They are really not that bad to take apart. I have taken mine apart quite a few times. A while back I received some off a friend and the buttons would not respond (left and right triggers) and after a good cleaning they worked great. When you unscrew the controllers, you dont have to unscrew that very middle screw in the back. That is the screw that is holding the mainboard in place. When you unscrew the others, you just have to play with it a bit to get it open. Some are easy, some are a pain. Once you do, compressed air helps...ALOT. Simply blowing on the contacts made the majority of my controllers work! If the trigger buttons stick, try a little wd-40 right in the metal square shaped slot on the mainboard next to each button. I do stress tho, A LITTLE. I don't think it screws anything up, but I remember I put too much on and while plaing I realized my thumb and pointer finger were covered in wd-40