The highs and lows of DIY repair

Gravy on 18/10/2017 - 13:22

Over the years I've repaired lots of items around the house that have failed, as well as repaired other people's broken stuff they have thrown away on the curbside.

I generally get quite a feeling of elation after a successful repair, makes me feel good that I've saved some cash and restored something that was broken back to working order.

BUT… the flipside for me is unsuccessful repair jobs tend to bring my mood down, especially when I spend several hours stripping something down and reassembling only to find it still doesn't work.

The downer is intensified when I discover that during the process I have actually made the situation even worse.

For instance, my wife's Galaxy S5 phone was playing up with random lock ups and screen static. Google tells me it may be an LCD connector issue so I decide to have a quick look to see if I can fix it… the screen is glued in which makes the repair very tedious and although I managed to prise it up just enough to get to the LCD connector and give it a press, once I turned it back on again the touchscreen was not working. So I discover I had partially severed the touch ribbon cable. Now I have a phone that is completely borked of course and I'm left with the feeling that perhaps I should have just done a factory reset FIRST in case it was a software issue. Replacing the screen itself is prohibitively expensive compared to the value of the phone and virtually no value in the parts of what remains really. So… pissed off with myself even though I was quite careful with the repair.

Do many of you DIY repairers also suffer the same highs and lows?

General Discussion

Comments

  • boo hoo on 18/10/2017 - 13:41
    +32

    oh Gravy,
    your not Robinson Crusoe in this regard,
    I've had my share of balls ups but don't despair
    you'll live another day to attempt another repair.

    I rooted a 55 inch TV grabbing the wrong screw for the
    stand went through the circuit board.

    • stampella on 19/10/2017 - 16:17
      +5

      And "rooted" is a very fitting word to use in that circumstance

      • [Deactivated] on 20/10/2017 - 08:09
        +16

        He should have said he screwed it up.

        • F111 on 22/10/2017 - 15:48
          +2

          If it was on, that would have been shocking!

        • blackfrancis75 on 22/10/2017 - 21:20
          +1

          @F111: I'm following this thread in case there are more puns

    • Jackson on 22/10/2017 - 20:51
      +1

      That's pretty bad design though, what brand?

      • boo hoo on 22/10/2017 - 21:25

        Kogan

        Was my fault though, was moving and lost track of the correct screws.

        • Jackson on 22/10/2017 - 21:45
          +1

          Yeah but how hard is it to put a stop at the end of the thread? I can tell you that I have done the exact same thing with my Jap Sharp 52" and it saved my arse. You aren't without blame, but it's still poor/cheap design.

        • boo hoo on 22/10/2017 - 22:55

          @Jackson:

          true ,as you state.
          Good design should have had the board 6mm
          higher and it would have missed.

        • peteru on 23/10/2017 - 23:34

          @Jackson:

          but it's still poor/cheap design

          Well, he did say it was Kogan.

  • [Deactivated] on 18/10/2017 - 13:41
    +26

    Ive tried to fix a lot of things on my own over the years. I often mess them up because electronics these days are integrated to an extent that even just getting them opened up involves a meticulous series of steps. But then that it just part of the game. Sometimes you get it right and sometimes you dont. When you dont you go and rub one out (furiously) and move on to the next gadget.

    • Yttrium on 20/10/2017 - 15:10
      +4

      (furiously)

  • Euphemistic on 18/10/2017 - 13:49
    +6

    I don't mind so much if something doesn't work at the end of the 'repair' process. I do mind when I make it worse though, which happens occasionally.

    Fortunately I think the successes outweigh the failures.

  • inherentchoice on 18/10/2017 - 14:11
    +1

    Well I spent two hours repairing my toaster which I bought (working) for $2 at a garage sale a few years earlier. But toasters are dangerous and a new one was only $8.

    But I've had a lot of successful money-saving DIY repairs too, especially on cars. Often when I fail it's not been an expensive mistake thankfully.

