Please help: Dropped laptop=broken LCD

So my friend dropped my laptop( Sony VAIO VPCCW14FX/B) and now the screen looks like this,



The Computer is still in good shape there is no visible damage the the bezel or case. I can connect via HDMI to my TV and it works fine. Sony gave me a minimum of $500 for the repair so I'm going to replace it myself.

The repair seems straightforward enough,
Laptopscreens.com has this video (which is not my exact model but should be close, right?)

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I was worried that the inverter could be damaged but it seems like the screen would be dark if that was the case, its nice and bright right now.

Is is safe to assume that its only the LCD that needs to be replaced?

If so where should I buy one? I've found these compatible LCD's

Sony VAIO VPCCW14FX/B replacement Laptop LCD Screen. Brand-new (never used).

Sony Vaio VPCCW14FX/B Laptop LCD Screen 14.0 WXGA Glossy - ScreenAid

Amazon.com: SONY VAIO VPCCW21FX LAPTOP LCD SCREEN 14.0" WXGA HD LED DIODE (SUBSTITUTE REPLACEMENT LCD SCREEN ONLY. NOT A LAPTOP ): Electronics

Bliss Computers - Search

SONY VAIO VPCCW14FX/B 14" WXGA LAPTOP LED SCREEN - eBay (item 400183065440 end time Jan-22-11 06:41:06 PST)

I've always avoided messing with laptops so this is new territory for me. Any help would be appreciated.

 

The LCD is cracked. Needs replacement. There is no way to repair that.

I recommend opening it, and trying to go by the model number or compare the data pin connection.

 

Inverters rarely get damaged from being dropped, at least in my experience. Inverters aren't too expensive compared to the screen. Just be careful with Sony bezel especially. You know the plastic that holds your milk chocolates? Triple that and you get a Sony bezel.

 

Great tip, thanks

Looks like I'm going to go through ebay,
SONY VAIO VPCCW14FX/B 14" WXGA LAPTOP LED SCREEN - eBay (item 400183065440 end time Jan-22-11 06:41:06 PST)
This seller has a pretty good history, plus I get the extra protection with PayPal. The model number, screen res, and physical description match so I'm pretty confident it will fit.

Any other Tips will be helpful, thanks

 

Please keep us informed with your repair. Pictures would be great.

 

Just words of comfort; I've bought like 30 laptop screens on eBay, and only received 3 bad ones.

 

If my fool friend dropped my laptop I'd get him to pay what Sony wants. He's the fool that dropped it.

Alternatively, you may be able to collect against your homeowners/renters insurance if you have accidental damage (in addition to the typical "catastrophic") coverage and only have to pay your deductible (assuming it isn't a high ded. policy, which would negate any advantage to using the insurance).

 

Good suggestion Paralel. I had my Acer 1410 stolen from my work truck so I turned it in to my homeowner insurance. I then purchased an Acer 1830T as a replacement and ordered a 240GB SSD to upgrade the HD. I turned in all the original receipts and replacement receipts to the insurance company and received a check for more than the cost of the 1410 and case and flash drives I lost in the theft and that was after they reduced it by $250 deductible. They paid "Replacement Cost" , go figure.

 

if you could do that , would be great..

Panther214

 

This will be a very easy repair. It took me about 60secs to get the LCD out. When the screen get here I'll write it up with pics.

Let me just say I was really pissed off. This guy has broke his laptops this way. But I had to find a middle ground because hes broke.

I'm not a 90% kind of guy...Is that 1 in 10 don't work at all or 1 in 10 have a dead pixel or two?

I think my deductible is $500 and I don't think I have accidental damage coverage anyway.

 

LED backlit screens don't use an inverter... and yours is LED.

The first option the laptopscreen website seems like the best choice because they're inexpensive and they offer a 3-yr warranty.

 

Then I'd sue his in small claims court. If he didn't pay then they could directly garnish his wages.

 

$500 for a repair is pure stealing, a reason why I wouldn't buy from SONY. But I've opened a few sony laptop before while following guides I found on the internet and seen replacement parts being sold on ebay so this replacing the monitor by yourself is totally doable. But you might as well consider getting a new laptop if it's going to cost you over 300 bucks in all.

 

So the eBay seller had the LCD I bought mislabeled.
Here's the listing:

SONY VAIO VPCCW14FX/B 14" WXGA LAPTOP LED SCREEN - eBay (item 400183065440 end time Jan-22-11 06:41:06 PST)

Here is the two LCD's side by side

Its a bit tough to see but they look nothing alike, with missing screw mounts and the plug on the opposite side.

