iPad ownership doubled in the last month.
It isn't going to slow down either. Why? It is because you have fallen in love with your iPad. You take it everywhere. You use it for everything. My wife is in the bathroom with hers, right now (embarrassing). You may have let little Lisa loose with yours and she dropped it on the tile floor. Here's how to get it fixed right and fast, without burning a lot of gas.
Important Tip # 1: Don't let Bobby (Bert's boy) do the repair.
It is SO easy to break the power flex cable which controls on / off, mute and volume. If you want a "Nightmare on iPad 2 Street," this is it. You're looking for someone (the best is an established Apple iPad Screen Replacement shop) who has done many iPad 2 repairs. Why?
Well, they have broken the flex cable, destroyed the mother board, damaged the tiny resisters that hang out, and they did all that on someone else's iPad 2, months ago. Chances are good, they will do a trouble free repair on yours and they'll include a warranty for parts and labor of at least 30 days.
Important Tip # 2: How and why it is important is it to find the right shop to repair your iPad 2.
A shop owner can be anyone with who has taken the time to learn some or all of the common repairs required. However, not everyone holds the same standard for repairs. If the shop you pick is not particular in every aspect of the repair process, you won't be happy.
Look for common defects in parts.
For example, when the parts are made in China, it is NOT uncommon for a worker to leave a finger print inside the glass, between the digitizer and the LCD. If the factory used a marker of some kind on a screen and the mark was removed before shipping, the mark can still "ghost" on the screen. What can you do about this?
BEFORE you agree to have the shop you select repair your iPad (or iPhone or iPod) be sure to let them know you'll be looking for these common defects in your repaired device. This way, they'll inspect the parts more carefully before they install them on your device.
Nothing is a substitute for experience.
The Apple iPhone, iPod and iPad are popular enough that shops are being established that do repairs to only those 3 devices. Apple worked hard to make a beautiful and slim device for you to love. That also makes the repairs very specialized. Unlike computer repair, these "slim jims" require some real hand-eye skills that are only developed by doing the same repair many times. Don't let anyone practice on your device.
A typical iPad repair person will destroy one to three iPad 2s while learning the repair. The kid doing it out of his car will most likely not be getting you a new iPad when he or she ruins it. Experience and accountability count here.
What are others saying?
Go to yelp and put in "iPhone Repair" for your area. Call the shops rated 4 star or better and ask them how many iPad 2s they have repaired. If it is less than 20, be very careful. Ask: "If you ruin my iPad will you replace it - will you give me that in writing?" If not, keep looking.
WARNING:
The moment the repair shop hands your device back to you, slow time down. Imagine you're in a slow motion movie. Don't let anyone rush you at this critical point - take your time to take a tour of your baby. First, inspect the rim, then the glass, tilting it to change the light. Wind it up and put it through its' paces. Do the apps open OK? Check everything. It is so much easier to get something corrected or worked out NOW.
Although iPad 2s that have been run over by a car can occasionally be resurrected, they may not come out perfect. For example, the rim that trims the glass gets bent. The best you can hope for is an iPad that functions, with some of the beauty gone. You MAY lose a function with severe damage that can't easily be corrected. You'll have to decide (this is only in cases of severe damage) if you can live without the function. An example of this might be the sleep function.