Dropped my new SJ30 on the kitchen floor

[Gazpacho]

... and now there is a hole in the front cover. Thank god everything is still working, but I don't like seeing the interior in my Clie.

What is the best/cheapest thing to do now? Contact Sony? Will it cost me a lot of money to only replace the front cover? Or is there any other solution on the internet available who can repair my Clie for less money?

[Rowdy]

GetHighTech.com (http://www.gethightech.com) is the only place I know for replacement parts, but they deal mostly with the screens. I have however seen cases for older Palm models (like the III), so I'd recommend checking there.

Best of luck,

Rowdy

[T1000X]

If the SJ30 was made of metal, I'd say take it to a body shop and use Bondo to fill the hole. But, since it is plastic there isn't much I can say. What I'd recommend is going to Home Depot and look for a plastic epoxy filler material. Usually it is two compounds that once mixed it dries fast. With the front cover off you can try making a patch and once the material dries and hardens sand and file it down to match the profile of the Clie. You may not have the prettiest results, but you won't have a hole (might have the first Bondo colored Clie though ;-). If you do use the plastic epoxy stuff be warned that it stinks to high-heaven and to work in a well ventilated room. It also tends to stick to porous material real well, so sand down the areas where your hole is before trying the patch. I've messed around with the stuff when making replacemnent or new parts for toys and injecting it into my own molds. One thing you could try is maybe getting measurements of the surrounding pieces and trying to make a replacement part.