iPod touch Screen (Glass) Replacement

[JML42691]

I turned on my touch this morning and noticed what appeared to be something blocking the screen, after a quick wipe with my finger like I do with the usual spec of dirt or something or the glass, it was still there, so I broke out the black cleaning cloth to attempt to remove it. After I was finished with that, the entire glass was in pristine condition, like it was the day out of the box, with the one exception of that mark on the glass. So I held the iPod under the light and closely examined the glass, I realized that the mark was not on top of the glass, but rather a small chip in it, I could feel that it was a chip by running my fingernail over the spot. It is very annoying and is at about the spot of the 3rd icon on the dock; I also have 3 dead pixels on the screen, but those are not that big of a deal and I have been able to live with them before.

My questions are, if I bring my iPod to the Apple store, what will they do, I am well out of the 14 day return period, but I am covered by the standard warranty. In one of the guides that comes with the iPod, it says not to use it if there is a chip in the glass. Will they do an in-store fix of the glass if there is a chip, and if they do, how long would it take? Or would they just replace the iPod? Will they charge me if they simply replace it? (I haven't ever dropped it, so I have no clue where the chip came from). If I bring up the dead pixel issue, will they replace it? And will it be a refurb or a completely new one? Sorry for all the questions, and thanks in advanced.

It is hard to see, but if you look around where that 3rd icon would be, then you should see it, it is very distracting when using:

 

[br1anc]

after using my touch for a while, i got some dirt/dust under my screen as well. i just gave mine a little "love tap" on the top in attempt to push the dust to the bottom and out. after a few hits, the speck of dust was gone! try this.

 

[JML42691]

after using my touch for a while, i got some dirt/dust under my screen as well. i just gave mine a little "love tap" on the top in attempt to push the dust to the bottom and out. after a few hits, the speck of dust was gone! try this.

It isn't dust or anything else, it is definitely a chip in the glass.

 

[jayhawk11]

It isn't dust or anything else, it is definitely a chip in the glass.

If you live close enough to an Apple Store, just take it in. Let them know what happened, and see what they say. If you don't live close to one, call ahead and see what they say. It may be an issue of they need to see it to decide what to do/what to charge. Never hurts to ask

 

[br1anc]

It isn't dust or anything else, it is definitely a chip in the glass.

oh, sucks for you.

 

[BrownManUPS]

oh, sucks for you.

HAHA

 

[JML42691]

If you live close enough to an Apple Store, just take it in. Let them know what happened, and see what they say. If you don't live close to one, call ahead and see what they say. It may be an issue of they need to see it to decide what to do/what to charge. Never hurts to ask

I live 5 minutes from an Apple Store, so I probably will take it in, I just wanted to get an idea of what they would say, and how long it would take to repair it or if they would just give me a replacement, and if they did replace it, would it be a refurb or not.

 

[BassistKing1]

I live 5 minutes from an Apple Store, so I probably will take it in, I just wanted to get an idea of what they would say, and how long it would take to repair it or if they would just give me a replacement, and if they did replace it, would it be a refurb or not.

they'll probly just replace it, thats usually what they do with broken ipods. my 1st gen nano's screen cracked and was messed up, and i got a brand new one when i sent it in (was after a year tho, so i had to pay like 40 bucks) and my brother got a new ipod after part of it broke. i would just take it to the apple store, tell em what happened, and ask for a new one. if they dont give it to u after u asked nicely, bitch and complain and make a big scene lol

 

[rd261]

Yeah, bitching and complaining works most of the time. When I got my ipod it had the annoying negative screen, and since I bought it at Best Buy I took it back. The lady there started giving me a hard time saying that she couldn't see anything and blah blah. Well I got really pissed because I was well under the 30 days period and started complaining and after like 5 minutes I told her "you know what you are not going to solve my problem, I want to speak with the manager. Well she went into an office, and less than a minute later she came back saying that she was really sorry and that they were going to replace my ipod with a new one. So yeah if they refuse to help you solve your problem start complaining.

 

[davidy]

Warrenty information, page 91 of the User's Guide http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/iPod_touch_Features_Guide.pdf

I don't know how Apple will handle this. It could be some stupid way like my car insurance which WILL NOT pay for a chipped windshield, but WILL pay for a cracked or boken windshield. The obvious solution for the car is, if you want a chipped windshield replaced, just break it first.

You might want to call your Apple store before taking it in and ask what they will do, and what they would do if the screen was cracked. Then take action depending on what they say.

 

[JML42691]

Warrenty information, page 91 of the User's Guide http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/iPod_touch_Features_Guide.pdf

I don't know how Apple will handle this. It could be some stupid way like my car insurance which WILL NOT pay for a chipped windshield, but WILL pay for a cracked or boken windshield. The obvious solution for the car is, if you want a chipped windshield replaced, just break it first.

You might want to call your Apple store before taking it in and ask what they will do, and what they would do if the screen was cracked. Then take action depending on what they say.

Well, I live 5 minutes from an Apple store, and pass it every morning and evening on my way in and out of school, so calling ahead isn't that much of an issue. But in the booklet that came with the iPod titled "Important Product Information Guide", on page 5 it says, "The outside cover of the iPod touch screen is made of glass. This glass could break if iPod is dropped on a hard surface or receives substantial impact. If the glass chips or cracks, do not touch or attempt to remove the broken glass. Stop using iPod until the glass is replaced by and Apple Authorized Service Provider. Glass cracked due to misuse or abuse is not covered under the warranty." It says not to use it if chipped, and since I do not recall dropping it and have never put in in any pocket with anything else in it, it should be covered by warranty.

