lcd touch screen scratch repair free sample

This article was written by Linh Le and by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Linh Le is a Certified Mobile Repair Specialist and the Owner of SC Mobile Repairs in San Clemente, California. With more than 12 years of experience, he specializes in smartphone, tablet, and smartwatch hardware repair. Linh has an iTech Mobile Device Repair Certification and an iOS Certification. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from The Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Looking for the best way to remove scratches from your phone screen? There are a lot of nonsense screen repair “solutions” floating around the net, so we’ve compiled a list of options that really work – plus a few that might work under the right circumstances. Here’s how to fix a scratched phone screen and how much it costs.

A quick Google search will yield dozens of do-it-yourself scratched phone screen repairs, including car wax, paint scratch repair kits, Vaseline, toothpaste, bananas, sandpaper and even buffing your screen with a drill and cerium oxide. None of these “repair” methods work, and many can damage your device even more.

There are real remedies, however, and you can repair (or at least minimize) most cell phone screen scratches with one of the following seven methods (3 that work, 4 that might work). Let’s start with those that might work.

Scratched screen fixes that might work Looking for at-home DIY ways to fix a scratched phone screen? These options might work. Scroll down for more proven solutions.

Phone screen polishes and scratch removers like PolyWatch, Displex and Podshop iDrops promise to buff out scratches and help return your phone to like-new condition. Displex and Podshop iDrops are one-step solutions: apply the product to a soft cloth and buff your screen for a few seconds. PolyWatch is a two-step polish-and-finish process. Phone screen polish and scratch remover reviews are mixed, so your success might depend on how deeply your screen is scratched. You can buy kits for $10 to $20.

WARNING: Polishes could remove the oleophobic coating from your screen, which prevents fingerprints and smudges plus makes it easy to slide your finger over touchscreen glass. If the coating is removed, you could apply a new oleophobic coating with a product like Nano Liquid (around $20) or simply use a screen protector that has an oleophobic coating.

Car windshield scratch removers use resin to fill in small cracks, so they’re a potential option if you can’t get a phone scratch remover locally and don’t want to wait for shipping (or if you already have windshield scratch remover in your garage). Like other polishes, reviews are mixed so best results aren’t guaranteed. Windshield scratch removers might be worth a try, however, since you can pick up a kit from brands like Rain-X, Permatex and Blue-Star for around $10 at your local automotive supply store.

WARNING: Like other polishes, windshield repair kits could remove your screen’s oleophobic coating (especially if they require buffing).Have a cracked phone screen? Sometimes it’s better to sell it than fix it. Find out why

Superglue, epoxy and other clear glues can fill in screen scratches and render them nearly undetectable. Coat scratches with glue and wipe away any excess; once it dries, scrape off any remaining residue with a flat edge (like a credit card). This method isn’t foolproof, as you’ll need a steady hand and you could risk gluing buttons down or causing additional damage, but it’s a quick and cheap fix for light scratches.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and similar products are mildly abrasive, so they’re able to buff out and polish small screen scratches. Screen repair isn’t the stated purpose for these products, though, so even though many people have reported success your mileage may vary. You can pick up a 4-pack of Magic Erasers for around $5.

WARNING: Like polishes, Magic Erasers could remove your screen’s oleophobic coating.Protect your phone, make it last longer & maximize resale value. Here’s how

Scratched screen fixes that will work The previous options might work, but they might also be more trouble than they’re worth. The following are typically better solutions for scratched screen repair.

A new protective screen cover might be all you need to mask the smallest scratches. Protective cell phone screen covers are cheap to buy and simple to apply. Though screen protectors won’t fix scratches, they can render them nearly invisible to the naked eye. That makes them a good option for hiding most light scratches, but not deep scratches. Screen protectors also help prevent additional scratches. You can buy one for $5 to $30.Don’t risk damage (or injury)! Here’s how to safely remove a screen protector

If your phone screen has deep scratches or if you don’t want to mess with repair kits that might not achieve the best results, screen replacement is your best option (unless you have insurance – more on that below). Many phone manufacturers and third-party repair centers offer cell phone screen replacement. It’s more expensive than other options, and you might need to go without your phone for a few days if you mail it in for repair, but you’ll get a brand-new screen that’s completely free of scratches. Some repair services even offer warranties.

