"Error 3" when trying to restore iPhone 5S via iTunes

My iPhone 5S is out of warranty by a matter of days, unfortunately, and yesterday I noticed that the Sprint signal had changed to "Searching..." in the afternoon. I wasn't using it, and I did the iOS 8.0 update a while ago when it was first available, and haven't done any other updates since then (I skipped 8.0.1 and 8.0.2 for the time being)...

The phone worked normal on Wifi and I was able to do everything as I normally could on the phone except for Text (iMessage worked) and making/receiving calls.

So, I called Sprint Tech Support last night and they had me do a few things to the phone, which didn't work, and then they had me do a full restore.

Unfortunately, during that process it got stuck near the end (the progress bar looks like it's full), and then it freezes and I get an "Error 3" message.

And, since then, my phone's now stuck in the "Connect me to iTunes via USB Cable" and I can't even use it as an iPod Touch.

Anyone have any suggestions? I read a tip or two to stick the damn thing in a ziploc and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes and then restore it again, same result.

I tried manually downloading the 8.0.2 ipsw and using that in iTunes but that didn't work either. Nor did 8.0.0.

Anyone have any other suggestions? Can't believe this thing is bricked.

I could either pay Apple $250ish for an out-of-warranty repair, or I could try to bribe a family member to give me their upgrade and get a 6 for $199.

Thanks.

Intell said:

Error 3 means a problem with the baseband. That is why it would say searching so often. The only way to fix that is to replace the device. Otherwise, it cannot be restored or used for cellular communications/data.

Click to expand...

Is this something that can be fixed with an ifixit.com guide, or is this something that is not repairable?

I'd be willing to keep it as an iPod Touch but I can't get it out of the DFU/Restore mode. Any ideas on how to make that happen?

Is it possible that the Sim Card could make this error happen?

Intell said:

The only way to fix it would be to replace the logicboad. If you can get it to restore, you can use it as a limited iPod Touch.

Click to expand...

If I replace the logicboard using a guide from ifixit, I can use it as a phone again?