Can I replace screen after water ingress?

Hi @pixeluser1234

Here's a link that shows how to check if the LDI (liquid damage indicator) has been activated which shows that a liquid has entered the phone and most likely has caused some damage to the systemboard. Scroll down and select Liquid or Corrosion evidence.

If the LDI has turned pink then water has entered the phone so the phone would need to be opened, inspected and cleaned before you would know whether a new screen would be needed or not.

The impurities in the water causes corrosion and provides circuit paths for the electricity which were not in the phone's operating design and could damage the components. The corrosion starts immediately and is ongoing until it is completely cleaned away

Do not try to charge or to turn on your phone anymore and then remove the battery as soon as possible from the phone to minimize any further damage.

After this you need to dis-assemble the rest of the phone and clean all the affected parts using Isopropyl Alcohol 99%+ (available at electronics parts stores) to remove all traces of corrosion and water. If possible do not use "rubbing alcohol" as in some cases this is only 70% IPA or less, can contain additives which may leave conductive residues and is not as effective. If you do have to use it check the label to verify the amount of IPA. The higher the percentage of IPA the better

Here is a link that describes what happens. Electronics Water Damage

As always with electronics, especially surface mounted pcb be gentle when handling and especially when brushing away the corrosion. You do not want to remove any components from the board. Remove the shields that may be covering some components as the water may have got in under there. The ends of any flex cables and their connectors need to be cleaned as well

Hopefully after you have done all this the phone might possibly work correctly again.

Here is the ifixit Google Pixel 6a repair guide that may help.

If you determine that the screen does need replacing, there's the ifixit parts list in the screen replacement section of the guide, that shows the cost of the screen (with tool kit and without)

If this process seems too daunting, take your phone to a reputable, professional phone repair service, experienced in liquid damage repair and ask for a quote for a repair. If you decide to do this, do it sooner than later.