Depending on your model and selected repair option, you can expect to pay anywhere from $50 to $330 for professional screen replacement. Note that in some cases, screen replacement can weaken phone water resistance.

You can also attempt to replace your own cell phone screen, which could save you money. However, it’s a daunting task for anyone who isn’t tech savvy and will likely void any applicable warranties and insurance policies. The Flipsy blog has articles that help you decide whether to sell or fix your broken iPhone and show you how much cracked Galaxy note screen repair costs. DIY screen replacement can range from $40 to $300 or more, depending on your model and quality of parts.Need phone parts or a repair toolkit? Here’s where to get them

If you have phone insurance, this is likely your best option for deep scratches or if you don’t want to attempt DIY scratch repair. If you live near your carrier’s repair center, even better: you can get your screen replaced over your lunch break. Otherwise, you’ll need to mail your phone in for screen repair.

All major carrier and manufacturer insurance plans offer special screen repair pricing. Verizon Total Mobile Protection, Sprint Complete and AppleCare+ all have $29 screen replacement deductibles. AT&T Mobile Protection Pack charges $49, while T-Mobile charges $99 ($29 if you have an iPhone and you’re within the two-year AppleCare+ period). The Samsung Premium Care deductible is $99. If you have third-party insurance, you’ll pay $149 to file a claim through SquareTrade and around $50 through Worth Ave. Group, depending on your model.

A final option is to sell your scratched phone and use the money toward the purchase of a new phone. Several companies are willing to purchased cell phones with scratched screens for a fair price. You can find Trust Verified Stores on Flipsy who offer free shipping and cash payouts within two days of receiving your phone.

Selling your phone over a scratched screen might or might not be a good option for you; it could largely depend on whether you’re due for an upgrade or if you’re already thinking about buying a new phone. Always check current prices to determine whether selling your scratched cell phone is the right choice.

When you purchase a new cell phone, it’s a good idea to get a screen protector and case to ensure your investment remains scratch-free. Prevention is really the best repair; however, if your phone screen does get scratched you can either attempt to repair it yourself, opt to have the screen replaced altogether or simply sell your phone and use the funds toward the purchase of a new device – along with a new screen protector, of course.

Magic erasers are usually used for cleaning up messes, but could they clean up scratches? Yup. It wiped out small scratches on the phone"s screen in just a few seconds. Taylor Martin has a tutorial on how to make your own magic erasers for just around $0.10 (£0.07 or AU$0.14) each.

Wiping a screen with toothpaste (not the gel kind) supposedly works for fixing scratched screens. All it did in my tests was make the screen shinier and seemed to add small abrasion marks. I also tried toothpaste on a plastic screen protector, such as the kind that comes with OtterBox phone cases. It worked great on that! So it"s a no for screens, but a yes for plastic screen protectors.

Erasers work great for making scratches disappear. I used a white rubber eraser, but you can also use the type that"s found on the end of a pencil. Simply rub the scratch left and right with the eraser for about 60 seconds, and then rub it up and down for 60 seconds. The friction softens the eraser and it fills in the scratch. Don"t press down too hard, though!

Car waxes and headlight lens creams are supposed to be effective at removing scratches on screens, so I gave Mothers PowerPlastic 4Lights headlight cream a try. It made the scratches fade significantly, and l liked the shine it gave my screen.

A paste of two parts baking soda to one part water has been bandied about as a great screen fixer. Nope. It just made the screen really shiny. Plus, the moisture in the paste could damage your device.

According to the internet, coconut oil can solve just about any problem. Shockingly, it didn"t work well on phone scratches. Like with the petroleum jelly, it just made the phone super slippery.

