Melted my Hero with Auto Brake Cleaner :(

[Tazdeviloo7]

I regret this so much and I should think next time, but I tried to clean my usb port with automotive brake cleaner because it wasn't charging. This MELTED my home and back buttons so they don't click anymore, started to dissolve the exterior paint, and damaged some of the interior plastic parts near the usb port. I took it apart and the board looks good, just some of the plastic interior parts disfigured a little bit, hence the home and back buttons not "clicking". I rinse off the bottom part of the phone with denatured alcohol to try and get rid of any extra brake cleaner and now I have the components sitting in a plastic baggy full of rice for the night.

Does anybody know if the dummy phones in stores have working buttons? I'm thinking of buying a dummy phone b/c all I need is the front housing and working buttons.

 

[bbv203]

no offense, but WTF gave you that idea????

I regret this so much and I should think next time, but I tried to clean my usb port with automotive brake cleaner because it wasn't charging. This MELTED my home and back buttons so they don't click anymore, started to dissolve the exterior paint, and damaged some of the interior plastic parts near the usb port. I took it apart and the board looks good, just some of the plastic interior parts disfigured a little bit, hence the home and back buttons not "clicking". I rinse off the bottom part of the phone with denatured alcohol to try and get rid of any extra brake cleaner and now I have the components sitting in a plastic baggy full of rice for the night.

Does anybody know if the dummy phones in stores have working buttons? I'm thinking of buying a dummy phone b/c all I need is the front housing and working buttons.

 

[stevedave]

no offense, but WTF gave you that idea????

Seriously why the hell would you use something that intense? Sucks for you man.

 

[i VTAK]

Some of them have buttons that click when you push them. But I'm not sure they have the same components as a working phone.

Wow though, brake cleaner? I've been working in a mechanics shop the last few weeks and found out this stuff will dissolve paint. I'd keep it away from my phone and anything else plastic or painted.

 

[bbv203]

Even electronic parts cleaner designed for pc boards has a warning on it......

 

[cooolone2]

Don't take this the wrong way, just saying ok...

Brake Cleaning Fluid is for... well, cleaning breaks, lol.
There is Electrical Contacts Cleaners available especially if a Radio Shack is nearby.

You're probably like me though and millions of others who READ the instructions ONLY when things go wrong, lmao... hahaha I just felt I had to share that thought.

I think you're SOL though with the dummy phones, I don't think they're functional at all.

But a suggestion would be to contact HTC if all internals are working and ASK them if you can purchase a new shell/case from them as a part replacement outside of warranty. Tell em something accidental happened (lol) and the outside/shell/case got all messed up and you want to replace it yourself. I think you would be able to get it, but not 100% positive.

Anyway, good luck!

 

[TheBiles]

Can we have some pics?

Oh, and for future reference: rubbing alcohol cleans electronics fantastically.

 

[JD_from_da_80s]

Wow that's crazy, I hope Sprint will be able to help you out with a dummy phone or replacement shell. Maybe the shells are being sold on Ebay. Where you trying to cleaning dirt out? I used my dust buster to clean dirt out my USB port, works pretty well. Good luck.

 

[apollomaker]

Wow, I felt the pain just reading the post. If the brake cleaner got to the circuit board under the switch panel, most likely it is time to jack up the phone cover and put a new Hero under it.

Yes, as a previous poster said, the most pure of isopropyl alcohol (small amount of water 1-2%) is a good passive cleaner.

Reading about things like this make me wish I had bought all-fault replacement insurance for my Hero

Good Luck ---

 

[cooolone2]

Wow, I felt the pain just reading the post.

Hahahaha, yeah, most definitely.

Brake dust/oil is real nasty stuff and almost impossible to clean. Seeing how good a job break cleaner does with that, I can see how a mistake can be made, lol, thinking it would do a great job with electrical contacts.

But I cringe at the thought of seeing the plastic from the phone melting... right before your eyes.

 

[scottmbolt]

Can we get some pics?

