Broken LCD on S4. Send in to Samsung or local "repair shop"?

rpeters83

rpeters83

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Jan 11, 2009
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I cracked the glass on my S4 and am going to get the full LCD replaced (I'm aware of all the issues involved with replacing just the glass).

Option 1: I have a quote of $162 from Samsung for the replacement, but the phone will be out for a week.

Option 2: I've been talking with a friend of a friend who has a side-gig repairing electronics. He appears to do good work but that's all I know. His price is $200, but it should only take a couple hours.

I've never dealt with local repair shops of sending something in for service with a manufacturer (I typically repair things myself) and am not sure whether I should send it into Samsung or have this guy fix it for $40 more. Thanks.
 
Repair shop repair voids warranty.Samsung will also guarantee their repair.
From experience, I had a local shop repair a cracked Note 2 screen. It worked good for a while, then started sticking. They tried fixing it, but messed it up even more. I sent it to Samsung. They sent it right back & said aftermarket repairs void any warranty. I said I would pay full repair price & they still wouldn't touch it.
 
Send it to Samsung or do it yourself. A replacement screen, display, and digitizer assembly only costs 40 USD if you buy one from a reseller on ebay. Keep your phone until it arrives and repair it in 10 minutes. If you are not sure if you can do the repair have a look at ifixits teardown/repair guides: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Samsung+Galaxy+S4+Display+Assembly+Replacement/16540 and for an example of what to look for on ebay (although I have not thoroughly reviewed this listing): http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Touch...e_Replacement_Parts_Tools&hash=item5d4db6f742

Good luck whatever you decide!
 
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Well, this is obviously out of warranty. I'm not comfortable repairing it myself and $162 for a new LCD sounds find to me. I'd rather have the manufacturer replace it with an OEM part than something from a reseller or use a generic part.
 
two words,

official repair!

Not worth the headache to DIY or let some corner store jerk do it for you
 
jcagara08 said:
two words,

official repair!

Not worth the headache to DIY or let some corner store jerk do it for you
Click to expand...

I just spoke with Samsung and processed payment. I'll be sending it out later today. Total cost was $161.
 
Marlfox said:
Send it to Samsung or do it yourself. A replacement screen, display, and digitizer assembly only costs 40 USD if you buy one from a reseller on ebay. Keep your phone until it arrives and repair it in 10 minutes. If you are not sure if you can do the repair have a look at ifixits teardown/repair guides: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Samsung+Galaxy+S4+Display+Assembly+Replacement/16540 and for an example of what to look for on ebay (although I have not thoroughly reviewed this listing): http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Touch...e_Replacement_Parts_Tools&hash=item5d4db6f742

Good luck whatever you decide!
Click to expand...

That's for a Galaxy S, the screen for the S4 is about 3-4x that much :)
 
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A dog bit my Note 3 (purchased in June) and cracked not only the tempered glass screen protector on it, but the screen itself. I found a very good shop right next to my house that handles things like this all the time to do it for pretty cheap. Never even occurred to me to seek out Samsung support...
 
I am guessing you are still under a 2 year contract from your provider?

Have you checked about getting an early upgrade? It might be cheaper in the end to do that.
 
cyclone3d said:
I am guessing you are still under a 2 year contract from your provider?

Have you checked about getting an early upgrade? It might be cheaper in the end to do that.
Click to expand...

I'm not eligible for a renewal just yet (7/2015). No discount for me.

I already packed up and shipped out the phone to Samsung. Using my old, trusty HTC Incredible 2 (with a huge battery) in the meantime. :p
 
Good choice going to Samsung.

The issue with the Galaxy S phones is that the screen and frame are fused. So it's expensive to replace as you can't just disassemble the one part, you have to buy all the parts of that assembly (LCD, glass, digitizer, frame, etc). You could have done it for less, but it wouldn't be by much.

The alternative (I did this with a broken S3) is to buy a broken phone that has a good screen. One thing nice about the phones is they are easy to disassemble (the non-glued parts). So if you need to swap a camera, speaker, or board out, it only takes a few minutes.
 
Ok, just an update if anyone was curious about the experience. The phone came back in a little less than a week. It was sent out on Wednesday 9/24 and I received it yesterday on Tuesday 10/1. The repair was flawless and the screen is in perfect condition (no scratches, smudges, etc).

It even included a little baggie :). I was very happy with the service overall.

bguLlVY.jpg
 
rpeters83 said:
Ok, just an update if anyone was curious about the experience. The phone came back in a little less than a week. It was sent out on Wednesday 9/24 and I received it yesterday on Tuesday 10/1. The repair was flawless and the screen is in perfect condition (no scratches, smudges, etc).

It even included a little baggie :). I was very happy with the service overall.

bguLlVY.jpg
Click to expand...

Nice! How much did that cost?
 
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