Moto X battery trouble after water damage

[madspy1337]

Long story short, my Moto X went through the wash and got totally waterlogged. I proceeded to open it up, remove the battery, clean everything with IPA and let it dry for a few days. Now everything is working fine expect for some strange battery issues.

For one, my battery life is absolutely terrible now - I'm talking 4-5 hours at most. I bought a 3rd party battery (Onite) to try, but it was even worse. So now I'm using my original Motorola battery, which isn't even a year old - but may have been damaged by the water.

Another issue is that the charging icon (lightning bolt) is permanently showing, even when the phone is not charging. I think this might be a software issue. Finally, when the battery completely drains it is very difficult to give it power. I leave it plugged in and it remains at 0%...Only after plugging/unplugging a bunch of times and then leaving it plugged in for about an hour will it finally get enough juice to start charging.

What do you think is the problem here? Obviously I can always buy a brand new Motorola battery and try that, but I want to make sure that that is the real problem before I dish out $80 on a battery. If it is a problem with the port or some other connection then I would rather just get a new phone. Any help is appreciated.

 

[Pierce09]

Same exact thing happened to my Galaxy Nexus a while back. The issue is the micro USB port. I don't know about the moto x, but it was replaceable on the Galaxy Nexus. The water seems to ruin the micro USB port and make it believe it's charging and cuts off the actual flow of electricity, making it take longer to charge or even recognize an actual charge. I ended up sticking it out with my Galaxy Nexus and after about 3 weeks it finally began acting normal again. However, I can't guarantee the battery life will correct itself with time. As I replaced that with a stock Samsung battery after it's run through the wash.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[madspy1337]

Same exact thing happened to my Galaxy Nexus a while back. The issue is the micro USB port. I don't know about the moto x, but it was replaceable on the Galaxy Nexus. The water seems to ruin the micro USB port and make it believe it's charging and cuts off the actual flow of electricity, making it take longer to charge or even recognize an actual charge. I ended up sticking it out with my Galaxy Nexus and after about 3 weeks it finally began acting normal again. However, I can't guarantee the battery life will correct itself with time. As I replaced that with a stock Samsung battery after it's run through the wash.

Posted via Android Central App

Yeh I considered that the problem might be the USB port...so you replaced your battery after the water damage and you say that the problem fixed itself in 3 weeks, or did you fix the USB port?

Again I don't want to spend the $80 on a new battery if all I need is a new charging port. Hmmm

 

[Pierce09]

Yeh I considered that the problem might be the USB port...so you replaced your battery after the water damage and you say that the problem fixed itself in 3 weeks, or did you fix the USB port?

Again I don't want to spend the $80 on a new battery if all I need is a new charging port. Hmmm

I immediately replaced the battery (I had a spare) and did not replace the micro USB port. After about 3 weeks the micro USB port started acting normal again.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Clocks]

Consider calling moto for assistance. They have been replacing some phones with damage clearly not covered by warranty.

 

[madspy1337]

Consider calling moto for assistance. They have been replacing some phones with damage clearly not covered by warranty.

Really? I would be shocked if they replace my phone, considering the water damage (which they don't cover), but also the fact that I opened it up and messed around inside. I think I'm on my own with this one.

 

[madspy1337]

I immediately replaced the battery (I had a spare) and did not replace the micro USB port. After about 3 weeks the micro USB port started acting normal again.

Posted via Android Central App

Oh I see. In that case how can you be sure that the issue was with the usb port? It does sound strange that the problem fixed itself though - are you sure you didn't do some kind of software upgrade/factory reset or anything?

 

[Clocks]

Really? I would be shocked if they replace my phone, considering the water damage (which they don't cover), but also the fact that I opened it up and messed around inside. I think I'm on my own with this one.

