A Repair vs. an Overhaul

A Repair vs. an Overhaul

“If you repair my phone is it as good as new?” “Will it be more susceptible to breaking again?” There have been a lot of questions and discussions around this topic especially from our repeat customers. So we figured it was time to shed some light on the topic. The most important thing here to understand is what a repair is and what an overhaul is; first a repair, by definition, “mends a fault in a product,” therefore a repair is reactive. On the other side there is an overhaul which is defined as “a strip down of the product to its components, cleans and reassembles it replacing any parts that may be worn with new or reconditioned parts,” an overhaul is therefore preventative.

So with these definitions in mind let’s examine the differences.  A repair is simply fixing the damage that has already been done to the device and getting it back to a functioning condition. It doesn’t necessarily do anything to help prevent breaks in the future or restore it to the condition it was in before the break. By contrast an overhaul is a more in-depth process in which the damage that was done to the device is eliminated by replacing any part that could leave it susceptible to future breaks (i.e. dented rear housing, mid-frame, etc.) 

Although we do offer both of these services a repair is usually a lot quicker and a lot less expensive. With the cost of screens on top of other hardware and labor an overhaul can get expensive very quickly and usually it isn’t cost effective because you can buy a new phone for the price it would cost to overhaul your broken phone. This is why our standard service is repair, but that does mean being more careful with your device in the future. Just like if you broke your ankle it is going to be more vulnerable to breaking in the future; so, you must use more caution to avoid this. Just like wearing a cast when you break your ankle, the best thing for protecting your phone post repair is investing in a heavy duty case. Although some of these cases can end up being bulky and feeling more like a large paper weight more so than a modern smart phone, there’s no doubt that this would help keep your phone safe from breaking again. And for those who can relate to this dilemma of not wanting a bulky phone case we would recommend a tempered glass screen protector. They only add about an eighth of an inch to the phone and are much less expensive than replacing the screen.

Written by Donley Seibel - iDoctor Technician