How difficult is it to take apart an iPhone4?

ToadVine

I noticed a rattle in my iPhone4 today. It sounds like something small is loose inside the casing.

I have the iPhone with 3 since launch last year, and I've confirmed its out of warranty. I have insurance with PhoneSure.

I was thinking of taking apart the phone to see what is rattling around inside. Is this;
(a) a good idea, and
(b) a difficult thing to do?

Thanks in advance for all answers/suggestions

/update/ its the power button ... when I shake the iphone it rattles, but when I hold the power button and shate there is no rattle. Any ideas on how to fix this or whether or not Apple would repair/replace are greatly appreciated.

meditraitor

ToadVine wrote: »

I noticed a rattle in my iPhone4 today. It sounds like something small is loose inside the casing. I'm certain this is not a loose silence or power button.

I have the iPhone with 3 since launch last year, and I've confirmed its out of warrenty. I have insurance with PhoneSure.

I was thinking of taking apart the phone to see what is rattling around inside. Is this;
(a) a good idea, and
(b) a difficult thing to do?

Thanks in advance for all answers/suggestions

(a) No
(b) yes

ToadVine

meditraitor wrote: »

(a) No
(b) yes

Care to expand on that? Is it not just a case of removing the two small screws on the bottom of the phone?

Any suggestions as to what my rattle is and what to do about it?

meditraitor

ToadVine wrote: »

Care to expand on that? Is it not just a case of removing the two small screws on the bottom of the phone?

Any suggestions as to what my rattle is and what to do about it?

If you touch the screws all warranties are void,

apparently its not difficult to open them up but a complete bitch to close,

the rattle could be anything,

sorry I can be of more help, check out some apple forums or your warranty details for a solution.

partyatmygaff

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

It's difficult enough to resassemble an iPhone (Or any other phone for that matter) and the chances of something going wrong or a vital piece going astray is quite high.

floggg

ToadVine wrote: »

I noticed a rattle in my iPhone4 today. It sounds like something small is loose inside the casing. I'm certain this is not a loose silence or power button.

I have the iPhone with 3 since launch last year, and I've confirmed its out of warrenty. I have insurance with PhoneSure.

I was thinking of taking apart the phone to see what is rattling around inside. Is this;
(a) a good idea, and
(b) a difficult thing to do?

Thanks in advance for all answers/suggestions

Are you still under contract? Under Sale of goods and supply of services act, goods sold have to be as durable as is reasonable to expect.

I think if you are in a two year contract, it's reasonable to expect phone would last thr full length. If there is a fault, then whoever sold the phone to you is liable regardless of whether it's outside the warranty or not. Might take a bit of arguing mind, but I think you should have a fair chance if you are persistent.

ToadVine

meditraitor wrote: »

If you touch the screws all warranties are void ...

My warranty is expired anyway.

I know its probably something small, but I know it'll drive me nuts. Would Apple replace or repair the phone? Or am I really better suffering the rattle for a few more months untill I upgrade in Feb 2012?

Rew

Its easy to take apart and warranty isn't voided until a specific internal screw that has a sticker covering it is removed.

To take the back off you simply take the 2 screws either side of the doc connector out and slide the back cover off. No drama, no damage and no big deal. If you want to go further then that your talking about more screws and removing internal connectors. A bit delicate yes but not difficult. There are good videos online covering how to do it all step by step. You have nothing to lose by popping the back cover off and seeing if the rattle is something obvious.

ToadVine

floggg wrote: »

Are you still under contract? Under Sale of goods and supply of services act, goods sold have to be as durable as is reasonable to expect.

I think if you are in a two year contract, it's reasonable to expect phone would last thr full length. If there is a fault, then whoever sold the phone to you is liable regardless of whether it's outside the warranty or not. Might take a bit of arguing mind, but I think you should have a fair chance if you are persistent.

18 month contract with 3 ... up in Feb 2012. I'm not sure I could take the living hell that is dealing with 3 tech support in Mumbai ...

meditraitor

ToadVine wrote: »

My warranty is expired anyway.

I know its probably something small, but I know it'll drive me nuts. Would Apple replace or repair the phone? Or am I really better suffering the rattle for a few more months untill I upgrade in Feb 2012?

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2481824?start=15&tstart=0

ToadVine

Rew wrote: »

Its easy to take apart and warranty isn't voided until a specific internal screw that has a sticker covering it is removed.

To take the back off you simply take the 2 screws either side of the doc connector out and slide the back cover off. No drama, no damage and no big deal. If you want to go further then that your talking about more screws and removing internal connectors. A bit delicate yes but not difficult. There are good videos online covering how to do it all step by step. You have nothing to lose by popping the back cover off and seeing if the rattle is something obvious.

Thats exactly what I was thinking ... untill reading the first few replies on this thread! I might still chance it ...

Any more opinions? Has anyone else had this rattle? I've been really careful with the phone ... in over a year its just had one fall onto a wooden floor off my bed. I'm not sure what the rattle could be

ToadVine

I've amended my OP with an update. Its the power button. When I shake the iphone it rattles, but when I hold the power button and shate there is no rattle. Any ideas on how to fix this or whether or not Apple would repair/replace are greatly appreciated. Would taking the phone apart be a way to fix this?

Stevo2007

Its not actually that hard. Think of it as a complicated version of Lego.

there are a ton of screws, but if you just take them out in order and lay them out, you'll remember what order you put them back in.

to replace the power button, follow this tutorial:

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing-iPhone-4-Power-Lock-Button/4332/1

If the power button is faulty, have a look on eBay for a replacement then repair using the tutorial above.

When you get to this stage, you'll probably be thinking "what the **** have I done"



But as I said, its not that complicated once you follow each step:) Goodluck!

Apple do out of warranty repairs for around 100-200euro I think.

CathalDublin

I'd take the back off and have a quick look if you have the screw driver for the bottom, just remove the 2 screws and slide the back off.
Replacing the home button would cost no more than €50 max.
I've never seen a home button come loose, it could be a loose screw which has become stuck behind the button. If I were you I'd take the back off and try see the cause of the problem and then decide whether you want to try fix yourself or pay someone to do it.
If you decide to carry out the repair yourself be really careful not to try force anything out, all parts should come out with ease

DubDJ

Hold on OP before you go about opening up your iPhone which is risky to say the least. You wouldn't be confusing the rattle inside with the gyroscope. All iPhones have a tiny rattle inside it's for the little part that moves with the iPhone so it knows about turns in car games, when typing in landscape etc.

If it's a small rattle then that's what it is. Don't go opening up the iPhone 4 over it

120_Minutes

floggg wrote: »

Are you still under contract? Under Sale of goods and supply of services act, goods sold have to be as durable as is reasonable to expect.

I think if you are in a two year contract, it's reasonable to expect phone would last thr full length. If there is a fault, then whoever sold the phone to you is liable regardless of whether it's outside the warranty or not. Might take a bit of arguing mind, but I think you should have a fair chance if you are persistent.

Ehhh not exactly...

Your legal entitlements may be diminished in the following circumstances:
If the goods complained about have been used for some time
If there has been an undue delay in making the complaint or returning the item
If there is reason to believe that the goods have been accepted in their faulty state
In these instances, you may only be entitled to a repair or partial refund or to no redress at all. There are no hard and fast rules as each case has to be considered on its merits.
You have no right to redress for:
Faults that are due to the misuse of the goods
Faults which were pointed out at the time of purchase
Superficial faults which should have been obvious at the time of purchase
The onus is on you to make a reasonable examination of the goods before purchase.

..maybe if it rattled from day one, he may have a (shakey) leg to stand on, but if it's recent not a chance.