The Blog of AJ Ke » #diy

Bumper Repair With A Hair Dryer

AJ Ke — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:17:51 +0000

Last semester, somebody left a pretty hefty dent in my rear bumper while I was in class. When I took it to a body shop, they gave me an estimate of $600 to repair one dent! With the help of a friend, we were able to fix it with a hair dryer and a socket wrench.

In order to fix the dent, we first had to remove the bumper. To do this, we removed 4 plastic pop-rivets from underneath the bumper. They will most likely break when you take them out, so buy replacements at an auto supply store for any that do (you can get 2 for a dollar). Then, We had to remove the lining of the trunk to get access to the nuts and bolts holding the bumper to the frame. We needed a 3/8″ 10MM socket to get to four of the harder to reach bolts at the rear wall of the trunk. There were also a few more bolts at each side of the trunk.

After the plastic rivets and bolts were removed, we were able to pop the bumper out. In order to push out the dent, we had to soften the plastic using a hair dryer on high heat. We did this for about 10 minutes, and I pushed it out by hand with a towel to protect against the hot plastic.

After that, we just put the bumper back on, replaced the pop-rivets, replaced the bolts, and reinserted the trunk lining. The result wasn’t exactly perfect, but it was much better than before.

Repairing A Broken iPhone – How To Fix A Cracked Screen

AJ Ke — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 06:52:38 +0000

If you saw my broken iPhone post a while ago, you may have realized that scotch tape isn’t exactly the best way to fix a cracked screen. Fortunately, with the help of a few YouTube tutorials, I was able to fix the screen using tools and replacement parts that I bought on eBay for about $18.

This is the most helpful tutorial I found:

Materials Used:

Magnetic screwdriver
Paper clip or sim card tool
Suction cup
Spudger
Adhesive strips
Replacement iPhone 3G OEM Glass Digitizer Screen
Hairdryer or Heat Gun

Personal notes:

When using the suction cup to separate the glass from the housing, you need to pull very firmly. However, do not pull too far open because the digitizer is still attached by three cables.
When separating the frame from the LCD, be very careful when prying. Only pry from the sides and that one corner mentioned in the video.
If you’re using a hairdryer, you need to heat the glass for NO LESS than 5 minutes. Use a rag or pot holder when peeling the glass off the frame because it gets very hot. Make sure not to warp the shape of the frame.

Before

After

Fixing A Cracked iPhone For Less Than A Dollar

AJ Ke — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:35:14 +0000

I’ve dropped my iPhone so many times this past year without consequence. Finally, my negligence has caught up with me. In my sleepless daze during finals, I dropped my phone face down on concrete, cracking the complete top half of the screen.

After waiting in line at the AT&T store for almost an hour, I found out that it would take almost $300 to fix it. That’s more than the price of a new phone! Determined, I figured out my own method of fixing my beloved phone.

Step 1: Cover the cracks with Scotch tape so that you don’t cut your fingers on the pieces of glass.

Done! It works just fine now. I need to be careful, though, because I was lucky enough to keep the LCD intact. I’m afraid any more pressure on the screen might damage it.

Ok, ok. So this is only a temporary fix. I’ve actually ordered a new screen and some tools online for less than $30. I’ll put up another how-to post and video when the materials arrive.