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Bought used 5 off CL, some wear on the pentalobe screws.

K

Kendo

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Apr 4, 2011
2,375
983
I bought an iPhone 5 off CL for a great price and it functions perfectly. The screen is flawless with no scratches or off-color hues. I noticed the bottom screws have some wear on them so I assume the unit has been opened. I know this because I've replaced the battery myself on my 4S.

Could there be any possible reasons other than the original owner replacing the battery? Granted they didn't mention this in the ad because they probably didn't want to scare away any buyers if they knew the unit had been opened by non-Apple personnel but I don't mind because I've replaced batteries on my iPhones all the time.

Would this be the only reason?
 
Any number of reasons. Replaced the back, replaced the front/screen, replaced the battery, replaced the home button, built a frankenphone out of parts from 2+ dead phones.
 
user-name-here said:
What if they cracked the back plate and replaced it?

Pretty much any self-repair is going to require screws to be removed.
Click to expand...
Cracked the back plate? On an aluminum iPhone 5?

Maybe you thought the OP bought an iPhone 4 or 4s?

Anyway, OP, it's possible that the unit was simply replaced under Applecare+ at some point. Apple usually (but not always) replaces units with refurbs. I had my original launch day iPhone 5 replaced in November (bad mic) and the very first thing I noticed was the the black paint inside the two screws at the bottom was gone. Since this was an Apple replacement in an Apple store this told me that my iPhone replacement was a refurb, because it would have had to have been opened.

Refurbs are just as good as new replacements so I didn't mind.
 
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