I wasn"t sure about this tip. Sites say to mix the corn starch with a little water to make a paste, rub it on the screen with a soft cloth, and then wipe it off. It didn"t do anything to the scratches, but it made the screen shiny.

OK, this one freaked me out. A lot. Putting gooey, oily stuff on electronics is never a good idea, but I gave it a shot in the name of science. I dabbed a bit on as recommended, and rubbed it into the screen with a tissue. As I feared, all it did was make the test screen oily and sticky.

Why do people think it"s a good idea to rub food on their phones? Nope, rubbing a banana peel on your screen won"t help it. I tried it a couple different ways and it just left a crusty mess that is hard to remove.

Powdered cleanser like Bar Keepers Friend, Comet, Ajax and the like seem a good idea for buffing out scratches. They are slightly abrasive, so you"d think they"d polish your screen to a gleaming scratch-free shine. Well, they don"t. They can even leave new little scratches on your screen. Yah, this test didn"t go well.

Your car"s navigation system can be your best friend when you"re trying to drive to new areas or detouring out of a traffic jam. However, when the screen gets scratched or cloudy over time, you may have trouble using the whole infotainment system. So, how do you remove scratches from the navigation screen? We"ve done the research for your convenience.

Non-touchscreen navigation displays can be buffed or polished free of light to medium scratches. However, you can only buff the lightest scratches on touchscreen displays. For the latter, you may try using protective films or tempered glass screen protectors.

Would you like to know how to restore your scratched navigation screen properly? Do read on because we"ve prepared some tips on the tools, materials, and techniques that can make your interior detailing job easier and more rewarding.

Car navigation systems can display their information either on an independent navigation screen or in the infotainment systems. Most modern vehicles with large touchscreen infotainment systems include the navigation feature in the head unit.

Nevertheless, not all modern navigation systems use touchscreen displays. Some still use digital displays housed behind clear acrylic or polycarbonate lenses for protection against dirt, moisture, and damage.

For example, Lexus continued to use non-touchscreen infotainment displays until 2020. Previously, the Japanese luxury brand used either a remote control knob or a remote touchpad on the center console to control the infotainment system.

Whether the navigation display is in a touchscreen head unit or a non-touchscreen digital monitor, getting screen scratches is common, if not unavoidable. However, the steps in removing scratches from navigation screens differ depending on the type of screen.

On the other hand, touchscreen displays can only withstand light buffing to prevent damage to the anti-glare film and the touchscreen functionality. It would be better to use a protective film or even a tempered glass screen protector to hide the scratches and prevent new ones.

We need to clean the navigation screen"s surface well so that any surface dust or dirt does not add more scratches or contaminate any products during the scratch removal stage.

To clean the navigation screen, you will need two pieces of clean towels, preferably microfiber ones. Microfiber cleans very well due to the additional cleaning surface area of the fibers as well as the cloth"s positive charge that can lift dirt off smooth surfaces.

Lightly soak a microfiber towel with water or a mild detergent solution and gently wipe away any dirt from the screen"s surface. Avoid using any household cleaning solutions or glass cleaners on your navigation screen; some cleaners can be highly caustic and will chemically damage your screen"s surface.

Instead, you may want to try some screen cleaning products on the market. Although they are very effective for removing oils and stains off surfaces, they are also mild enough to be used specifically for electronic equipment screens.

After cleaning the screen thoroughly, make sure to dry the surface completely with a second clean microfiber towel. Just take care not to rub the screen using the towel"s stitched edges or care labels to avoid adding more scratches.

After cleaning the navigation screen, you will be able to see the scratches better and assess the extent of your detailing job. In this section, we will share some tips on how to buff or polish non-touchscreen navigation displays. For this process, you will need the following materials:

Clear plastic cleaner/polisher combos are mildly abrasive solutions that work best on clear plastic surfaces. The micro-abrasives will help clean surfaces and buff out scratches, but they won"t have any adverse chemical reactions with the acrylic or polycarbonate lens.

