MacBooks are tightly engineered — that’s great for performance, less great for cooling once dust accumulates. Apple’s thermal paste loses conductivity around year 3, fans clog with lint, and macOS slowly fills with cruft. The result: hot lap, loud fan, halved battery life and the “feels old” verdict.

The deep service is a proper refresh. Strip down, clean cooling system, fresh premium thermal compound, battery health audit, trackpad and keyboard service, macOS clean-up. Most MacBooks come back 5–15°C cooler under load, dramatically quieter, and noticeably snappier.

Why Hark Tech

MacBook-aware tooling

Pentalobes, tri-points, shielding adhesive, and the right thermal pads for M-series — we have all of it. No risk of stripped screws or torn ribbon cables.

Premium thermal paste, not the cheap stuff

Arctic MX-6 or Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut as standard. Lasts the rest of the MacBook’s life.

Clear postage terms

You arrange secure inbound postage. Tracked UK return postage is included in the flat price.

What we do, step by step

What’s included in £65

How it works, in detail

  1. Book online. Fill in the booking form on the main service page and pay the £15 deposit by card. Takes about a minute.
  2. Post it to us. Pack the MacBook securely and use your preferred tracked carrier. You arrange and pay for inbound postage.
  3. Pack it sensibly. Wrap the laptop in bubble wrap or a padded sleeve. Box it with 3–5 cm of padding on every side. We photograph condition on arrival.
  4. We do the work. Strip-down, clean, re-paste, software pass, before/after temperature test. Usually 2–3 working days from arrival.
  5. Pay the £50 balance. We email a Stripe invoice for the £65 service fee minus your £15 deposit. Pay by card from any device.
  6. It comes back tracked. Once the balance and return-postage charge clear, your MacBook ships back via tracked courier in secure packaging.

Pricing breakdown

Same £65 regardless of make or model. Premium thermal paste, written report and 30-day workmanship guarantee included.

Deposit policy: The £15 reserves workshop time and is credited against the £65 service fee. If the machine has a fault outside the service scope, we contact you before any extra work or cost. The current booking terms apply to cancellations and refunds.

If we find another fault: We email you with photos and an honest opinion before doing anything chargeable. You decide whether to add it on (at our normal repair rates) or just have the laptop returned after the clean.

Full FAQ

What’s actually included in the £65?

Full strip-down, premium thermal paste, battery audit, trackpad/keyboard service, and macOS optimisation. Postage and any approved replacement parts are charged separately.

How does the £15 deposit work?

It confirms your booking and is credited against the £65 service fee. You arrange inbound postage. Once finished, we invoice the remaining £50; tracked UK return postage is included.

Is the deposit refundable?

The £15 reserves workshop time and is handled under the current booking terms. If the machine has a fault outside the service scope, we contact you before any extra work or cost.

Will my data be safe?

Yes. We don’t touch the SSD. macOS, files, apps, settings, browser data are all unaffected. We always recommend a Time Machine backup before posting any MacBook in for repair.

How long does it take?

2–3 working days from arrival. With Royal Mail Tracked 48 both ways, usually a week start to finish.

Will the battery be replaced?

Not as part of the £65 service — we audit it and tell you if it needs replacing. Battery replacement is a separate quote (typically £85–£120 depending on model). If you want it done in the same visit, mention it in the booking notes and we’ll quote when we open it up.

What if you find something else wrong?

We email you with photos and an honest opinion before doing anything chargeable. Swollen battery, flexgate, failing logic board components — you decide whether to quote it or just return after the clean.

Related services

Ready to book your laptop in?

£65 service fee. £15 to book, with postage charged separately.