OT: Mobile phone repair

[Dave Preston]

I've got a Google Nexus 5 that's intermittently faulty. It's NOT on a contract, I bought it independently myself about 13 or 14 months ago, so where's the best place to get these things repaired?

We have market stallholders and a few independent mobile phone shops in town but I think they may be more suited to repairing/replacing cracked screens or other hardware faults, whereas this is (presumably) a software problem.

Sometimes I can't make calls on it - the number gets dialled and then the call ends immediately without ever connecting.

I'm also having problems with the internet over the cellular network. I can always get internet access on wifi, but if trying to use my data allowance on my contract (TalkMobile network), I only get internet access about 50% of the time.

TIA

[Bill]

In message , Dave Preston writes

I have a phone here that worked fine when taken back to the "Orange" shop, but was extremely erratic from almost everywhere else.

I just replaced it, but later dismantled it and found a small crack in the pcb where the aerial connected. The shop with its repeater obviously had a very strong signal. Away from there the signal would sometimes make it across the break, sometimes not.

We used to have, in the small town here, a shop that did house alarms and some mobile phone sales. Above the shop, they repaired phones for the other "specialists". They had test gear and the facilities to repair small electronic devices. That was in the days of traditional mobile phones like the clamshell one I still rely on. I don't know if the shop still exists.

[Martin Brown]

That sounds more like an intermittent signal problem. What signal strength are you seeing. My wifes Samsung works perfectly everywhere apart from central London where some days it flattens its battery by continuous rebooting and has to be kept switched off.

We put the thing on Three in the end and it works OK everywhere now.

Again it sounds more like a connectivity problem. You could always flash the thing up to the latest firmware and see if that helps.

Regards, Martin Brown

[news]

I have a Nexus 4 and have discovered after a lot of frustration and trial and error that this is a symptom that the number I am trying to call is engaged. I never get an engaged tone just this behaviour. It might be worth a few experiments with another line you know to be engaged.

Cant help you with this one (unless of course it is a low signal area and the phone is dropping to 2g - fine for voice rubbish for data)

[newshound]

Sounds to me like it could be an internal electrical connection problem rather than software, in which case a "screen replacer" might well be able to fix it.

I'd be inclined to talk to one of them and discuss a deal (e.g a tenner if they can't find anything, £50 if they fix).

[Dave Preston]

Never below 75% but usually maximum signal

Might just try that Martin, thanks.

[Dave Preston]

You're right, it does do that when the number I'm trying to call is engaged, but I've also tried calling my own landline when I've been sat next to it and therefore can guarantee that it's not in use, with the same results.

No, full signal with 'H' appearing next to signal indicator (presumably indicating that it's on the HSDPA network?).

Thanks

[Dave Preston]

Good point, cheers.

[Dave Preston]

Dave Preston laid this down on his screen :

Thanks everyone.

[Brian Gaff]

I have heard that some ram used in these mobiles is, shall we say, reluctant to change state causing weird effects. I don't know if its changable, but I suspect its not. Brian

[Dave Preston]

Brian Gaff expressed precisely :

Cheers Brian, interesting.

[Eednud]

If you bought it from Google direct, some UK users have had luck with this, although it is manly US based.

[Dave Preston]

Got to be worth a phone call - cheers!! :D

[rick]

might be worth do a hard rest on phone .. usually a 3 button hold while powering on. Options will allow cache clearance, hardwares reset etc. This will lose all on the phone ... in case you have contacts you need.