Yes...that's why it's good to have spare boards so you can swap stuff around to find out what's good and no good.
That's a good idea to send it out to Lookes...I hope he has some time to look at it.
To save some money on shipping, I'd remove the MPU from the heavy metal tray it's screwed onto.
All he needs is the circuit board itself, and the chips.
I'm only guessing when I say he probably tests the chips, and makes sure they're seated correctly too.
I do check that the board is going to boot with the customer's chips if they provide them. I don't actually need them to repair the board tho.
For a single board, if it is sent USPS priority mail medium box, the shipping cost is the same with, or without the tray. For multiple boards, take them off the tray to save shipping cost both ways.