After less than 6 moths I'm back in Black. While OP White Unicorn was fairly easy, the white 3rd party housing was crap. It still is white, so no color changes. Just to list the reasons:

• Cracks all over left an right side
• different measures, so lot of tension all the time (hence the cracks)
• Display kept popping out of the housing for about 0,5mm all the time

Going back to my (still ok just scratchy) black OEM housing was not as easy though. Due to the slightly different meassuers getting the display out abain was a true pain in the *****. The N9 still works after a solid 2.5 y of usage and two housing swaps The white one went straight to the bin anyways...

My N9's case has been cracked for more than a year but the crack finally got wide enough that the SIM tray no longer locks inside and I have to hold it in with a big piece of adhesive tape that goes over the screen and the back. I already have a new case that I got from Parts4Repair but I can't find TorxPlus tools. Can anyone share a good place in the EU to buy Torx PLUS tools that can be used with an N9? I've been looking everywhere and all I can find are regular torx and tamper-resistant Torx. Thank in advance, Tiago.

some advice- use a pair of wire strippers or bolt cutters and remove the left tip of the metal SIM tray. you also need to trim a tiny bit off of your SIM card.

after trimming, the SIM card will slide in and stay in, and can still be removed fairly easily.

even on relatively well-kept N9s, the SIM tray eventually becomes a problem, occasionally popping out just enough to end your phone call.

i posted a link to the exact torx screwdriver i used to take apart my N9 on page 3. i just read you're in the EU, but perhaps it could help.

like i said, the set i have didn't specify it was torx plus, but it worked fine. my suggestion is to try one of the regular ones you found and see if it works. if not, just return it.

Thank you for the replies. I feel a bit nervous about cutting my SIM and I already cut the plastic teeth of my current SIM tray because I misunderstood another thread about this issue, so my current SIM tray is unusable. The trays that came with the replacement cases will not hold to my current case without wolke's modifications.

As for taking the chance with regular Torx tools, it's a gamble that works for some people but I'd also prefer to get proper tools, I already have regular Torx bits but I'm more worried about stripping the screws, and then what would I do?

I finally found, and ordered, Wiha Torx Plus 4IP and 5IP screwdrivers from MicroTools Europe. They should be here next week.

yea, DEFINITELY do not use regular torx. also make sure your hands are firm and steady. i stripped a screw with a torx, and had to slice through the metal case to replace my battery. total nightmare.

about the sim tray mod, you may find that it will be necessary even with a new case. the case doesnt do much to hold the sim tray in place, its actually the mainboard. you could always order a cheap replacement sim tray, and your carrier will replace your sim card, often for free or very cheaply, if you 'lose' it.

that being said, unless you cut the gold metal, you wont damage the sim card. ive done this to about 8 sim cards from three carriers, and its always usable in other phones afterward, even in microsim adapters.

I now have a Stormtrooper N9 that can hold the SIM tray but has dismal WiFi. WTF?

Are all antennas apart from the GPS concentrated on the lower assembly below the speaker, or is there a separate Wi-fi/Bluetooth antenna somewhere? On the N9 service manual, I see both a "Main Antenna flex" and a "Wi-fi/Bluetooth flex" but the manual does not show pictures of either.

------ Solved it! -----

I disassembled it again to move to another, inferior, blue housing that I had bought at the same time (but was noticeably a pull from a disassembled phone). Looking at it I realized that one contact point, noted on the picture attached, had a difference: I had not flattened it against the chassis before dropping the mainboard in. (it has a small sticky tape attached to it, after you press it against the chassis is stays there). I confirmed that my original black housing was the same and took a picture for you.

I reassembled the phone on the white housing and now the Wi-Fi and everything else I have tested works - I've tested all I can remember apart from GPS navigation and the microphone during a call.

Lucky you. I got the equivalent from Amazon UK and can testify that I stripped 4 (four!) screws trying to use it. I then went to my local phone repair shops, asking them to loosen up whatever screws they could with a proper Torx. They did and I brough the phone back home, intending to finish it off with that contraption, only to find that it still did not work, even on the screws already loosened up!

I ended up going to my local Maplin outlet and buying a universal Torx for 99p which worked perfectly. Unfortunately the 4 stripped screws cannot be persuaded with anything. I may need to cut them off with a dremel, if I wasn't worried about the conductive dust produced in the process.

Does anyone know the exact dimensions of those damned screws? I may need to buy some replacements...

If you want to contact me via aspergerguy on Nokia Support Discussions could let you have 5 x Size 4 M1.4 x 3.8 and 1 x M1.4 X 2.5 as have a few left over. Think that the latter is one top right corner in LE55ON5 video, but maybe wrong.

Would always suggest replacing battery whilst changing case as too easy to over tighten these screws on assembly.

The Wiha Torx Plus (T5+) I bought from Micro-Tools Europe (IP5x40) worked perfectly and very reassuredly on all Torx screws on my N9. The Service Manual I have says the chassis screws are T4+ but all the Torx+ screws came in and out with a T5+ screwdriver.

The Phillips screws of the loudspeaker enclosure are trickier, though, none of my screwdrivers (#0, #00, #000) would find purchase because the pointy bit of the screwdriver was too pointy, should have been flatter to engage the screw. I had to use a very small flathead for those screws.