iMac 27" screen repair for grey smudge marks

You may find this Discussion of interest

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2300580?answerId=12928711022#12928711022

Take it to the apple store. And honestly might be a good idea to go ahead and get apple care. I have this issue and my iMac is currently being repaired. This will be the second LCD display replacement so I'm confidant its something else that is causing this issue. They will say its enviromental. Stand your ground on seeing this issue is resolved. Let me know how it goes.

Hi, my scrren is dveloping the same issue in the top right corner, but unfortunately im out of my warranty, so how much did the replacement cost? (Same model etc).

Hi, I'm in the same boat and I checked online... the panel seems hard to find, but the cheapest I could see was $400 without taxes and shipping costs.

Replacing the panel itself it's a pretty easy job if you're handy with screwdrivers, and taking the glass off the iMac is actually surprisingly easy (no need for special tools, use a plunger, I'm not joking).

This screen thing makes me very, very sad. I'm partly angry at myself because I procrastinated getting it checked, partly at Apple because they should fix this kind of stuff anyway.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2300580?start=0&tstart=0

Just found my IMac has the same problem and surprised to see that there are so many people having the same issue. Honestly, this issue now looks like a product defect to me. I'm very disappointed that Apple has been sitting on this problem. Now the warranty of my IMac expires, so I'm out of luck on the problem that Apple knows for long time. You can imagine what will come to my mind when buying next Apple product or not to buy Apple product. I have used a lot of LCD screen products so far, large screens and small screens, but this is the first time I've seen this kind of problem happened to LCD screens.

It's just some dirt, and takes ten minutes to fix at home..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONCdGHe0Uxs

not a defect, just clean the inside of the glass!..

I am experiencing this on my iMac - my first Apple computer. 😟 You will find many people that think this is simply dust behind the glass. Others that find it to be dust inside the display panel (not accessible without a massive deconstruction) and others that site it as exploded pixels.

ANYTHING stated here has already been discussed at great length in another thread, which has already been mentioned, but I will link it again: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2300580?start=720&tstart=0. This thread is heavily moderated by Apple, and they periodically delete posts that suggest any banding together of affected users or any IegaI action.

I dicovered my smudges just after the warranty expired. I don't recall if I purchased Apple Care. Either way as you read through the correct thread, you'll see I'm in for a fight AND the only fix they can offer is temporary. If I get it fixed I will be selling it IMMEDIATELY. Super sad.

it's not dust, at least not dust in what I got. the greyish thing is actually behind displaying/coloring pixels, not in front.

even it were dust, it's not "just" dust that you can wipe out easily.

This is a problem, defect or not, that cost pain to consumer and Apple knows about it for long time. Really sad.

motofabio, if you are in for a fight, I'm with you.

Definitely a defect!

No normal user should have to remove the front glass to clean the back of it.

And in most cases discussed in the other thread, it's not caused by dust, but by what seems to be a defect of the LCD display.

guys take the imac to apple. it is not dust it is the lcd. even if its out of apple care make a genius bar appointment and take it to apple. Don't try and fix it. That nullifies anything apple can do. Make a genius bar appointment at your closest apple store.

just take it to apple. even if its out of warrenty

From what I have been reading, this seems to be a rather too common problem with the iMac...

I have a 27" iMac which I bought at Christmas in 2009, in February 2011 I took it to the Apple store in Greenhithe (UK) with grey marks that looked a bit sort of "wind blown" at the top right and middle and was told that it was out of warranty... So I kicked up a stink in quite a loud voice, so that customers could hear... (I am not easily embarassed about getting looked at)... A "manager" was very quickly in attendance, and after I calmed down a bit 🙂 and had a discussion about the poor performance for a panel after only 14 months, he agreed to replace the panel. It was also pointed out to me that along with the grey marks towards the top of the screen, there was a sort of darkening of the display along the bottom something around one centimetre high from the left side all the way across to the right, I hadn't noticed it?

The display was duly changed and I went away reasonably happy, but slightly miffed that I had to jump about a bit to get any decent response. I did notice that the WiFi has never operated since that repair, but as I have never used it I didn't feel like making the 35 mile round trip to Greenhithe again, I have ethernet built into the house.

Anyway, here I am again, with grey marks that look like they have been blown by the wind (or internal fans?) from around half way up, to the top edge both left and right sides... Oh and it is May 2013, around 14 months since the first panel was changed... I am working up to go and "complain" again.

Incidentally, there are no smokers in the house, and we live in a dead end street in a "leafy" outer London suburb, hardly a candidate for environmental problems.

Also, a couple of months before I bought this machine, my daughter made us an artwork (wedding anniversary), which consists of a sort of collage of shapes cut out of a large piece of white card... This white card sits behind a non reflective "museum" glass equipped IKEA frame 36" X 16" landscape (not sealed), and resting at an angle against a white background fixed to the back of the frame... The idea is that the odd shaped holes and the strange angle creates some fancy interplay with light and shadows... And very nice it is too!

Here's the thing, it is hanging no more than 18 inches away from where the iMac is standing on my desk. The artwork is still pristine white, the iMac is smeared and grey as described above.

Finally, I have never had a problem with any other display that I have had on this desk during the previous seven years... And I have had an 11 inch IBM LCD display, which is still working in my friend's office as a server display... this was one of the very earliest LCD displays from around 1992ish. I have had two cheap charlie Chinese Neovo LCD displays, a 17" and a 19" and for a short while a Dell 15" sitting there attached to various PC's... Oh and I almost forgot, a second hand (£105 Ebay) Powermac G5 from 2003 which is usually in the attic without a display serving AIFF and ALAC files around the house, but is currently sitting by a coffee table in the same room as the iMac with its original 15" clear plastic display.

None of these have had any problems, I know that the 19" Neovo and the 15" Dell displays are working well, my sister has the Neovo and my son is using the Dell in his BMW/Mini repair workshop, he uses it for diagnostics. it is bolted to a wall right in the thick of where car exhaust is blowing around, along with dust and all sorts of dirt is around most of the time...You guessed it, not a mark anywhere on any of them!

Admittedly, I have no idea what happened to the Powermac before I owned it and the display is usually not even connected, this is merely a side comment about older Apple product!

I am quite disappointed with my iMac so far... And I am feeling pretty empathic regarding other owner/user comments that I have been reading tonight. I am surprised that Apple frequently seems ready to point the finger elsewhere, as happened to me in 2011, and if and when I am ready to buy a new machine, if it is another Apple, it might well be a Mini or a Pro with an Eizo or NEC display perhaps... I would be highly dubious about spending £900 on the cinema display.

Of course, under those conditions, the machine doesn't even need to be Apple... however, I am a practical man and I have invested quite a lot of time building various media libraries with Apple tools, and I am getting a bit old (even though I have been working with computers since 1972... some of the kit I was using then, had real glowing valves inside, along with core memory!), and I am not so sure I can face going back for more Windows punishment, I have just set up an Acer laptop machine for my sister... Windows 8? Say no more...

Anyway, regarding the iMac, pretty surprising/shocking stuff for a "premium priced" product, I reckon.

Oh I just thought that I would add that, I have an iPhone 3GS, an iPad 2, an Apple TV 2, and my duaghters have an iPhone 4S (the arty one) and the older one has an iPhone 5... All of which despite their standard limitations (flash) seem to be pretty good bits of kit!

Message was edited by: sjenner, feeling a bit negative about what I have just spat out, and decided to add that there is other Apple stuff around that I am familiar with, which is OK... I like the ATV2 very much.