You may also use a power tool to polish your navigation screen lens. However, make sure to use the soft detailing pads at first to lessen any chances of damage.

Removing scratches from touchscreen infotainment screens is a more sensitive process than traditional buffing. Due to the pressure and the abrasion, you may damage the resistive, acoustic, or capacitive properties of the screen that allows for touch operation.

Furthermore, you may remove the anti-glare film on top of the screen. In some cases, professional detailers intentionally buff out this film during the scratch removal process. Afterward, they install a new anti-glare film.

Check out this video on how an automotive detailer buffed out the scratches and removed the original anti-glare film on a touchscreen infotainment system:

We"d like to reiterate, though, that this detailer did not replace the anti-glare film on the infotainment screen. The touchscreen may still work, but you may find yourself getting blinded by the infotainment screen"s light, especially when you"re driving at night.

In case you have a badly-scratched touchscreen surface and you decide to buff them out, it would be a good idea to install a new anti-glare screen protector.

Alternatively, some car owners don"t bother to buff their infotainment screens if they"re only dealing with micro-scratches. Instead, they simply clean the screen surface and install a screen protector film.

Aside from protecting the screen from further scratches, some car owners claim that screen protector films can also cover up the micro-scratches enough to be unnoticeable. Check out this DIY video below showing such a claim:

If you just got a new car or a new aftermarket infotainment system, then you may want to prevent screen scratches rather than remove them in the future. You may choose to add a clear, anti-glare screen protector film as we discussed above.

Alternatively, you may want to get a higher level of scratch resistance than thin screen protector films can offer. In this case, you can install a protective tempered glass layer on your new infotainment screen.

Using a clear plastic polish and some elbow grease, you can buff light to medium scratches out from your car"s non-touchscreen navigation display. With touchscreen displays, however, you can only buff out light scratches so that you won"t damage the screen"s operability.

If you own a smartphone, you’re very familiar with a touchscreen. You likely also understand the pain of a touchscreen which isn’t working properly. Touchscreens are sensitive & responsive by design, but keeping them in good condition can be challenging in an industrial setting. Here are common issues that crop up:

Touch screens are typically able to sense which area of the screen is being touched, and then use that input to facilitate a corresponding action. Sometimes though, a touch screen can lose its calibration and misinterpret a user’s touch, or be unable to sense user touches at all. In some cases, users can follow the screen prompts or use other peripheral tools to recalibrate the screen on their own. If that doesn’t work, then it’s time for you to call the pros at AES!

Touch screens can become scratched or worn with any sort of normal use, but those problems can be quickly compounded in a more challenging industrial environment. With enough scratches or cracks, your screen can become difficult to read. Worse still, it can develop some dead spots or other issues. Any type of impact or shock can also cause a touch screen to malfunction.

It’s not just regular contact that can wear a touch screen down. Exposure to contaminants like dirt, moisture, grease, or even oils from your skin can cause some external damage, and can even work its way inside to damage internal components, as well. Contamination is a prime cause of early failure for all sorts of electronic equipment, and that’s even more true for sensitive devices like touch screens.

Even if you try to be conscientious about taking care of your touch screen, sometimes an operating error can still occur. This can happen due to a variety of reasons, including user input error, software issues, hardware issues, glitches in the electrical circuitry, power surges, etc. If you’ve done everything you know to do on the outside, the problem may lie inside. The good news is that the AES team is trained to work on all internal components of touch screens!

Got a bad display or unresponsive touchscreen? AES can help! Just send your touchscreen display to us, and let our expert team take a look. We can diagnose any problems quickly, clearly communicate with you what the solution will require, and then we’ll get to work on making it happen!

At AES, we’ve been providing successful repairs on all sorts of electronic equipment and machinery – including industrial monitors, touchscreens, and operator interfaces – since 1992! Offering effective repairs that help to keep you running – while also benefiting your bottom line – is why we’re here! Learn more about what makes AES different:

At AES, we understand that you really need your equipment repaired and restored NOW! Well, that’s what we do! Of course, a quality touch screen repair will require some time & effort to complete it correctly. But the good news is that we work both hard and smart! We maintain a fast, standard turnaround time of 8-12 business days, but we also get it done sooner if you want to place a RUSH on your order. We’ll do our best to meet your time requirements!

