Who does out of warranty refurbishing for StarTACs?

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Richard Lee - 06 Mar 2004 15:50 GMT

Hi. I'm looking to get a StarTAC reconditioned to look like new.
Nothing electronically wrong, just replace the black plastic housing,
clear plastic display cover, and a new cigar shaped logo on the ear
piece. In other words, cosmetic reconditioning.

I checked with various cell phone shops nearby and they only want to
sell new phones and accessories..

Does Motorola do refurb for out of warranty phones? Are there
independents that can do it? Assuming I can get the right tools, can I
buy housings, display covers and and logos somewhere?

- Richard
rlee710 at rogers dot com

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RICHARD GORDON - 07 Mar 2004 02:24 GMT

Hi Richard,

www.viastartech.com and ask for Brad

HTH

Richard G

> Hi. I'm looking to get a StarTAC reconditioned to look like new.
> Nothing electronically wrong, just replace the black plastic housing,
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> - Richard
> rlee710 at rogers dot com

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royc - 07 Mar 2004 02:34 GMT

Yes! When the hinge cable on my StarTAC began to fail last summer, I
sent it to the Motorola repair center in Dallas for out-of-warranty
repair. They always replace the case, flip assembly, display lens and
antenna (if bent or broken). They also resoldered the charger port
and headphone jack, since they tend to fail over time.

Motorola charges a flat rate of $75 + tax. Turnaround is about 3
weeks. I had a spare StarTAC on hand and activated it while the first
phone was out for repair. The repaired phone has a 90 day warranty.
For more information go to:

http://commerce.motorola.com/consumer/QWhtml/customer_service.html

Click on the "Learn about Repair" link on the lower left side of the
page.

If you only need cosmetic repairs, you might want to check out:

http://www.viastartech.com/repair/

Their price to only replace the case is cheaper than Motorola's flat
rate, but I have not used their service. Also they only have a 30 day
warranty, unless you purchase an extended warranty.

I do not know of any source for StarTAC cases and flips for
do-it-yourself repairs. I think Motorola restricts sales of these
parts to authorized repair centers. I'm sure FCC regulations prohibit
consumer repair of radio transmitting devices. If you are curious
about how to disassemble a StarTAC, check out:

http://ridge.trideja.com/wireless/stapart/

Good luck,
royc

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