White iPhone 3 Clear Coat Peeling

sillywabbit · Nov 10, 2012

Anyone with a White iPhone 5 have any peeling of the clear coat on the aluminum portion which is sandwiched between the two glass panels on the rear of the phone ?

Mine is peeling where the aluminum meets the glass panel (top and bottom) on the rear of the phone.

Yes, I have a case (rubbery type).

I got rid of the 2 black iPhone 5's because of the nicks/scuffs out of the box to get a not so nice looking white iPhone 5 only to face the clear coat issue.

EDITED (Pic added/Best I could do):

Top Portion:

Bottom Portion:

************************************************

UPDATE: Operation "Flake Exchange" has been successful!

I got a MINT replacement (no nicks, scuffs, etc), except there was one slight scratch on the back of the phone on the aluminum, however, it does not bother me considering my original one as mentioned above was worse.

This one was made on WEEK 37 (September) with a serial no. starting with DNPJ.

I don't know if it was a refurb or it was just someone else's original phone and re-boxed in a white box because of the scratch.

BTW: Here is a link to see when your phone was built and which factory it was assembled at:

http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html

MassiveAttack · Nov 10, 2012

There is no clear coat on the aluminum.

JayLenochiniMac · Nov 10, 2012

Clear coat? Post a picture so we know what you're talking about as there's no clear coat.

sillywabbit · Nov 10, 2012

That is what I thought (no clear coat) until I noticed my WHITE iPhone 5 has its clear coat peeling in the rear where the glass meets the metal, however, only along the edge.

I can't post a pic because it is impossible to see it (because the phone is soo white and light and the clear coat is, well, clear) unless you are in person.

I went to the Apple Store and Apple employee acknowledged he saw the clear coat peeling. He was willing to exchange it but had to have approval from a manager.

He came back and said they couldn't do anything about it and will not replace it.

sillywabbit · Nov 12, 2012

Bump for Picture added. :apple:

As an Aside: Can any MOD/ADMIN change the title of my thread. I accidentally put iPhone 3" instead of "iPhone 5". Editing the post myself won't let me do that.

Afbar1114 · Nov 12, 2012

My black one had this as well I noticed it the other day

HowardSmith · Nov 12, 2012

The aluminum, even on the white one, is still anodized, maybe that is flaking off just like th black model and the aluminum is discoloring. Raw aluminum will corroded

John T · Nov 12, 2012

sillywabbit said:
I can't post a pic because it is impossible to see it (because the phone is soo white and light and the clear coat is, well, clear) unless you are in person.

I went to the Apple Store and Apple employee acknowledged he saw the clear coat peeling. He was willing to exchange it but had to have approval from a manager.

He came back and said they couldn't do anything about it and will not replace it.

Quite right too! If you have to look that hard to see it forget it and get on with life!

Afbar1114 · Nov 12, 2012

this happend on mine as well on a corner...should i get it replaced?

sillywabbit · Nov 12, 2012

John T said:
Quite right too! If you have to look that hard to see it forget it and get on with life!

John, lets be honest, if it happened to you, you would want it replaced as well.

Since it did not happen to you, it is easy for you to say "forget it and get on with life!"

A phone valued at $913.54 (after tax and Apple Care Plus), you expect the phone to be in NEW condition and not flake, chip, scuff, etc. sooo soon. I never had a problem with any of the Android phones I had.

It is not hard to see in person, it is just getting it on camera that is hard. It has to be under certain lighting, at an angle, etc.

Thanks.

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HowardSmith said:
The aluminum, even on the white one, is still anodized, maybe that is flaking off just like th black model and the aluminum is discoloring. Raw aluminum will corroded

Thanks Howard, you are probably right, it may be the "anodized" flaking off. I thought it was clear coat.

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Afbar1114 said:
this happend on mine as well on a corner...should i get it replaced?

Let us know if you have any luck. Thanks

as0016 · Nov 12, 2012

check out icarbons or gelaskins. throw a cool skin on it and you'll never notice.

