[XPERIA X1 General] Crank1:
New here but thought Id share my experience of completely replacing the housing for my 10 month old X1. It can be done - even by a non techy person like me!!

Basically the keyboard was worn where it rubbed duiring open / close movement, the cover over the camera lense was cracked and there was general wear and tear. Could have sent it back under warranty but it would have taken an age and they would have charged me for all but keyboard probably.

Instead I bough a complete housing for £22 from here http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Original-x1-xperia-Housing-Cover-Case-Housing-UK-T6_W0QQitemZ390078842052QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_MobilePhones_MobilePhoneAccessories_MobilePhoneFascias_JN?hash=item5ad282c4c4&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14They say they are used but mine was immaculate. Apparrantly when someone returns a phone during the 14 day money back period the innards get removed and put in a new case ready for resale. This guy buys the old cases. A real bargain I think as others are priced in the £50+ bracket.

Second you will need to be near a computer when you do the deed. Instructional videos taking you through every stage can be found here

http://www.mygsmtube.com/category/Sonyericsson.html

You will also need to assemble some tools. You will allready have the special screwdriver needed for 2 of the screws in your phone (comes with your new case) but you will also need a small cross head watchamkers screw driver for all the rest. Additionaly I found that I used tweasers and a small pair of bull nose pliers. As I dont bite my nails lol, I managed to seperate the clip together casings using my thumbnail otherwise you will need a thin, stiff piece of plastic (they use what looks like a plectrum in vids) Finally and very importantly, you will need a workmat. Unlike on the video I discovered that things fall out of the phone when you take it apart and you definitely dont want them bouncing off a hard surface onto a floor never to be seen again!! I used a white towel for this.

Ok, I had to do mine twice before it was right so here are the reasons and I hope it means you will only have to go through it once!

1. When you take apart the back section of the phone buttons are likely to fall out / may not be present in new. Not sure which but found out camera button was missing only after I had completed reassembly!! No probs they just slot in and used one from the old case.

2. The little metal clips holding the battery cover in place can drop out. Watch out for these they are small and easily missed!

3. You have to pull apart a very small white electrical connection on the phone. Mine was very stubborn and in the end used the small bull nose pliers for better grip. It will come apart you just need to be firm and waggle it a bit!

4.When you take apart the front (screen) section of phone a small black rectangle of rubber falls out. Dont miss it as it keeps the optical joystick in place and gives it the push down springy effect. There is a similar shaped recess for it to fit in but I found that I had to make one side of it sticky in order for it to stay there during reassembley. After you finish assembling this bit check the joystick is properly in place and has that click feel - if not, that rubber pad is not right and you will need to re-do it.

5. Make sure you remove the speaker from the top part of the screen case (behind Sony Ericsson wording) from your old case and fit it in the new one. It just clips in and will come out with a little bit of gentle persausion and leverage. I didnt realise it was missing from my new case and panicked like mad when I couldnt hear anything on starting up!!

6. The most fiddely bit was attaching the ribon cable between the two parts. Take your time with this as you dont want to damage the connection by being too heavy handed. I discovered that the ribbon is longest when the phone is half closed/open. If you can keep it in that position you will have more ribbon to play with and it will be alot easier to lign the connection up.

Ok, the process isnt a walk in the park, I was nervous as hell doing mine (especially when it wasnt right the 1st time) but it wasnt half as bad as I thought so, it can be done....even by me lol!! and is well worth the effort - Good Luck