dougv.com | The Web home of Doug Vanderweide

User Name: sangbiz
Product Purchased: Motorola RAZR V3 OEM Front Outside LCD Lens Screen

Product As Advertised: Yes
Shipped Quickly: Yes
Customer Service: Excellent

You knew it was just a matter of time before I’d be writing about a cell phone-related purchase on eBay. About a week ago, I cracked the glass on the front of my Motorola Razr V3. So I had pretty much figured I would be out another $120 to purchase a new phone.

Then I discovered, after a quick Web search, that the front lens on the V3 is just a piece of flat, tinted glass adhered to the front via double-sided tape. So, off to eBay to find a replacement.

There were lots advertised for $1.99, but they were all located in Hong Kong — and I’ll be damned if I am going to give someone in Hong Kong my billing information, never mind waiting for the slow boat from China to get the replacement to me.

So I found sangbiz based out of Florida selling the replacement lens for $6, and $5 for shipping.

I placed my order late Thursday evening. It was sent out Friday and I received it Monday. It was very well-packaged, contained in a padded envelope, backed with cardboard and wrapped in padding several times; even the US Post Office would have had to work overtime to destroy it.

The receipt I got explained that all I needed to do was fit a razor blade into the edge where the lens meets the front cover and gently pry up. And sure enough, that was true as far as it goes, but a couple notes on that:

• You will need a very thin blade, such as a safety razor blade; I used the pen blade of my trusty Huntsman Lite Swiss Army knife. The gap between the lens and the cover is very thin.
• Make sure you initially pry from the top seam, but be very gentle and patient.
  • You want to pry from the top because there are printed circuits to the left and right side that are not protected; if you press down too hard with the blade, you may damage them and effectively short-circuit / destroy your phone. Since the top seam is the only other straightaway, it’s the place to start.
  • The glass of the lens is very thin and fragile and will definitely chip and crack; you’ll want to be careful to not harm the LCD screen underneath by horsing the blade around.
  • Be prepared for the glass chips to fly and for there to be lots of little shards to clean up. Wear eye protection; be ready to clean up tiny bits of glass.
• There’s a metal bracket under the top that should protect you from doing damage with the blade, but be careful you don’t go too deep, because you can easily fit it under the bracket and wind up bending the bracket (as I did to some degree). If you do bend the bracket up, a little light pressure should push it back into place.
• Once you have the lens somewhat free of the cover, you should be able to pull the entire thing off (the adhesive tape should keep the edges of the lens somewhat together). Then, use a soft, dry cloth to rub the adhesive off the bracket, peel the adhesive off the replacement lens, and apply firmly.

I couldn’t be happier: For $10.50, I have a brand-new phone again! I highly recommend this vendor.