iPhone Out of Warranty service

Thanks for the quick replies guys. Thanks for the link varjak, that was useful for pricing.

What are the basic terms of out of warranty replacement? I noticed something in the link that said:

"... if Apple receives it [the damaged phone] and determines that it is ineligible for Out-of-Warranty service, you will be charged a Cover Charge that is the difference between the Replacement Value of a new iPhone and the Out-of-Warranty Service Fee"

The reason I ask is because about 9 months ago (Aug 2011), the phone sustained some water damage. After thoroughly drying the phone (for over 2 weeks) and replacing the battery (with a battery purchased from iFixit.com) because the original battery was no longer holding a charge after the water damage, the phone was is good condition and worked perfectly. The microphone problem only started in the last 2 weeks.

So I guess my question is, will a replaced battery and previous water damage make this phone "ineligible" for an Out-of-Warranty replacement? I don't really want to find out AFTER I get a replacement phone and send in the old phone that I have to pay full price as the above quote suggests.

I checked out the terms of service and here's a section which describes Sevice Exclusions:

Service Exclusions and Diagnostic Fee. To the extent permitted by law, Apple

may charge you a diagnostic fee (including shipping charges) as described in the

Country Variation section, below (“Diagnostic Fee”), if Apple inspects your product

and determines that (i ) your product does not require service, (ii) your product has

failed due to or has incompatibilities with software or data residing or recorded on

your product (iii) service is required due to the failure of parts that are neither

supplied by Apple nor Apple-branded, (iii) additional labor or parts are required

that were not specified in the original estimated charges and you do not agree to

authorize service based on Apple’s revised estimated charges, or (iv) service cannot

be performed because the serial number has been altered, defaced or removed or

the product has failed due to accident, abuse, liquid spill or submersion, neglect,

misuse (including faulty installation, repair, or maintenance by anyone other than

Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider), unauthorized modification,

extreme environment (including extreme temperature or humidity), extreme

physical or electrical stress or interference, fluctuation or surges of electrical power,

lightning, static electricity, fire, acts of God or other external causes (“Service

Exclusions”). Apple will return your product to you without servicing it and may

charge you the Diagnostic Fee.

part (iii) is what's bothering me: "service is required due to the failure of parts that are neither supplied by Apple nor Apple-branded"

The battery is from iFixit. It looked identical to the original apple battery, but if it's not, will that cause the phone to be "ineligible" for OOW replacement, even though the battery is not the cause of the problem?

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

damaged SIM tray is a little different than water damage + replaced battery. I dunno. I guess my only option is to just try. Worst case scenario, I can't get the replacement for $169

btw, if I get a replacement iPhone 4 (not 4s), will it be a brand new one, or a refurbished/recertified unit?

well for the sake of argument.. the water damage is not exactly hideable nor will it be a surprise to them... all the stickers are clearly red. The battery is arguable I guess. I didn't really come here saying "hey I just dissasembled my iphone, removed and resoldered everything back together and now it doesn't work".

That said, the phone in question is in no way connected to my account or my information, so theres no way they can make that connection. And it's not like I'm demanding a free phone. I would gladly pay $200 for a recertified phone.

Actually, follow-up question, if I get a replacement phone, do I get a year warranty on it?