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Can Your Broken iPod Be Fixed?

by Tom Samiljan on November 10, 2007 at 12:01 AM




It's the perennial question whenever your iPod, laptop, cell phone, or other device suddenly stops working -- should I replace this or can it be fixed?

Surprisingly, seemingly unfixable problems like a cracked LCD laptop screen can be fixed for not too much money either by you, or by sending it out to a repair person. Same goes for a cracked iPod screen. And, according to a recent article in the New York Times, you can even sometimes get a fishy hard drive on about 70 percent of broken iPods to work using a piece of paper as a shim. The piece highlights this quick fix, as well as a bunch of sites where you can get either get information on how to repair common gadgets, as well as services that will fix your gadgets for free.

We've covered some of this stuff before. Fixya.com, for example, offers up tutorials and gadget-fix solutions -- all uploaded by users who've tried these fixes out themselves -- for a multitude of devices. The Fixya solutions tend to be more extensive and easier to access than the average official consumer electronics tech-support site.

According to tech pundit Rob Enderle, 15 percent of iPods fail in their first year, which is why places like RapidRepair do such a great business. The site will do 24-hour turnaround repairs on everything from broken screens and hard drives to batteries. They'll also do mods to your iPod, such as this cool iVue iPod with a transparent body that reveals all the innards.

We spoke with RapidRepair.com founder Aaron Vronko and asked him for some quick tips on when your iPod is fixable and when it's time to throw it out. (btw, the throw-out tips are based on actual broken iPods that Vronko's company has received in the mail).

Your iPod is fixable when...

  • You get that sad iPod icon on your screen. This means your hard drive is kaput and needs to be replaced. According to Vronko, this repair is worth doing because it usually only costs 50 percent of the original cost of the device.
  • Your screen looks like some ink has spilled on it. This means you've got a broken LCD screen. The cost on these sorts of repairs are usually just 25 to 35 percent of the original cost of the unit, according to Vronko, usually around $90 or less. You can even do it yourself, if you want to do it ASAP (Vronko says his company also just sells the screen and directions for DIY types).
  • You get a battery and and exclamation point on your screen. "If you're getting this several times a week and more quickly than usual, your battery is probably dead," says Vronko. This fix is a cinch and usually costs around $20 from a professional service.

Your iPod is probably beyond repair when...
  • It's fallen in the water: Salt water is worse than fresh water, but the real danger comes when you turn it on and it's still wet. "This is probably when you'd do the most damage," says Vronko. "You're better off taking it apart as soon as possible and removing any corrosive liquid with concentrated rubbing alcohol." You can also try sticking your iPod in a bowl of uncooked rice, but this doesn't always work. RapidRepair will try and fix these sorts of issues -- if you send the soiled device to them in a sealed plastic bag -- but it's likely your iPod is a goner.
  • If it's been chewed by a dog: Dog's teeth are strong, and unfortunately they usually puncture an iPod's hard drive, the screen, and the battery.
  • It's been run over by a car: Vronko says someone actually sent him an iPod that had been run over by a car.
Vronko's rule of thumb is, if the hard drive, the battery, and the screen are all broken, it's time to replace the entire thing. And, according to the New York Times piece, you should usually just toss broken DVD players or any PC with Windows 95 or older, because the cost of replacement is usually less than the cost of repair.

For some cool pics of broken iPods, check out the gallery below.

iPod Repair Gallery



From NY Times and RapidRepair



Related Links:


Tags: DIY, Holiday Gift Guide, HolidayGiftGuide, iPod Repair, IpodRepair, RapidRepair, Repairs

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