[hab]

The Superdrive in my 1.25 year old iMac C2D does not "grab" discs anymore. The problem occurred out of the blue (I am not a heavy user of the disc drive). When I attempt to put in a disc in, nothing happens. If I push the disc in fast, I hear a click that I assume is the disc hitting the load mechanism but there is no action to pull the disc in. Is the drive dead? Are there any diagnostics before I take the unit to the Apple Store for repairs? Fortunately, I do have Applecare for the machine.

[AKcrab]

Originally Posted by hab 

Fortunately, I do have Applecare for the machine.

It's dead. Get it replaced.

[dowNNshift]

Yes there are service diagnostics, but its pass/fail with an optical drive.
If deemed out of warranty, you've got three choices:

1. For about $70 bucks you could instead use an external FW or USB optical drive.

2. Replace it with the overpriced Apple service part for $255.

3. 3rd party OEM equivalent internal superdrive for just under $100.

Keep in mind that labor on this repair will run at about an hours worth if you choose to replace the internal optical drive. A typical optical drive repair bill my customers receive averages $180 when all is said and done.

[bshahmardi]

buy one on ebay and go to ifixit.com and download the guide to put a superdrive in. It's an imac so it's super easy to pull it off.

[Eriamjh]

He's got applecare. Get it fixed. Back up your machine before taking it in.

[hab]

Apple replaced the superdrive under Applecare but found that the drive was still inoperable. They then replaced the "Flexible Optical Data Cable" which did the trick. And now I am back in business.