How to Fix a Broken Motorola L6

I own an unlocked Motorola L6 tri-band GSM phone with a North American T-mobile SIM chip. I bought it from an independent cell phone retailer, unlocked, and have had a good experience with it.

The phone itself has a few excellent features: day-time no-flash 1.3 Megapixel camera (best resolution at 640 x 480), video record capable, bluetooth, Media text-messaging (MMS) and text messaging (SMS), hands free speakerphone, WAP, voice dial, and speed dial. The L6 also has a USB cable for data transfer and recharging.

For texting, the L6 has a great iTap feature and several languages available.

Also, for your information, the default unlock code is 1234. The default security code is 000000. Handy information to know, especially if you forget it.

If you forget your codes in any other fashion, you'll have to contact the manufacturer for more information.

The first issue I had was when the phone locked up when I was text messaging. When the cursor appeared to enter the message, as soon as I pressed a button, the L6 froze and I had to remove the battery to reset the phone.

At first, I thought that the problem was a FLEX issue. For those who don't know, FLEX is a term for the unlocked operating system of the phone. FLEX information resides in phone memory. (Some websites actually have programs to alter the FLEX programming, but this article provides general information.)

I tried to locate a solution online to no avail by imputing the following phrases. A few sites popped up.

"Message Lock-up"

"my L6 freezes when I try to text message"

"my frozen Motorola L6"

"when text messaging my phone freezes"

It was difficult to even find information about the L6 from these sites, but the consensus I found was that the phone had to have a "master clear" to work properly. Important warning: master clear will delete all phone numbers, photos, music, and customized information on your L6.

Again, the prospect of losing all my photos and customized settings seemed like something I did not want to happen. However, I had no choice.

To perform a "master clear" on a Motorola L6, press the menu button. Go to settings, then press "initial setup", and scroll down to "master clear".

Important warning: master clear will delete all phone numbers, photos, music, and customized information on your L6. Save your data on your computer, and prepare before you lose photos and important information.

When I performed a "master clear", the phone immediately started working again. I had to reset all my customized information and ringtones, but the phone was as good as new.

The next issue I had with the L6 occurred when I dropped the phone in a sink full of dishes. The phone was completely soaked, and immediately went offline.

So, I again turned to the internet, and asked the following questions:

"fix a cellphone after it gets wet"

"how to fix

"dropped cellphone in water"

The consensus again from the internet gurus was that the phone was most likely broken, however there was a chance to save the situation. I had to dry the cellphone off.

First, I took a hair-dryer and blew hot air into the opened cellphone back. I put the hair-dryer on low, and allowed the phone to fill with air.

You can attempt the same procedure with a can of "air"; these are the same devices used to clean out computer keyboards.

Next, I put the phone in a can of coffee grounds. I made certain to keep the phone circuitry away from the coffee grounds.

I left the phone in the coffee grounds over night and lucky for me, the phone worked the next day.

To summarize, this phone has been everything I need: cheap, effective, and tolerant.

The main issue that I have had with the phone is the lack of effective information available online to fix the phone. I had specific problems, and the tech-gurus, while interesting, ultimately provided multiple viewpoints - I had to spend several hours before I finally found the information I was seeking.