I have horrible scratches on my iPod screen, and the rest of the iPod for that matter, but I’m most worried about the screen. I’m planning on using a dremel tool on low with some brasso to buff them out. Is that a terrible idea? Any other (cheap) ideas?
Tell Apple that the batteries have worn out, pay the $60 and get a replacement.
Would it help that I have the AppleCare thing?
BobT, recommending fraud is a breach of the terms of this board.
Please do not do this again. You have been warned.
-xash
General Questions Moderator
It might still be worth calling Apple and seeing if they’d do it. They probably change the screens on refurbs, so if they don’t lose money on that program maybe he could convinve them to take it.
If you get a new one, get a skin from bestskinsever.com or The Invisible Shield, or others.
white out
-sigh- Jeez.
Fortunately, you are talking about an iPod and not a Palm Pilot or similarly touch-sensitive screen surface.
While I have never tried this, there is no reason to think this might not work. The surface of the iPod screen is clear plastic, the LCD information is not the actual screen surface.
There is this liquid polishing system, but I am wary of it and I don’t know why. It just doesn’t feel safe enough for an iPod- I’d fear dribbling stuff into the underside of the LCD assembly.
A Dremel? Yes. A brand new very small soft buffing wheel? Yes. The last bit is going to take some research. You have to find out what the plastic IS that covers an iPod LCD. Then you have to find the matching polishing compound. Then, gently polish it. 
A long time aog, I had reason to cut plexiglas panels. They had to be cleaned along the edges and then polished. True to the word on the compund, the buffing wheel polished out the deep cut marks, the surface marks and made the 1 inch thick edges completely transparent.
Out there somewhere is the proper compound. Alternately, you could contact Apple and ask them what the cost is of replacing the screen. It is worth asking what Generation of iPod this is, how close to the end of it’s life it may be at any rate and if you are attached to this unit enough to invest more in a new screen.
Cartooniverse
I didn’t get a case for my black 30 BG video ipod right away and got a huge scuff on the screen, along with many smaller sratches. I used Brasso and followed the directions onthis website and a cut up T-shirt to buff it by hand. It does add some smaller scratches (especially on the black iPods), but the large scuff came out. it took a LONG time - more than 20 minutes of buffing! I do have a dremel, but that seems extreme. (Plus I didn’t think of it) :o . It takes some nerve to take Brasso to your iPod, and I won’t deny the smaller scratches are not nice either - what was important to me is I got out the huge scuff that basically prevented me from watching any video on my video iPod.
Then I got a case. I wasted my money on a few that didn’t work for me. I finally bought one from ifrogz ( www.ifrogz.com ) and the screen protector does a great job of covering up any smaller scratches - I cannot tell they are there anymore.
Brasso should work.
i-Hacked has a pretty good article on the subject.
Well, the final result? I spent about 2.5 hours last night with my dremel and Brasso, and the big scratches all came out. I’m going to sit down with something a little less harsh today for a while to even out the screen just a little, because if you tilt it into the right light, you can tell that it’s not totally flat. (The time was not totally boring. I split my time between watching Alton Brown make sushi and watching porn on my iPod. Mostly porn on my iPod.)
The trick for anyone who wants to do this is: Make sure your dremel is on low speed, otherwise it will make it worse. (That’s why I had the gigantic scratches to begin with.) Also, use the small and thick felt pad, because it’s thicker than the other one, so the screw tip is a safer distance away from your iPod screen. (I nicked my screen with it a little.) Buff holding the Dremel straight up and down, or at a slight angle. If Don’t use the side of the pad; it scratches the screen.
I apologize for my statement earlier in this thread.
And it’s good to know about the Brasso. I will see if I can find any in my store. I don’t trust myself with power tools.