how much do mobo replacements usually cost?

So I spilled coffee on my Fujitsu N6210 and now, the battery doesn't charge. I'm being told that the spill got all over the place, trying to clean it with rubbing (?) alcohol produced no results, and the only way to fix is to replace the motherboard. And it costs $550.

I called Fujitsu directly, and they charge $555. This to me suggests that it's a reasonable price... But it's more than a quarter of the laptop's original cost! A third if I got a lower end version. So I was wondering, is that price normal? Thanks...

Malia

 

I think you are experiencing everyone's worst nightmare....lucky though if all you need to do is replace your mobo, instead of buying a new one. Calling Fujitsu directly would always seem like the most expensive route but a sure bet it is the correct part. You could always try eBay for spare computer parts. I purchased an inverter for my Toshiba pretty cheap.

 

the motherboard is probably the most expensive part of a laptop. depending on the notebook, it will probably start around $400ish. considering that it is difficult to remove the motherboard from the chassis, i'm assuming that part of the price is service and labor as well.

 

If they cost $400, then $550 is reasonable. I'll gladly pay someone $150 to open this thing up and put it in, since I've no idea what to do so I'd probably mess it up. And I think it includes shipping it back to me, which is almost $25. I actually tried to open it to try to clean the coffee creamer off of it and couldn't because 2 of the screws were stripped - but they managed to get it open, so it seems like they know what's up... They cleaned it and it did nothing, so at least the stripped screws didn't cost me anything. And I lost one, so I'll also get one free screw...

Everyone's worst nightmare is right. It's close to a third of the whole laptop's original cost, and once I replace it, there's no guarantee I won't spill something again 'cause I'm always drinking either coffee or water. However, this was the only spill in almost a year of ownership, so there's hope - and now I know better that sit there and stare at it in shock as it remains on... Unplug and remove battery, then put upside-down on a towel and leave it until the next day. $550 lesson right there. I wonder why they don't put in a thin plastic layer to shield the keyboard area from the insides of the laptop to protect it against people like me...

Malia