Can my phone be saved?
July 1, 2013 3:16 PM Subscribe
I accidentally laundered my Nexus 4, and it's mostly dead. I'm in NYC - is there anyone I could pay to try to salvage it?
So, it went through the washing machine, ugh.
Aside from the stupid and reflexive power button press I did right out of the washing machine, I've tried to do the right things to try to salvage it - a dunk in 93% rubbing alcohol and 30+ hours in rice.
I booted it up this morning, and there are some signs of life - it charged (the red blinking light upon original charging disappeared, and it became warm after a while on the charger), and when I press the power button and boot it up into regular or boot loader mode it responds to touch in the regular ways, with little buzzes when I drag where I know the lock mechanism is, but the display is completely dead.
It also seems to be getting unusually (though not super-alarmingly) warm and there is a little bit of body damage - one part of the bezel has a small crack and I think it's possible the body has a very slight warp.
I realize that it's probably suffered all kinds of corrosion and possibly shorted out as well, but it doesn't feel completely bricked and if there was any way that I could have a reasonable chance of saving it for less than the cost of replacing it, I would try.
I have no expertise, but given that it's pretty much dead anyways, I'm willing to try to take it apart. I'd prefer to pay someone to do so, though. I realize that there must be people in phone stores or wherever around here that would be willing to do so - and I realize that none of them have a 100% chance of fixing it. Obviously, I'd prefer someone who would be honest with me if there is little hope of solving the problem (I feel like I'm shopping for a mechanic).
My warranty is kaput because of water damage, so that's not a concern. Does anyone have any techniques (I'm kind of overwhelmed with different internet suggestions) or people that they recommend? Or am I just being crazy and should just give up?
So, it went through the washing machine, ugh.
Aside from the stupid and reflexive power button press I did right out of the washing machine, I've tried to do the right things to try to salvage it - a dunk in 93% rubbing alcohol and 30+ hours in rice.
I booted it up this morning, and there are some signs of life - it charged (the red blinking light upon original charging disappeared, and it became warm after a while on the charger), and when I press the power button and boot it up into regular or boot loader mode it responds to touch in the regular ways, with little buzzes when I drag where I know the lock mechanism is, but the display is completely dead.
It also seems to be getting unusually (though not super-alarmingly) warm and there is a little bit of body damage - one part of the bezel has a small crack and I think it's possible the body has a very slight warp.
I realize that it's probably suffered all kinds of corrosion and possibly shorted out as well, but it doesn't feel completely bricked and if there was any way that I could have a reasonable chance of saving it for less than the cost of replacing it, I would try.
I have no expertise, but given that it's pretty much dead anyways, I'm willing to try to take it apart. I'd prefer to pay someone to do so, though. I realize that there must be people in phone stores or wherever around here that would be willing to do so - and I realize that none of them have a 100% chance of fixing it. Obviously, I'd prefer someone who would be honest with me if there is little hope of solving the problem (I feel like I'm shopping for a mechanic).
My warranty is kaput because of water damage, so that's not a concern. Does anyone have any techniques (I'm kind of overwhelmed with different internet suggestions) or people that they recommend? Or am I just being crazy and should just give up?
Or am I just being crazy and should just give up?
Yes.
As someone who has done this dance multiple times both for myself and friends/partners/etc throw the thing on ebay and get $20 for it or something(AS IS NO RETURNS, WAS SUBMERGED IN WATER, etc) and go pick up another android phone on craigslist.
They seem to go pretty cheap. I bet you could get something like a 4g galaxy SII or maybe even something nicer for $100-150.
I absolutely wouldn't waste money on trying to replace the screen if it was my personal phone, and would vehemently recommend against it if it belonged to a friend/client/etc. I've also limped along phones that "sorta worked" like wierdo and had them die at really inopportune moments, or have really irritating issues that made me realize in retrospect i should have just taken the thing out back and shot it.
Chalk it up to a learning experience and dump the thing, maybe you'll get a few bucks for it. Put that towards a cheap replacement phone on craigslist.
posted by emptythought at 3:36 PM on July 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
Yes.
