Consumer

Fixing your own smartphone can save you money -- but how much time?

By Clark Howard
By Clark Howard

ATLANTA — It can cost more than $100 to get cracked phone screens repaired.

Channel 2 consumer adviser Clark Howard and his team decided to repair the screen of a cracked iPhone 5 to see how costly it is and if you can do it yourself more cheaply.

“We ordered the LCD screen and Digitizer full assembly kit for an iPhone 5 from the website IFIXIT. The cost of the kit was $54.95,” Howard said.

Channel 2 consumer advisor Clark Howard and his team decided to repair the screen of a cracked iPhone 5.

IFIXIT supplies online tutorials for repairs on its site. Lori Silverman, who runs Team Clark, was the first to tackle the job.

“It was going pretty well until she attempted to lift the screen with the supplied suction cup,” Howard said.

Pete Blazek, who owns Smart Devices Rescue iCracked, said it’s at this stage of the repair when many people end up further damaging their phones.

TRENDING STORIES:

“I've seen people pull that suction cup and they've dented their frame,” Blazek said. “They’re pulling and they're pulling and they're pulling, and the next thing they are pulling the whole screen off"

He suggests having a plan and doing research before you begin.

“You’re opening up and looking at a $500 to $600 device, and the insides are incredibly compact and small,” Blazek said. “If you put the wrong screw in the wrong place, it will poke a hole through the motherboard and may seriously or permanently damage your phone.”

He also suggests using magnetized tools and avoiding eBay when shopping for parts.

“You don't know what you're going to do,” Blazek said. “Kind of the Chinese eBay, AlieExpress, has a lot of parts. Look for the ones with high ratings.”

Silverman eventually passed off the repair to Channel 2 Action News photographer Justin Crate, who succeeded in replacing the screen.

Blazek said a smartphone do-it-yourself repair is doable, but it will take time.

“If you want to do it yourself and you truly want to save money, watch the video first and then kind of do a self-assessment before you go out and buy the screen. Watch the video (and) really kind of understand how small the screws are inside,” Blazek said.

Cox Media Group

Most Read