Repair Guidelines

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.