I've been using an Epson Perfection V500 Photo flat-bed scanner for several years now and have been very happy with the results... but over the last few months I'd begun to notice a filmy pattern developing on the underside of the glass... this dramatically affected the quality, depth and richness of the scan colors, especially dark shades like navy blue, purple and black.

I first called a local computer repair shop called "Computer Wingman" and asked if they'd be willing to take the scanner apart and clean the glass - they declined by saying it was not the kind of work they ordinarily do. Then I took a photo of the scanner to a local iPhone repair business called "You Break I Fix"... these guys looked up the device online and concluded that there is no factory authorized "tear-down procedure" for the Epson V500... so while they were willing to try and fix it, they could not guarantee their results.

I decided to take the bull by the horns and fix it myself... long story short... I Googled "clean glass on Epson V500 scanner" and found a lengthy discussion of the subject on Flickr... one post was called "4 Screws-No Problems"... and that's exactly how it turned out. I was able to take the box apart, thoroughly clean the glass, and reassemble it with no problems... apparently the film is caused by a phenomenon called "outgassing"... over time, plastic and glass products emit microscopic molecules of gas and this creates a filmy coating on the glass.

Now take a look at the difference in scan quality... the first scan I made yesterday before cleaning the glass... and the second scan I made less than an hour ago, same exact settings...

Not bad for a tech-challenged old guy!