3DS XL Bottom Screen Scratching Top Screen? And getting it fixed under warranty?

[Jorpho]

So, today I learned that it is apparently a surprisingly common problem for the bezel of the bottom screen of a 3DS to collide with the top screen and leave a mark – a problem only slightly mitigated on the XL. Reports abound.
https://www.google.ca/search?q=3ds+bottom+screen+scratching+top+screen

Had I known this earlier, I would have taken appropriate precautions, but it's too late now. The problem isn't really bad, but it's bad enough.

My system is less than a year old. Do you think I can send it in and get it fixed under warranty? It's the "limited" edition Mario & Luigi model and I don't want a refurb; are refurbs inevitable in such cases?

Failing that, is there any way to fix it? I'm told "crack fill" solutions will void the warranty.

[Leo_A]

I can't help you although Nintendo's customer service has a good reputation so I'd suggest calling. But what's the accepted preventative measure to make sure this doesn't happen? Put a microfiber cloth like you'd use to clean the screens between them when closing it, perhaps?

Makes me wish all the more that we'd get a 2DS XL. No hinges (And no moving wires which I bet will start becoming an issue in a few years for SP's and early DS systems), no having the system scratch its own screen, and the same size screen as the XL model.

And in my opinion, I think the current 2DS is more comfortable to hold than the clamshell designs. You'd lose the built-in screen protection, but when the design itself makes the system vulnerable to it scratching its own screen, having to buy a case of it is more than a fair trade-off.

[Tanooki]

Leo that's exactly what I've done since the DS original model. I mean I know it's Nintendo and all that, and if it were any other company I'd immediately point to a way for them to cash in on repairs, but the fact is every stupid handheld they've put out since the DS does this crap and it's infuriating because the older SP had the screen set into it a bit and never had the issue at all.

As soon as my original DS started getting circular marks from the d-pad area and linear scratches from the top/bottom frame around the screens meeting which just pissed me off I started throwing a folded over microfiber cloth in there. Currently the 3DSXL has the freebie one that came with the pokemon x/y hardback guide and that does the trick.

[Jorpho]

I can't help you although Nintendo's customer service has a good reputation so I'd suggest calling.Aye, it looks promising. Calling Nintendo customer service! Now that's something I haven't done in a long time.
http://techforums.nintendo.com/thread/24321


But what's the accepted preventative measure to make sure this doesn't happen? Put a microfiber cloth like you'd use to clean the screens between them when closing it, perhaps?Oh, no doubt. I never really appreciated what those were supposed to do; I have a similar cloth in my old netbook. I thought I could get away without using one of those this time, since I never had a problem with my DS Lite, but then I'm not carrying around my DS Lite nearly as much.


and the same size screen as the XL model.Isn't it considerably smaller?

[Leo_A]

Leo that's exactly what I've done since the DS original model.

You mean the original model of the 3DS, right?

I guess I might be wrong, but on my various DS systems , it looks like one screen fits identically over the other. So even if they do make minor contact, it shouldn't result in an issue like happens on a 3DS with the circle pad rubbing, the screen frame of the 4:3 touch screen rubbing against the 16:9 upper screen, etc.



and the same size screen as the XL model.Isn't it considerably smaller?

What I'm talking about doesn't yet exist. A revision of the 2DS called a 2DS XL that ups the screen size to 3DS XL proportions.


Makes me wish all the more that we'd get a 2DS XL. No hinges (And no moving wires which I bet will start becoming an issue in a few years for SP's and early DS systems), no having the system scratch its own screen, and the same size screen as the XL model.

The 2DS indeed has smaller screens than a 3DS XL. The 2DS screen sizes are only slighter larger by a few millimeters (as I recall) as those on a regular 3DS and for all intents and purposes are the same size.

That's why we need a 2DS XL. :)

[Tanooki]

No I meant the original DS forward. I tend to wear over the years cargo shorts and jeans and the pressure of being in a front pocket would eventually due to the design do it. The original DS was minor but the dsi and lite would get it pretty bad leaving circular smudge into scratches around the dpad area and then the frame too on all 3 models. Thats why I said it almost seemed intentional to sell new systems by damaging the screen.

[Leo_A]

Never had that happen. An advantage of keeping them at home, I suppose.

[Jorpho]

But what's the accepted preventative measure to make sure this doesn't happen? Put a microfiber cloth like you'd use to clean the screens between them when closing it, perhaps?Some sites suggest sticking larger rubber bumpers inside, such as http://www.amazon.co.uk/SUKI-HARDWARE-KITCHEN-CABINET-BUFFERS/dp/B00794411Y/ or the rubber feet from an XBox 360. Perhaps the repair people will simply install better rubber bumpers.