Can anyone chime in and confirm this eBay listing is mislabeled and I just didn't make a mistake. I have a SONY VAIO VPCCW14FX. This extract model number is on my bezel. The /B is the color code thus I have a SONY VAIO VPCCW14FX/B. Res, size, LED BL, all consistent with my laptop. I confirmed this by checking my Newegg account.

28yrs old, lives in his parents basement, has no job. Its a complicated relationship, but I except that it was an accident.

Agreed. Are other manufactures better?

 

Not particularly. Apple is the worst, Sony being a close second though.

 

Actually Sony is worse. Sometimes they cannot even source their own parts. At least Apple still has parts from like 2006...and a Z series from like 3 years ago I've seen 800 for a screen..

Most Ebay resellers use OEM screens (LG, Samsung, AUO) and that's why they can get screens so cheap vs manufacturers (crazy markup but you get manufacturer warranty)

 

It would help if you said which one is the one from your system and which one is the one you ordered...

 

Yes I've dealt with Sony not having their own parts. However from my experiences so far Sony has been charging less then Apple. Not that it matters (100-200 difference on a $300-$800 repair).

 

So the seller came through and is replacing the screen at no cost to me with the correct one. The correct screen is $15 more so we're just calling it even for the return shipping. When they get my tracking number they'll send out the new screen. I thought I might have problems getting a full refund but its working out.

The lesson learned from this is to always pull the LCD out first and compare it to the picture before you buy. Seems like common sense but I didn't want to rip into anything until I know I had the part on the way.

The one with the plastic wrapping and tape, without the screw mounts is the new one (left) But your right. It was a bad picture and I was vague.

 

I guess it's all extreme circumstances. Apple screens are around 400-600 in GSX unlike Sony I've seen jump up to nearly 1000. LCD are one thing you can source out to another vendor as they just brand OEM screens.

Unfortunately for logic boards that is another story, which Apple Macbook/MBP are like 900-1400 a pop. Sony is a fair bit cheaper but alot of NW models with Core 2 motherboards Sony cannot even source parts for anymore. I'd rather at least have an option to buy a LGB vs being told nope absolutely no parts available (like older Alienwares)

Back to OP's post, it's a good thing they are letting you have a hassle free replacement, I've heard the horror stories on Ebay..

 

As far as I've seen in a few VAIOs before, Toshiba makes the LCD screens for Sony laptops. I took my old Z laptop lid apart and it has a Toshiba screen inside from factory. Please get yourself a VPC CW assembly - disassembly service manual before you start working on your laptop. There's a magnet somewhere inside that laptop lid next to the screen, make sure you put it back in, it's the laptop lid trigger switch, well half of it, the other half is inside your laptop underneath your keyboard. I think you should return the screen to that ebay person for a full refund and don't get anything else from them. It sounds like they're wasting your time but hey it's your choice.

Also when they charge you $15 extra for THEIR mistake you can be extra sure this person is taking advantage of you. Do you really want to get another screen from them? What are you going to do if the second screen is not the right screen for your laptop?

 

Thanks for the reply but my LCD is LG, I don't think I'm going to need a manual for the LCD since it took me 6 screws and 60 secs to remove it the first time(which surprised me too), and the magnet is glued to the inside of the bezel so there's no reason to mess with it. I guess the VPCCW models are a lot different/easier to work on.

As for the eBay seller, you may be right. I've already sent back the LCD and I'm waiting for the new one to get sent out(Today, Monday, is the first non holiday weekday they've had to ship it). The $15 difference came from the fact that the correct LCD was Listed for that much more and they didn't just tell me that, they pointed me to the listing. In the end we called it even if I paid return shipping which came to $8.50 so I saved 6 bucks and had to wait and extra week(If it works out).

I definitely appreciate the help, I'll post again with a write up of the repair.

 

If I was the fool I would punch you in the face and pay you the $100 for a new screen, or buy it and fix it myself.

 

My Toshiba says my screen is made by Seiko (yup the watch company).

 

Ok, so I have my replacement screen and its an exact match, make, model, and fit BUT....

I have no backlighting.
The screen works, I can just barely read it and get into windows but no backlight. I've tried adjusting the brightness and hitting the "display off" button, both do absolutely nothing.

So I pulled it apart again and put the broken screen back in since, as you can see from my first post, I had plenty of backlighting. Well I was surprised to see that I still had no backlighting.

Any ideas?