Replacement Parts Quality

Details Matter!!!

We have been paying much closer attention to the details lately than we have been able to in the past concerning parts quality. We are proud to announce that we are working behind the screens on drastically increasing part quality. There are multiple levels of quality out there, and we want to pride ourselves on offering only the best! We are attacking this challenge by inspecting each part under a microscope. Each part comes at a higher cost, but will ultimately prevent a customer from having to come visit us again.

I have rambled on about a few examples of part quality below. I covered an iPhone screen, iPad screen, and an iPod screen. I also covered two examples of android phones we typically see daily. We look forward to increasing our level of quality, professionalism, and guarantee over the next couple of months!

iPhone 5C Screen Repair
The cleanliness of the smallest solder connections make a big difference in the end. For example, an iPhone 5C screen. The LCD and Digitizer flex cables just don't come attached to the LCD screen, they have to be soldered on. The backlight as well. The adhesive used to attached the plastic frame to the screen is a major factor in life span of the screen. The quality of glass on the screen can vary. There are companies in China that will take old broken LCD's, strip the glass and put cheaper glass back on. These screens are then re-entered into the market at a cheaper rate.

Replacing the small things. If there was a very small strip of black foam on the top of the digi/lcd connector when the phone came into us for repair, it will also be there when it leaves. We have implemented a strict quality policy to help us ensure that

iPad Screen Repair
The iPad screen repair has several different levels of quality with repair parts as well. Depending on the model of the iPad there are numerous issues you can run into when purchasing cheaper parts. If you have broken your iPad before, you probably shattered it. If you were unfortunate enough to re-break the same iPad and had it been repaired prior with a sub-par part, the device did not likely shatter. There was only a straight line crack. This is because the glass is a lot cheaper.

The glass thickness is also different across the quality of iPad repair parts. The quality with thicker glass is obvious...it is less likely to break.

iPod Screen Repair
The iPod Touch Gen 4. We see this device almost more than anything else in for repair. This is a difficult repair no matter the way you look at it. There are multiple challenges for a screen repair, a battery repair, a power button repair, a charger port repair, a camera repair, and on and on. We have increased the quality of our screen so this device is a bit less likely to break. Using the correct adhesive on these screen repairs is quite the challenge. We had found in the past that super gluing the screen down, held it down the best. Super glue was not optimal as it made the glass weaker and more prone to possibly breaking on impact. If using adhesive, we faced the challenge of the device coming back in two weeks to have the screen reseated. We have searched and searched for the best solution and have found that it comes down to just taking you time. Ensuring that the device is ABSOLUTELY 100% clean before trying to reseat the screen down is just a part of the battle. Ensuring that the frame is not bent AT ALL is also key to a perfect TG4 repair, as we call it. This is a very challenging repair, and by increasing the quality of our parts we should be able to navigate around some of the common TG4 problems that we have encountered in the past year.

LG G2 Screen Repair
We see a lot of LG G2 screens in for repair. We believe this is because when the phone was released, Verizon made it available for almost free. The LG G2 screen repair can be tricky. The trick to this repair is using the correct adhesive in the correct spots to prevent future lifting of the LCD and digitizer. Of course, disassembling the phone for a rookie technician can be quite the task as well...if you don't want to ruin anything.

Samsung Screen Repairs
Samsung screens repairs. We could operate on this facet of the business alone. Performing this repair perfectly is not just a repair, it is an art. We have worked hard over the past 6 months on perfecting a glass only repair method, and we are excited to say that we have finally mastered it. The Samsung screen is truly unique in the cell phone repair industry. It has an AMO-LED screen with a glass covering. The digitizer function is embedded into the AMO-LED. This makes the screen possible to break the glass only while still maintaining full functionality. One small break in the AMO-LED and the screen will go completely black. This does not happen to LCD's, where if there is damage you will see red, green, and blue.

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

Our Vision, and Why it is Great for you!

Future of Repairs and Services at iDoctor

The future is exciting at iDoctor. Advancements in technology are constantly keeping us on our toes. The next generation of phones are arriving, bringing on new challenges in the repair world. The way screens are made at the manufacturer level is changing and getting more efficient and stronger. Larger companies are starting to realize repairing these devices is possible. The level of expertise and necessary equipment to grow with advancements is becoming apparent in this relatively new industry. Larger repair companies are expanding rapidly and even flipping the business model upside down. We are aware of the nationwide market and keep a very close eye on the pulse of the industry to make sure we are doing all that we can in our area of focus.

We are working our absolute best to ensure that as new devices roll out that require micro soldering, or glass only repairs to lower costs, stocking more parts to better serve our customers, or anything we can improve upon in the moments we greet you at our front door, to performing the repair and working for perfection. We attempt to make you feel like you are the only thing that matters during our time serving you. We want a true genuine interaction with all of our customers.

At iDoctor we have chosen to specialize in certain fields to help ensure our customers are getting the best possible service. There are several areas that require a specialist. Electronic repair can be very difficult, and for any one technician to know the entire scope of iDoctors products would make him/her a master technician. Our current scope of services to a customer looks like phone, tablet, and game console repair. This is putting our services as simply as possible. Microsoldering an IC chip onto an iPad mini digi/home button is no easy task! Separating the shattered glass off of a Samsung GS4 is one slight move away from $200 destroyed. Replacing the entire rear frame on an iPhone can be a task for the DIY repairman.

