iPhone water damage repair

[The Critic]

My sister has a 5s that was exposed to water several months ago.

The phone was working fine (except for the battery) until last week. Last week, the home button stopped working.

I took the phone into the Apple Store and they found a bad connection at the display assembly. The tech reseated the connector and the home button works again. They did warn of future issues due to the water damage.

Given the amount of time that has elapsed since the water damage occurred, what are my options at this point?

1) Out of warranty replacement for $270

2) Replace the battery and keep my fingers crossed that the phone stays functional.

3) Send it to an iPhone repair shop, who claims that they can "clean off the corrosion."

Thoughts?

Thanks.

 

[michaelluscher]

...put a home button and battery in it

iFixit can help you

 

[sciphi]

Spray some DeOxIt on the connector and hope that helps?

 

[antiqueshell]

One less iphone drone? LOL I couldn't resist.

 

[JC1]

Hi Critic,

Did she put it in a ziplock bag of uncooked rice for a few days to properly try to dry it out? I would start there first to see if it makes a difference on her phone. We did that on an Ipod that was soaked in water and it worked no problem after being the bag of rice for 5 days.

Regards, JC.

 

[JHZR2]

How difficult is it to open it DIY?

 

[Shannow]

Making a virtual home button helped prevent tears in my home.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
How difficult is it to open it DIY?


In my experience, iPhones are very easy to work on. I replaced the screen on my 4s myself in about an hour with an iFixit-like repair kit.

 

[razel]

Sounds like it's currently working so just keep using it until something else comes up. Then have it fixed along with the other issues so that it's a one time tech visit.

But if it were my sister, how much of a hero I'd be would matter on how cute her current friends are.

 

[PandaBear]

If the water "damage" was long ago and you didn't see any crazy crashes, you probably would be fine by now and don't need to worry about it.

Keep using it and when it really dies, replace it or open it up to swap bad parts with another dead phone (most likely the PCB and battery from those with cracked screen). Used phone prices drop by the days and you will save more money the longer you wait.

I heard that the home button goes with the screen and has the finger print data stored in it. If you swap the screen with the button I'm not sure if the PCB will remember it correctly. You probably should check online and see if others have done that before.