    Worst I felt from a failed repair was when I once had to pay a mechanic $300 to fix up my mess. But the original job would have been $150 anyway. Another time I paid a mechanic $80 to fix up my mess but had no car for three days.

    Often with household items a failed repair means you just chuck the thing and move on. Capitalism means it's more efficient anyway haha.

    I guess you have to do a risk-assessment before attempting the repair.

    If the phone is a Xiaomi instead of a Samsung or Apple then it's much much cheaper to replace.

    • Gravy on 18/10/2017 - 14:58

      Speaking of iPhones… my motherinlaw gave me an iPhone 5c which was seemingly undamaged however was suffering from ghost touches on the touchscreen. No worries… I'll just buy a replacement screen from china and all should be good.

      Order a cheap $25 screen including new camera and home button… install it…. similar issues with new screen.

      Now I have to decide if I just bought a dodgy screen and maybe I'll try my luck at getting another one…. or maybe there is some internal short or chip issues in the phone itself.

      • Jim au on 20/10/2017 - 11:56
        +1

        if it is the exact same issue I would not think it is a screen anymore, maybe something else, google it.
        try this "Ghost touching mostly means the screen has been putted in the phone too tight, try not to put the screws in the shield too tight"

        • Gravy on 21/10/2017 - 04:09

          Yeah have already looked into that and done all the recommended fixes I could find including loosening shield screws and kapton tape over various parts.

        • Brick50 on 21/10/2017 - 22:28

          Most likely is the screen as the cheap ones have touch issues

  • cameldownunder on 18/10/2017 - 14:24
    +5

    Replaced the battery of my wife's old iPhone 4S, even managed to order the right set. Replacement was successful. Phone still useless as the battery still drains and the phone gets really hot.

    Fixed my Xiaomi 3 usb port, but on turning it on, no Reception. I broke the antenna cable connection. So I order another antenna cable and wait another 5 weeks for aliexpress delivery. Now it works.

    Replaced the cracked screen of my Pipo P9, and on pressing everything back into the case, I cracked the screen !!

    Best repair: Graphic Card of my laptop failed, so I took it out, and according to youtube instructions, put into preheated oven at 220 degrees, for 15 minutes. Let it cool down, reinstalled in the laptop, and Voila' the screen came on and I had a working laptop again. No problem since then.

    • Gravy on 18/10/2017 - 15:52
      +5

      I've got an LG TV in the kids room that I found on the side of the road, fixed it with the oven trick (motherboard only, not the whole TV). Needs to be recooked every 6 months or so though…. the smell is fairly toxic during the cooking process though.

      • Suspect420 on 20/10/2017 - 06:48

        Wow.

        Why does cooking fix it?

        • BartholemewH on 20/10/2017 - 07:15
          +7

          The heat of the oven softens the solder connections and allows dry/broken joints / traces to reconnect.

        • Suspect420 on 20/10/2017 - 12:37
          +3

          @BartholemewH: cool

          You think id know as an elecrical engineer… i do specialise in HV though

          Thanks 🖒

        • Jackson on 22/10/2017 - 21:42
          +1

          @Suspect420: i fixed a friend's oven the other week, they said it was useless as their dad (and engineer) had a look and couldn't do it. I have a lot of respect for engineers, but as soon as I heard that I had to have a crack, 10 minutes later with a pair of pliers and a gash in my hand it was fixed.

          At the end of the day there's nothing as valuable as experience, engineers learn all the maths and theory, but they aren't repair people unless they actually do repairs, which in this day and age most don't. After all why do all that education and specialisation and then play down in technician land?

