Earlier quoted context omitted.
Another reason the Air is a good choice for most people is that it doesn't have a fan. I've cleaned quite a bit of dust/lint/etc. out of various laptops. Without a fan, that's much less likely to be an issue. In one recent case, a family member was about to buy an entire new laptop because their old one was feeling very sluggish. I checked it out and realized that the fan had completely died and the system was consta…
How do you know this stuff? My old 2014 MacBook Pro has the battery swelling up. I can’t afford more than a few hundred to fix everything. It’s a 2nd comp I use for a remote coworking Zoom session all day. I could have the same problems. I’ve never cleaned the laptop either..heh. I am a programmer so I am not afraid of hardware.
Running the battery down to below 30% might also be a good idea, but only after it's somewhere fireproof.
Edit: here's some more info: https://www.reddit.com/r/spicypillows/comments/gebotv/faq_wh...
To answer your question, though, I've learned from iFixit guides, youtube videos, just taking things apart and tinkering with them, etc. Apple uses some oddball screws sometimes, but you can get a toolkit with everything you need for $30 or less.
I'm more of a software guy, but I mess with hardware occasionally. (I'm also willing to pay a professional if I feel like it's over my head.)