As someone who has done this dance multiple times both for myself and friends/partners/etc throw the thing on ebay and get $20 for it or something(AS IS NO RETURNS, WAS SUBMERGED IN WATER, etc) and go pick up another android phone on craigslist.
They seem to go pretty cheap. I bet you could get something like a 4g galaxy SII or maybe even something nicer for $100-150.
I absolutely wouldn't waste money on trying to replace the screen if it was my personal phone, and would vehemently recommend against it if it belonged to a friend/client/etc. I've also limped along phones that "sorta worked" like wierdo and had them die at really inopportune moments, or have really irritating issues that made me realize in retrospect i should have just taken the thing out back and shot it.
Chalk it up to a learning experience and dump the thing, maybe you'll get a few bucks for it. Put that towards a cheap replacement phone on craigslist.
posted by emptythought at 3:36 PM on July 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
You could go for something more effective than rice, like one of these bad boys, but honestly after being laundered I'd call it a lost cause and let it go. After all, it's not only water that got in there, it's also soap and other kinds of laundry residue. If it were a different phone I'd be all cavalier about taking it apart, but not that one.
posted by 1adam12 at 3:45 PM on July 1, 2013
posted by 1adam12 at 3:45 PM on July 1, 2013
Make sure you get *crystal* cat litter, not the clumping kind nor the clay kind.
I'd advise you to avoid the litter at the link for "cat" above. That stuff is very dusty and while it may fix your phone, you'll probably be wheezing and sneezing for days afterward. You might try this instead. The products look similar but there's a distinct difference in quality.
posted by fuse theorem at 4:32 PM on July 1, 2013
I'd advise you to avoid the litter at the link for "cat" above. That stuff is very dusty and while it may fix your phone, you'll probably be wheezing and sneezing for days afterward. You might try this instead. The products look similar but there's a distinct difference in quality.
posted by fuse theorem at 4:32 PM on July 1, 2013
As a quick update on what i said earlier now that i'm home and can really internet like i mean it...
Look at how much this person got for their water damaged phone. Several more have gone for over $100 as well.
Putting any money at all into it with the high potential of it having lots of other issues just isn't worth it. $80-150 is a big "down payment" on a new phone, especially if you're willing to go used.
posted by emptythought at 9:52 PM on July 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
Look at how much this person got for their water damaged phone. Several more have gone for over $100 as well.
Putting any money at all into it with the high potential of it having lots of other issues just isn't worth it. $80-150 is a big "down payment" on a new phone, especially if you're willing to go used.
posted by emptythought at 9:52 PM on July 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
My husband did this. Go to Home Depot or your local hardware store and ask for desicant packets. Might be called silica. They're completely enclosed so there is no dust. He basically put his phone and two packets in a tupperware and sealed it up for 2-3 days. The phone needs to be completely shut off. Worth a try.
posted by biscuits at 4:38 PM on July 2, 2013
posted by biscuits at 4:38 PM on July 2, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
Once it did start working the battery life was significantly worse and the camera quit working entirely (it would crash the phone if you tried to use the camera app), but I used it for another 8 months until I lost it. It was mildly annoying having to charge it twice a day instead of just overnight and not having the camera, but it was usable.
After giving it a good week in the rice, if the display still doesn't work, you'll probably need to replace it. Sounds like the digitizer is OK, but you're probably not going to want to try to separate that glued together mess. You can either order the parts online from a place like this or send it off to one of the better quality repair shops. These folks charge $170 to repair it. At that point, I'd be seriously considering a new one, given that any number of other components may have broken as well, although obviously not the digitizer, CPU, flash, or memory, so it can definitely be made to work to at least some degree.
Alternatively, you can buy one from eBay with broken glass and a working LCD/digitizer and try and get them apart and use that screen. That would be a lot cheaper, but you'd have to do it yourself, which requires tools, patience, and good organizational skills. If you decide to go that route, the service manual is available on the Internets, although I don't have a link at hand.
posted by wierdo at 3:27 PM on July 1, 2013