 

[davidy]

Well, I live 5 minutes from an Apple store, and pass it every morning and evening on my way in and out of school, so calling ahead isn't that much of an issue. But in the booklet that came with the iPod titled "Important Product Information Guide", on page 5 it says, "The outside cover of the iPod touch screen is made of glass. This glass could break if iPod is dropped on a hard surface or receives substantial impact. If the glass chips or cracks, do not touch or attempt to remove the broken glass. Stop using iPod until the glass is replaced by and Apple Authorized Service Provider. Glass cracked due to misuse or abuse is not covered under the warranty." It says not to use it if chipped, and since I do not recall dropping it and have never put in in any pocket with anything else in it, it should be covered by warranty.

Given that, you should take it back for repair. If you're really lucky they'll replace the whole unit, otherwise you'll have to wait while it gets sent back to Apple for screen replacement. In either case, make sure you've got everything backed up.

 

[JML42691]

Well, I just scheduled an appointment at the Genius Bar for 11:45, I'll show them the chip and I'll bring up the dead pixel issue, here is hoping for the best. I'll post an update when I get back.

 

[FoxyApple]

Well, I just scheduled an appointment at the Genius Bar for 11:45, I'll show them the chip and I'll bring up the dead pixel issue, here is hoping for the best. I'll post an update when I get back.

man it sucks living nowhere near an apple store.

 

[wakerider017]

let us know how it goes

 

[JML42691]

Update

Well, know that I am finally back online after our DSL crashed, I'll post the update. So I walked into the Apple store at about 11:30 (15 minutes before my appointment) and noticed that there was only one Genius at the bar for both iPods and Macs, and also noticed that the list of names on the video screens were very long. So I was not expecting the best, figuring that the Genius was going to be way over his head with people. It was the same Genius that dealt with my problem with my MacBook back in November. Once again he was very kind and was doing double duty with me and another guy with a problem with his computer (his son deleted almost all the applications on the computer). While he was reinstalling the software on the other man's machine, he asked me about the problem I was having and I told him that there was a small chip in the screen and that I had several dead pixels, he ran his finger over the chip several times and went into the room out back. He came back to the bar about 3-4 minutes later carrying a small white box about half the width of the iPod touch box, he pulled out a new iPod touch that was still in the peel-wrap and a small plastic bag. He put my iPod in the box, took note of the new iPod's serial # and gave it to me and that was all. I was done in about 10-15 minutes. He didn't even turn the iPod on, so he even take into account about the dead pixels. He also didn't even ask me how the chip came to be, I could have hit it with a screwdriver to make the chip and it wouldn't have made a difference in the outcome.

So in the end, I came out with a brand new iPod and to make sure that it doesn't happen again, I bought a screen protector and an incase cover. When I synced it to my iTunes, it asked if I was adding it as a new iPod, or should I load it from a backup of my old touch, I clicked as from a backup, and it added everything including the apps, the backup was so specific that it left Safari at the last visited page, had maps at the last spot I was viewing, and memorized my visited networks. I got the same week back (week 46) and as far as I can tell, the new one has no dead pixels!! I'll run a pixel test to be sure, but I am happy with this iPod.

 

[BrownManUPS]

Well, know that I am finally back online after our DSL crashed, I'll post the update. So I walked into the Apple store at about 11:30 (15 minutes before my appointment) and noticed that there was only one Genius at the bar for both iPods and Macs, and also noticed that the list of names on the video screens were very long. So I was not expecting the best, figuring that the Genius was going to be way over his head with people. It was the same Genius that dealt with my problem with my MacBook back in November. Once again he was very kind and was doing double duty with me and another guy with a problem with his computer (his son deleted almost all the applications on the computer). While he was reinstalling the software on the other man's machine, he asked me about the problem I was having and I told him that there was a small chip in the screen and that I had several dead pixels, he ran his finger over the chip several times and went into the room out back. He came back to the bar about 3-4 minutes later carrying a small white box about half the width of the iPod touch box, he pulled out a new iPod touch that was still in the peel-wrap and a small plastic bag. He put my iPod in the box, took note of the new iPod's serial # and gave it to me and that was all. I was done in about 10-15 minutes. He didn't even turn the iPod on, so he even take into account about the dead pixels. He also didn't even ask me how the chip came to be, I could have hit it with a screwdriver to make the chip and it wouldn't have made a difference in the outcome.

So in the end, I came out with a brand new iPod and to make sure that it doesn't happen again, I bought a screen protector and an incase cover. When I synced it to my iTunes, it asked if I was adding it as a new iPod, or should I load it from a backup of my old touch, I clicked as from a backup, and it added everything including the apps, the backup was so specific that it left Safari at the last visited page, had maps at the last spot I was viewing, and memorized my visited networks. I got the same week back (week 46) and as far as I can tell, the new one has no dead pixels!! I'll run a pixel test to be sure, but I am happy with this iPod.

Hooray for common great Apple service. It's why we pay so damn much for this technology anyway (and those protection plans)