Sony PlayStation 3 Slim Hard Drive Tray

My Problem

About a year ago, my left channel went almost dead. It was there, but so faint that you couldn't really hear it. I don't listen to my iPod through headphones too much, but I do use an FM transmitter in my car that gets audio via the headphone jack. In the car, instead of just having a dead left channel, I was stuck with a loud, high-pitched whine that would--sort of humorously--change pitch with my acceleration. It made listening to my iPod pretty much unbearable.

My Fix

I started this around 11PM and finished up around 2:30AM. Once I realized that I just needed to stay the course and pry the iPod open with brute force, it went alright. Seriously, cracking this baby open was not easy. I will say that after this, the rest of the process is a breeze. If I were doing this again, I'd probably skip out on those plastic opening tools. The metal spudger+putty knife is the real dream team that gets things moving.

My Advice

Stay the course. Skip the plastic opening tools. Fear not.

Also, grab a really small pair of needle nose pliers (mine were 4.5" long). Those are super handy for helping to move some of the smaller parts and also for working with those gnat-sized screws around the headphone/hold assemblies.

And, as an FYI, while the guide specifies using a Phillips 00, I found a Phillips 000 to work just as well.

My Problem

Crack screen on a Verizon Surface 3, unusable in it's current state.

My Fix

Getting the old screen off was a pain. Lots of little pieces. Wish i would have known to just get one corner done and get to the meat of the screen. From there i could have possibly pulled it off faster with less shards!

My Advice

Rated as a 1 for fix-ability...I came, I saw, I kicked its @$$!!!

My Problem

Won't boot up

My Fix

Order arrived in reasonable time & good condition. Prybars popped the case of Nexus 7 quickly & undamaged as advertised. Didn't find the quick & easy loose battery connection hoped for but tools were great. Will continue & possibly use other tools as time allows.

My Advice

Best advice may be buy a different tablet, this is not impressive reliability. Thanks to the internet for helpful advice & the link to necessary tools which can be more than 1/2 the battle in repairs like this.

My Problem

Recently, I needed to replace the battery on my 6-year old Dell Adamo 13. I referred to the clearly written Dell Adamo 13 Teardown and clicked on the "Buy these tools" button to order all the recommended tools.

After receiving the tools, I realized that I still had no way to open the computer case. Investigation revealed that the required metal spudger was not listed at the top of the teardown with all the other required tools. However, it was clearly listed in the section that detailed opening the case.

My Fix

I contacted iFixit and acknowledged that both of us had dropped the ball somewhat. Amazingly, they sent the metal spudger to me via UPS 2-day priority (at their expense) and promptly revised the teardown.

The repair went flawlessly--just in time for an important trip I was about to take.

My Advice

Having worked as a consultant to the Nuclear Power industry where quality and prompt corrective actions are critical, I give the iFixit personnel a huge commendation for excellence in customer service, problem resolution, and supplying quality products. They definitely went above and beyond and have earned my loyalty!

My Problem

iPad was discharging quickly. Then it would not charge at all. Would not turn on or charge (dead). Determined the battery needed replaced.

My Fix

Used the iFixit guide and was able to successfully repair. I used a hair dryer to soften the adhesive and was very patient (heat, cautiously pry, heat and pry, heat and pry). Once the glass was off the rest was fairly easy.

My Advice

The pictures of the retaining clips could be more clear, took a while to figure out the clips. Maybe an exploded view of the clips 'locked' and 'unlocked' would have helped. Other than that the guide was pretty thorough and accurate.

My Problem

Accidentally our iPod classic fell unto the floor and consequently the harddisc was broken. The best solution seemed to be a replacement of the drive with a CF-card. If there is any pride, you go for it on your own and fix it.

My Fix

To start the opening process I found it easier to use a kitchen knife instead of the plastic opening tool. Afterwards opening the iPod with the proper tools was very easy thanks to your thorough and clear instructions. I didn't think it would be necessary but I actually needed all recommended tools. It's been the first time for many years that I felt the need to take an electronic device radically apart like this.

My Advice

Everything worked out nicely until.... I saw the power cable and was meant to move the lid 1-2 mm. However I had a very strong image in mind of the good old jumper-switches. Remember the ones from the 80s? So I torn out the whole jacket leaving me with lots of little pins flying around. Quite exciting. In order to understand - if at all - what possibly could have gone wrong, I followed the instructions for the other cables and realized how delicate my actions should have been applied. It occured to me progress didn't stop 30 years ago.

Actually I'm looking on the internet for another iPod classic with a broken harddisc and it seems it happens quite often.

Thanks folks! You've got the grumpy old guy out of the woods - willingly hunting for more experience. Hope you all have a little fun with my story.