Good Luck -- You're Not Going to Need It

Mijn probleem

My wife dropped her iPhone and that's when the rear camera stopped working. The shutter did not open and the camera froze up if you tried to switch from the front-facing camera to the rear. Also, the flashlight option in iOS7 was greyed out and not available.

I briefly considered buying an allegedly "genuine OEM" rear camera from Amazon for $5, but I'm glad I decided on getting the camera from iFixit. It was worth the extra cost buying from a reputable company.

Mijn oplossing

The repair was easy and relatively quick. I've done repair work on other electronics, but this was my first iPhone repair. It took me about an hour, including setup.

The biggest challenge was removing the battery, not because it's a complicated task, but because it's held in by a fairly thick layer of adhesive. I tried prying it up using the same plastic opening tool shown in the guide, but the plastic was threatening to break, and I knew I would still need it to complete the repair.

I took the advice of another repairer who recommended using a credit card to pry up the battery from the right-hand side. The card is tough enough to handle the pressure but it bends just enough to get it underneath the battery. I used a corner of my credit card to work into the lower right-hand side of the battery and then I worked it up the side to release the battery.

Other than the battery's persistence to remain glued in place, the rest of the repair is very straightforward. I popped out the old camera, popped in the new one, put it all back together, and it worked like a charm.

Mijn advies

Pay attention, and take your time.

Read the directions from beginning to end before starting. Set all of your tools out ahead of time -- and make sure you buy the right tools. Decide on a strategy for organizing your screws (IFixit offers a magnetic project map that I'm sure is very handy). I taped a blank sheet of paper to the table and labeled each screw as I removed it from the phone.

If you're used to doing mechanical work on your car -- remember that this isn't your car. Don't force anything. Brute strength is not a trait that is needed in small electronic repair.