Replaced my Nexus 5 screen

"mcseanerson" (mcseanerson)
10/04/2014 at 21:42 • Filed to: None

The most annoying part is it broke 2 months into ownership and I sent it to LG for repair because Google said if I sent it to them I had to allow them to basically charge me the price of a new one until they determined what the cause of the break was and then if they determined it was their fault and not mine they would issue a refund which would be pending for weeks.

So I sent it to LG and they said the digitizer was broken and it was my fault not theirs and I would have to pay $180 to repair it. The screen messed up after I placed it in my pocket and pulled it back out an hour later and it was just messed up with no signs of physical damage. I told them no thanks since I did not believe it was my fault and I am also perpetually broke.

Fast forward several months with no phone and I decided to look up how hard it would be to do myself and it looked pretty easy. Ordered my part and tools and took the phone apart and reassembled it with the new part and now I have a phone again.

This is the old screen. Does it look physically damaged to anyone who is not an LG employee?

DISCUSSION (14)

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > mcseanerson
10/04/2014 at 21:45

Doesn't look damaged at all.

I had a Rumor Touch that did the same thing. Put it in my pocket, pulled it out later only to turn it on and see the screen was broken. No signs of physical damage.

Also, isn't this a G2 with some upgrades here and there?

mcseanerson > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
10/04/2014 at 21:50

Yeah basically.

TDogg > mcseanerson
10/04/2014 at 22:18

I love the N5. I'd have it if Verizon offered it, but alas I have my G2. The N5 is just gorgeous.

mcseanerson > TDogg
10/04/2014 at 22:24

I liked it a lot the first couple months it worked and I bought it because it was $400 unlocked on any network with no contract direct from Google for the 32 GB version. After taking it apart I think I might keep it for a long time because if it does break due to my own fault in the future it's not that complicated or difficult to replace components.

XJDano > mcseanerson
10/04/2014 at 22:31

my nexus5 mic doesn't work since about 2 weeks ago. I wonder if that'd be hard to fix. I have a best buy warranty, but that has $150 deductible.

Tohru > mcseanerson
10/04/2014 at 22:33

Looks a lot easier than the LCD and digitizer replacement on a Nexus 7.

mcseanerson > Tohru
10/04/2014 at 23:47

You can buy just the LCD and digitizer but I opted for the frame as well for the extra $10.

mcseanerson > XJDano
10/04/2014 at 23:54

Personally I'd just get a Bluetooth headset. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00K7F…

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

It's doable but was not my favorite part to remove.

Tohru > mcseanerson
10/04/2014 at 23:55

I bought LCD and digitizer separately, since on the 7 they're epoxied together (and the digitizer is glued to the midframe).

When I put it together, I hot glued the LCD to the chassis and the digitizer to the midframe. That way, if either one broke you'd actually be able to service the fucking thing. Worked just fine.

XJDano > mcseanerson
10/04/2014 at 23:58

forgot to say, on speaker phone it works, unless that a different microphone. Weird.

XJDano > mcseanerson
10/06/2014 at 17:53

ok guess what happened today? Nexus5 screen quit working. phone is on, I get calls, but can't answer or access anything on it.

how much was the screen? I really just need to get a few files off of it, but since I can't get anything from screen I doubt I can recover anything off it. frustrating!

mcseanerson > XJDano
10/06/2014 at 18:03

http://www.fixez.com/lg-nexus-5-dis…

I ordered mine with the tool kit and the frame + expedited shipping for $125. Just the screen is $95 + shipping.

XJDano > mcseanerson
10/08/2014 at 20:17

ok, just ordered one. I have some personally sensitive data on the phone like a photo of my drivers license and a bunch of addresses stored in google maps, so if it costs me an extra $100 and I can recover all that info, then delete it before I get a new phone from best buy, I'll rob the good screen from it too. I found this video and it looked fairly straight forward. I'm going tot try it. I should have ordered it a few days ago.

mcseanerson > XJDano
10/08/2014 at 20:24

Yeah, it's not too difficult. Just go slow because of all the adhesive, it's frickin everywhere.