One of my friends told me that the "chrome" top layer on the IBEX gets scratched up pretty bad, and eventually looks like crap. Has anybody else's done this?

I hope not, because I just bought one a few weeks ago. I take good care of my stuff, so I don't really see it being an issue.

maybe tell your friend to keep it in a board bag and be more careful?

Its going to get sratched. Im very meticulous with my boards, but stuff happens. Just think of it as adding a little character to the board!

Thats not scratching hes seeing, its cracking. The top layer starts to get spyder cracks and a fogging look to it over time. I had the 139 and it looked horrible but does not hinder performance.

my spider cracked and got fogged up

No, its scratching... Because we have seen stuff scratch it..

Well than.. the worst is yet to come

Do yall think they fixed these problems for 2009?

Scratching isnt a problem, it's part of what you should expect when you buy a shiny silver board. Think of it like wearing white clothing, it looks great but will become ugly sooner or later.

Dan, what do you mean it will become "ugly"?

its shine/color will fade over time, scratches (stains for my analogy) will collect, and the board/jacket will become less visually appealing over time