[Tanooki]

I've seen that suggestion too but I went with the cloth screen wipe and it has never failed me plus it can double obviously to clean the screen. I think the issue is the fact that between the various models of system into the 3DS you have different styles of frame or protective plate that don't mesh from to top bottom so something somewhere makes contact, the worst being where you have the raised area around one screen (like on DS) or the totally smooth plate dsi and 3DS(made worse with the different screen sizes on that one.) It sucks, it was designed that way, and it's unfortunate.

[Rickstilwell1]

I've seen those lines on my original 3DS before but they wiped off with an eyeglass cleaning cloth quite easily. They usually aren't actual scratches, rather dirt or dust that gets trapped in between the screens when not in use and it tends to build up more the longer you let it set there. Sometimes it is dirt or dust on the top screen that you can't see but it is there and it doesn't show up until it touches the other screen.

If you leave a fat PS3 unused for a while, dust gets on the foam-like disc drive entrance and when you insert and remove a game, lines of that dust will appear on your game disc and look like scratches, but again they wipe right off.

[Jorpho]

I forgot to mention that some claim screen protectors make the problem worse, as the added thickness makes it more likely for the bezel to collide with the top screen.

[Nz17]

I have the same problem with a scratched upper screen on my 3DS. Those vertical scratch lines have turned very obvious over the years from how much I use the 3DS. They really piss me off because you know it is due to a flaw in the 3DS's design! If only they had gone with identically sized + shaped screens, this wouldn't have happened!

So I guess the only three preventative measures we have here are:
1) Put a foam or rubber stopper on the bottom of the lower screen's frame to act as a buffering agent to prevent the left and right sides of the frame from leaving the vertical scratch marks.
2) Put a high (tall) foam or rubber stopper below the lower screen to act as a buffering agent to prevent the left and right sides of the frame from hitting the top screen.
3) Always carry a little cloth to toss into the 3DS before closing it.

That second one sounds inconvenient, so I wouldn't try that one. I'll tell you, if only Nintendo had added one of those little rubber feet from the outside bottom of the 3DS to the bottom of the lower frame, this whole thing would be moot!

[Jorpho]

Well, the 3DS is away for repairs now. Rumor has it they install bigger, better rubber bumpers when they do a repair like this. We shall see.

[Rickstilwell1]

Well, the 3DS is away for repairs now. Rumor has it they install bigger, better rubber bumpers when they do a repair like this. We shall see.

What, rubber baby buggy bumpers? lol

[Jorpho]

The replacement arrived today!

It arrived with slightly deeper scratches in exactly the same spot. >_<

Back it goes...

[Nz17]

The replacement arrived today! It arrived with slightly deeper scratches in exactly the same spot. >_< Back it goes...

An ironic twist! The suspense! The drama! We must watch as this epic unfolds. If only we didn't have to wait until next time for the exciting following episode of... Jorpho and his Amazing 3DS!

[Jorpho]

An ironic twist! The suspense! The drama! We must watch as this epic unfolds. If only we didn't have to wait until next time for the exciting following episode of... Jorpho and his Amazing 3DS!I'm not sure how I'm supposed to take that. :hmm:

Either way, it is becoming quite the epic: once again, my 3DS XL is in my hands. (Too late for the Capcom eShop sale, of course.) And of course, the scratches are still there – in fact, it's sort of hard to tell that anything was done. A bit of discussion with customer service suggests that the exterior may have been swapped onto another unit, which might explain why the exterior seems to be scratched up a good deal more than I recall when I sent it in.

This time they've offered to replace it with another refurbished unit, since the "limited edition" Mario & Luigi model is apparently not in short supply. The catch is that I'm going to lose all my save data for downloaded games – including everything from Mii Plaza. The only solution is to try to track down another 3DS (or 2DS) locally and do a System Transfer first. Hopefully I'll be able to resell it afterwards without incurring too much of a loss. What fun!

[Nz17]

I'm not sure how I'm supposed to take that. :hmm:

I was trying to have fun by writing that in the tone of an old-fashioned television announcer doing the "next time on..." segment at the end of a TV episode. Imagine the guy from the Batman TV previews at the end of the show and you'll get what I mean.


This time they've offered to replace it with another refurbished unit, since the "limited edition" Mario & Luigi model is apparently not in short supply. The catch is that I'm going to lose all my save data for downloaded games – including everything from Mii Plaza. The only solution is to try to track down another 3DS (or 2DS) locally and do a System Transfer first. Hopefully I'll be able to resell it afterwards without incurring too much of a loss. What fun!

Now that's partly true. What I mean is that all of the DSiWare, some of the stock 3DSWare, and some of the system settings/saves will remain on the old unit. But all of the rest of the 3DSWare will be stored on your SD card, and most saves from downloadable 3DSWare can be backed up using the main menu or the system app to back up the saves... *remembers* Oh wait, that's right, sorry!

