Cost to Repair a Water-Damaged Laptop

Last Updated on June 15, 2022
Written by CPA Alec Pow | Content Reviewed by CFA Alexander Popinker

Unfortunately, accidents happen and there are some moments of inattention when tea, coffee, or water gets spilled on the laptop. When this happens, it is bad, but it is not always bad enough to cause total damage to your laptop.

Once you've poured something onto your laptop, the first thing you need to do is turn it off and remove the battery. After that, check if the warranty offers you repair in case of accidents. If so, don't try to fix it yourself and get it to the repair shop.

How much does it cost to repair a water-damaged laptop?

Most of the time, you should not spend more than $110 (≈7.3 hours that you sacrifice at a $15/hour job) for repairing a water-damaged laptop, while for the cheapest repairs you will have to pay anywhere between $40 and $50 (≈3.3 hours of labor required at $15/hour).

This means that usually, you should expect to spend anywhere between $40 and $110 (≈7.3 hours that you sacrifice at a $15/hour job) for repairing a water-damaged laptop, depending on the severity of the damage. Be prepared to spend the highest possible amount of money if the motherboard of the laptop is damaged somehow. On the other hand, it will cost you the least amount possible to fix some functional deterioration on the chipset or keyboard.

You might also like our articles on the cost of a laptop, laptop screen replacement, or laptop hinge repair.

The overall repair cost will be greatly influenced by the brand of laptop. For instance, you will have to pay more than $160 (≈1.3 days of non-stop labor at a $15/hour salary) if you need to repair the motherboard of a MAC.

In the table below you will find the average repairing costs of a water-damaged laptop for some of the most popular brands.

MAC/Apple laptop water damage repair cost

Not only the price of a new MAC or Apple laptop is higher than other brands of computers, but the repairing costs are also more expensive. You will have to pay $75 to $90 (≈6 hours of your life traded for $15/hour) even for slight damage on the keyboard of your Apple laptop or MAC.

Expect to spend $160 to $220 (≈1.8 days working for this purchase at $15/hour) if the motherboard of your Apple laptop or MAC is somehow damaged and needs to be repaired.

Dell laptop water damage repair cost

In case your Dell laptop is water-damaged you will have to spend anywhere between $35 and $110 (≈7.3 hours that you sacrifice at a $15/hour job) to repair it.

The cost of the motherboard would be almost $105 (≈7 hours to sacrifice at work earning $15/hour), while for a water-damaged keyboard with a backlit you will have to pay anywhere between $35 and $60 (≈4 hours to sacrifice at work earning $15/hour) to repair it.

Lenovo laptop water damage repairing cost

Compared to the Apple laptop repairing costs, for a Lenovo, you will have to spend considerably less. For instance, you will be able to fix the keyboard of a Lenovo laptop that is damaged because of spilled water for only around $55 (≈3.7 hours of uninterrupted labor at $15/hour).

In case the motherboard is damaged, you will have to spend anywhere between $65 (≈4.3 hours that you sacrifice at a $15/hour job) and $140 (≈1.2 days of labor continuously at a $15/hour wage).

However, the average cost to fix a water-damaged Lenovo laptop would be approximately $110 (≈7.3 hours that you sacrifice at a $15/hour job).

ASUS laptop water damage repair cost

Depending on whether your ASUS laptop has a backlit keyboard or not, it will cost anywhere between $35 and $60 (≈4 hours to sacrifice at work earning $15/hour) to repair the water-damaged keyboard.

In case the motherboard of an ASUS laptop is water-damaged, you will need to get anywhere between $65 and $110 (≈7.3 hours that you sacrifice at a $15/hour job) out of your pocket to fix it.

The overall cost of repairing a water-damaged ASUS laptop would be anywhere between $35 and $110 (≈7.3 hours that you sacrifice at a $15/hour job).

HP laptop water damage repair cost

In general, HP laptops come with a more sensitive motherboard and any contact with water will make them vulnerable to losing their functionalities. As with any other laptops, any contact with water will generate a short circuit and so the motherboard and other accessories will get damaged.

If the keyboard of your water-damaged laptop has a backlit, you will have to pay around $55 (≈3.7 hours of uninterrupted labor at $15/hour) to repair it, while for a keyboard without any backlit you will not have to spend more than $45 (≈3 hours of continuous work at a $15/hour job).

On the other hand, you will need to pay around $130 (≈1.1 days of your career at $15/hour) to repair a motherboard that was damaged through a short circuit. The least possible amount of money to fix a water-damaged chipset or motherboard would be anywhere between $75 and $85 (≈5.7 hours of your life traded for $15/hour).

So, the overall cost to repair a water-damaged HP laptop would start at around $45 (≈3 hours of continuous work at a $15/hour job) and go up to $130 (≈1.1 days of your career at $15/hour).

Conclusion

Accidentally leaking water onto your laptop can be one of the most daunting experiences. The best solution in this regard, however, is to keep liquids as far away from the laptop as possible and if accidents still happen, you will have to move quickly and call a laptop repair shop to make sure that your laptop is repairable.