PeterKG · Nov 12, 2012

That is glue or some other residue that, that can be removed using Goof-Off or Goo-Gone. I had the same thing and it cleaned up and is gone. Goof-Off is stronger and that was what worked.

evorc · Nov 12, 2012

Ghost armor matte skin! Done, you will never see, it will give it a nice new finish. Common guys you can't expect apple to replace this. It's one thing if its like that out of the box, but anything else is caused by regular wear and tear. Would you expect the dealership to exchange your car if your clear coat get scratches or swirl marks after driving it for a month?

danielxute · Nov 13, 2012

I had this and it came off by scratching it with my nail over and over. Thought it would scratch it but looks brand new.

VandyChem2009 · Nov 13, 2012

sillywabbit said:
John, lets be honest, if it happened to you, you would want it replaced as well. Since it did not happen to you, it is easy for you to say "forget it and get on with life!"

A phone valued at $913.54 (after tax and Apple Care Plus), you expect the phone to be in NEW condition and not flake, chip, scuff, etc. sooo soon. I never had a problem with any of the Android phones I had.

It is not hard to see in person, it is just getting it on camera that is hard. It has to be under certain lighting, at an angle, etc.

Thanks.

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Thanks Howard, you are probably right, it may be the "anodized" flaking off. I thought it was clear coat.

----------

Let us know if you have any luck. Thanks

People can talk about value over true cost all they want but realistically if you paid $913.54 that is your own fault. Got mine for about $134 after selling my 64 GB 4s. Why anyone would just straight pay full retail for something that can be made for less then 200 bucks is beyond me.

sillywabbit · Nov 13, 2012

VandyChem2009 said:
People can talk about value over true cost all they want but realistically if you paid $913.54 that is your own fault. Got mine for about $134 after selling my 64 GB 4s. Why anyone would just straight pay full retail for something that can be made for less then 200 bucks is beyond me.

Well, if I factor in all the black iPhone 5's that I bought with scuffs and re-sold them at a profit, then I guess my current WHITE iPhone 5 (with Apple care Plus) was free, but that is besides the point.

Other pay full retail because they want to keep their unlimited data plan or they are not up for renewal of their contract.

The iPhone, regardless of who manufactured it should be in NEW condition withOUT any defects.

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as0016 said:
check out icarbons or gelaskins. throw a cool skin on it and you'll never notice.

Thanks for the input, I will check it out. I have a case, so I may just live with it since Apple doesn't seem to care UNLESS someone decides to do a class action lawsuit. That will get their attention only because it is bad publicity and their image.

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PeterKG said:
That is glue or some other residue that, that can be removed using Goof-Off or Goo-Gone. I had the same thing and it cleaned up and is gone. Goof-Off is stronger and that was what worked.

Thanks, but I am pretty sure it is not residue.

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evorc said:
Ghost armor matte skin! Done, you will never see, it will give it a nice new finish. Common guys you can't expect apple to replace this. It's one thing if its like that out of the box, but anything else is caused by regular wear and tear. Would you expect the dealership to exchange your car if your clear coat get scratches or swirl marks after driving it for a month?

I think cars come with corrosion warranty, but I think that is not a good analogy though, but I see your point.

cambookpro · Nov 13, 2012

VandyChem2009 said:
People can talk about value over true cost all they want but realistically if you paid $913.54 that is your own fault. Got mine for about $134 after selling my 64 GB 4s. Why anyone would just straight pay full retail for something that can be made for less then 200 bucks is beyond me.

You pay the rest during your contract. Works to about the same, in the UK anyway. In fact, buying at retail and using on a cheap plan is cheaper in the long run.

gsugolfer · Nov 13, 2012

cambookpro said:
You pay the rest during your contract. Works to about the same, in the UK anyway. In fact, buying at retail and using on a cheap plan is cheaper in the long run.