        • cameldownunder on 23/10/2017 - 10:14
          +1

          @Jackson: I'm offended [ not really ] I am an engineer with a Master in Science and I love to 'fix' stuff. I think the real reason engineers do not do much DIY, is because they earn a Ton of money, and they don't bother fixing an oven and get dirty and get gashes in their hands if they just have to call a service person and pay for it. Unfortunately I do not earn much.
          By the way, I also fixed [ replaced ] the heat element of our oven. Probably 4 years ago. Still going.
          P.S. I anyone knows about a job for a Java Software developer, feel free to P.M. me [ excluded recruitment agencies ]

        • asupre2541 on 23/10/2017 - 15:13
          +1

          @Jackson: The responsibilities and job descriptions of engineers and technicians are different. They may overlap sometimes, but not always. All that education goes into understanding good design philosophies and fundamentals.

        • Pyrock on 23/10/2017 - 16:33

          @Suspect420:
          @BartholemewH:

          interesting food for thought on this.
          https://youtu.be/1AcEt073Uds?t=183
          This is a guy who runs a electronic repair shop
          Note his humor can be a bit sarcastic. love it or hate it

        • Jackson on 23/10/2017 - 18:55

          @asupre2541: So they can come over and tell you why it's not working, but can't fix it for you :-)

          I'm sure there are plenty of engineers who fix all sorts of things but yes it's a dying breed in general I feel, no just amongst engineers either, we all live disposable lifestyles these days, just some more than others.

        • Jackson on 23/10/2017 - 18:55

          @Pyrock: I have watched a few of that guys videos, he definitely knows what he's talking about but he could learn a few things about word economy.

    • scottb721 on 21/10/2017 - 09:59

      In my last job we manufactured electronic products. For small runs and prototypes we'd hand place components in to a grey paste on the circuit board. Bang it into the oven for 5 mins and the paste would turn silver and presto, the components are soldered.

      • bb_hunter on 21/10/2017 - 14:03

        wouldn't you also cooked the components as well? I used to use specialised hot air soldering station to do this kind of jobs.

        • scottb721 on 22/10/2017 - 07:47

          Yeah but the components were able to tolerate it fine. Only a particular GPS chip was done afterwards with hot air.

  • apple2016 on 18/10/2017 - 14:24

    I have done a lot of DIY usually on electrical stuff. It a bit dangerous as you are working with 240 volts but I had more success than failure.

    • fwdcelica on 19/10/2017 - 09:32
      +8

      its quite safe if you turn the 240v off first.

      • Euphemistic on 19/10/2017 - 13:38
        +12

        and don't plug it in again afterwards.

        • fwdcelica on 19/10/2017 - 13:49

          its not brain surgery

        • Euphemistic on 19/10/2017 - 15:01

          @fwdcelica: But the potential for doom is fairly high.

          Unless you are knowledgeable, don't play with 240v. I've played with a bit of 240v stuff, but I had a grandfather who was a sparky (who showed me stuff) and spent a few years at uni doing electrical engineering. I also know my limits.

      • Dr Techno on 19/10/2017 - 15:38
        +12

        large capacitors might have a shock instored for you :P

        • daewoo on 19/10/2017 - 16:30

          Beat me to it!

      • Gravy on 21/10/2017 - 09:47
        +3

        Depends what it is… a CRT screen for instance can hold a lot of charge after switching off, look up flyback transformer shocks. Also a bad repair could lead to fire or electrocution risks when switched back on.

  • scrimshaw on 18/10/2017 - 14:24
    +1

    I have an LG G2 which doesn't power on after I tried to replace the otherwise non-user replaceable battery.

    • ChillBro on 18/10/2017 - 20:24
      +1

      I was thinking about attempting this for my G2. Any tips on what not to do?

  • Munki on 18/10/2017 - 15:19
    +2

    I once dicked around with a $450 camera lens and took it apart. To this day, I'm not sure why I did that. Ended up sending it to the repairers and it was apparently "unrepairable", so they offered to sell me a new one for half price.

    • Gravy on 18/10/2017 - 15:49

      Yeah, a mate gave me a moldy lens a few years back, I stripped it down as far as I could only to realise that the mold was somehow between several "sealed" elements.

