Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Honest answers to the things people actually ask — about genuine Apple parts, Apple's warranty policy, what we fix, what we don't, and how to avoid a wasted trip.
Get in touch first. I don't stock every part — especially the more expensive genuine Apple screens and some less common iPad parts — so it's worth a quick message or call with your exact model before you drive over.
If I've got the part in, most screen repairs are done while you wait in 15–20 minutes. If I haven't, parts usually arrive next-day from morning delivery, so we can book you in for the day after. That one 30-second check saves you a wasted trip.
Yes — genuine Apple parts are available on request. Once installed, iOS confirms the repair with a green tick and the message "This is a genuine Apple part" in Settings → General → About.
Genuine Apple screens cost more than aftermarket options — we price both tiers openly on the pricing page so you can decide which is worth it for your device and your budget.
LCD copies are the budget option. Functional, bright enough, but colours are slightly duller and black levels weaker than the original OLED. Fine for a backup phone or a tight budget.
Premium soft OLED uses the same display technology as the original. Colours and black levels are much closer to factory. This is our most popular choice — big visual jump over LCD, significantly cheaper than genuine.
Genuine Apple is the real thing — identical to factory, iOS-verified as authentic, the most expensive of the three. Indistinguishable from the screen your phone left Apple's factory with, because it is.
One thing to know: Apple only sells new genuine screens for iPhone 12 and newer. For iPhone 8 through 11 Pro Max your choice is LCD copy or premium OLED — genuine new screens aren't available from Apple for those models. If you specifically need genuine on an older iPhone we can sometimes source one used from a donor handset — ask us when you book.
Most shops won't tell you which tier they're fitting. We always do.
Apple builds identification chips into their parts. When any non-genuine screen is fitted — LCD copy or aftermarket OLED — iOS shows a warning in Settings that the part cannot be verified as genuine.
It does not stop the phone working. Touch, display, True Tone, brightness, Face ID — everything functions normally. The warning is informational only.
If you want the warning gone, fit a genuine Apple screen. That's one of our three tiers.
Yes. Apple treats iPads as sealed units and will almost always push you to buy a replacement rather than repair. We actually repair them — screens, batteries, charging ports, board-level charging issues.
If Apple turned you away, send us a message and describe the problem. If it's something we do, we'll quote it. If it isn't, we'll say so honestly.
Two reasons: low-grade adhesive, and skipping the surface prep step. After a few months of daily use the screen lifts at the edges, then slowly comes away.
We use Tesa tape — the same industrial-grade adhesive Apple uses internally — combined with 3M primer to prepare the bonding surface so the new tape actually keys in. Our iPad screens stay put. More on the lift-proof technique →
The workshop is at 178 Gravel Lane, Banks, Southport PR9 8BX. Typical driving times:
- Tarleton — 5 minutes
- Southport centre — 10 minutes
- Formby — 15 minutes
- Ormskirk — 20 minutes
- Burscough — 20 minutes
- Preston / Liverpool fringe — 30 minutes
Plenty of customers drive over from all of these and beyond, wait in the car while the repair is done, and drive home. It's what the wait-in-car service is designed around.
Not on iPhone 12 and newer. Those boards use two-layer sandwich construction that requires specialist micro-soldering equipment and many hours of bench time per job. It's not the kind of work that's economical for a general repair shop — I refer those out to Level 3 specialist technicians who do it full-time.
What I do cover at component level: screens, batteries, charging ports, back glass, housing, Face ID modules — basically 95% of iPhone repair requests. I also do board-level work on iPads, where the economics and construction are different.
If you have a board-level iPhone 12+ problem, get in touch anyway — I'll tell you honestly whether it's worth repairing and can point you to someone who'll do it properly.
Our Banks workshop is open Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 7pm, and Saturday & Sunday, 3pm to 7pm.
For wait-in-car service we always recommend dropping us a message or calling first with your exact iPhone or iPad model — that way we can confirm the parts are in stock and book you a proper slot.
No fix, no fee. If we can't complete the repair, you pay nothing. You only pay for a repair that's worked.
Apple's standard warranty on a new device is one year. After that the device is out of warranty regardless of who touches it, so independent repair can't void something that's already expired.
If your device is still inside that first year, an independent repair will affect Apple's future support for the repaired area. Most customers we see are well past the one-year mark and have nothing to lose.
If you're unsure, ask us before you book — we'll tell you honestly whether Apple would still cover the fault under warranty, so you can make an informed call.