"Fixing" a scratched/scuffed screen - any suggestions?

[JonGoesOn]

I know this has been talked about 1000 times, but I thought this would be an ideal place to share suggestions/possible fixes.

FitBit themselves are less than useless on this. And frankly the fact that so many people are complaining about it shows a serious issue in screen quality. It should be a lot harder to scratch something you're wearing on your wrist, where you're MOST LIKELY to knock it or catch it on something, ESPECIALLY when you've just had a hard session at the gym and you're a little bit wobbly. Just knocking it on the bar of a treadmill seems to be enough to scratch it, though I'm fairly sure I scuffed mine on a wall. A wallpapered wall...

FitBit's policy seems to be that unless it's under 45 days old and can fit under their "one time courtesy replacement" policy, they literally can't do anything.

When I asked for advice on what I could do to try and fix it they had absolutely no information they could give me, because it wasn't included in their troubleshooting guidelines.

The best they could do was offer me 25% off the purchase of a new one. Which means if I want to get rid of the scuff marks on the screen it's going to cost me £105...

I've tried toothpaste. Doesn't work.

I've buffed the screen. I've tried polish. I've tried alcohol wipes. I've tried everything I have to hand.

My next step is probably going to be to try polyWatch scratch remover, or perhaps some kind of T-Cut.

Does anyone have any advice on things that ACTUALLY work? Things you've tried/had some success with on the Charge 2 screen?

P.S. PLEASE don't post about screen protectors. That's not helpful advice when the screen is already damaged. I'm well aware I should've used one, but wasn't actually aware how delicate the screen was until after I'd scratched it. FitBit's "Hardened plastic" marketing made me assume it'd be hard to scratch...

[LZeeW]

@JonGoesOn  Actually, certain screen protectors can help you at this point.  I bought the Ace Armor Shield brand and they sat on my desk -- I was going to get to it that weekend.  Well here's a shocker -- I got a scratch and everything I said is unprintable!  But I put the screen protector on and it "healed' the scratch. 

I firmly believe that Fitbit should decide on its favorite screen protector and put it in the box. 

[JonGoesOn]

That's good to know! I've got a pack of six screen protectors and some polyWatch on the way, so I may try one of the screen protectors first and see if it makes a difference.

Thanks for the advice, @LZeeW! And I'm fairly certain we have some of those unprintable utterances in common 😛

P.S. SO with you on FitBit including one, or at the very least being able to provide recommendations/tell people they should get one. It really is the very least they can do, considering the screens are so easily scratched.

I'm still hoping they'll upgrade to Gorilla Glass or something at some point, but considering they can't even sort adjustable heart rate zones (which should be a really minor software update) I'm not holding out any hope...

I love my FitBit, but these two things, cheap materials and inaccurate data, really, REALLY bug me about it. Almost enough to leave and find something else. Almost.

[AlvaroFitbit]

@JonGoesOn It's great to have you here! I think you have covered most common suggestions for your issue. Thankfully @LZeeW was able to share something that may work for you. Could you share some before and after pictures if you still haven't done this? I think this may help other members in the same situation. Regarding the screen protector you can vote for the idea in our Feature suggestions board. The more votes an idea has the more likely the developers will try to implement it. Finally feel free to check @FerdinandFitbit's suggestions to improve your heart rate reading on your tracker.

Let me know how it goes!

[Rich_Laue]

Those tempered glass shields don't hide heavier scraches well. It is the rubbery type you want to look for, for the best results.

[JonGoesOn]

Thanks for that, @AlvaroFitbit! I've been over and voted for the idea.

Regarding the heart rate, it's not actually the reading I have an issue with. It's the inaccurate heart rate ZONES. The fact that they're not customisable and don't adapt to your resting heart rate. They're based on age alone, instead of your ACTUAL fitness level (based on your resting/max heart rates). See thread here: https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Feature-Suggestions/Heart-rate-zones-more-of-them-all-editable/idi-p...

[JonGoesOn]

Thanks, @Rich_Laue! For the charge 2, I think the screen is actually slightly curved, so I couldn't find any glass ones anyway. But that's good to know about them not hiding scratches!

[honglong1976]

autosol for deep scratches then polywatch

or just polywatch

[STrack]

I tried the toothpaste and no help.  I went to the abrasive in the Rainx for car headlights.  The abrasion scratch is gone and the Fitbit looks good.

[AlvaroFitbit]

@STrack Welcome! It's good that the community is growing!  Thank you for adding the RainX product to the list of tested materials. Any chance you can share a picture of how your tracker looks? Still thank you for your contribution.

I'll be around!

[Littlebobbyidk]

Hey can you tell whats the name of that sxren protector cause i really need one for my fotbit versa and its really hard not to get it scratched 

[Big_Boi]

I have a Fitbit versa. My watch also gets a TON of scratches because (like you) I am constantly knocking it everywhere I go. What i do whenever I get a scratch is I just rub it. For some reason, the scratch is gone! I don’t know if I’m just crazy but I hope this helps!

[MN11_]

Yes, I have been having the same problems with my Fitbit Versa. I have had my Versa ever since about January 5, and my Versa got SO scratched.... And I tries toothpaste... Doesn't work......and yes... I know I *should* use a screen protected for it. But does anyone know some stuff I can use for my Versa? Thx!

[STrack]

I used the stuff that is used to rejuvinate car headlights and it worked great!

[Emcm1]

This is not even remotely acceptable. A screen cover should either be provided or suggested. Neither happened when I purchased the device and now I’m “stuck” with something that looks like it’s been through the ringer even though I’ve only had it for TWO DAYS. This is certainly information that I will be sharing as widely as possible, as I wish it had been prior to my purchase.  I’ve seen wonderful reviews for Garmin products, so that will be my purchase after returning this nonsense. 

[STrack]

I used the materials used to improve old auto headlights and it worked great.

[Rich_Laue]

The Charge 2 hasn't been manufactured for 10 months, where did you find one to purchase @Emcm1?

Many have found screen protectors do hide scratches. Especially the non glass models. 

When was the last time you purchased a phone and the manufacturer reccomended a case or screen protector? 

[Emcm1]

It’s an Inspire HR. When are screen protectors *not* recommended when purchasing a device? Every Verizon upsells cases and screen protectors. Apple websites have recommended additions.

When nothing more was suggested during my Fitbit purchase, I assumed that something designed to be worn on a wrist would built to withstand normal activity. 

[Rich_Laue]

Sorry but you are posting in the Charge 2 forum not the inspire forum. 

Of course every local phone store up sells the cases and screens, which are not made by the company that made the phone. Do you know what profit margin is? 

Yes Apple based websites recommend . But do you see a recommendation on www.apple.com?

I also purposely mentioned manufacturer, not local independent phone store, my comment was not addressed. 

Phone manufacturer's don't recommend it or mention but leave it up to the consumer to decide. 

Personally I go to a third party store and save about 75% over what the Verizon store charges. 

[Emcm1]

Got it with regard to the model. But do you still not believe that a product marketed to be worn on a wrist should be designed to withstand normal wear and tear? 

Furthermore, websites ALWAYS provide recommendations for additional products, like screen covers, when necessary. Every single one of them.  So either you’re paid directly by Fitbit or you’ve never purchased something online. I am absolutely done with this unproductive conversation. I was looking for something useful and only one person has provided a helpful response, the rest of you are clearly paid by the company (or else you’re truly pathetic individuals with nothing more to do).  I won’t be recommending anything from Fitbit and will certainly be discouraging everyone from using the product.