If your iPhone gives up the ghost, it’s probably because you dropped it, plopped it into a toilet or left it on the roof of your car and drove off. Although 30 percent of iPhones fail within 2 years, your iPhone is reliable. It’s you who can’t be counted on, according to SquareTrade, a company that provides warranty services.

SquareTrade (a company that sells iPhone warranties) did a study in which the company found that although the iPhone had a better failure rate (10 percent) from normal use over 22 months compared to the Blackberry (15 percent) and Treo (20 percent), failures from accidental damage were highest at more than 20 percent in the same period.

Of all iPhone accidents studied, drops resulting in a broken screen accounted for 65 percent of all accidents reported and water damage accounted for more than 25 percent of reported damage.

Nearly two-thirds of iPhone accidental failures were the result of a drop or fall — mostly resulting in cracked, unusable screens. Click here to go to the complete report.

Apple covers the iPhone with a 1-year warranty for defects but not if you crack the screen or drop it in water. For problems caused by “negligence,” Apple will repair your iPhone somewhere between $200 and $250 (the price varies with  the model).

If you’re handy with tools, you can replace your iPhone or iPod touch’s cracked screen. It will cost you somewhere in the neighborhood of $85 to $150. One consideration is that fixing the iPhone yourself will void your warranty. You’ll also need an inexpensive fix-it toolkit but that’s some times included in the price of the replacement screen.

Here’s a look at what’s involved with disassembling your iPhone and replacing the screen:

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category: Breaking News