Stupidly, save backups are _not_ stored on the SD card, but saved to internal memory... I believe that's the case. I think that's why the number of backup saves you can have is limited to about 20. But shouldn't the copies of the games on the SD card have their saves, and therefore once you log into the Nintendo Network & eShop on the new unit, the thing will recognize the games & saves on the SD card? Or is that not how it works?

Wow, this sure isn't easy.

[Jorpho]

My painfully limited understanding is that while you can back up save data stored on the 3DS to an SD card using the system menu, the save data will still be inextricably linked (via some sort of encryption?) to the 3DS on which it was created. Downloaded games behave much the same way, even if they are stored on an SD card.

Customer support can apparently transfer my NNID to another system, which would allow me to re-download whatever I purchased in the eShop (which is nothing more than Pokemon Y, Zelda Four Swords, and two Mii Plaza games at this point) – but the only way to use the save data from one 3DS on another 3DS is to do a System Transfer.

I sure hope they still send me a Mario & Luigi 3DS when this is all over, as they promised – they tried to get me to accept a blue or red unit this last time, which was exceptionally odd, since they had no problem whatsoever sending me my old M&L unit the first time. Other than that, I'm only particularly bummed about missing the Capcom sale – who knows when Phoenix Wright 5 will go on sale again?

[BlastProcessing402]

Looking at my 3DSXL, I don't even see how such scratches on the screen would be possible. Closing the lid and looking through the side, there's a good millimeter or so between the touchscreen bezel and the top screen. To get the top screen to touch, let alone get scratched, by the bottom, you'd have to put so much pressure on the top screen that you'd likely wind up doing some internal damage to the lcd or other components in the lid.

Mine's just a plain old blue 3DSXL bought about 2 years ago, so it's not like it has any improvements to fix screen touching. I know this was a big problem with the original 3DS, I just don't see it happening on a 3DSXL unless they started making them more shoddy after the early ones, or it was majorly mistreated.

[Jorpho]

Finally, after two months and three attempts, I am back where I started, with an M&L 3DS XL with a fresh screen! It's probably for the best that I got a refurbished unit; my original one seemed to be working perfectly, but I did have a little trouble that one day after I was carrying it in my backpack during a colossal rainstorm.

I borrowed a 3DS from someone who apparently did not mind losing his save data; I did a System Transfer before sending my old unit in, and just now did a System Transfer back.

At least I ended up with an extra power supply, stylus, manual, AR Card set, and 4 GB SD card.

[Nz17]

(The following is voiced in the manner of a narrator in a somewhat hushed tone often used as the victor appears from winning against difficult odds.)

Then from the smoke and ashes, against all odds, our warrior hero emerges. At his feet is a pile of discarded electronics with bits strewn here and there. As light beams across his silhouette through the smoke, he glances once to his left, then to his right, and then he triumphantly holds his impeccable 3DS, lights aglow, above his head!

{Trumpets sound and the music swells.}

He has done it! Against all odds, he has claimed his victory! But while his war is over and his battles are won, he must remain ever vigilant, for the scourge of imperfection knows no rest, and only with the steely gaze of an ever-alert sentry can such flawlessness be maintained by the determined collector.

Seriously, though, thanks for sharing all this. It was kind of like a living journal chronicling what one has to go through to get something like this taken care of. Who knows, it might be of good use to future readers trying to get their Nintendo products repaired/refurbished/replaced.

Just remember to put a foam frame or something around the top or bottom screen to keep the smaller frame from clapping into the bigger screen. What are you planning to do in this regard? Are you just going to go with the "toss a cloth in there" approach?

[Jorpho]

Who knows, it might be of good use to future readers trying to get their Nintendo products repaired/refurbished/replaced.I would hope so. What puzzles me is their strange insistence about their inability to fix "limited editions". My old 3DS had a small but very distinctive dent in one corner of the cover, and those first two times they sent it back, the dent was still there, even though the serial number on the bottom had been completely changed. It would seem that they are quite capable of transplanting the exterior of one unit onto another – except of course it seems the exterior got scratched up in the process, so maybe they try to avoid that.


Just remember to put a foam frame or something around the top or bottom screen to keep the smaller frame from clapping into the bigger screen. What are you planning to do in this regard? Are you just going to go with the "toss a cloth in there" approach?Aye, I'm going to stick with the cloth unless I happen across some form of suitable feet that I can glue on. I guess I could chop up an eraser, but then my next concern would be what kind of adhesive to use.

[Nz17]

Aye, I'm going to stick with the cloth unless I happen across some form of suitable feet that I can glue on. I guess I could chop up an eraser, but then my next concern would be what kind of adhesive to use.

As this is Nintendo we're talking about here, perhaps you should use Super (Nintendo) Glue. "Now You're Affixing with Power!" ;)