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Is this iPhone repairable?

K

kawasakirider

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 15, 2010
123
0
Hey everyone, I thought it would be fun to see how long my phone would last on the roof of my car! It lasted about 30 seconds, but it had real staying power when it came to laying on the road for 40 minutes getting pounded by vehicles!

I'm really surprised how well it held up actually. I'll let the pics and vid do the talking.
[video=youtube;R71I9is51J8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R71I9is51J8&feature=youtu.be[/video]

IMG_0016.jpg


IMG_0017.jpg





The phone itself really isn't that bad. I couldn't give a rats about the glass as I can replace it easily and everything else on it is still pristine including the back glass and the metal band.

The thing I am worried about is the touch feature. It doesn't work... Could the actual screen (not glass) be damaged to the point it gives out a great picture, but isn't responsive at all? I'm not going to replace the glass on it if it's not going to work.

I'm really annoyed, I look after the phone pretty well and haven't damaged it since they launched (which was when I got it). It has been unresponsive and doing weird things recently, so maybe it was time for a new one. It sucks because apple will never believe that it was being crappy, so I'll have to somehow sort it out
 
The front glass, LCD screen, and digitizer are all permanently glued together. To replace one, you have to replace the others are one unit.
 
Intell said:
The front glass, LCD screen, and digitizer are all permanently glued together. To replace one, you have to replace the others are one unit.
Click to expand...

Oh really? That's good news. There's a guy around here that does it for around $100. I could claim it on insurance and get a brand new one, though.
 
mrsir2009 said:
Really? Because my insurance company won't pay for my iPhone fully if it gets stolen or broken... I have to pay the first $300.
Click to expand...

Yeah mate, really lol. I've had a couple of lost phones replaced on insurance. I'm in Australia, though.
 
TM WAZZA said:
Can I ask why you did that? Forgive me for my ignorance if the video explained it, I couldn't watch it ATM.
Click to expand...

I'm really annoyed, I look after the phone pretty well and haven't damaged it since they launched (which was when I got it)
Click to expand...

I thought that ^^^ would have given it away :p

mrsir2009 said:
He was just joking... He probably left it on the roof of his car by accident ;)
Click to expand...

On the money, mate.


So horrible not having a phone, it's crazy how much you rely on it. I'm only a uni student so I don't have the cash to put in an insurance claim yet.

I can get a new one through insurance for $100, then get the screen, digitizer and glass replaced on this for $110 then sell one of the phones. Going to do that when I have the funds.
 
I dropped my iphone and replaced the screen myself. The part was $30 from ebay. Its not that hard if you go slowly and carefully. I used a video tutorial from youtube.
 
sbddude said:
I dropped my iphone and replaced the screen myself. The part was $30 from ebay. Its not that hard if you go slowly and carefully. I used a video tutorial from youtube.
Click to expand...

I rebuild my race bikes and do engine conversions on my cars, not really worried about the complexity of the whole thing. What I'm worried about is a non apple screen being poorer quality.
 
kawasakirider said:
I rebuild my race bikes and do engine conversions on my cars, not really worried about the complexity of the whole thing. What I'm worried about is a non apple screen being poorer quality.
Click to expand...

i had my front glass replaced last week and i can tell you it is NOT a iphone 4 retina display apple quality.. it really pissed me off. it looks great straight on but if you view it from the side or anything you can tell its not the same. its hard to explain.. cost me 90 bucks.. idk how to resolve this.
 
dischNoutTAspd said:
i had my front glass replaced last week and i can tell you it is NOT a iphone 4 retina display apple quality.. it really pissed me off. it looks great straight on but if you view it from the side or anything you can tell its not the same. its hard to explain.. cost me 90 bucks.. idk how to resolve this.
Click to expand...

Is it retina though? Maybe its like an iPod Touch display?
 
dischNoutTAspd said:
i had my front glass replaced last week and i can tell you it is NOT a iphone 4 retina display apple quality.. it really pissed me off. it looks great straight on but if you view it from the side or anything you can tell its not the same. its hard to explain.. cost me 90 bucks.. idk how to resolve this.
Click to expand...
Should of just spent the extra $60 to get an oow exchange
 
kawasakirider said:
Hey everyone, I thought it would be fun to see how long my phone would last on the roof of my car! It lasted about 30 seconds, but it had real staying power when it came to laying on the road for 40 minutes getting pounded by vehicles!
Click to expand...

A little duck tape should work.
 
Replace the front digitizer yourself and you'll be fine. Ive done this procedure to similar (and worse) phones than yours and they were fine.
 
kawasakirider said:
Oh really? That's good news. There's a guy around here that does it for around $100. I could claim it on insurance and get a brand new one, though.
Click to expand...

kawasakirider said:
I rebuild my race bikes and do engine conversions on my cars, not really worried about the complexity of the whole thing. What I'm worried about is a non apple screen being poorer quality.
Click to expand...

if this guy isn't authorized by Apple, it's likely that the quality of his parts will be "poor" as well.

probably just buys them online in bulk, gets shipped from China and makes a nice profit per repair.
 
First, just swap it at Apple. For the parts and time you will not save all that much.

Now, I have bought screens from iFixit and can say that they are the same quality of Apple. I even compared it to the Mrs. which is factory and it looks the same. I rebuilt my phone from several broken ones and had to replace the screen.

As for the people saying to just replace the glass, you can't do it easily and will likely destroy the digitizer trying to get the old glass off. On the older models this was possible but not on the 4 or 4s.
 
I'm just going to swap this one plus $200 for a refurb. Anyone know if it's possible to buy a refurbed iPhone 4 from Apple in Australia? Is it much more $$ than handing in another phone with it?

Also, is it possible to get a white refurb?

Cheers!
 
sbddude said:
... Its not that hard if you go slowly and carefully. I used a video tutorial from youtube.
Click to expand...

That's what she said :D

Sorry, couldn't resist...

As for the phone, it looks really messed up but I'm impressed that it still turns on and the screen works (albeit without the touch...)! Can you feel the cracks with your hand (or face...) or is there a laminating cover stopping it from scratching you?
 
Last edited:
ah123 said:
That's what she said :D

Sorry, couldn't resist...

As for the phone, it looks really messed up but I'm impressed that it still turns on and the screen works (albeit without the touch...)! Can you feel the cracks with your hand (or face...) or is there a laminating cover stopping it from scratching you?
Click to expand...

It's not like a car windscreen mate, I can feel the cracks and pick pieces of glass off the phone.
 
kawasakirider said:
Hey everyone, I thought it would be fun to see how long my phone would last on the roof of my car! It lasted about 30 seconds, but it had real staying power when it came to laying on the road for 40 minutes getting pounded by vehicles!
Click to expand...

I lol'd.
 
kawasakirider said:
Also, is it possible to get a white refurb?

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Nope...You're stuck with Black. They are not allowed to switch colors. Tried it with my daughters phone and got into a long discussion about it. It boils down to nothing more then having to swap out with the EXACT same model, color and all. No exceptions. At least that's what I was told. You could always try!
 
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