Al technical issues relating to the website aside, I finally broke down recently and decided it was absolutely imperative for me to fix my iPhone. A few months back I was working in our server room at work, and since I was crawling around I thought it would be best to take my phone out of my pocket so that it didn’t fall out. Well, I forgot it was there and basically ended up stepping on it….great stuff huh?

The crack actually wasn’t that noticeable, and it looked like the glass was fine. Over time, the LCD began to ‘bleed’ and it got worse. Of course, by worse I mean really, really, really annoying.

After doing a bit of research I found out I had three options:

1. Take it into Apple and have them repair it for $199.
2. Buy a sexy new 3GS $499-599 (No upgrade available till May 2010)
3. Buy a replacement LCD screen online and do it myself – ~$50-100

I was debating whether or not I should go through with taking the risk to do it myself and buy a screen online from China for $60, when I found one on amazon for $30! Nuff said, purchased!

The guide at Rapid Repair helped me get an overall idea of exactly what I was getting myself into. Picture a laptop motherboard replacement, but on a much smaller scale.

What I used:

1. Paper Clip
2. Guitar Pick
3. Small Phillips Screwdriver (really small)
4. Small Flat Head Screwdriver
5. Patience.

If you’re going to go ahead and try this please realize that if you break or tear anything, you’ll probably be heading to the Apple store or eBay to buy a new one. So be careful, and take your time. Also, the second you open up the phone your warranty is void…so again, be careful.

Following the guide found here I carefully went through Steps 1-5. To make sure you have the right size screwdriver, match it with the screws on the bottom and expect to go a little smaller. The screws on the inside are much smaller. After removing the screws I then used a guitar pick to wedge between the glass and the metal encasing, as shown in Step 3. I then used a thin flat head screwdriver to gently pry up the the end with the home screen. DO NOT USE an exacto knife or razor blade as shown, it can break the blade! Before entirely removing the top I unplugged cables #1, #2 and #3. Thanks for the color-by-numbers Apple! #3 was by far the hardest, so be very careful with this ribbon, if you can pull up on the dark brown tab at it’s base to slide it out easier.

Next, I skipped down to Step 18 and removed the screws on each side of the display. Some were covered by tape, but they aren’t that hard to remove. Just don’t lose them!

Next was the tricky part, as shown in Step 19 I gently pulled the LCD up from the touch-sensor and glass. There are sneaky little tabs on the side that make this hard, but there is no going back now! After removing the LCD, I took off the metal backing and placed it on the new LCD. Lastly, I cleaned the glass and replaced the LCD. After replacing everything to their original state, it worked!

Now I don’t have to buy a new iPhone!