say they have to put in a new motherboard Im not gonna stop them. Are replacement motherboards expensive?

 

[Ephrum]

yeah that is a little pricey..
what exactly is wrong with your laptop?

 

[MrSparkle]

Not fully sure. I know my software but I'm a newb when it comes to hardware. Heres the symptoms.

I spilled tea on it a few months ago. Wouldn't work at all for a month. Started working fine for a month until I held down the power button to force shutdown then it stopped working for a few days. What happens is I hit the power button and it appears to start up normally for 3 seconds then just shuts down.

The latest incident it actually shutdown while I was using it. The linux shutdown menu came up then it just shutdown instantly. The power cord LED was still on. If I was to guess I'd say its a short circuit somewhere around the power button. I should also add that I only have to touch the area around the power button for it to turn on. Thats not meant to happen.

 

[Celegorm]

Odds are yes, it's the motherboard. That or a stick of ram, or both RAM and motherboard.

USUALLY, the $50 up front goes to repairs. Every place I know that does that uses it as an insureance that they'll get paid for diagnostic and you won't just hear what it'll take to fix and leave it there. That said, only they can give you a real answer to that one.

Oh, how old is the laptop and how much was it worth when you bought it?

 

[MrSparkle]

Its a year old HP Pavilion dv9000. Got it for $2000 but I've seen second hand ones going for $500 nowadays.

 

[Celegorm]

if it was that expensive then I'd get it repaired if it costs less than $1000. Expect to pay at least $300 for a new motherboard though. HP does not sell those cheap.

 

[MrSparkle]

If its $500+ would I not be better off salvaging the parts and buying a new laptop? I could even buy the same model second hand.

 

[Celegorm]

Eh, that's a matter of opinion. Personally I don't like second had stuff just because you never know what it's been through. If you don't mind it then it's an option.

 

[MrSparkle]

Job done. They said they had to repair the motherboard. They're charging me $200 altogether. Not that bad I suppose.