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Help All busted up. Now what?

C

caspian915

Well-Known Member
My brand new Nexus 4 (unsubsidized from Google) dropped a whole foot the other day and shattered the entire glass front, rendering it completely useless as far as I can tell. (i've seen the same sort of shattering on iphones that still work, so I don't understand why).

Any suggestions on what I can do now? I was waiting for a case being shipped (it's here now, 2 days too late). Is it worth trying to sell it? Fix it?

Another $350+ is a bitch to lose right now. I'm currently on T-Mobile's $30 100 minute/unlimited/unlimited plan right now. This is the best for me because I'm only ever on land 1 to 2 weeks at a time (and out at sea 2 to 4 weeks).

If I give this plan up, will I ever be able to switch back to it? (it says on the site "for new customers only" or something like that). If choose to get a one of their more expensive no contract plans and subsidize the phone I know there's an option to pay it off early. If I pay off the phone, am I stuck with the $50/$60/$70 plan for 2 years no matter what? (I assume yes, but just curious if I'm wrong.)
 
Sorry about the busted glass :(. A cheaper option than buying a new phone would be send it to LG for repair. The screen repair will be about 150-200 I think; or possibly covered under warranty (though highly unlikely). As long as you keep your plan active and funded, you should just be able to pop the sim card into the phone when you get it back.
 
Warranty? No. You're out of luck.

As suggested above sending it in for repair, while not cheap, would still be cheaper than buying a new phone.
 
Ebay my friend. Just fix it yourself. That will be your cheapest option.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-LG-E960...e_Replacement_Parts_Tools&hash=item19d9476e24

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http://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-LCD-Display-Touch-Digitizer-full-Assembly-for-LG-Google-Nexus-4-E960-part-/171028393330?pt=US_Cell_Phone_Replacement_Parts_Tools&hash=item27d2162d72

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http://www.ebay.com/itm/LG-Google-Nexus-4-E960-LCD-Touch-Digitizer-Screen-Assembly-Frame-Parts-/360641403877?pt=US_Cell_Phone_Replacement_Parts_Tools&hash=item53f7e71be5

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LG Google Nexus 4 E960 LCD Screen Touch Digitizer Panel Assembly Parts | eBay
 
I have replaced a few phone screens (HTC G2, Samsung Galaxy Ace and Motorola Atrix). You can get a cheap option in ebay like the ones Fuzzy13 posted and then look for a video on youtube on how to replace the screen. They even sell you with the screen the tools you need for replacement. If you don't feel confident on doing it yourself, ask a friend who's better on repairing electronics and pay him 10 bucks. Any option is cheaper than sending it to LG for repair or even cheaper than buying a new phone. Only problem is that you might lose your warranty.
 
Go grab a 1 - 2 year replacement warranty from Sqaure Trade. Ask them when your coverage starts. Just send in your phone right after your coverage begins. I saw a 20-30% coupon off the warranties on facebook a few days ago
 
kingdeeray said:
Go grab a 1 - 2 year replacement warranty from Sqaure Trade. Ask them when your coverage starts. Just send in your phone right after your coverage begins. I saw a 20-30% coupon off the warranties on facebook a few days ago
Click to expand...

They probably wouldn't cover the device if you disclose that the screen is already broken and if you lie and say it isn't then it's insurance fraud...
 
I didn't by with coverage, just direct from Google. I have had it just over 2 weeks now.

I may just buy a new one, possibly from tmobile, and then buy the parts from eBay and attempt to fix it when I'm back on land and gave access to tools, then sell it used. I need one when I get home and I've never fixed a screen before, so I'm not about to do it on a rig in the middle of the ocean with no YouTube access. The rig electrician may know how... Then again he may not.
 
Looking at the video on YouTube for repairing the N4 changing the screen looks fairly straight forward IF you buy the whole screen with the silver bezel. That way you only have to change over the motherboard, battery, speaker etc and they're easy to pry out or loosen a screw.
 
Thanks BrutalUK. Problem is I don't have YouTube right now. Can't stream video on our bandwidth, and I'll need to have a phone ready when I get off the helicopter. I'll mess around with trying it when I go home. I am technically inclined, but not necessarily experienced with all manner of DIY projects, so this will be a learning experience.

Need to pick up some phone insurance for the 2nd round. Any suggestions? When I've had it before, via Verizon or Virgin Mobile or whomever, it only covered one damaged phone in 12 months. I'm fairly careful with my stuff, but also average when it comes to luck with phones. I could go 2 years without a bump, and then destroy a unit twice in 6 months :-\
 
caspian915 said:
Thanks BrutalUK. Problem is I don't have YouTube right now. Can't stream video on our bandwidth, and I'll need to have a phone ready when I get off the helicopter. I'll mess around with trying it when I go home. I am technically inclined, but not necessarily experienced with all manner of DIY projects, so this will be a learning experience.

Need to pick up some phone insurance for the 2nd round. Any suggestions? When I've had it before, via Verizon or Virgin Mobile or whomever, it only covered one damaged phone in 12 months. I'm fairly careful with my stuff, but also average when it comes to luck with phones. I could go 2 years without a bump, and then destroy a unit twice in 6 months :-\
Click to expand...
Especially for this phone, but for all large glass screened phones Make sure you have a screen protector, the decent ones will help keep from scratching, and reduce the shock that shatters screens. And a Case this will reduce the chances that you would need to use insurance.
 
Call LG repair from LG's site. Max repair is around $150. This happened to my wife's Nexus 4 about a month ago. She bust the front upper left hand corner where the face detection sensor is and dinged the outer rim.

With tax and what not it was $153 and you keep your factory warranty and they actually fix your device. Came back as the same IMEI so I am assuming it is the same physical phone.

Total process takes about 10 business days depending on shipping method in. They ship back FexEx Home. When I looked around the parts and pieces alone were up over $100, so why jack with it yourself and void your warranty. Unless of course you are into that sort of thing.:D
 
Man, that really sucks, caspian915. I can completely understand why you ordered a new phone. Hopefully the repair won't be too difficult when you get back to shore. My only recommendation is to invest in a decent repair kit with several spudgers (like this).
 
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