Some may see it as old-fashioned, but AES is proud to say we still believe it’s worth doing right, if it’s worth doing at all. We’ll do the repair job right for you the first time, and every time! We utilize full-load testing so we can accurately diagnose any performance issues or other problems, and we’ll make sure your repair is completed correctly before we ever return your equipment back to you.

Not to overstate it, but at AES, we truly believe there’s not a better industrial electronics repair team in the business! Our technicians possess literally decades of on-the-job experience…we know what we’re doing! Plus, we go beyond what we already know, to also provide ongoing training opportunities for our team. That way, we know we’ll be well-equipped to serve your needs in the future, too.

Why pay to replace a touch screen or other expensive piece of electronic equipment, when AES can repair it and get it back to you fast, FOR LESS? We can get your touch screen back up and running correctly again, plus we’ll save you some valuable time, money, and potential frustration in the process.

And here’s one more convincing reason to entrust AES with your repair business. We don’t just say that we do good work; we actually stand behind it by offering a 24-Month Limited Warranty for ALL REPAIRS! What does that mean for you? If a problem should arise during that time period, which is deemed to be a repair workmanship issue, AES will provide follow-up repair service for you at NO additional cost! Now, that’s service!

Ready to get your touchscreen or other industrial monitors back online and back to serving your needs effectively? We can make that happen for you at AES! Reach out today at (866) 386-1001, and let’s get the conversation started! We can help!

Not to diminish what any of you are experiencing but every year the same things seem to be echoed. There will be people that say their phone shows scratches/nicks inexplicably and that there must be a defect because previous models did it do it. And that may be true for them but there is always at least one thread posted echoing the same complaint. Only thing that can be suggested besides the obvious (even though not loved by those that hate doing it...that’s using a screen protector of some sort and/or a case) would be to report it to Apple and determine if it’s really a defect or just bad luck. For those that are near an Apple store and feel like it’s a defect should go there and let them see the device and observe how the screen looks and then while there replicate the issue. If the screen is truly faulty it should be easy to make a new scratch/smudge/scrap appear if the only thing that caused it before was putting it into an empty pocket for example. Makes it difficult for them to not be willing to replace the device if you can show the issue happens. Probably not what anyone wants to hear but being able to show evidence absolutely helps more than showing damage after the fact and wanting them to believe the damage happened out of nowhere. Not saying any of you are lying but imagine how many people do or would claim scratches they know they created by being careless occurred out of nowhere.

I would be frustrated if it happened to me no doubt but I’ve been very fortunate. Never had a scratched screen or cracks on any iPhone. Yes I’ve dropped them countless times, tossed them with abandon, etc but I’ve also always used a screen protector (always cheap ones) and a case...usually an Otterbox Strada but I do so because I know that I always plan to sell my device and by taking these measures my iPhones have always looked like new making get top dollar (far more than any of these trade in offers ever give). Usually the first week or two has me using a cheap case to hold me over while I wait for the Strada or this time the Nomad folio to arrive while keeping a trimmed down version of the plastic that comes on the iPhone in place until my cheap $5.99 3 pack arrives from Amazon in place to keep the screen pretty safe. I say all of this to say that I have been pretty lucky to not have an issue on any of my iPhones or the others in my home (iPhone 11 product red and 2 iPhone 11 pro gold)...although I did have a mini scare when I dropped a thick heavy palette corner down directly on my iPhone 11 pro Max gouging the plastic and making me terrified that I had taken a chunk out of the screen. Thankfully no damage to the screen. No scratch or anything. That was pure luck because it absolutely should have had some significant damage if not a full fledge shatter. Definitely made me think long and hard about adding AppleCare+ immediately