iPad 2/3/4 Display Bezel

My Problem

I got an iPad 3 with an almost completely shattered front panel glass from a friend

My Fix

It went well, it was not really hard since most of the glass was broken already, it was easier to remove than expected

My Advice

Take your time with the glass, I covered the entire screen with packing tape to keep most of the glass together, then used a jimmy tool to remove most the glass that remained around the edges.

To remove the glue i used qtips with a googone solution to damp all the areas that had residual tape, left for a few minutes and came back to an easily removable goo.

My Problem

I let my children use my iPad and they decided to sit on it. Screen was completely shattered.

My Fix

I repaired the screen in an hour. I have replaced iPhone screens in the past so that helped with an understanding of how apple devices are put together. The screen is more difficult to remove than an iPhone screen due to all the adhesive. This repair takes patience and persistence to remove the glass front panel. Luckily I already had an opening due to the shattered glass so that made getting started much easier. I knew I was replacing the bezel so I cut the plastic and peeled it out which helped to get under the screen. I highly recommend replacing the bezel with the new front panel.

My Advice

The biggest issue I had was that I hastily tried to remove the home button ribbon and tore it from the home button. Thankfully the new front panel came with a different home button and ribbon but it looks different than the original home button and screams "previous damage" to me. If you want to keep the original home button then be very careful how far you pull the front panel back when separating and follow the instructions very carefully. It helps at this point to have a second set of hands or something to hold the screen up. Reassembly was somewhat problematic for me as the adhesive came loose. I had planned on placing a thick protector on the iPad anyways so that it would be harder for the kids to recreate the shattered front panel. I think it would have helped to use the heating tube to help the new adhesive stick better and also to prep the metal surface by removing all traces of the old adhesive, which I did not do. This advice was not included with the original instructions and I think it should be.

My Problem

I had dropped my iPad on its edge and the glass developed spider cracks.

My Fix

The repair certainly wasn't as difficult as it was made out to be. But then again, I've been doing repairs to audio and video gear my entire working career. It took almost 2 hours to replace the glass and bezel. I ordered the WiFi antenna but didn't need to replace it.

My Advice

I'd have to say the most important thing about attempting this repair is to make sure you can do it without being interrupted. One thing I have noticed is that the adhesive used to attach the glass to the chassis tends to pull away. Once or twice I've noticed the glass has almost completely detached itself from the chassis. I may have to find a better mounting solution.

My Problem

Broken screen, broken bezel, inadvertent broken wifi/BT antenna

My Fix

Repair overall was straight forward. Used YouTube videos for re-assembly, as they included tips that are not covered under "install using the reverse order of provided steps" section of iFixIt tutorials. Cleaning the previous adhesive was MAJORLY time consuming and intricate.

My Advice

If it is your first time, order the screen kit w/ tools, a new bezel, and a new wifi/BT antenna. Rookies will not know how close the wire is on the antenna, AND what the physical area between the bezel and screen looks like until removing.

My Problem

Totally shattered screen

My Fix

This job is tedious, especially if your screen has totally sharted itself. One thing that I didn't consider is that if the aluminium is bent (i.e. the iPad has suffered from a decent fall) the new screen may not fit inside it. I couldn't bend it back into shape, but its easily hidden by a case.

My Advice

You don't really need the iOpener. A hairdryer, guitar pick, and hot pack will do the trick. That being said, support the website that makes this repair possible is always a great idea. Buying the display bezel is also a good idea, it makes removal so much simpler and less stressful.

My Problem

My daughter received the unit from her mother with a broken glass. Having just replaced the same on two Ipad 2 units, I thought I would fix this one also

My Fix

Aside from a lot of time spent removing the shattered glass fragments, I found the Ipad 4 to be easier to replace than the Ipad 2 glass. Primarily due to the power/volume/mute cable not being exposed near the rim of the glass adhesive. Was able to gently tap the bent corners that caused the glass to crack. The ribbon cable for the screen button can be a little challenging to reinsert into the board connector, but as with all things on these apple product servicing, patience and diligence will get the job done.

My Advice

Used rubbing alcohol to remove the remaining adhesive