Is my cell phone deceased?

btw1217

btw1217

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My cell phone (Motorola RAZR v3) fell out of the pocket of my hooded sweatshirt and right into a toilet. I was standing there and I heard a loud plop and looked down to see something black in the water. I wondered "What is that?" before quickly changing into a "OH SHIT!" mode. Luckily I wasn't using the toilet, and it wasn't a public restroom, so I didn't feel too bad about reaching in after it.

Do you guys think the water killed it? I turned it on and it was having some problems, but do you think after some time it'll be ok? Some people say if you let it sit overnight it could work fine.

Has anyone here had any experiences with cell phones and water?
 
Youch. I've heard from friends and family the RAZR is...

1) Strangely prone to being dropped. It's almost guaranteed

2) They're pretty damn delicate

I think it's all up to luck and how much water seeped into it. You could try letting it sit overnight, but there's not too much else you can do... that I know of, at least.
 
I knew someone that dropped a cellphone into their soda by accident.

It would power up and such, but you couldn't see anything on the screen. After opening it, cleaning it, and letting it dry properly... it would be hit and miss on whenever it worked.

Some days, it worked... some days, it didn't.

Most likely, you'll need to get a new phone.
 
[quote name='Moxio']Youch. I've heard from friends and family the RAZR is...

1) Strangely prone to being dropped. It's almost guaranteed

2) They're pretty damn delicate

I think it's all up to luck and how much water seeped into it. You could try letting it sit overnight, but there's not too much else you can do... that I know of, at least.[/QUOTE]

It's been pretty tough in taking drops and such. I've been very pleased in it's durability. But I can't fault it for being damaged by water. I just really don't won't to buy another one, but I won't be able to resist if this one doesn't work.
 
[quote name='Saucy Jack']Most likely, you'll need to get a new phone.[/QUOTE]

Words you don't want to hear, especially when dealing with expensive phones like the RAZR.
 
[quote name='btw1217']It's been pretty tough in taking drops and such. I've been very pleased in it's durability. But I can't fault it for being damaged by water. I just really don't won't to buy another one, but I won't be able to resist if this one doesn't work.[/QUOTE]

My cousin actually only dropped it a few times before it died. It might have been harder drops or sheer bad luck, but you can't help but feel the thin body of the RAZR is a double-edged sword.
 
[quote name='Moxio']Words you don't want to hear, especially when dealing with expensive phones like the RAZR.[/QUOTE]

Oh, shit...

I must have skipped over the part where it was mentioned that the phone was a RAZR.

Hope it works, OP. Do you have any kind of warranty on it? Although I don't know if it would cover something like this...
 
[quote name='Moxio']Youch. I've heard from friends and family the RAZR is...

1) Strangely prone to being dropped. It's almost guaranteed

2) They're pretty damn delicate

I think it's all up to luck and how much water seeped into it. You could try letting it sit overnight, but there's not too much else you can do... that I know of, at least.[/QUOTE]

I can agree with the dropping thing, I've dropped mine at least 3-4 times (on hard floors/concrete) and it still works fine. In fact, my most recent incident included the phone tumbling end over end down the stairway (that's like a combo drop right there) and absolutely no problem.
 
[quote name='Saucy Jack']Oh, shit...

I must have skipped over the part where it was mentioned that the phone was a RAZR.

Hope it works, OP. Do you have any kind of warranty on it? Although I don't know if it would cover something like this...[/QUOTE]

Well, in order to avoid a 2-year contract with Cingular, I never activated the RAZR, so in their system I'm using a LG L1400 which means they won't be able to help me (not that they would anyway), and Motorola's warranty doesn't cover exposure to liquids. They said they may be able to fix it for $75, but probably not.
 
[quote name='btw1217']My cell phone (Motorola RAZR v3) fell out of the pocket of my hooded sweatshirt and right into a toilet. I was standing there and I heard a loud plop and looked down to see something black in the water. I wondered "What is that?" before quickly changing into a "OH SHIT!" mode. Luckily I wasn't using the toilet, and it wasn't a public restroom, so I didn't feel too bad about reaching in after it.

Do you guys think the water killed it? I turned it on and it was having some problems, but do you think after some time it'll be ok? Some people say if you let it sit overnight it could work fine.

Has anyone here had any experiences with cell phones and water?[/QUOTE]

If you've already turned it on with water in it, you're pretty much stuck with it's current functionality. The damage has already been done.
 
[quote name='crystalklear64']If you've already turned it on with water in it, you're pretty much stuck with it's current functionality. The damage has already been done.[/QUOTE]

That's what I was afraid of. It wasn't until after I turned it on that I realized I should have waited.
 
[quote name='btw1217']My cell phone, toilet. [/QUOTE]


Yes 95% Chance it's dead. Take the battery out and let it dry out for a day or two. If it still does not work its gone forever. Your stuck paying full price for another phone, no insurance will not cover it. Just trust me full price is what you will pay for another one. Dropping a phone into any type of liquid and you SOL.

I sold cell phones for a year and this is extremely common for some reason, I say 2 people a day came into my work and had this problem. However fixing it costs as much as a new one. They may say $75 but that is more then likely for a diagnostic. Electric repair hourly wage is about $35 an hour plus parts. Just get another phone. I hate to drop the bad news like this but its better then false hope.
 