      • Munki on 18/10/2017 - 15:55
        +2

        Mine was perfectly fine though…haha

        But it made me appreciate how intricate those lenses are!

        • Gravy on 18/10/2017 - 16:08
          +1

          Ohhhhh… the good old "I wonder how this works" coupled with sexy fingers…. nice one.

        • Munki on 18/10/2017 - 16:13

          @Gravy: Yeah…I have to admit, not my finest hour. I'm usually quite good with taking things apart and putting them back together, but this was a whole different kettle of fish.

        • Gravy on 18/10/2017 - 16:15
          +1

          @Munki: Yeah if I remember correctly you also have to carefully mark what position some of the elements were rotated to before taking the screws out, best to mark the positions with pencil or something or risk having a very badly out of focus lens.

        • Munki on 18/10/2017 - 16:20

          @Gravy: Yeah. Need to be very careful handling lenses. Suffice to say, I'll never attempt it again.

        • iDroid on 20/10/2017 - 12:01

          This 3 part video series give some insight why lenses are so expensive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKNFW0YwDYw

    • cameldownunder on 18/10/2017 - 17:03

      I have a canon ultra-zoom, and at one time it turned on, without having the space to extend. Then it got locked and error appeared, something about zoom and lenses error. I had to brutally force back in place. Now it works. Phew.

      • jacross on 23/10/2017 - 11:45
        +1

        I recently accidentally dropped a canon point and shoot while it was on. The lens casing got completely bent out of shape and it wouldn't work.

        It was very old so I didn't really care but a few days later I wanted to see what was on the memory card without taking it out and putting it into my computer (laziness). Lens error so wouldn't let me do that. Cue an annoyed shove and I pushed the lens back into the main case.

        …this somehow completely fixed it and it works again and takes good photos.

        Go figure, sometimes cameras break really easily, and sometimes you can basically hammer them back to life.

    • fwdcelica on 19/10/2017 - 10:09

      winning !

    • banana365 on 23/10/2017 - 17:03
      +1

      I replaced the flaky Compact Flash socket on an old Nikon DSLR I had. When putting it back together again I forgot to remove the battery and blew one of the surface mount fuses. Tiny little thing it was, and impossible to buy without ordering tens of thousands of them. In the end I just melted a blob of solder over the junctions so it worked. I figured that if the fuse hadn't blown under normal operation and only failed because of my cack-handedness, then it'd be fine to do without it. Still works now 5+ years later. Didn't stop my heart from sinking when I first killed it though.

  • garetz on 18/10/2017 - 15:42
    +1

    All you can expect and do is learn from your mistakes, noone is perfect.

    • Gravy on 18/10/2017 - 15:47
      +2

      The trouble is, lots of what you learn with DIY repairs tends to be single use knowledge to some degree, although it does lead to an increase in general repair knowledge that does help in future repairs.

      • Euphemistic on 18/10/2017 - 16:17
        +4

        The best thing you learn is how stuff goes together (or how to pull it apart) Everything modern is so jam packed full of parts and held together by tiny plastic clips that break if you move them the wrong way so you need to learn how to dissasemble

    • cameldownunder on 18/10/2017 - 17:05

      Youtube it first. It's a bit a shame, but there are more descriptions on how to repair something with videos than with written description.

      • Sira on 20/10/2017 - 01:58

        How is that a shame? A picture is worth a thousand words as they say. Surely a video has saved many a phone/tv/car and so on…

        • kreagh on 20/10/2017 - 08:54
          +2

          Handy to have a written description as well as video, especially when you're searching for a particular step it's easier to search text.

        • cameldownunder on 20/10/2017 - 10:47
          +1

          It's good that there are so many instructions around, and I used a lot of them, a shame that most are on video. People forget to write.
          I see this problem with my kids, they always want to show me something, and I ask the to explain it to me.