In this US, your service is the same price either way, unless you use a carrier that's not one of the big three.

chrscap · Nov 13, 2012

Oh snap, clear coat? ima cut n buff my phone! Maybe use some wax, some rain-x on the glass and park it in the garage!

cambookpro · Nov 13, 2012

gsugolfer said:
In this US, your service is the same price either way, unless you use a carrier that's not one of the big three.

Oh fair enough, didn't know that. What a rip off!

evorc · Nov 13, 2012

chrscap said:
Oh snap, clear coat? ima cut n buff my phone! Maybe use some wax, some rain-x on the glass and park it in the garage!

Lol don't forget to clay it too.

VandyChem2009 · Nov 13, 2012

sillywabbit said:
Well, if I factor in all the black iPhone 5's that I bought with scuffs and re-sold them at a profit, then I guess my current WHITE iPhone 5 (with Apple care Plus) was free, but that is besides the point.

Other pay full retail because they want to keep their unlimited data plan or they are not up for renewal of their contract.

The iPhone, regardless of who manufactured it should be in NEW condition withOUT any defects.

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Thanks for the input, I will check it out. I have a case, so I may just live with it since Apple doesn't seem to care UNLESS someone decides to do a class action lawsuit. That will get their attention only because it is bad publicity and their image.

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Thanks, but I am pretty sure it is not residue.

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I think cars come with corrosion warranty, but I think that is not a good analogy though, but I see your point.

I don't mean to offend you or get you on the defensive but scuffs, marks, and scratches are not defects. By definition a defect is something the renders a product unusable for it's intended purpose. So yeah your little OCD fest is simply just someone expecting perfection from an imperfect system. How you resold scuffed iPhone 5's for a profit is very questionable but I'll take your word for it. Besides what you are picturing looks to me to just be any old smudge caused by placing the phone down on a rough surface or the like. Just put the thing in a case and move on. Don't want to use a case, then accept that these things are going to happen.

John T · Nov 14, 2012

sillywabbit said:
John, lets be honest, if it happened to you, you would want it replaced as well. Since it did not happen to you, it is easy for you to say "forget it and get on with life!"

For goodness sake, no I wouldn't! The secret of the iPhone is in it's name - it's a phone! How can you see the back when you're using it? Not forgetting of course, you did originally admit that the "marks" were almost impossible to see.

The phone that my iPhone 5 replaced was a faithful old 3GS. Even though I kept it in a case, almost from day one it suffered from the well-known cracks in it's plastic back. Did they bother me? No, not really, I couldn't see them when I used it.

I suppose it's all a case of one's priorities.

AFDoc · Nov 14, 2012

sillywabbit said:
John, lets be honest, if it happened to you, you would want it replaced as well. Since it did not happen to you, it is easy for you to say "forget it and get on with life!"

A phone valued at $913.54 (after tax and Apple Care Plus), you expect the phone to be in NEW condition and not flake, chip, scuff, etc. sooo soon. I never had a problem with any of the Android phones I had.

It is not hard to see in person, it is just getting it on camera that is hard. It has to be under certain lighting, at an angle, etc.

Thanks.

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Thanks Howard, you are probably right, it may be the "anodized" flaking off. I thought it was clear coat.

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Let us know if you have any luck. Thanks

OMFG when will you people freaking educate yourself. Anodizing can't "flake" off! It's a chemical change in the aluminum, there is NOTHING to FLAKE off! PLUS you say it's pretty much impossible to see..... meaning you can't really see it..... so how is it an issue?

HowardSmith · Nov 14, 2012

From Wikipedia:

Anodized aluminium surfaces are harder than aluminium but have low to moderate wear resistance, although this can be improved with thickness and sealing.

Although anodizing produces a very regular and uniform coating, microscopic fissures in the coating can lead to corrosion. Further, the coating is susceptible to chemical dissolution in the presence of high and low pH chemistry, which results in stripping the coating and corrosion of the substrate.

Looks like a poor choice for coating for a high wear item and all of this was quite predictable!

White iPhone 3 Clear Coat Peeling

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