ABOUT US
notebooknerds is a Germany-wide laptop repair center based in Dortmund. Since 2015, we’ve been performing repairs at the component level: We replace the defective component on the motherboard, not the entire board.
MacBook Specialists
No repair, no charge
Featured in
Mac & i 5/2021
WHO WE ARE
Most repair shops follow the “replace-the-entire-assembly” approach: If something on the motherboard is defective, the entire board is replaced. This is quick, convenient for the shop, and expensive for you. Often, the price exceeds the device’s residual value, and then the conclusion is: It’s no longer worth it.
We take a different approach. We test the board thoroughly, identify the defective component, and replace only that specific part— a single chip instead of an entire logic board. When it comes to the ultimate challenge—water damage—we’re able to save the device in about 90% of cases, and usually the data as well.
This requires a microscope, a precision soldering iron, a lot of experience, and time. That’s exactly why so few others do it.
Since 2015, we’ve rescued over 15,000 MacBooks this way. That’s more than 10 years’ worth of accumulated repair solutions. When we open up your device, there’s a high probability we’ve already seen that exact defect dozens of times.
WHAT WE STAND FOR
We are part of the Right-to-Repair movement. For us, this isn’t just a marketing slogan—it’s the very reason we exist.
You’ll receive a fixed price before we get started. Nothing happens without your approval, and you won’t pay anything unless we perform the repair.
Figuring out what’s broken shouldn’t be a business model. Troubleshooting is free with us.
Every repair comes with our warranty. We stand behind our work.
We don’t keep what we discover to ourselves. We share the tools we develop with other workshops.
If you can’t afford our tools, please contact us. We’ll find a solution. We mean that literally.
No call center, no ticket system. You talk directly to the people who actually repair your device.
CAREER HISTORY
In November, industrial engineer Stephan Steins founded notebooknerds in Dortmund. His goal is to repair MacBooks at the component level rather than replacing subassemblies.
Word has spread about the quality of our work, so we now also perform repairs in larger quantities for other repair service providers and refurbishers.
The Apple trade magazine published by heise-Verlag features the workshop in its Issue 5/2021.
Apple allows only authorized partners to calibrate the display tilt sensor. Stephan Steins has recreated the process, making it accessible to all independent repair shops. AppleInsider, Hackaday, 404 Media, and Forbes are reporting on this.
At Germany’s first trade show for the repair industry in Cologne, Stephan Steins will discuss how repair shops can build their own tools.
Since macOS Tahoe, nerd.tool.1 is no longer needed. We’ve achieved our goal. We’re working on the next solutions for independent repair shops and repair laptops every day.
PRESS & PERFORMANCES
THE FOUNDER AND THE CORE TEAM
We work with people, not ticket numbers. Here you can see who will be handling your MacBook.
Stephan is an industrial engineer. Before founding notebooknerds, he helped develop new products as an innovation engineer at Insta and built up the company’s entire IT infrastructure as Head of IT at ATL-Autotechnik.
This combination explains why we create things that wouldn’t exist otherwise. When Apple restricted access to the display tilt sensor calibration procedure to authorized partners, he didn’t complain—instead, he reverse-engineered the process and made the results available to all independent repair shops.
Louis Rossmann, the most prominent voice in the international repair community, invited him to the U.S. to speak on his YouTube channel. In 2024, Stephan spoke at MORECON in Cologne about how repair shops can develop their own tools.
Tobias has been with notebooknerds since the very beginning and, as a technician, handles every technical challenge. With his expertise, he finds the right solution even for the trickiest cases. He also manages our online store.
Christian is responsible for our strategic direction and ensuring that IT operations run smoothly behind the scenes. Our team can only fully focus on repairs when, among other things, documentation, customer communication, and quality assurance are functioning reliably. He keeps the processes running smoothly, thereby laying the groundwork for everything to run smoothly in our day-to-day operations.
