Water Damaged 900... What are my Options?

[EvanKr]

As I stated in a previous post , my mother's old Lumia was water damaged and in need of replacement.

I took it into a repair shop downtown, and after a few days of waiting I got a call back from them telling me that it was "totally corroded" inside, and "beyond repair" (that being said, the shop had also recently been caught selling counterfeit phone parts, so I'm not sure how trustworthy they are. I was bummed, but a bit of hope was rekindled when I tried to boot up the phone and the back, home, and search button lit up and the phone vibrated. Sadly, the screen remained off.

Can this still be repaired? I'm tempted to take it onto another shop, but they'll charge me even if it's unrepairable, and at this point I'm getting skeptical if it's even worth it. It has two nicks on it, one being from the last place trying to pry the back off, and I don't want to risk it again if I'm going to sell it for parts.

Regarding selling ti for parts, what can it fetch me on eBay or Craigslist? How much are people generally paying for dead 900s?

Thanks,
-Evan

 

[Duvi]

I'm sure they'd love to make more $$$ fixing it, but once the board is corroded enough, it's not repairable. Get a new device through insurance or eBay/craigslist.

 

[EvanKr]

I'm sure they'd love to make more $$$ fixing it, but once the board is corroded enough, it's not repairable. Get a new device through insurance or eBay/craigslist.

Thanks for the reply!

I have a new device already, I'm just curious about what to do with this one. I'm not sure how corroded the board is, simply because parts still work. For that reason, I'm not convinced that the mobo is dead.

 

[wamsille]

You don't necessarily know what parts still work, for how long and if anything can be salvaged how easy it would be for someone to harvest parts from your dead phone.

If there is an alternative available, I would go to another repair shop for a second opinion to see what they have to say. Don't mention the other store or what their diagnosis was. Unless you had a way to open up the phone, remove the battery and gave it a rice bath upon realization that the phone was in contact with moisture the chances of recovery are slim. I would not price the phone out much more than an insurance deductible. You might find a hobbyist that likes to tinker with broken phones and would like to tackle the project. I wouldn't recommend selling the phone on eBay, just use Craigslist and make sure that the buyer knows fully well what they are getting into.

 

[EvanKr]

I called a shop, they want $100 to repair it, plus any parts. Ouch. I'll shop around and see what I can get...

Thanks for all the help so far, guys!