jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

My son dropped his iPhone 5c. The phone works, but the glass is broken. I can replace the glass itself, for about $10, but it's a difficult job. I can replace the entire screen/glass unit for about $70. As an alternative, he can bring it to a local place that says they can repair it for $110.

Have any of you done this replacement? I've seen videos and articles online, but some people had trouble with the installation, and their phones didn't work afterwards.

If it were my own phone, I'd take a chance and try it myself, but I hesitate working on someone else's phone. Any opinions?

I know the $40 difference in price isn't that much, but I like fixing things myself. He has nine months to go on his current contract, so he'd have to buy a phone outright.

boydimages Loc: California

Jerry, my wife also broke the screen on her iPhone. She had it replaced at a mall kiosk for $20. Watched while the guy fixed it. I would not leave it and come back later to pick it up. He also blew out the inside since it was open. Took about 10 minutes. No problems with it.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Was that for the glass alone or the LCD, too?

boydimages Loc: California

Glass only Jerry.

nicksr1125 Loc: Mesa, AZ

If there's a Batteries Plus any close by they do cell phone repairs at very reasonable prices. I think the 5c is about $80.00 for the screen and it carries a 6 month warranty against defects. The techs in my store are doing 3-4 each day. The repair takes less than an hour if you have the right tools.

braindamage Loc: Appley Bridge, Lancs, U.K.

There are lots of Youtube vids to show the way. My grandson did the same to his iphone and it does seem it happens to far more apple than Samsungs?

Sirsnapalot Loc: Hammond, Louisiana

I think that's because there are more iPhones out there than samsongs!

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Jerry, if you want to see what they'll need to do, or you can do yourself, check out this site.

https://www.ifixit.com/

--Bob

andrec1 Loc: Tucson, AZ

I have fixed a few. Check out www.ifixit.com. I find the best way to do it is to lay the good parts next to broken parts and exchange piece by piece. Also photograph it before you start so you know what go where.

JimBart Loc: Western Michigan

Did he have insurance. If so get a full replacement.

bimmer124 Loc: Woodstock, New York

A better alternative would be having your son take better care of his toys. I would also take the "I" out of fixing it. He made the mess, let him clean it up. That would be called responsibility.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

You can find repair guides and videos on www.fixit.com and other sites. Get a pentalobe screwdriver if you intend to do this. It's a necessity, not a luxury. Another necessity is a special tool for removing the screen from the rest of the phone.

If you have great manual dexterity, great close-up vision, and the right tools, including a static-free environment, you can be patient and methodical and well organized and get the job done.

Personally, I'll repair Mac notebooks myself, but the iPhone is just too densely packed with tiny parts, and the screen is a bear to get off.

My son sort of needs a new screen on his iPhone 5c. One corner of it got wet, and stopped working (about 1/4 inch of the upper left corner is black). The insurance plan wants $165 deductible to fix it (they just replace the phone). I told him that there are plenty of good repair shops around who do screen replacements for less. He is going to wait until his contract is up and just get a new phone.

Most larger towns and cities have at least one reliable smart phone repair shop now. Mine is about four miles from my house, and yes, I've used them once already. They replaced the 30-pin connector on my iPhone 4s when it shorted out.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

I fixed my Samsung S4 screen for about $100 but I wasn't completely satisfied because the phone has a color cast now. (green) I also started having simm card read problems so I bit the bullet and purchased a new S6 from Costco. I'd live with the cracked screen for 9 more months or bite the bullet and get a new phone. Many phone companies are selling phones now instead of the endless lease practice they've done for years now.

I thought about the glass replacement procedure too, but it seemed to be too much of a crapshoot as to whether or not I could pull it off. All that sticky glue behind the glass can be a bitch to get off without damaging the digitizer below.

bdo Loc: Colorado

Wow!

Which side of the bed did you get up on?

Lighten up...

AndyCE Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

Yes, I was thinking the same thing!
Andy