We are investing time and money into perfecting our techniques daily so that we can offer a full scope of services. Whether that be perfecting our water damage repair process, or acquiring the skills to micro solder an IC chip back on the logic board to repair a number of different things that can go wrong.

When there is risk in a repair, we shoulder the possibility of the loss, but have been so experienced that mistakes are few and far between and will only continue to improve. We strive to make every situation right and treat each and every customer as fairly as possible. Billings has a great market for cell phone repair services, and all of our prices are very competitive. Just think, in Bozeman as of 7/17/14 the price to repair an iPhone 4/4S is still over $100. The cheapest repair is Billings is currently $69. Prices for everything locally in Billings are as competitively priced as the biggest markets in the USA.

Overall, we strive for optimistic improvement in every area of the business and look forward to continuing to serve the Billings and surrounding communities!

Samsung Glass only repairs

Another blog post! I do find time to get around to these as often as possible. I am going to cover a certain type of glass only repair. Samsung devices!

Performing this repair is tricky.There are three critical steps that must be performed to have the highest quality repair. Any very small mistake during any of these four steps can lead to a less than perfect repair or possibly a brand new AMOLED/Digi and front frame required to get the phone back up and running.

1. Removing the broken glass. Samsung Galaxy S3, S4, Note 1, 2, 3, 4. All of these removal processes are very similar. The adhesive between the AMOLED (now referred to as LCD) and the glass slightly varies. The trick is to heat the screen to 150-180f and very carefully pry the glass off of the LCD. Do not pry too hard, as the pressure may break the LCD. Not too hot, or you will burn the LCD. Watch out for a couple cables and buttons. Make sure the frame is not damaged while putting tool under glass. Removing the glass is half the battle.

2. Next up is cleaning all the old OCA (optically clear adhesive) off the LCD and frame. You must make sure that all OCA is removed on edges of LCD, near cameras, earpiece, buttons, and pretty much everywhere. The key to a perfect repair is cleanliness and the very smallest details.

3. Now that the LCD is SPOTLESS. We are ready to put some new glass down. In order to return the phone to pre-broken condition, everything needs to be replaced. Yes, that means the OCA as well. For this step, repair shops vary. Some don't put the OCA back at all, and just use precut 3M adhesive to slap the glass back down. Some do. We currently have the equipment to perform the Samsung repair the way it should be. We struggle with occasional bubbles in the screen, but are improving our techniques for the repair daily. We scrutinize these small imperfections and actively look for solutions across the board. Anyway...Applying the OCA to the LCD is tricky. Similar to putting a screen protector on, only the OCA has to be perfectly centered and 100% bubble free. After that is done, time to put the final product together. Well, almost final product! Putting the glass down onto the phone is like putting another screen protector on. There are going to be bubbles. The trick to getting the bubbles out requires a high pressure temp controlled chamber. 20 minute cycle at the exact mAP and the correct temp, and viola, your samsung has been repaired in under 2 hours.

Kindle Fire Charger Port Repair

We see a LOT of Kindle Fires in need of the charger port repair. This requires soldering and is a tricky repair but we can repair it same day! We stock the charger ports to ensure same day kindle fire charger port repair.

The kindle was poorly engineered and still is. All of the kindle's have the charger port attached directly to the logic board and are only anchored by 2-4 small posts that are soldered on. The connection to the board is made by 4 small pins on the back of the charger port that are also soldered on.

The kindle fire charging port usually breaks when the device is being used while charging. Every time we repair the kindle fire we recommend to NOT use the device while it is charging unless you want to have another repair done!

We stock parts for the kindle fire charging port repair. We can also repair the digitizer, LCD, battery, and any other components on the Kindle fire to get you back reading your favorite books today!

Call iDoctor in Billings at 406-534-2547

Tempered Glass Screen Protectors

The most common cell phone repair we do at iDoctor is a broken screen replacement. A lot of times the cell phone is either broken by the kids or not in a protective case when the damage occurs.

The accessories out there do protect devices from damage, but get a lot of complaints about being too bulky, too restrictive to use with other accessories, or just not stylish enough.

We stock tempered glass screen protectors at iDoctor. These screen protectors are not your normal screen protector. They are engineered around most cell phone owners exact problem. I don't want it to be bulky but I NEED protection. Several companies have developed tempered glass that is designed to break before the screen of say an iPhone screen or a Samsung Galaxy screen.

So, if you find yourself in need of a cell phone repair. Remember, we can fix it TODAY and we can provide the ultimate protection for the screen with a tempered glass screen protector.

Call us today at 406-534-2547

Cell Phone Repair

So your iPhone is broken? The niche of electronics repair is quickly growing nationwide as the adaptation of smartphones becomes almost impossible to ignore.

Every smartphone has a glass screen. They are also very small. You fumbled it and BAM! BUSTED!

We stock parts for the most common cell phone repair out there. Apple, Samsung, Motorola, HTC....if we do not stock it we can order it. Any time we have the broken cell phone and the part, the repair is likely to take less than two hours.

Call us for all your cell phone repair needs TODAY!

406-534-2547