Archive for the ‘DIY’ tag
MacMedics Frequently Asked iPhone Service Questions: How Easy Are iPhone DIY Repairs?
We’ve blogged about “Do It Yourself” iPhone 3G and 3G S repairs before, but we wanted to post this.
This iPhone 3G S was dropped and it’s top glass is broken. It’s owner bought a new glass/digitizer off the Internet after he watched a DIY video that made the repair look pretty easy to handle. Sadly, in the process of trying to remove the glass from the iPhone he also broke the iPhone’s LCD. So while this well meaning client was trying to save a few dollars, he could have had the unit fixed same day if he had just brought it in to MacMedics.
See large size photo of this iPhone 3G S here.
You can see all of our previous posts about our warning regarding DIY iPhone repairs at this link.
I’ll recap three things here:
1. It only costs about $20 to $30 more to have MacMedics fix your iPhone or iPod. If you figure in ALL the costs: The replacement part, the shipping of that part, is the part you ordered BOTH the correct part and actually genuine?, the special tools needed, the correct adhesives to attach the parts, the fact that MacMedics will warranty our work for one year, and the fact that if you try the repair yourself, you’re taking on a whole bunch of risk. (Trust us folks, the people who sell the parts WANT to make it look easy, it’s not. Plus, many of the bloggers that HAVE done the repair, say if given the choice, they would not do it again!)
2. How fast do you want to have your iPhone fixed? How about same day? If you buy a part on-line, you have to wait for it to arrive, pay for shipping, and then have the time to perform the repair.
3. Are you properly grounded for static? Most likely not! Our techs perform all repairs in a static safe environment and perform the work while they are properly grounded. Our lab facility has been inspected by Apple and meets their requirements for Apple Authorized Service Providers.
More on Do-It-Yourself iPhone repairs and cheap iPhone/iPod parts from the Internet
Update: 8/29/10
With the iPhone 4 out now, this post is more important than ever. Here’s a few things you need to know:
1. The iPhone 4 is like the original iPhone 2G. The glass, LCD, and digitizer all all fused into one piece. What does this mean for repairs? It means that if you buy iPhone 4 “glass” from eBay or Craigslist, it’s totally useless. You simply can’t install just the glass on an iPhone 4.
2. The iPhone 4 is more advanced than ever, and it’s not quick job to swap the glass and LCD. There are lots of small and different sized screws, and the iPhone is built upside down (just like the Uni-Body MacBooks). In order to even get to the broken glass, the entire iPhone needs to be taken apart. The last part to be removed is the glass, so there
are lots of layers and little parts.
3. Is the place you’re taking your iPhone to be repaired an experienced repair shop? Are they using a static safe work bench to take your iPhone apart in? That guy at the mall or the one working out of the back of van is most likely not.
Update: 1/5/10
See all of our iPhone “Do-It-Yourself” warnings posts at this link. They have become some of the most popular posts on the MacMedics Blog because they are true. Check’ em out!
So we’ve been over this before, but well meaning folks are still trying the Do-It-Yourself route on iPhones.
By our calculations you might save about $40 by doing the repair on your own, when trying to fix an iPhone 3G. If you make a mistake it’s going to be more. Also, if you’re considering this route, be sure to factor in all the costs.
1. Parts (are they real or copies?)
2. Shipping (How much will it cost to get them to you, do you have to pay to send them back if they are the wrong ones or defective?)
3. Tools (Does the part include the right tool?)
4. Supplies (Does the part contain all the supplies needed to install it?)
5. Time (How much time will it take for you to compete the repair? If the repair goes wrong how much time will it take for you get your iPhone back on it’s feet again?
6. Warranty on parts (Are the parts guaranteed, or did they come from an anonymous seller on eBay?)
7. What’s the risk factor of doing a complex iPhone repair you’ve never done before.
The people that sell the parts are often the same people that make the step-by-step videos. Yes! it looks easy on video, because they edit out all the re-tries to remove the broken glass, the part where they get cut, and where they crack the LCD and/or destroy the iPhone’s frame.
When you take apart an iPhone the first few times, you’re going to mess something up. We know because we’ve seen the end results. Even if you bail on your DIY repair and come to us, our service might end up costing more if we have to un-do a previous repair attempt. MacMedics has performed the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S screen/lens/glass/digitizer repair thousands of times, so we know what we’re doing, and we can do it fast!
We had to share this e-mail and photos with you. The names have been removed to protect the innocent.
“Hi, I wanted to contact you to find out if you can help me fix my iPhone 2g.
The glass of the phone got cracked, and mistakenly, I bought the parts and tried to fix it myself. Unfortunately, as you can see on the pictures I am sending attached, I ended up with a bunch of screws, battery, hard drive and other internal parts of the iPhone. I also bought a blue black part to change the original one, which was way too scratched and old.
I have every single piece with me and would like to know if you guys accept phones in this situation, I would like to know how much it would cost me to have it fixed.
Thank you.”
See this photo in a large size
Needless to say, this iPhone is likely beyond our help. As this is really bad and it does not appear to be disassembled in a static safe workspace to boot.
Here’s our current iPhone and iPod price list. Click on it to see it large size.