[quote name='Graystone']Yes 95% Chance it's dead. Take the battery out and let it dry out for a day or two. If it still does not work its gone forever. Your stuck paying full price for another phone, no insurance will not cover it. Just trust me full price is what you will pay for another one. Dropping a phone into any type of liquid and you SOL.

I sold cell phones for a year and this is extremely common for some reason, I say 2 people a day came into my work and had this problem. However fixing it costs as much as a new one. They may say $75 but that is more then likely for a diagnostic. Electric repair hourly wage is about $35 an hour plus parts. Just get another phone. I hate to drop the bad news like this but its better then false hope.[/QUOTE]

Cingular covers it under their insurance plan, but it's $5 a month plus $50 per phone replacement, and I'm not even enrolled in their insurance, so it doesn't matter anyway. I looked and I can get one from Cingular for $150, or $100 if I activate it and suffer with a 2-year contract.
 
[quote name='btw1217'] I looked and I can get one from Cingular for $150, or $100 if I activate it and suffer with a 2-year contract.[/QUOTE]

But then you have to wonder if you won't destroy the next one in 2 years.:lol:
 
[quote name='zionoverfire']But then you have to wonder if you won't destroy the next one in 2 years.:lol:[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I know. I didn't think this one would go out, but I see what happens with that assumption. If I do get a new one, I guess I'll agree to the 2-year so that I can get insurance.
 
[quote name='btw1217']Yeah, I know. I didn't think this one would go out, but I see what happens with that assumption. If I do get a new one, I guess I'll agree to the 2-year so that I can get insurance.[/QUOTE]

I don't know, if the phone costs $100, $5 a month for 2 years + $50 for a replacement totals out to $170 which is a lot more than you paid for the phone in the first place.
 
that sucks. i dropped my phone in the toilet too, except mine worked after a couple days of drying.
 
[quote name='zionoverfire']I don't know, if the phone costs $100, $5 a month for 2 years + $50 for a replacement totals out to $170 which is a lot more than you paid for the phone in the first place.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, that's why I'm kind of 50/50. I figure if I do get a new one and it does break then probably by that time RAZRs either won't be expensive enough to warrant $5 a month +$50 to pay off, or I'll want to upgrade to something new.
 
[quote name='2poor']that sucks. i dropped my phone in the toilet too, except mine worked after a couple days of drying.[/QUOTE]

Mine won't recognize the SIM card and it won't charge the battery. I'm still hoping though.



--EDIT--

I take that back, it appears to be charging now. If I could just get the SIM card to work...
 
I use mine for plowing driveways, shooting criminals, and credit card transactions and can't say I have had a problem yet. Although, I never did drop it into a toilet.
 
[quote name='btw1217']Mine won't recognize the SIM card and it won't charge the battery. I'm still hoping though.



--EDIT--

I take that back, it appears to be charging now. If I could just get the SIM card to work...[/QUOTE]

mine was messed up too. it wouldnt register the button presses and whenever it was shut, the camera mode would turn on almost all the time and take pictures until my memory ran out.
 
[quote name='btw1217']Yeah, that's why I'm kind of 50/50. I figure if I do get a new one and it does break then probably by that time RAZRs either won't be expensive enough to warrant $5 a month +$50 to pay off, or I'll want to upgrade to something new.[/QUOTE]

Well I suppose you could ask if the warranty works at all with upgrades, odds are they won't even carry the RAZR in 2 years the way cellphone models seem to go out of fashion.

But a standard good cingular phone is going to cost around $100-150 if you buy into a 2 year deal and the replacement deal just isn't worth it.
 
[quote name='zionoverfire']Well I suppose you could ask if the warranty works at all with upgrades, odds are they won't even carry the RAZR in 2 years the way cellphone models seem to go out of fashion.

But a standard good cingular phone is going to cost around $100-150 if you buy into a 2 year deal and the replacement deal just isn't worth it.[/QUOTE]

Yeah. That's the reason I avoided it when I got my RAZR.

My parents got their phones replaced because they were broken (well, my dad threw them as hard as he could onto the driveway in a drunken rage), and since Cingular didn't carry that model anymore, they got much nicer phones that were the closest match to what they had.
 
I hope I don't jinx it, but at this moment my phone has regained full functionality. Everything works exactly like it did pre-toiletting. The battery had trouble holding a charge (after a night of charging, it drained itself in less than a minute), but now it's working flawlessly. :D
 
This reminded me of what one of my friends did. She dropped her phone in the toilet when she was drunk and she decided the best way to dry it quickly ("so it wouldn't get damaged from the water!") was to put it into the microwave...
 
[quote name='RedvsBlue']This reminded me of what one of my friends did. She dropped her phone in the toilet when she was drunk and she decided the best way to dry it quickly ("so it wouldn't get damaged from the water!") was to put it into the microwave...[/QUOTE]

Hahaha... is she blonde too?

You and zion have the same avatar, and it's confusing, lol.
 
[quote name='btw1217']Hahaha... is she blonde too?

You and zion have the same avatar, and it's confusing, lol.[/QUOTE]

No, the odd thing was that she is normally a pretty intelligent girl.

Oh yeah, the avatar thing is a bit of a story...
 
The first thing you do when any electronic device gets wet is remove the power. Even if you just spill a pop on your keyboard, yank it out of the PC asap. Not only could the device start on fire or electricute you, but if you cut power before the liquid makes a short circuit, you may be able to save it. The last thing you want to do is turn it on and hope it still works.
 
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