Kobo Clara BW Front Cover Replacement

Written By: Alex Diaz-Kokaisl

Comments: 0

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

20 - 30 minutes

Introduction

Use this guide to replace the front cover on your Kobo Clara BW eReader.

The front cover consists of the plastic shell around the perimeter of the display.

Kobo supports their eReaders with a warranty. If your device is still under warranty, Kobo may be able to help. Before starting a repair, review your warranty information or check support documentation.

Tools

Parts

Step 1

Drain your eReader's battery as much as possible before starting your repair. Ideally, it should be fully discharged.
Optionally, to drain the battery faster, navigate to More → Settings → Energy saving and privacy and set Automatically go to sleep after and Automatically power off after to Never.
When working on or near the battery, don't use sharp metal tools to avoid puncturing and shorting the battery.
Unplug all cables and fully shut down your eReader.
Your screen should be black and say Powered off.

Step 2

Lay your eReader down so the back cover is facing up.
Insert the flat edge of an opening pick between the frame and the bottom left corner of the back cover.
Push the pick downwards at a slight angle until it slides under the back cover.

Step 3

Slide the pick toward the bottom right corner to release the clips along the bottom edge.

Step 4

Remove the pick and reinsert it under the bottom left corner.
Angle the pick flat under the back cover and rotate it around the bottom left corner to release its clips.
If you're having trouble, try twisting the pick to lift the corner clips out of their slots.

Step 5

Slide the pick toward the top left corner to release the clips along the left edge.

Step 6

At this point, you should be able to grip the back cover and release its remaining clips. If not, slide a pick under the perimeter of the back cover until you can grip an edge.
Grip the left edge of the back cover and lift it away from the eReader to release the remaining clips.
Remove the back cover.
During reassembly, align the back cover over the eReader and press along the perimeter until all its clips snap back into place.

Step 7

The entire surface of the eReader's internals is covered in a thin, plastic-like waterproof coating. Keep the following in mind as you continue disassembly:
While this won't hurt your device, removing the coating compromises the device to potential water damage.
The coating is brittle and can flake into many small pieces. Heating the coating helps, but working with it is still a time-consuming process.
The ZIF connector locking tabs are coated in a gel that can jam the hinge and keep the locking tab from completely unlocking. Make sure the tabs are completely upright before disconnecting any cables.
Depending on your repair, you might have to remove the coating from ZIF connectors and their cables.

Step 8

Heat an iOpener and lay it on the battery connector for 90 seconds to soften the coating.
Alternatively, you can use a hair dryer or a heat gun.

Step 9

Use the tip of a spudger to scrape up the coating along the white battery connector head—enough so you can grab clumps of it with pointed tweezers.

Step 10

Use pointed tweezers to peel off all of the coating around the battery connector head and its socket.
If the coating becomes too brittle and hard to peel off, reheat the connector and try again.
This is a meticulous process! Failure to remove enough of the coating could damage the plastic head during disconnection, so take your time!

Step 11

Insert the point of a spudger under the edge of the battery connector head opposite of the cable.
There's a surface-mounted component close to the connector. Be careful not to touch it with your spudger!
Lift up the connector with the spudger to separate the rest of the coating and disconnect the battery.
During reassembly:
Inspect the connector head and its socket for any remaining coating that could prevent a good connection.
Peel off the coating, heating the area when the coating becomes too brittle.
It doesn't have to look pretty! You just need to remove enough coating so the connector head sits properly in its socket.

Step 12

Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the four 3 mm‑long screws securing the corners of the front cover.

Step 13

The screen is secured by weak adhesive along the perimeter of the front cover and a layer of coating at the bottom edge.
Bend the top edge of the front cover around the screen to separate the adhesive.

Step 14

Lift the top edge of the screen to separate any remaining adhesive around the perimeter of the front cover.
Slide the screen toward the top of the eReader to expose the coating at the bottom edge.

Step 15

Lift and rotate the screen off the bottom edge of the front cover to separate the coating.
Remove the screen.
During reassembly:
If your replacement front cover comes with pre‑installed adhesive, remove the liner. Otherwise, use a thin, double‑sided tape like Tesa Tape to replace the adhesive.
Align the front cover over the screen and press down around the perimeter until the clips snap back into place.

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Remember: after repairs, your eReader is no longer IPX8 waterproof.

Compare your new replacement part to the original part—you may need to transfer remaining components or remove adhesive backings from the new part before you install it.

Make sure each of your device's main functions still work, e.g., LED backlight, touch, Wi-Fi, etc.

Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our Answers Community for help.

Author

Alex Diaz-Kokaisl

Member since: 16/01/22

151892 Reputation

Kobo Clara BW Front Cover Replacement

Introduction

Tools

Parts

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