Want reviews of glass replacement service companies!

[snedecor]

I managed to crack just the glass on my GS4. Digitizer works. Screen works. Everything works, except class is cracked.

On S4, glass is hot-glued to digitizer-screen assembly. Glass is sold separately, but you have to remove the screen assembly, heat gun the glass off the assembly, add new glue, reassemble, etc. Watched on YouTube and it's not for me.

I have Googled several phone repair places that will take your phone and replace the glass for a cost from $95-$150.

Has anyone used one of these companies? Experience? Did they perform well? Quick service?

Can't seem to find user reviews, so I thought I'd turn to the largest community out there!

Thanks!

 

[AndroidTuttons]

Names of the companies would help

Posted via Android Central App

 

[snedecor]

I was sort of hoping for someone who has had theirs replaced to come on and give a testimonial to the company that they used. I guess my previous post was poorly worded. Sorry.

Has anyone had this type of repair done and what was your result?

 

[ABOSWORTH007]

It might be cheaper just to buy the screen with the digitizer so you don't have to mess with the glue process.

 

[snedecor]

Oh, no, the screen with the digitizer seems to cost around $200-$250 for just the part! The glass itself cost $10-$20! The difference is the trouble you have to go through to get the hot glue to soften to remove the glass from the digitizer, and to keep everything clean and to re-glue everything. As I said, there are companies that will replace just the glass for around $100. Just looking for someone who has had it done by a company, and their experiences.

 

[madisonjar]

I think verizon's insurance is having open enrollement right now I believe.

 

[snedecor]

Thanks,

I'm on AT&T...

I contacted them, hoping my >10 yr. of service, and 3 lines of service would make a difference. Their reply: Screw you! Talk to Samsung... Didn't expect anything different.

 

[Mrteeth]

Gee....no one seems to want to answer the question so I will.

I work for a company that does screen repairs. It's not cheap. We are not one of those that claim to replace screens on an S4 or S3 for $100. Frankly, it's VERY hit and miss. Our technician, who has been trained by a top cell phone repair business in Vegas, has made two attempt to remove the glass away from the LCD. He's 0-2 so far. THat's not saying it can't be done. If you spent 3-4 hours and you carefully use the right technique, you MIGHT be able to pull it off successfully. My brother, who's a construction worker, tried it on his phone and it worked. He said he spent 3 hours on it but he did manage to scratch the LCD.

So the short answer is, you can take a chance with those companies. But I'm willing to bet you a penny that you're going to get a call back and they are going to tell you that you need to replace the LCD as well because it was damaged in the process....or they won't tell you at all and will simply say that you need to get the LCD replaced as well.

In our business, everyone copies everyone else. If you have something that works, it only takes a few weeks before someone finds out about it. If there's a simple fix where the screen can be removed from the LCD 100% of the time, other companies (like us) will follow. As of now, we are simply replacing the whole front end assembly. No mess. No fuss. No hidden costs.

 

[snedecor]

You're right, it doesn't look easy. It's not a drop in, no mess, no fuss affair. But then, it's not $250 for the part plus labor costs.

According to the YouTube videos I have seen, they heat up the assembly with a hot plate, then a heat gun. They then slowly pry off the glass from the digitizer using either a pick tool or a small diameter moly wire. After cleaning up the old glue, fingerprints, dust, etc., they put the new glass back on. Some seem to lay a frame of very thin sticky tape around the edge, I guess to seal against dust incursion.

The thing that's stopping me from trying it myself is the fact that 1) I know that my room will not be dust free, and 2) I'm not quite sure how the new glass gets re-stuck to the digitizer, unless the adhesive tape is used.

Surely someone has had this done, and is willing to share their results (good or bad!)

Thanks for the reply!

 

[Mrteeth]

Here's what you can do. By the glass on Ebay for $15 bucks. Go through the instructions and take your time. If it doesn't work, then you're out of your $15 and your time. But then you'll need to fork over the $200+ to get it done right. We plan to do that. We plan to buy the front assembly (screen and LCD). I'll have my tech try to remove the screen from the LCD. If it's successful, then we will lower our rates to save the customer some money. If it's unsuccessful then we have a back up plan

 

[snedecor]

Here's what you can do. By the glass on Ebay for $15 bucks. Go through the instructions and take your time. If it doesn't work, then you're out of your $15 and your time. But then you'll need to fork over the $200+ to get it done right. We plan to do that. We plan to buy the front assembly (screen and LCD). I'll have my tech try to remove the screen from the LCD. If it's successful, then we will lower our rates to save the customer some money. If it's unsuccessful then we have a back up plan

You may want to do it on the first customer that comes in with a broken glass only. Boy, wouldn't he get a wonderful surprise if you emailed him and told him: "We were able to successfully replace just the gorilla glass on your phone, the price is now 1/2 of what we told you!"

Check on YouTube, most of the repair companies do it with the assembly still on the phone. It IS a slow process, so more labor is probably involved, but the part is so much cheaper. Thanks for the advice! I may get my courage up!

 

[snedecor]

It seems to be getting a bit more complicated. Some companies seem to only attach the replacement glass around the edges. What seems to happen is if you press hard in the center of the new glass, it touches the digitizer and makes an unsightly bubble type effect on the underside of the glass.

Some companies claim to bond the new glass to the digitizer with uv setting adhesive, so I'm looking more carefully into those companies. Anybody have any recent experiences with these type of companies who repair just the screens, lately?

 

[snedecor]

Here's what you can do. By the glass on Ebay for $15 bucks. Go through the instructions and take your time. If it doesn't work, then you're out of your $15 and your time. But then you'll need to fork over the $200+ to get it done right. We plan to do that. We plan to buy the front assembly (screen and LCD). I'll have my tech try to remove the screen from the LCD. If it's successful, then we will lower our rates to save the customer some money. If it's unsuccessful then we have a back up plan

Were you successful with the screen removal, as you said above? You seem like a reputable and up-front company representative. I'd like to deal with you, if I could...

 

[Mrteeth]

We've decided to invest in some new equipment that will able to separate the glass/LCD. By next week, we will try our first model. If this works. we will revamp our prices and will be able to do phones at a very good rate.

 

[snedecor]

Please continue to update this forum with your progress!

I am very interested in your offering.

I am looking for quality screen replacement with the original OEM glass, and with optically clear adhesive used for the repair. If you state that you can reliably do this, then I'm in!

Thanks again, and keep us updated!