01
Remote and IR receiver faults
The cheapest call you will make to us all year. Frequently it is batteries, corrosion in the battery compartment, or a lost Bluetooth pairing that takes minutes to restore.
Home/TV repair cost guide
TV repair cost guide
What a TV repair actually costs in South Africa
An honest guide, written by the people doing the work. Including the faults that are cheap to fix, the ones that are not, and the point at which we will tell you to buy a new television instead.
Fixed price upfront
No obligation
Honest verdicts
Why we will not give you a number over the phone
We want to be upfront about this, because it is the first thing people ask and it can sound evasive. We can very often tell you the likely cause of a fault from a good description, and we will happily give you a broad range. What we will not do is commit to a firm price for a fault nobody has measured.
The reason is not commercial caution. It is that a phone diagnosis is a guess, and quoting on a guess is precisely how people get misled — given a comfortable number on the phone and then told a different story once the technician has the back off. We would rather be honest about the uncertainty than manage you into a booking.
What we can do is tell you which faults are cheap, which are expensive, and where the line falls between repairing and replacing. That is what this page is for.
The rule of thumb we actually use
If a repair costs less than roughly a third of what a comparable replacement television would cost, repairing is almost always the better value — you keep a panel you already own, and you spend a fraction of the money.
Between a third and a half, it becomes a judgement call that depends on the age of the set, the quality of the panel and how much life it has left. Above half, we will generally tell you to replace it, and we will not take the job. That sentence costs us money regularly. We say it anyway.
The faults
What actually breaks, ranked by what it costs
From the cheapest repair in the trade to the one we refuse to do.
02
Power supply board repairs
Our most common job. Component-level repair — replacing the failed capacitors and switching components — is considerably cheaper than replacing the whole board, and we do it wherever we can.
03
Backlight strip replacement
The other very common fault. Cost rises with screen size, because a bigger screen simply has more strips in it. Still a small fraction of a new television.
04
HDMI port repairs
Individual port replacement at board level. Far cheaper than replacing the mainboard, which is what a less capable repairer will quote you.
05
Software, firmware and connectivity
Boot loops, frozen menus, apps that will not load. There is no parts cost at all — you are paying for time and skill. It is often the best-value repair there is.
06
Mainboard repairs
More variable. Component-level repair is far cheaper than board replacement, but a genuinely destroyed board on a premium set can be substantial. We will always tell you which situation you are in.
A note on ranges. We have deliberately not published a price list, because a price list that is wrong is worse than none at all. Costs move with the brand, the screen size, the specific board, parts availability and whether the fault can be repaired at component level or needs a whole assembly. What we can promise is a fixed written price after diagnosis, before any work begins — and no charge for deciding against it.
Good value
The repairs that are almost always worth doing
If your fault is on this list, the arithmetic is not close.
TV will not turn onPower supply board. Cheap, common, and the panel is untouched
Sound but no pictureBacklight. The expensive part of the TV is fine
Dead HDMI portPort-level repair. No need for a new mainboard
Boot loops and frozen menusFirmware recovery. No parts cost at all
Wi-Fi and app problemsUsually software or network. Often the cheapest fix there is
No soundFrequently a settings fix, and sometimes free
Poor value
The repairs we will talk you out of
Honesty costs us work here. We would rather keep the customer.
A cracked or shattered panelWe do not do this. A replacement panel costs more than a new TV
OLED burn-inPermanent, and not repairable by anyone. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise
A mainboard on a small, cheap, old setThe repair approaches the value of the television
Multiple simultaneous board failuresUsually a sign the set has reached the end
Water or lightning damage across several boardsSometimes economically hopeless. We will say so
Anything above half the replacement costAt that point, buy a new television. We mean it
FAQ
TV repair cost guide — your questions
Straight answers to what people ask us most.
Not sure what is wrong?
WhatsApp us the make, the screen size and a short video of what the TV is doing. We can usually narrow the fault down before a technician is even dispatched.
WhatsApp 063 866 0971How much does it cost to repair a TV in South Africa?
It depends entirely on what has failed. The most common faults — a power supply board and a failed LED backlight — sit at the more affordable end, and both cost a small fraction of replacing the television. Mainboard repairs cost more. Panel damage cannot be economically repaired at all. We diagnose first and give you a fixed price before any work starts.
Is it cheaper to repair or replace a TV?
As a rule of thumb, if the repair costs less than roughly a third of a comparable replacement, repairing is clearly the better value — and the two most common faults comfortably meet that test. Above about half the replacement cost, the argument weakens considerably, and we will tell you so.
Do you charge a callout or diagnostic fee?
Yes. Finding the real fault is skilled work and it takes time, so the diagnostic assessment is charged for. If you proceed with the repair, that fee is taken into account in the final price. You will always know the assessment fee before we come out — there are no surprises.
Why can you not quote me over the phone?
We can often tell you the likely cause and a rough range, and we are happy to. What we will not do is give you a firm price for a fault we have not measured, because that is precisely how people get misled — quoted low on the phone, then told a different story once the back is off.
Does the size of the TV affect the repair cost?
Yes, particularly for backlight repairs, where a larger screen simply contains more LED strips. Power supply and mainboard repairs are less affected by size and more affected by the specific board and the parts required.
What is the most expensive TV repair?
Panel replacement — which is exactly why we do not offer it. Beyond that, mainboard replacement on a premium set can be substantial, particularly where the board must be imported. This is precisely why we repair boards at component level wherever we can.
Will you tell me if the repair is not worth it?
Yes, and we do it regularly. If the cost of putting your television right approaches the cost of replacing it, we will say so plainly and we will not take the job.
Book a TV technician
Get a real number, not a guess
Describe the fault and we will tell you honestly what it is likely to be and roughly what range you are in — before anyone commits to anything.
Fixed prices, agreed before any work begins
Contact
Speak to a TV technician, not a call centre
- Call us
- 0861 995 085Open 24 hours · 7 days a week
- 063 866 0971Send a short video of the fault — it speeds everything up.
- Where we work
- Johannesburg, Pretoria, Sandton, Centurion, Midrand, the East Rand and the West RandSee every area we cover →