 

[Deleted User]

I agree with other posts about rubbing alcohol.

Wouldn't a dust blaster possibly cause the annoying 'dust under screen' problem? I would be scared to use that...

 

[Droidone]

I was really hoping for pics when I clicked the link. Is this possible. You can order parts for the hero online. google is your friend.

 

[Little Darwin]

Do you pay the $7 per month for insurance? If so, for what I think is a $100 deductible, you should be able to get a replacement. It might be reconditioned, but it will work.

 

[chaosis]

Pics or it didn't happen

 

[aclearman037]

Pics or it didn't happen

Honestly, who would post this without actually doing it... I wouldn't even be able to think up something like this, ha.

 

[chaosis]

Honestly, who would post this without actually doing it... I wouldn't even be able to think up something like this, ha.

Yeah I was joking, thought the "" in my post illustrated that, next time I'll just put "SARCASM" at the end of my post. On a related note, auto zone has a specials running on transmission fluid if anyone wants to clean their Hero screens "SARCASM".

 

[aclearman037]

Yeah I was joking, thought the "" in my post illustrated that, next time I'll just put "SARCASM" at the end of my post. On a related note, auto zone has a specials running on transmission fluid if anyone wants to clean their Hero screens "SARCASM".

The in your post did illustrate that. I follow. I was more agreeing with you than anything. So ya, I don't need your "SARCASM".

 

[Thefoodman52]

 

[ramone926]

Seriously why the hell would you use something that intense? Sucks for you man.

LMAO!!! All the above!!!!

 

[Tazdeviloo7]

No I don't have that $7 dollar a month insurance. The board and buttons still work, I just have to press the buttons down really hard. I don't have a camera handy, but the damage isn't as bad as most of you would think. I'll try to post up pics in the future. The only plastic that deformed was the soft red and green plastic "springs" behind the call and end button. The black plastic under the case turned grey from where the brake cleaner hit it. I'm shopping for replacement parts on ebay and it looks promising. For now I'll be using an old flip phone .

And my stupid logic behind using brake cleaner was that I've heard before that brake cleaner is much the same as automotive electric parts cleaner. I ignored the word automotive and sprayed some in the usb port to quickly find out it takes the soft beige paint right off and then some. I'm really surprised I haven't completely killed this thing yet considering I also flipped over in a boat and swam with it powered on in my pocket for 50 yards. HTC makes some good quality hardware.

PLEASE PM ME IF YOU ARE SELLING THE FRONT SCREEN WITH TRACK BALL AND BUTTONS OR A WATER DAMAGED HERO.

 

[dpeeps74]

well, i learned this weekend how tough my hero really is..at least with a body glove case on....i have anger issues, that often involve expensive things shattering into pieces. well my hero ended up on the bad end of that one...and it ended up in pieces, a battery cover, a body, a battery, a sd card, and the front and back of the body glove case. and then after putting it back together, it all worked great. i'm not sure whether to be sad or glad that brake cleaner is tougher than me apparently.

 

[scottmbolt]

pic...tures...?

 

[Tazdeviloo7]

 

[Tazdeviloo7]

It really sucks not having google, gmaps, gnav and that without my Hero. I put it back together today (after a alcohol bath and overnight rice dry) and I can not get it to charge or get my computer to recognize it. The sd card doesn't work either, but I got a warranty on that so no biggie. The phone does turn on, it goes into a boot loop though. I think that's probably because I have apps2sd installed and my sd card broke. Anybody have any advice or ideas to fix the usb port? I was having problems with it before where I'd have to get it in just the right position to charge it regardless of which usb cable I used.

I'm going to swap my board into my friends working Hero later to see if it'll charge like that. If not then I can think of two options for the problem, something on the board is messed up or the usb port is still dirty after all that brake cleaner . If it's the board then I might just wait out with my flip phone and get the Nexus One or Evo. I'll post later and reveal the likely fate of my beloved Hero.