The Real Cost of Water Damage Repair in Melrose
Water damage assessment starts at R599 at our Hyde Park location, and that gets you a proper diagnosis. Too many people assume their device is dead after water exposure, but the actual cost of repair depends entirely on what the water touched and how quickly you brought it in.
Simple jobs—where water only reached the outer casing and we cleaned the ports—might run R800 to R1,500. But if water reached the logic board of a MacBook Pro, or corrosion has started eating away at component traces, you're looking at R2,500 to R6,500 depending on the model. iPhone logic board repairs typically fall between R3,200 and R5,000 after water damage, and iPad repairs can push R4,000 to R7,500.
What matters most is *speed*. The longer a wet device sits before repair, the more corrosion spreads through the circuits. We recommend you power the device off immediately—don't try to turn it back on—and bring it to us or another qualified technician within 24 to 48 hours. Every hour water sits on a logic board causes more oxidation.
How Our Workshop Handles Water-Damaged Devices
We've repaired over 18,000 water-damaged devices in Johannesburg over the past five years. Here's exactly what we do when your device arrives at our Hyde Park workshop.
First, we take apart the device completely. For a MacBook, that means removing the logic board, battery, display, trackpad—everything. We photograph the damage and send those images to you as part of our assessment report. This isn't about creating drama; it's about transparency. You get to see exactly what the water touched.
Next, we clean the logic board using isopropyl alcohol and a soft brush. Tap water, coffee, or worst case—pool water—leaves mineral deposits and corrosion that will kill components if we don't remove it. We use an ultrasonic cleaner for fine-pitch components where a brush can't reach safely. This process usually takes 2 to 4 hours depending on how much damage is visible.
Then we let the board dry completely under controlled conditions—usually overnight in our workshop. Rushing this step causes more problems than it solves. Once dry, we test every major component: power circuits, charging logic, memory, storage, and USB controllers. If any component is damaged beyond repair, we source and solder in a replacement part.
For liquid damage beyond logic board repair, we can often replace individual components rather than the entire board—which saves you money and turnaround time. See our liquid damage repair service for more detail on what we can replace.
The entire process typically takes 3 to 5 business days, though urgent jobs can sometimes be ready within 48 hours if the damage is straightforward.
Water Damage Repair Turnaround Times
Melrose is just a short drive from our Hyde Park workshop, and we don't have a queue system that wastes your time. Drop your device off, and we'll call you with an assessment within 24 hours.
Simple repairs—battery replacement, charging port cleaning, speaker replacement—turn around in 1 to 2 business days. These are jobs where water didn't reach sensitive electronics, just caused minor corrosion to connectors.
Moderate repairs involving partial logic board restoration usually take 3 to 5 days. We're sourcing replacement capacitors or resistors, testing circuits, and making sure everything is stable before we hand the device back to you.
Complex repairs—full logic board replacement or multiple component failures—can take 5 to 10 business days. But if that's the case, we'll give you a detailed explanation of what went wrong and why, and we'll quote you upfront.
If you're in Melrose and you need your device back fast, bring it in early in the week. We prioritise jobs that come in Monday through Wednesday, and if it's straightforward, you might have it back by Friday.
Why You Shouldn't Wait to Get Water Damage Fixed
Corrosion is a living process. Every day you leave a wet device unpowered, oxidation spreads deeper into the circuits. A repair that costs R1,500 today might cost R4,000 in two weeks because by then, corrosion has reached secondary components.
We've also seen devices that seemed fine for a week, then suddenly stopped charging or developed keyboard faults because water had reached the keyboard controller and the damage went unnoticed. Logic board repair is what you need if secondary damage has started, and that's much more expensive than catching the damage early.
If your device got wet:
— Power it off immediately. Do not try to charge it or turn it back on.
— Don't use a hairdryer or expose it to direct heat. This can push water deeper into the device.
— Bring it to us or another qualified technician within 24 to 48 hours.
— Be honest about what liquid it was exposed to. Coffee, salt water, and pool chemicals require different cleaning processes.
Warranty and Long-Term Protection
We back our water damage repairs with either a 12-month parts warranty or a 3-year warranty on logic board replacements. That means if a component we repaired or replaced fails within that period due to manufacturing defect or our workmanship, you get it fixed at no cost.
We don't warrant normal wear, accidental damage *after* your repair, or exposure to liquids not present during the original repair. But if you bring in a water-damaged MacBook, we repair it properly, and the same water damage reappears six months later—that's on us.
Load shedding has caused a spike in water damage repairs across Johannesburg. When mains power drops, backup systems kick in, sometimes flooding basements or causing pressure surges in water pipes. If you've had water ingress due to load shedding, document the incident and bring your device in. Many insurance policies cover this, and we can provide repair reports for claims.
Getting Your Device Assessed in Melrose
You don't need an appointment for an initial assessment. Walk into our Hyde Park workshop with your water-damaged device, and we'll plug it in, run diagnostics, and tell you what it'll cost and how long it'll take—all within the first hour.
Book online at zasupport.com/book if you'd prefer to schedule a specific time. WhatsApp us on 064 529 5863 if you want to ask questions before you come in.
Water damage is fixable in most cases. Bring your device in, and let's get it working again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is water damage covered by Apple's warranty?
Apple's limited warranty explicitly excludes liquid damage. If your device sustained water damage within the first year, Apple will recommend you either pay for out-of-warranty repair at their service centres or use an independent technician like us. We can often repair water damage at a lower cost than Apple because we replace individual components rather than entire logic boards.
Q: How do I know if my device is actually water damaged or just needs a restart?
The most reliable test is to power off the device and look at the liquid contact indicator (LCI) inside the charging port or SIM tray. If it's white or silver, no liquid has reached that sensor. If it's red or pink, water definitely made contact with internal components. Beyond that, bring the device to us for an R599 assessment. We'll tell you immediately if water is the problem.
Q: Can I repair water damage myself with rice or silica gel?
No. Rice absorbs moisture from the air, not from inside circuits. It often causes more harm by trapping moisture against components. Silica gel is slightly better, but without opening the device, disassembling the logic board, and cleaning individual components with isopropyl alcohol, the damage will keep spreading. DIY methods delay the real fix and increase the final cost.
Q: What if my device was water damaged months ago but still works?
It might still work, but corrosion is continuing to spread inside. A device that seems fine now might suddenly fail to charge, develop keyboard faults, or lose battery capacity in weeks or months. Bring it in for an assessment. An R599 diagnostic now could save you R3,000 in emergency repairs later.
Q: How quickly do I need to bring my device to you after water damage?
Within 24 to 48 hours is ideal. Every hour water sits on a logic board, more corrosion spreads. If you can reach us within a few hours of the incident, even better. Power the device off immediately and don't attempt to charge it or turn it back on while you're getting it to us.
Q: Do you repair water-damaged iPhones in Melrose, or just MacBooks?
We repair water-damaged iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and MacBooks. In fact, over 40% of our water damage repairs are on iPhones and iPads. We have in-stock components for current-generation models, so turnaround is usually 3 to 5 days for iPhone water damage repair.