        • Euphemistic on 20/10/2017 - 14:15
          +4

          @kreagh: but thanks to photobucket and their no-more-links policy there are a bunch of websites with those step by step's with photos that have been decimated.

          'Loosen the screw circled in the pic' doesn't help much when there is no pic.

        • tebbybabes on 22/10/2017 - 18:45
          +1

          @kreagh:

          I am totally with you on wanting text. Especially because you can skim through text and search the entire document quickly.

          That being said, if taken as a whole, even well written text will pale in comparison to comprehensive and well shot video. So while I prefer text because it's faster for me, I don't doubt the incredible benefits of video.

          Kinda like the difference about reading about the surgical technique of an appendectomy vs seeing a senior surgeon perform it in front of me. No contest. Not even close.

  • Oz8argain on 18/10/2017 - 16:19
    +2

    Note to self: avoid DIY repairs on electronics

  • Quantumcat on 18/10/2017 - 16:41

    The only thing I tried to DIY was fitting a new case to a DS lite (old one was scratched and a Zelda themed one on ebay was cheap) but I screwed it up a lot on the way, kept not turning on due to not putting in the ribbon cables correctly, and had to steal some parts I broke from a non working console, and even when I eventually got it working again and closed it up, it wouldn't close properly and forever looked slightly dodgy. Huge waste of like a dozen hours. Decided to never take apart a game console ever again.

  • [Deactivated] on 18/10/2017 - 17:38
    +1

    Had my fair share of successes and botches, but overall, I reckon I've saved more on repairs than I spent on replacing things I messed up.
    Biggest wins were improving the auto-defrost on a constantly icing-up fridge-freezer (dollars worth of copper tape from the heating element down to the drain hole) and replacing faulty mainboard caps on a Samsung telly ($3 in parts).

    Had a few failures on the way, mostly through rushing the work. Cracked cases, fried components etc. But if it's already broken before I try to fix it, I just ask myself how much more broken can it get?

    And I love some of the solder rework fixes using the oven in this thread. Good work!

  • altomic on 18/10/2017 - 17:41
    +4

    I've been collecting + repairing mowers and washing machines for the last 12 months.

    the high part is working out what is wrong, ordering the new part, installing it and it works.

    the low part is working out what is wrong, ordering the new part, installing it and it doesnt work.

    • smux on 19/10/2017 - 07:58

      You make much money from selling them?

      • altomic on 20/10/2017 - 15:30
        +4

        just beer money. it's more of a hobby than anything. learning to be independent of repair people and develop some skills.

    • IamEzza on 22/10/2017 - 21:27

      Have you had the ultimate easy repair of buying a mower that won't start, taking out the spark plug, cleaning it, putting it back in and it starts straight away?

      • altomic on 22/10/2017 - 21:45
        +1

        yes. several like that. - though I bought a bunch of inexpensive spark plugs off aliexpress so I tend to just whack in a new one (and filter), a good spray of start-ya-bastard and they often start

        had one where the accelerator cable had unhooked at the end. - 30 second fix - near new mower.

  • [Deactivated] on 18/10/2017 - 19:01
    +1

    Sometimes, despite our best efforts, it is time for: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCapAZtRWSs

    • Gravy on 18/10/2017 - 20:14

      I knew it… :)

      • [Deactivated] on 18/10/2017 - 21:34
        +1

        My philosophy is the same.
        A recent one which defeated me completely is my pristine condition Samsung Galaxy S3 which works very nicely, but intermittently powers itself off. No pattern. I went through a very, very long list of attempted fixes, even rooted it and installed CyanogenMod followed by LineageOS, still no good.

        So I am stuck with a Schrödinger's mobile phone which may be simultaneously both on and off… silicon heaven it is…

  • foxmulder on 18/10/2017 - 21:12

    I tried to fix PS3. Some YouTube suggest to just reapply new thermal paste but you so many screws to unscrews to get to the bottom of PS3 and once applied an put it back, the same issues happen. The PS3 looks on but when pressed it shut down.

