Anyone ever bought a replacement camera module?

[Ariel Takom]

Hi guys! So, my 950's camera is busted. Not truly busted in a sense that I can still take photos and videos, but the problem is the camera's focus. It makes this buzzing, almost short-circuit spark sounds when taking photos/videos, and when this happens, the camera loses focus. Some other users in this forum have reported such problem and pinpointed it to hardware problems, which rings true because I've done WDRT and start a fresh twice yet the problem persists.

So, has anyone ever replaced their camera module on their own instead of sending it to Microsoft for repair services? I went over to ebay and saw lots of these replacement camera modules are being sold for $20, and thought of ordering one, but I'm scared that they might not work when it arrives.

Just FYI, I can't really send my phone to MS because most of the MS stores in my country that I know of are either closed down or too far from my place. Not to mention that I have no proof of purchase for my phone since I won my phone from the giveaway here at this site (Yes, I broke a giveaway phone. Don't judge me, sh*t happens :'( ), so that makes sending my phone for warranty claim a bit of a No-no.

 

[xandros9]

I don't think proof-of-purchase is really necessary for a warranty repair? I've warrantied devices I was the second owner for before and as long as the device is within the warranty period and doesn't have a weird country-of-origin, current country warranty thing then it might work.

Anyways, you definitely can do that as far as phones and possibilities are concerned. I accidentally broke my Nexus 5's camera back when I had one and a $15 replacement (give or take) was all I needed to get back in business.

The question here is how easy it is to replace the 950's camera module, and I'm not sure on that.

 

[Ariel Takom]

I don't think proof-of-purchase is really necessary for a warranty repair? I've warrantied devices I was the second owner for before and as long as the device is within the warranty period and doesn't have a weird country-of-origin, current country warranty thing then it might work.

Anyways, you definitely can do that as far as phones and possibilities are concerned. I accidentally broke my Nexus 5's camera back when I had one and a $15 replacement (give or take) was all I needed to get back in business.

The question here is how easy it is to replace the 950's camera module, and I'm not sure on that.

There's a disassembly video on YouTube, and tbh, it's fairly straightforward. Unscrew, then remove the motherboard to access the camera module, replace, then put everything back into place.

Just in case they took down the video for whatever reason, I downloaded a copy of it rofl. Still need a bit of a guide for myself in case something happens haha.

Anyway, as I said, sending it in for warranty would be quite an issue not just because I'm lacking proof of purchase, but most importantly the store's location. It is too far for me to go there, so I basically give up on claiming warranty hahaha.

 

[xandros9]

There's a disassembly video on YouTube, and tbh, it's fairly straightforward. Unscrew, then remove the motherboard to access the camera module, replace, then put everything back into place.

Just in case they took down the video for whatever reason, I downloaded a copy of it rofl. Still need a bit of a guide for myself in case something happens haha.

Anyway, as I said, sending it in for warranty would be quite an issue not just because I'm lacking proof of purchase, but most importantly the store's location. It is too far for me to go there, so I basically give up on claiming warranty hahaha.

Surely warranty repair via mail is an option? That's how I've done all of my warranty exchanges historically.

 

[Ariel Takom]

Surely warranty repair via mail is an option? That's how I've done all of my warranty exchanges historically.

It is, but I'm very skeptical of warranty repair via mail, since the postal service in my country has a reputation of damaging packages delivered. I'm scared my phone might arrive at the store more broken than it was before being shipped. This can be overcome by choosing a more premium shipping options such as DHL, but with premium services comes premium prices that I simply couldn't afford even if the store chooses to reimburse me.

I prefer to do walk-in repairs, but yeah. Store's far. Nvm, I've reached out to one of my friends to get the module for me. For $20, I'm just hoping it would work as intended. I love the camera on my 950, and this problem created a huge problem for me, especially when recording videos. :'(