It's just a phone call

I got onto the Moto website to discuss with them what happened and what I could do to save my information. As soon as I described dropping it in the water, they offered to replace it free of charge (Another customized 32GB phone) Being a Verizon customer, I never expected this in a million years!

http://forums.androidcentral.com/moto-x/405358-how-safe-my-personal-information.html

So my wife was home alone when her new Moto X arrived. She read somewhere on the AT&T site that she needed a number off the battery, so - being used to her old Galaxy SII - she proceeded to pry off the back case. Obviously it came off all at once and tore a good amount of stuff off with it, and now I'm home early from work looking at a bit of a mess.

I'm a layman, but I can see that the following components are damaged:

Volume rocker / power button ribbon torn at the power button side
Antennae torn off completely (ribbon cable intact), square grey segments left behind on the battery
Camera ribbon detached from circuit board but seems to be intact
Random black tape torn off

Needless to say, with a busted phone, void warranty, and wife in tears...

////fast forward

I got on the phone with Motorola support and (shockingly?) they're replacing the phone at no cost. Even paying for return shipping. Go Motorola!

[Q] Wife pried the back off, internal components damaged, much sorrow. - xda-developers

 

[oldDummy]

Hey, if they replace it. Well, can't beat that.

Just a heads up: Heard about packing the phone in rice for awhile.
Supposed to draw out all moisture. Have read it works wonders.
Good Luck.

 

[madspy1337]

It's just a phone call

So I went on the Motorola website today and put in a repair request, saying that the phone was water-damaged. Shortly thereafter I received an email with a code to create a new custom Moto X at no cost! They never asked for my credit card information and supposedly I'll receive my new phone in the mail within a week. They even provided a prepaid label to ship my old phone back at no cost!

Clocks - thanks for the suggestion to contact Motorola repair! The only thing I'm worried about is that I'll be charged after Motorola receives my old phone. I don't think this will happen because they quoted me $0 for the replacement and didn't mention any other fees. Still, I'll contain my excitement until everything goes through smoothly...

 

[pdaniel219]

That's awesome news. I just received my replacement today. It's actually my 2nd one. I had a problem with my front facing camera. The gasket was sliding down over the lens. If you told them about the water damage up front, you're good. They are awesome. I'm definitely a Moto fanboy now. Glad you got it taken care of.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Clocks]

So I went on the Motorola website today and put in a repair request, saying that the phone was water-damaged. Shortly thereafter I received an email with a code to create a new custom Moto X at no cost! They never asked for my credit card information and supposedly I'll receive my new phone in the mail within a week. They even provided a prepaid label to ship my old phone back at no cost!

Clocks - thanks for the suggestion to contact Motorola repair! The only thing I'm worried about is that I'll be charged after Motorola receives my old phone. I don't think this will happen because they quoted me $0 for the replacement and didn't mention any other fees. Still, I'll contain my excitement until everything goes through smoothly...

Awesome glad to hear it. I wonder if they are just clearing out moto x inventory, or they don't care about their P&L since the lenovo sale is going through later this year, or if they are actively trying to have great customer service. I thought they were denying this kind of damage earlier (like late 2013), but I've been hearing more cases of them replacing phones for any reason at all.

 

[dougfoglesong]

I just tried going to Motorola directly for replacement. Did NOT work. I guess I will go to Verizon.

 

[KWKSLVR]

I just tried going to Motorola directly for replacement. Did NOT work. I guess I will go to Verizon.

Non-Motomaker version?

Posted via Android Central App

 

[dougfoglesong]

Nope, MotorMaker version.

 

[pdaniel219]

I just tried going to Motorola directly for replacement. Did NOT work. I guess I will go to Verizon.

Did you go online and start a chat with them? That seems to work the best. And I've been told to do it during regular business hours. The calls get routed to a 3rd party call center after that. Not sure how true that is, but chatting online with them before 5pm has worked for me twice. You should probably try again before you go to Verizon. It's definitely worth a shot. Good luck either way.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[dougfoglesong]

Did the online chat route.

- - - Updated - - -

Actual did online chat with 2 different reps.

 

[4runnerbrett]

Please update us on how everything went over.