    Not sure if it counted as fixed, I change the housing downlight to LEDs, from yellowest colour to white daylight and saves a lot in power usages. I feel good about it.

  • loulou1 on 18/10/2017 - 21:13

    Fixed many a ‘broken’ thing with the help of google and you tube. From washing machine, to oven, to HDD recorder. Feels great to fix something that otherwise would have been costly to replace.
    Felt the lows when attempted to repair an iPad. Can’t remember what was wrong but pulled it all apart, fixed something with a new part, put it back together only to realise I broke something else. Had to order the part from China, wait for it to come, pull it all apart all over again. Found that very frustrating and won’t do it again.

    • Yttrium on 20/10/2017 - 15:15
      -1

      Apple is bad

  • Scot on 18/10/2017 - 21:33

    Has anyone successfully repaired a GHD hair straightener that suddenly stopped working? I took it apart and everything seemed to be in place and connected but JUST STOPPED TURNING ON! Damn! Any thoughts out there? I love taking things apart and fixing them and usually succeed but this one NO!

  • outlander on 18/10/2017 - 22:04
    +1

    Oh yeah I know about that. Nothing makes me want to kill myself quite like spending 4 hours in frustration doing and redoing some petty repair and still failing to fix it.

    Worse was probably the family car. Had that in the driveway for 3 years, just starting to fix it recently.

  • TransportPosters on 19/10/2017 - 09:47
    +1

    I've done lots of DIY around the house and on cars. It's a great feeling when you get it right, but just as depressing when it doesn't fix.

    The good thing about both types of experiences is that you learn a lot from doing it, and each time you do another you improve your skills and thinking about how to approach them for next time.

  • AJW on 19/10/2017 - 10:25
    +20

    Old Mitsubishi Starwagon, engine under front seat, was told water pump had died, should be an easy change. A quick google of a shitty youtube video pointed me in the right wrong direction. Rang around wreckers, found one other side of the city and hour away but it was cheap and apparently in good nick..took the part out which took forever (so fiddly), took it to wreckers and was thinking I was gonna save a small fortune.

    Stereotyped grease monkey wanders to the counter from the yard after I rang the bell a few times, and I plonk the pump on the counter and tell him in my most manly "I can fix anything myself" voice that I rang earlier about the water pump. He says "I can't swap it for a fuel pump mate" and bursts out laughing. I stupidly say "f$%^ no wonder it burnt my eyes when it pulled it out and it pissed out everywhere" and he literally falls over laughing, grabs the pump and runs off calling Bob to come and have a laugh too, which he was more than happy to oblige with…

    Could not fit my previously working fuel pump back in either, so it got towed to mechanics, just so they could have a laugh too

    I try, often fail, but apparently succeed enough to offer a glimmer of hope and warrant an attempt to fix most things.

    • Gravy on 19/10/2017 - 10:33
      +1

      Golden (Light) Globe award for that one.

  • skillet on 19/10/2017 - 12:44
    +2

    I learned many things when I DIY repair before the internet. Of course I broke more than I fix but after a while you take precautions you learned from mistake. Then the Internet and YouTube came along. I get to fix more things but I stopped learning things…

    I guess I remember the hard earned lessons better than those spoon fed info.

    Fortunately, the Internet and YouTube don't always work, they contain mostly USA/Europe stuff which doesn't apply to Australia so I get to crack my brains again. It's always the same.

    You need a plan of attack.
    Is the warranty over? Yes then proceed DIY.
    Search Internet for a few days, trawl forums, look for patents.
    Proceed when confidence level is high.

