Question 1

How quickly should I bring my MacBook in after a spill?

Accepted Answer

Immediately, within hours if possible. Corrosion on a wet logic board begins within minutes and spreads progressively. Switch the device off, do not attempt to charge it, do not turn it on to "check", and bring it to our Hyde Park workshop the same day. We have seen MacBooks recovered fully when brought in within hours, and the same machine declared uneconomic to repair when brought in three weeks later because the owner kept trying to charge it.

Question 2

Does rice work for a wet MacBook or iPhone?

Accepted Answer

No. Rice absorbs ambient humidity from the air, it does not draw liquid out of a sealed logic board. While the device sits in a bag of rice, mineral salts from the original spill are corroding copper traces and chip pads beneath the surface-mount components. By the time the device "feels dry", the damage is already done. The single most important step is professional ultrasonic cleaning to physically remove the conductive residue before it eats through traces.

Question 3

How much does MacBook liquid damage repair cost in Johannesburg?

Accepted Answer

MacBook Air liquid damage repair starts from R1,500, MacBook Pro 13″ from R2,500, and MacBook Pro 14″/16″ from R3,500 at our Hyde Park workshop. The exact price depends on which components were damaged, a simple board clean is at the lower end, while replacing a damaged power-management IC or USB-C controller adds component cost. We provide a written fixed-price quote after the assessment (from R599) and no work begins without your approval.

Question 4

How is component-level repair different from a logic-board swap?

Accepted Answer

A board swap replaces the entire logic board with a new or refurbished unit, typically R12,000 to R30,000 from the Apple Store, and on an Apple Silicon Mac you also lose your soldered SSD (and therefore all your data) plus your Touch ID pairing. Component-level repair identifies the specific failed chip or component on your existing board and replaces only that component under microscope. You keep your original board, your data, your Touch ID. We use component-level repair on roughly 90% of the liquid damage Macs that come into the workshop. Board replacement is a last resort.

Question 5

What does the ultrasonic cleaning process involve?

Accepted Answer

The logic board is removed from the chassis and submerged in a temperature-controlled ultrasonic tank filled with 99.9% isopropyl alcohol. High-frequency vibration causes the liquid to cavitate against every surface of the board, including underneath surface-mount chips, BGA solder balls, EMI shielding cans and connector pins that hand-cleaning cannot reach. The cycle runs at 40-60°C for 15-25 minutes. The board is then dried under heated air and inspected at 45× magnification before any further repair work begins.

Question 6

My MacBook got wet but still works, should I bring it in anyway?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Liquid damage is progressive. We see this every week in the workshop, a customer spilled coffee or wine on the MacBook two months ago, dried it off, and it kept working "fine" until one day it suddenly stopped charging, or the keyboard developed dead keys, or the Wi-Fi card failed. The corrosion was developing invisibly the entire time. Early intervention, ultrasonic cleaning while the board is still functional, is dramatically cheaper and far more successful than waiting for the failure cascade.

Question 7

What types of liquid cause the worst damage?

Accepted Answer

Sugary drinks (Coke, juice, energy drinks) and salt water are the most aggressive. They leave conductive residue that bridges adjacent chip pads and keeps causing short circuits long after the visible liquid has dried. Coffee is next, it is mildly acidic and leaves sticky residue. Pure water and tea are the gentlest, but still introduce moisture that triggers oxidation on copper traces over weeks. Sea water on iPhones is particularly destructive because chloride ions migrate through the case seals. Whatever the liquid, the cleaning protocol is the same, get it on the bench before the residue can react with the metals.

Question 8

Will my data be safe during liquid damage repair?

Accepted Answer

Yes, your storage stays with your device throughout the entire repair. On Intel MacBooks the SSD is a removable module that we leave in place. On Apple Silicon MacBooks the SSD is soldered to the logic board, and component-level repair preserves it. We do not reformat, reinstall macOS, or touch your data at any point unless you specifically request it. If we determine the SSD itself is damaged, we discuss recovery options with you before any further work.

Question 9

Does liquid damage repair come with a warranty?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every liquid damage repair carries a written 12-month warranty on the components we repaired or replaced and on our workmanship. If the same fault returns within 12 months, we repair it again at no labour cost. The warranty does not cover further liquid exposure, drops, or unrelated faults, but it does cover the specific work we performed. The warranty document is handed to you at collection.

Question 10

Do you do liquid damage repair on iPhones and iPads?

Accepted Answer

Yes. iPhone liquid damage starts from R1,200 and iPad from R1,800. The process is similar, open the device, remove the logic board, ultrasonic clean, identify and replace failed components, full functional test. iPhone repairs typically complete in 24-72 hours, iPad in 3-5 days. We handle all iPhone models from iPhone 8 through iPhone 16 Pro Max, and all current iPads including the M4 iPad Pro.

Device	From	Turnaround	Warranty
MacBook Air liquid damage	R1,500	3-5 days	12 months
MacBook Pro 13″ liquid damageMost Common	R2,500	3-5 days	12 months
MacBook Pro 14″ / 16″ liquid damage	R3,500	5-7 days	12 months
iMac liquid damage	R2,800	5-7 days	12 months
iPhone liquid damage	R1,200	24-72 hours	12 months
iPad liquid damage	R1,800	3-5 days	12 months

MacBook Liquid DamageRepair Johannesburg

What Happens Inside Your MacBook After a Spill

The First Few Minutes

The Hours and Days After

Our 6-Step Liquid Damage Repair Process

Same-Day Diagnosis

Full Disassembly

Ultrasonic Cleaning

Component-Level Repair

Bench Testing

Reassembly + 12-Month Warranty

Why We Repair at Component Level, Not Board Swap

Microscope Component Repair

Component-Level: Not Board-Swap

Bench Power Diagnostics

12-Month Workmanship Warranty

Liquid Damage Repair Pricing

Why Johannesburg Trusts ZA Support With Liquid Damage

17 Years In One Workshop

Component-Level Specialists

Workshop-Only: No Off-Site Shipping

Written 12-Month Warranty

Transparent Fixed-Price Quotes

Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 (2019)

Liquid Damage Repair by Device

MacBook Pro liquid damage

MacBook Air liquid damage

iPhone liquid damage

iPad liquid damage

Apple Watch liquid damage

iMac liquid damage

Related Apple Repair Services

Logic Board Repair

Battery Replacement

Screen Repair

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