  • nickj on 19/10/2017 - 15:41
    +2

    Low points:

    • DIY repair of the bearing in a washing machine that had rusted up (well out of warranty). It was a fairly modern front loader, and in retrospect it was just not made to be repairable. New bearing worked fine for 2 washes, but on the 3rd wash it started making a weird sound, so I went and looked at it, and just then a seal burst and hot water went everywhere. I jumped out of the way as machine was still running, so could have been electrified hot water. Loss for trying to repair was $65 for the replacement bearings, plus about 4 afternoons pulling it apart and reassembling, but all that work was done by my father-in-law, he was awesome about it, and very philosophical when it didn't work (he's a lifelong DIY repairer). Just bought a new Bosch one with an eBay sale for $560 delivered which included old one being removed. So: Definitely don't try to DIY repair modern washing machines.

    • Tried to repair a cracked iPad screen, but trying to remove the old screen caused rest of the screen to crack, became very hard to remove without getting glass everywhere. I'm going to pay for this to be professionally done (some places in the city do for it ~$100 I think). Screens of modern phones and tablets are very painful to fix, don't recommend it if there's glue and glass and heat guns involved. Only down $17 though for buying the replacement screen which probably won't be used now.

    High points:

    • Car stuff (failed plastic on car key buttons replaced for $1.40 in parts off eBay versus hundreds at the dealership for replacement keys, lots of light bulbs and consumables but use supercheapauto to make sure you get the right part for your car), desktop computers replacing failed components (PSU, motherboard, video card, sound cards, floppy drives, HDDs, even RAM, after about 20 years using desktops you realize everything fails eventually and can be replaced), and general small things around the home (e.g. very simple plumbing replacing old seals or washers).

    • Basically DIY works best for things that were made to replaceable and/or which can be done very cheaply and quickly and/or where there's not too much cost or time downside if it goes wrong.

    • Gravy on 21/10/2017 - 09:49
      +1

      Have repaired our washing machine before… drum rotation position sensor died… about a $35 part. Machine basically told me what was wrong with it by way of flashing LED light code after a bit of research.

      • nickj on 23/10/2017 - 13:17

        Fair enough - let me clarify that I'm advising caution for modern front loader washing machine repairs involving removing the drum or breaking the drum seal or replacing the bearings. If the sensor was repairable without doing that then could be fine. Or maybe we just got unlucky :-)

        • Gravy on 24/10/2017 - 08:35

          Toploader here, probably easier.

  • Dr Techno on 19/10/2017 - 15:44

    S5 lcd + digitizer - would this be a match depend on exact model.

    https://tinyurl.com/yaclbmgj

    • nith265 on 19/10/2017 - 16:28

      I know it's not important (or perhaps its actually the most important thing) but those ones dont have Samsung logo on them. I couldnt find one for much less than $100 with the logo when sourcing one for my S5.

      • nith265 on 19/10/2017 - 16:41

        Sorry actually they do say in image right at the bottom and in tiny tiny text "…before shipment we will mark product with company logo.. "

    • Gravy on 21/10/2017 - 09:51

      Interesting, that's much cheaper than what I had seen before…. not sure if I want to go down that road though as phone is probably dodgy already with regards to the reason I tried to repair it in the first place…. but there is that problem of not knowing if it was just a software issue and whether its worth taking the risk on a new screen.

  • fozzie on 19/10/2017 - 15:58
    +2

    I love doing my own repairs and feel super accomplished when I do well. I have at times also failed and get upset about it. I now just tackle issues I think I can handle. Things I’ve done: put up a new gas boiler (I was 18 at the time, thinking that me and my mum did it and it’s so dangerous makes me think how crazy both me and mum were! Different times I suppose) fixed leaking sink, fixed dripping tap, fixed Samsung note tablet showing pink screen, fixed big hole in the wall and others that I probably forgot. I would be very happy if my husband was as adventurous with diy as you are (usual I need to tell him to try it, normally doesn’t do spontaneously)

    • Gravy on 21/10/2017 - 09:52

      We had a mixer tap that failed under warranty, they sent me a new one but was a bitch for me to install due to poor clearance under the sink.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join